Oh no, there are so many people here.
Is Lu Rang going to hug him right away like before?
Be rational, Lu Rang.
Don’t be an idiot.
“Hey~ What a coincidence, you’re here too!”
Ye Xirong followed behind Lu Rang, waving his hand broadly with a gentle smile.
Luo Ying took a deep breath, bracing himself for the worst, and forced out a smile—strained and awkward.
He waved in greeting, forcing himself to stay calm.
Teacher Tang extended both hands to welcome them. “I’m really sorry for troubling you both to come all the way back from the set.”
Lu Rang’s gaze lingered on Luo Ying for a few seconds before shifting away.
His expression was calm as he shook Teacher Tang’s hand. “We just finished work, so it’s no trouble.”
Teacher Tang quickly directed Lu Rang and Ye Xirong to their positions. They had come with their makeup already done, saving time on preparation.
The promotional shoot began, and the area needed to be cleared.
Seizing the opportunity, Luo Ying found an excuse to wander around the campus and pulled Xie Yunyu away from the field.
Autumn leaves drifted down along the roadside. Luo Ying kept his head down, kicking at a fallen leaf as he debated whether to tell Xie Yunyu about his relationship with Lu Rang.
Would Xie Yunyu look down on him if he found out?
He was so innocent—would he get angry about it?
Forget it, he’d find out eventually anyway.
Besides, Lu Rang treated him well, and they really did seem to be seriously dating.
“Yunyu.”
“Luo Ying.”
They spoke almost simultaneously.
Luo Ying felt uneasy. “You go first.”
Xie Yunyu rested his chin on his hand, thinking. “Luo Ying, I noticed that male celebrity earlier seemed interested in you? How do you know him?”
Luo Ying’s alarm bells went off—was it really that obvious?
He decided to play dumb first. “No way.”
“Really? I felt like he was staring right at you. Based on my experience—”
Xie Yunyu paused, suddenly serious. “Luo Ying, I don’t think he’s a good match. He seems a bit… flirtatious.”
Huh? Lu Rang seems flirtatious?
Well, maybe he’s a bit different in bed.
They’ve tried quite a few positions and settings—does that count as flirtatious?
Probably more like indecent…
He defended Lu Rang. “Not really, he seems fine.”
Xie Yunyu looked like a worried father whose beloved son was about to be led astray by a bad man.
“Luo Ying, why are you defending him? Didn’t you say before that all tops are no good?”
“…And besides, he looks like… I feel like you two might clash in terms of roles.”
Luo Ying: “??”
Do I really look that much like a top?
That’s actually quite a compliment.
Then he heard Xie Yunyu add, “The one next to him seems better—more mature and steady. That type suits you.”
“That guy looks familiar… I think I’ve seen him at a friend’s drinking party.”
A friend’s drinking party?
Luo Ying suddenly realized that Xie Yunyu’s disapproval wasn’t directed at Lu Rang but at Ye Xirong.
He scratched his head and followed Xie Yunyu’s train of thought. “What if I were dating him? Do you think that would work?”
Xie Yunyu raised an eyebrow, his tone light. “I just think that type suits you, nothing more. How many people in the entertainment industry are genuinely serious about dating? Most just use each other for clout and resources. And I’ve heard there are plenty of sugar daddies in that circle too. If someone really liked you, would they want to keep it a secret?”
At the mention of “sugar daddies,” Luo Ying’s face flushed red.
The cold wind pierced through him, as if a thousand fingers were pointing at his back.
Xie Yunyu wasn’t wrong—Lu Rang’s initial intention in pursuing him was far from simple.
Even if Lu Rang always claimed not to care about being publicly acknowledged or about online opinions, that fearless resolve might simply stem from the fact that Luo Ying resembled Lu Rang’s first love.
If Lu Rang truly liked him, why hadn’t he confessed back in high school?
Why hadn’t he attended his farewell party? Why hadn’t he answered his calls? Why had he never reached out all these years?
The more Luo Ying thought about it, the angrier he became. He wished he could rush back to the filming set right now, grab Lu Rang by the collar, and demand an explanation.
Unfortunately, he was no longer the spoiled, willful person who could order Lu Rang around. He had to endure it—for the sake of that fifty million yuan monthly salary.
Xie Yunyu circled back to the beginning: “By the way, what were you going to say earlier?”
Luo Ying, now seething with anger, decided to bury the matter between him and Lu Rang: “Nothing.”
After lunch, Luo Ying and Xie Yunyu returned to the company and stayed there the entire afternoon.
According to the schedule Xia Xi had sent, Lu Rang had no other work arrangements after finishing the promotional shoot today.
In the past, on days like this, Lu Rang would have returned home early to have dinner with Luo Ying.
Ever since Luo Ying and Lu Rang had let loose, Luo Ying would rush home as soon as work ended each day.
But today was different. He had been stewing in anger all afternoon with nowhere to vent, and he was still fuming now.
So, he took Xie Yunyu to their usual club to mess around.
The bar on the top floor of the club was a favorite gathering spot for young people, and Luo Ying was no exception.
The bar was divided into two floors: the first floor had open booths and a dance floor, while the second floor offered more private, independent rooms.
Each room was equipped with floor-to-ceiling one-way glass, allowing those inside to see the lively crowd on the dance floor while remaining invisible from the outside.
Many business meetings and celebrity gatherings took place in these rooms.
Luo Ying lay on the sofa, looking down. The chaotic music and flashing lights set the scene, with figures on the dance floor interacting intimately. In the booths, people excitedly popped champagne bottles, spraying the drink and splashing passing waitstaff.
The room they had booked was spacious. Across the wide table, Luo Ying eyed the array of imported liquor with confusion.
He couldn’t quite understand why the bar manager had sent so many bottles.
He opened one, poured a glass, and downed it in one gulp.
The strong liquor burned his throat, and his delicate brows immediately furrowed.
It had been too long since he last drank—he was a bit out of practice.
Xie Yunyu had a high alcohol tolerance too. After a few rounds of toasts, Luo Ying was starting to struggle.
As time passed, Xie Yunyu was eventually knocked out by Luo Ying.
Curled up on the sofa, Luo Ying listened as Xie Yunyu rambled on about everything under the sun, including his boyfriend.
From cursing the scumbag to crying his eyes out, Luo Ying heard the entire story of Xie Yunyu’s love life.
It boiled down to this: Xie Yunyu had once been emotionally deceived by a junior who was nearly three years younger. After their unpleasant breakup, Xie Yunyu went abroad to study.
Somehow, in recent months, they had reconnected. The junior, filled with regret, had started pursuing Xie Yunyu again.
Now, they were back together—but according to Xie Yunyu, he was only pretending to reconcile to get revenge for the emotional manipulation he had endured.
Such complicated emotions were beyond Luo Ying’s understanding.
All he could say was that he was glad he had encountered Lu Rang’s straightforward, transactional relationship, rather than this kind of love-hate entanglement.
After crying, Xie Yunyu fell asleep, and his phone soon began to vibrate.
Luo Ying couldn’t wake Xie Yunyu, so he answered the call for him.
“Where are you? Still not back?”
The voice on the other end was cold, sending a shiver down Luo Ying’s spine.
Luo Ying glanced at the contact name and instinctively felt that the caller was Xie Yunyu’s boyfriend.
He despised scumbags and had no patience for them.
His tone was impatient as he spoke to the person on the phone. “He’s drunk and sleeping now. Can you come pick him up?”
The other person paused for a few seconds before saying, “Send me the address.”
Luo Ying curled his lips, thinking to himself, What a pretentious asshole.
After a while, the private room door was pushed open by a tall, slender man.
The man’s brows were slightly furrowed, and his sable coat carried a chill. He was handsome and young but seemed a bit rushed, as if he had hurried over.
Luo Ying studied the man’s face for a moment. He looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
When the man looked over, he also paused briefly before swiftly scooping Xie Yunyu up like a chick and taking him away.
After Xie Yunyu was taken away, Luo Ying suddenly felt lonely and despondent.
He glanced at his phone screen, where the time had already jumped to the next day, and opened his call log.
Lu Rang hadn’t contacted him or sent him any messages.
Was it because he didn’t care that he wasn’t urging him to come home?
Ah—
He was just a paid substitute, so why was he overthinking things?
But, damn it!
If it were Lu Rang’s beloved white moonlight and first love, staying out this late without returning, Lu Rang would probably have come to drag him back like Xie Yunyu’s boyfriend, right?
Luo Ying rubbed his head, feeling utterly annoyed!
Leaving the club, Luo Ying casually hailed a taxi back to Guangxin Tower.
Arriving home at three in the morning, he assumed Lu Rang would already be asleep.
After all, Lu Rang was usually so disciplined, rarely staying up past midnight when he wasn’t working.
Luo Ying took a deep breath in front of the polished elevator door, thinking he needed to earn more money to break free from the title of a kept substitute.
Reaching the top floor, the elevator doors slowly opened.
Luo Ying had expected to be greeted by a dark, unlit apartment.
Unexpectedly, the entire hall was brightly lit, with the crystal chandelier in the center casting beautiful, multicolored lights.
On the leather sofa in the middle of the hall, Lu Rang sat wearing silk pajamas, holding an open magazine.
Hearing the elevator doors open, Lu Rang’s proud, handsome face slowly lifted. The bright light shone on him, as if casting a hazy glow around him.
A faint smile appeared on Lu Rang’s calm face, his clear eyes sparkling like stars.
He spoke slowly, his voice as gentle as jade.
“You’re back.”