Pei Mingyang’s single line, “I’ve missed you so much,” ended up tormenting Luo Ying until the wee hours of the night.
Lu Rang, like an overturned vinegar jar, covered Luo Ying with marks of affection, leaving faint kiss marks even in hidden places like behind the ears.
Standing before the floor-length mirror to change clothes, Luo Ying felt both embarrassed and annoyed at the sight of the marks all over his body.
“Did you leave so many marks on purpose for Pei Mingyang to see? Is your possessiveness that strong?”
Lu Rang lay on his side on the bed, propping his head up with one hand, the blanket casually draped over his private parts. When he narrowed his eyes and smiled, he resembled an ancient emperor who had just indulged in debauchery—not only wicked but also seductive.
He tilted his neck and pointed to the kiss marks on his throat and collarbone, where crimson imprints stood out against his fair skin.
“You’re not so bad yourself. I have a shoot this afternoon—aren’t you afraid of being exposed this time?”
Luo Ying’s face flushed instantly. He had long thought about leaving a kiss mark on Lu Rang’s throat but had never dared to do so, fearing it might affect Lu Rang’s on-screen appearance.
Lost in passion the night before, he had clung to Lu Rang, sucking on his skin for a long time, not giving it a second thought at the time.
He threw the pajamas he had just taken off at Lu Rang in embarrassment, adopting an attitude of denial after the fact. “I don’t care! Figure it out yourself! Anyway, you’re not allowed to do this to me again!”
Lu Rang had a whole repertoire of suggestive remarks. “Then how do you want me to do it?”
“Just not like this…” Luo Ying caught the innuendo in his words and glared. “Damn, you’re a pervert!”
Lu Rang pushed the blanket aside, grabbed his robe, and draped it over himself.
He walked around to stand behind Luo Ying, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. He nuzzled gently and said in a coaxing tone, “Do you really have to meet Pei Mingyang? You know I don’t like him.”
Luo Ying felt his neck tingling from Lu Rang’s touch. He turned his face away and said, “I don’t dislike him. Besides, I knew him long before I even knew where you were! I can’t just abandon my friendship with him for your sake.”
Lu Rang remained silent for a long time before reluctantly giving in. “Then don’t get too close to him, okay?”
“At most, we’ll just have a meal and chat. How close could we possibly get? If I don’t punch him when we meet, it’ll already be a good outcome.”
Lu Rang nibbled on his earlobe, planting a trail of kisses from behind his ear down to his neck. The tingling sensation on his skin made Luo Ying let out a soft, ambiguous gasp.
Both of them had their own schedules to attend to later, and if they continued like this, they might end up running late.
Lu Rang finally pressed a kiss to the corner of Luo Ying’s mouth and said in a low, husky voice, “Luo Ying, don’t get too close to those men. I’ll get jealous.”
Luo Ying blinked lightly, pondering who Lu Rang meant by “those men.”
Ye Xirong? Wen Silan? Pei Mingyang?
Hmm… It definitely couldn’t be Xie Yunyu.
From yesterday until today, Pei Mingyang had bombarded him with nearly a hundred messages, all insisting on meeting Luo Ying for a meal.
Such a trivial matter, yet he made it sound as if he were about to sign a billion-dollar contract, acting all frantic and dramatic.
They met at a Chinese-style teahouse.
The attendant led Luo Ying to the VIP private room. The heavy wooden sliding door slowly opened, revealing a bamboo-carved screen on one side of the room, with a faint, elegant scent of incense lingering in the air.
In the corner sat a woman holding a pipa, her eyes lowered as she focused on plucking the strings.
Beyond the screen, a silver-haired man sat on a wooden chair. He looked younger than Luo Ying, with delicate and handsome features, dressed in loose, casual attire that gave off a relaxed and lazy vibe.
When the man saw Luo Ying, his eyes sparkled with vitality, their clear and bright gaze burning with intensity.
“Luo Ying!”
Pei Mingyang called out, suppressing the excitement in his heart.
“Why choose a place like this?”
Luo Ying waved his hand dismissively, glancing around. The place was truly artsy and elegant, with the entire private room exuding an atmosphere of pretentiousness.
Pei Mingyang explained, “It’s quiet here.”
Luo Ying went along with the host’s choice. “Alright then.”
The meal had been ordered before Luo Ying arrived, which saved him the trouble of agonizing over what to eat.
“Luo Ying, how many years has it been since we last met?”
“I forgot. Three years? Four?”
Pei Mingyang corrected him, “Two years.”
“Oh.” Only two years? Luo Ying felt it had been much longer.
Back when they were studying abroad, they used to meet almost every other day.
Luo Ying had gone abroad earlier than Pei Mingyang.
He was sent overseas by Luo Xiaohe right after high school graduation, and Pei Mingyang followed closely behind. At the time, Luo Ying was in university, while Pei Mingyang was still muddling through high school.
Later, Luo Ying returned, but Pei Mingyang was sent by his family to work in another country.
Whenever Luo Ying looked at Pei Mingyang, he always felt like he was dealing with a younger brother.
He had heard from his family that back then, Pei Mingyang had caused quite a stir at home just to go abroad earlier.
If Pei Mingyang were his real brother, Luo Ying would have long since beaten him into submission.
“Why are you back? Weren’t you stationed overseas?”
Pei Mingyang lifted his eyes to look at him. “The overseas project was halted. My dad thought I wasn’t doing a good job and replaced me with a new CEO.”
“I think so too. Your dad has good judgment.” Luo Ying pursed his lips. “So, you’re back to being the carefree young master of Haidu?”
“Before I returned, I signed with a talent agency. My dad said he’d invest in a drama for me to have some fun.”
Luo Ying got straight to the point. “Just killing time.”
Pei Mingyang shrugged. “Anyway, I’m not cut out for business. Might as well try a different path. What if I become famous?”
“That’s true.”
Luo Ying thought of Lu Rang, who had been randomly chosen to play the male lead during university and skyrocketed to fame, winning a golden award.
Maybe Pei Mingyang would stumble upon a good role and a good director, and thrive in the entertainment industry.
At worst, his father would still have his back.
“Hey, what’s the deal with your dad?”
“Don’t even mention it! He and Fei Yan, they…”
Luo Ying abruptly stopped. It was better not to let a fourth person know about his father’s test for him.
Otherwise, word would spread from one to ten, and eventually reach Lu Rang’s ears.
“Forget it, I don’t want to talk about this.”
Pei Mingyang thought Luo Ying was upset and worried about the bankruptcy. Afraid of annoying him with further questions, he quickly changed the subject.
“Luo Ying, why are you hanging out with Lu Rang? Didn’t I tell you he’s not a good person?”
Then, Pei Mingyang said something similar to what Lu Rang had said: “And you know, I really hate him!”
Luo Ying felt caught in the middle. After all these years, what unresolved conflict could these two have that made them hate each other for so long?
“What exactly do you hate about him?”
“I…” Pei Mingyang pouted angrily, as if holding back a bellyful of secrets.
“You have no idea, he’s such a hypocrite! He puts on one face in front of you and another in front of others!”
Oh, that’s true.
Lu Rang didn’t like to talk, which made him seem aloof and unapproachable to others, someone not to be trifled with.
In reality, he preferred to express himself through actions, and this side of him was usually only shown in front of close acquaintances.
How could this be blown out of proportion into a reason to dislike him?
Luo Ying couldn’t figure it out.
“Luo Ying, did you move into Lu Rang’s place just because you had nowhere else to go? Why don’t you move in with me instead! My dad gave me a villa, and it’s plenty spacious for the two of us.”
“Living at Lu Rang’s place is fine. He’s a good guy. Besides, moving around is too much trouble.”
Luo Ying had no intention of moving—if he left, he’d lose his bed partner.
Besides, the property deeds Lu Rang gave him included more than just one villa. Although they weren’t transferred to his name, the keys were in his possession.
“You…!”
Pei Mingyang grew agitated, almost shouting, “Are you really that set on sticking with Lu Rang? What’s so great about him that you like him so much? Wasn’t getting burned once enough?”
“Huh?”
Luo Ying was taken aback by Pei Mingyang’s outburst.
How did he know he liked Lu Rang for his skills in bed? Was it that obvious?
Could his desire for Lu Rang’s prowess really be written all over his face?
“What do you mean, ‘burned once’?”
“I mean…” Pei Mingyang calmed down, avoiding eye contact. “What I’m saying is, he left without saying goodbye before. He treated you like that—he didn’t even come to see you off when you went abroad. Why are you still forgiving him?”
Pei Mingyang couldn’t resist taking another jab: “I don’t think he ever considered you a friend.”
Luo Ying’s eyelid twitched guiltily. Whether Lu Rang saw him as a friend or not was one thing, but they were definitely already friends with benefits.
“Pei Mingyang, can we stop talking about Lu Rang? Didn’t you say you hated him? Why do you keep bringing him up every three sentences?”
Pei Mingyang was left speechless by Luo Ying’s retort.
His emotions gradually settled, and he hung his head like a big dog, looking dejected after being scolded.
“What do you want to talk about with me?”
Luo Ying tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He wasn’t sure what to talk about either.
“How about… tell me which agency you signed with?”
Pei Mingyang looked up. “Tianyu Media.”
“What media?”
Luo Ying was so shocked he nearly knocked over the porcelain bowl beside him.
Tianyu Media.
Wasn’t that the company Ye Xirong was trying to break his contract with?!