Chen Yuebai rarely accompanied He Zhi upstairs. The director had not yet arrived in the dubbing studio, and when the assistant saw them coming, he hurried over to greet them. Bai Lian was not present, only her trusted assistant Huang Qing was there to help ensure that He Zhi’s voice matched Bai Lian’s during the dubbing.
The assistant led He Zhi to the dubbing area, while Huang Qing stood nearby, smiling ingratiatingly at Chen Yuebai. “Teacher Chen, we’re grateful for your care of our Lian Lian.”
Chen Yuebai crossed his arms and nodded coldly, but his gaze wandered absently to the young man standing by the microphone not far away. As he watched, Chen Yuebai furrowed his brow slightly in thought: perhaps it was because he had just woken up last night, but he suddenly found He Zhi somewhat attractive.
Chen Yuebai was startled by this thought. This person was usually inconspicuous, always keeping his head down and looking rather disheveled. Yet he had a sharp mind; otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up in his bed. The reason he married He Zhi was merely a whim and an appreciation for the other’s voice.
Their marriage was a transaction: he used He Zhi to fend off his parents and the various men and women outside, while He Zhi received a monthly allowance from him, with no talk of feelings. This was all agreed upon from the start. As long as He Zhi behaved himself and didn’t cause trouble, he didn’t mind treating him well.
He hadn’t returned home much in the past six months, nor had he thought of He Zhi often, let alone shared a bed with him. But last night… Thinking of this, Chen Yuebai’s gaze deepened; He Zhi’s body was indeed quite pleasant. He gave He Zhi a meaningful smile before turning to leave.
Seeing Chen Yuebai leave, Huang Qing took a few steps toward the dubbing area to keep an eye on He Zhi.
He Zhi sat in front of the dubbing microphone, and as soon as he spoke, the assistant was startled. He paused for a moment and asked, “Mr. He, are you alright?”
He Zhi coughed uncomfortably, his cheeks turning even redder. The assistant quickly poured a glass of water for him. He Zhi took the water and drank it down, finally feeling a bit better. “I’m fine.”
Huang Qing had just taken a photo of the dubbing studio and uploaded it to Bai Lian’s Weibo, then imitated Bai Lian’s tone to post: “Dubbing hard at work (sun)”. As soon as the post went live, countless comments flooded in within seconds, with fans passionately expressing their love and lamenting the lack of photos of their idol. The assistant looked at the comments below and smiled with satisfaction.
At that moment, he heard the assistant’s words and quickly stepped forward, pointing at He Zhi. “Mr. He, please make sure to do your best. You can’t slack off at all. You can’t let personal issues affect our Lian Lian; that would be a breach of contract.” He paused and added, “I believe Mr. Chen wouldn’t allow you to be careless with your work.”
Chen Yuebai had turned to leave when he heard this and paused for a moment but ultimately continued walking forward.
He Zhi frowned, feeling dizzy and his cheeks burning. His throat was scratchy and painful, and the pain in his body felt like it had doubled. He coughed a few more times, his fair nose turning red as well. The assistant couldn’t bear to watch any longer and said, “Mr. He, there’s a sofa over there. Why don’t you rest for a bit before we continue? If you’re really not feeling well, you should go to the hospital.” At that moment, the director entered and nodded in agreement with the assistant’s suggestion.
He Zhi hadn’t expected to feel this unwell. In his current state, he couldn’t perform well, so he nodded and stood up. “Thank you.”
He Zhi dragged his painful, heavy body a few steps to the sofa and curled up in a corner, closing his eyes to regain his strength. Since He Zhi couldn’t finish the dubbing, Huang Qing couldn’t leave either. Seeing this, Huang Qing snorted and sat down next to He Zhi, seemingly unintentionally muttering in complaint, “What a dramatic person, always acting weak…”
Since the dubbing hadn’t started yet, the director went out to oversee other matters. Although Huang Qing spoke quietly, He Zhi and the assistant heard him clearly.
The assistant was a young newcomer and shot Huang Qing a disapproving glance. When he looked at He Zhi, there was a hint of sympathy in his eyes: the entertainment industry was indeed a cutthroat place. The one who boasted about his acting skills and original voice was actually mediocre, but because of his background, even the director turned a blind eye to his deceit—who would dare provoke the Bai Family? Moreover, all of his friends were not to be trifled with.
As for He Zhi, he was struggling to dub while running a fever, and in the end, his name wouldn’t even appear on the screen. It was said that his family was not well-off, and although he had married Mr. Chen, it didn’t seem like Mr. Chen cared about him, allowing him to endure this kind of bullying and shameful work.
The assistant sighed internally, feeling even more sympathy for He Zhi.
He Zhi naturally heard those words clearly, but he felt too unwell to argue or even care to respond.
After drinking another glass of water and resting for a while, He Zhi finally felt a bit better and began to dub. He always took his work seriously and usually immersed himself fully in his roles. Although he had no experience as an actor or voice actor, for some reason, he was able to enter and experience the character quickly and steadily while dubbing, as if it were a natural skill.
After finishing his lines for the day, He Zhi finally let out a sigh of relief. The assistant smiled at him. “Mr. He, your emotions and grasp of the character during dubbing were excellent. If you were an actor, you would definitely be a great one. You’ve worked hard.”
He Zhi stood up, the world around him darkening, but he managed to force a smile. “Thank you.”
Huang Qing scoffed at the assistant’s words, then put on a haughty smile. “I’ll leave after today’s session. I’ll come back tomorrow to keep an eye on things. Mr. He, please don’t drop the ball.”
After Huang Qing left, the assistant cast a disdainful glance at his back. When he looked at He Zhi again, his eyes held a bit of genuine warmth. “That’s it for today. You’ve worked hard. You can go home and rest now. You look unwell; you should really go to the hospital.”
“Thank you. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Alright. Take care, Mr. He.”
He Zhi nodded, rubbing his temples, feeling a bit fuzzy in front of him. He took a deep breath and was about to reach for the doorknob when everything suddenly went dark, and he collapsed onto the floor.
“Mr. He!”
……
“Hello, is this Mr. Chen? Mr. He has fainted here. He has a high fever; do you think you should come pick him up?”
“Oh, you’re taking Bai Lian to the studio and can’t come over, right? …Then what about Mr. He?”
“Okay, I understand. I’ll call a taxi to take Mr. He to the hospital right away.”
……
He Zhi felt everything around him was chaotic and dark. Just before he completely lost consciousness, he heard the assistant say, “You’re taking Bai Lian to the studio and can’t come over, right?”
He forced a bitter smile, finally succumbing to sleep.
……
When He Zhi groggily woke up, he smelled the scent of disinfectant and saw a white ceiling above him.
He recognized that he seemed to be in a hospital, and then he noticed a needle in the back of his hand, with cold liquid flowing through the IV into his veins. The flow rate of the IV was probably a bit fast; his hand felt heavy and numb, almost devoid of sensation.
It was dusk, and the lights in the hospital room began to turn on. He Zhi pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing he had almost slept the entire afternoon.
On the bedside table, there was an unopened bottle of mineral water and some fruit. He Zhi half-sat up, struggling to twist the cap off the bottle, and took a large gulp of water, which made his throat feel a bit better.
His phone buzzed, and it was an unfamiliar number. He Zhi pressed the answer button.
“Hello, this is Lu Bian. Mr. He, are you feeling better? I’m sorry, Mr. He, I have something urgent and can’t be there with you.”
Lu Bian was the assistant from earlier. They weren’t familiar with each other, and He Zhi was already grateful for him bringing him to the hospital, so he replied, “Thank you, I’m feeling much better. Please don’t say that; you’ve already helped me a lot.”
He Zhi’s voice was clear and gentle, his tone sincere. The assistant felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Don’t mention it; it was just a small effort. I won’t disturb you any longer. Please rest well. Goodbye, Mr. He.”
He Zhi replied, “Thank you again. Goodbye.”
After hanging up, He Zhi looked out the window, recalling the events of the morning, and let out a soft sigh.
When he fainted in the morning, Chen Yuebai was taking Bai Lian to the studio. Similar things had happened countless times, yet each time, it pierced his heart.
He Zhi stared blankly out the window, suddenly wondering if it was really meaningful to love someone while losing oneself and having no self-respect.
Perhaps he should cut ties with Chen Yuebai completely. It might hurt thoroughly for a while, but time would heal everything. Even the wounds Chen Yuebai left him, no matter how deep, could potentially heal.
Suddenly, a sharp pain like a needle struck He Zhi’s forehead. He frowned and couldn’t help but rub his temples. The thought of breaking up with Chen Yuebai was interrupted and soon dissipated. Once the pain passed, He Zhi looked at his palm in confusion: every time he thought about breaking up with Chen Yuebai, his head would start to hurt, as if the heavens were determined to bind him to Chen Yuebai.
Perhaps he should wait a little longer. He Zhi thought. He would give himself and Chen Yuebai’s relationship another chance. If Chen Yuebai still didn’t love him, then even if it hurt him to death, he would force himself to completely break away from Chen Yuebai.
Suddenly, the phone beside him buzzed again. He Zhi frowned at the words on the screen but sighed and answered the call. “Hello, Mom, what’s up?”
“Hello, He Zhi,” a coarse, loud female voice came through. “Can you send some money to Mom? I need it urgently.”
“Mom,” He Zhi furrowed his brow even tighter. “I just sent you money the day before yesterday.”
“Oh, that little amount is not enough,” the woman’s voice became somewhat sharp. “He Zhi, you’ve hooked up with someone so wealthy and have become successful, so you’re not taking care of your parents, right? You mustn’t be ungrateful.”
“Mom, I send you living expenses every month.”
“Tsk, how much is that?” the woman muttered. “Isn’t Chen Yuebai very rich? Since you’re married, what’s his is yours; just ask him for it!”
He Zhi took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. “Mom, Mr. Chen’s money is his, mine is mine. I can’t ask Mr. Chen for money; please understand.” After a pause, he asked, “Mom, what do you need money for?”
“It’s your aunt’s child—your cousin. He wants to learn the piano; you know him, right? He’s very smart. Just help him with the tuition; it’s just a few thousand yuan, not much.”
“Mom,” He Zhi rubbed his forehead. “I’m feeling very unwell right now, I’m sick in the hospital. Can we talk about this later?” He really didn’t have the energy to argue with his mother.
“Alright then. Just remember to send the money.” With that, the woman hung up decisively.
He Zhi looked at the phone screen and forced a bitter smile: his mother heard he was sick but couldn’t even spare a word of concern for him. His mother even came to ask him for money for his cousin’s piano lessons, as if he were the endless blood bag for that family.
Chen Yuebai stood outside the door, having heard He Zhi finish the call. For some reason, upon hearing how He Zhi was treated by his mother, he suddenly felt a surge of anger. No matter how little he valued He Zhi, He Zhi was still his married partner. Since he was his partner, he shouldn’t be treated this way.
However, although he and He Zhi were married, they were still not close. Since they were not close, he shouldn’t interfere in the other’s private matters.
Thinking this, he calmly pushed open the door to the hospital room, as if he hadn’t heard anything at all.
“Brother Chen?” He Zhi turned his head at the sound and widened his eyes in surprise. “How did you come?”
This question made Chen Yuebai feel a bit awkward, but he didn’t dwell on it. He placed the thermos on the table and sat down in front of He Zhi’s bed. The young man’s face was pale, his black hair slightly disheveled. At that moment, his surprised, wide eyes were so clear and innocent that they seemed somewhat childlike and… adorable.
So Chen Yuebai smiled and, without thinking, said, “He Zhi, we’re married. Is there anything wrong with me coming to see my sick partner?” After saying this, he was taken aback himself: he hadn’t expected to say the word “partner” to the young man.
He Zhi’s eyes widened even more, his pale cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. He swallowed hard but couldn’t find his voice.
Chen Yuebai noticed the blush on the young man’s face and suddenly recalled how He Zhi looked when he had him pinned down last night, and his gaze darkened slightly. He picked up the thermos beside him and poured some chicken soup into a small bowl. When he handed it to the young man, he deliberately brushed against He Zhi’s pale, adorable little finger.
He Zhi felt as if he had been scalded, nearly spilling the chicken soup on the bed. He steadied his hand and hurriedly lowered his head, trying to drink the hot soup but ended up burning his mouth. “Thank you, Brother Chen… hiss…”
Chen Yuebai found the young man even cuter than before. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly, his expression relaxing. He took a tissue from the nearby box, intending to hand it to the young man. But when he reached out, he changed his mind. He raised an eyebrow, teasingly wiping the chicken soup from the corner of the young man’s mouth with the tissue, observing his reaction with great interest.
“Thump, thump”
He Zhi could hear his own heartbeat very clearly in his ears. In that moment, he felt as if he couldn’t breathe. Chen Yuebai looked at the young man’s red ears, narrowing his eyes like a hunter eyeing an interesting prey.
Just as Chen Yuebai was about to say something, his phone buzzed.
He frowned slightly but still picked up the phone. When he saw the name on the screen, he froze and answered the call.
“Lian Lian, what’s wrong?”
Upon hearing this, He Zhi felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, leaving him numb with cold.