The dining table was as quiet and solemn as a college entrance exam hall. In an exam hall, one hears the sound of pen nibs scratching against paper; at this table, there was only the sound of Bai Shuijin shoveling rice into his mouth.
Wang Muguang held his empty bowl, looking expectantly at Wang Huanxiu. His hands trembled slightly as he held the bowl a small detail he’d added himself, mimicking the rhetoric of the beggar they met today: “Kind person, you are with Jesus.”
Wang Huanxiu set down his chopsticks and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. “Do you know where Jesus is?”
“In heaven, of course.”
“Say another word and I’ll send you up there too.”
“…”
With his mouth full of rice, Bai Shuijin realized that he had previously thought Wang Huanxiu’s dark humor and venomous tongue were only targeted at him. He hadn’t expected the man to be an equal-opportunity offender.
His cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s as he moved his chair a bit closer to Wang Huanxiu. “Hubby-bro, you have such a way with words. I love it.”
“…”
Although both Wang Huanxiu and Wang Muguang were villains, the author must have given them different character designs, because their logic was worlds apart.
For example, regarding being “with Jesus,” Wang Muguang’s simple mind wanted to stand side-by-side with Jesus, whereas Wang Huanxiu took a more radical approach by wanting to send everyone else to meet Him.
In short, different people heard the same words and found entirely different meanings.
Wang Muguang hadn’t expected his brother to be so cold, refusing him even a single bite of rice. No compassion at all.
“Brother.” Wang Muguang’s expression was one of utter despair. “I feel like I can no longer see through you.”
It was as if the man was no longer the good brother he used to know. A thick fog had settled between the two siblings thin as gauze yet impossible to wave away.
Wang Huanxiu ignored him and spoke to a servant nearby, “Take away his bowl and chopsticks.”
Startled, Wang Muguang quickly shielded his bowl. “No, no, no! Brother hasn’t changed at all! Not even a bit! I’m the one who changed my nearsightedness just increased by a hundred degrees.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
As expected, in the face of absolute power, any hurtful words aren’t worth mentioning.
After dinner, the clock struck 8:00 PM. Night Traveler updated every weekend at 8:00 PM, and now was the time for the broadcast.
For the sake of his “Hubby No. N,” Bai Shuijin watched punctually every weekend. Since Wang Muguang was about to appear in the show, he sat on the sofa to wait as well.
As the opening theme played on the screen, Bai Shuijin saw Wang Huanxiu about to go upstairs and spoke up first. “Hubby-bro, watch TV with us. We’re missing a person for a full set.”
“Yeah, Brother, join us,” Wang Muguang added.
Faced with their sincere invitation, Wang Huanxiu initially wanted to ignore them, but realizing the alternative might be a headache-inducing amount of noise, he sat down to the left of Bai Shuijin. The two brothers sat on either side of him.
Wang Muguang had only returned yesterday; before that, he had been flying around the world for work and hadn’t been home for over six months. The two brothers hadn’t seen each other in so long; they surely had much to discuss.
Being considerate and thoughtful, Bai Shuijin said, “Hubby-bro, I’ll switch places with you so you can sit with your brother and chat.”
He blinked at Wang Huanxiu. See? He was being very sweet.
Wang Huanxiu looked down at him briefly before returning his gaze to the TV. “Sitting here doesn’t prevent me from talking to him.”
Bai Shuijin: “You don’t need to?”
“No. You are very… thoughtful.” (Note: A pun on ‘thoughtful’ and ‘close to the ground/short’ in Chinese).
Bai Shuijin was confused.
Wang Muguang let out a scoff. “Don’t you get it, little melon? He’s saying you’re short.”
“…”
His height was “thoughtful” (close to the ground).
The three of them sat together forming a concave shape. No one would be obstructed while chatting.
Damn brothers. Sometimes I really want to go to war with you tall people.
When the opening credits finished, the episode officially began. Bai Shuijin was deeply invested. When the second male lead’s handsome face was given a dramatic close-up, he couldn’t help but exhale in admiration, “So handsome.”
After saying it, he remembered Wang Huanxiu was sitting right there. He tilted his head and puckered his lips. “Hubby-bro, I’m talking about you.”
Wang Huanxiu: “…”
Bai Shuijin truly can say anything.
“What about me?” Wang Muguang popped his head over. “Am I not handsome?”
“You’re also quite handsome. If your acting were better, you’d be even handsomer.”
Wang Muguang felt comforted by the praise. Actually, when he returned yesterday and heard his brother had married, he had gone to his room and searched for news of the wedding on his phone.
The photos in the press releases could only be described as “disastrous.” The person with the heavy, flowery makeup in the photos bore no resemblance to the Bai Shuijin before him.
He had also called friends who said the Old Master had pressured his brother into marriage. At the time, Bai Shuijin had been shouting through a megaphone at the front gate every day about wanting to marry Wang Huanxiu, so his brother just brought him home.
Furthermore, his friends vividly described many of Bai Shuijin’s embarrassing deeds, saying he was stupid, vulgar, and an utter laughingstock.
But after spending two days together, Wang Muguang didn’t feel that way. He thought this “Shorty” was quite cute, cute looks, cute personality.
He seemed to love clinging to people to talk, though the main target was his big brother. It was obvious the guy really liked his brother.
However, Wang Muguang wasn’t one to be ignored; he insisted on joining in, and the three of them chatted together, forming a solid iron triangle.
When the episode ended, Wang Huanxiu didn’t stay any longer. Even though the two of them reached out to stop him, he resolutely went upstairs to work.
While waiting for the next episode, Bai Shuijin took out his phone to check the Night Traveler Weibo tag and discuss the plot with fans.
Seeing him so enthusiastic about the show, Wang Muguang leaned in to look at his phone screen.
“Shorty, who do you like most in this show?”
On the screen, Bai Shuijin had already typed out a long paragraph but hadn’t hit send yet.
“Waaaah, Hubby Lead is so handsome today, and I love Hubby Second Lead too! Hubby Third Lead didn’t appear in this episode; I wonder if he’ll be in the next one. But it’s okay, ‘distance creates beauty’…”
Wang Muguang: “…”
He had just caught an “extramarital affair” in the making.
Every handsome actor in the drama was mentioned in Bai Shuijin’s draft, which indirectly answered the question.
Which one did he like most? There was no “most.” Bai Shuijin was impartial he wanted them all.
Wang Muguang found it amusing. He hadn’t expected the seemingly obedient Bai Shuijin to post such bold words online. He didn’t think much of it, as he had seen plenty of this kind of “talk” online. “I say, aren’t you being too greedy? One isn’t enough? You want them all?”
Bai Shuijin thought about it. “I can reassign the characters I like. That way it won’t seem greedy.”
“Assign them to whom?”
“Family, of course.”
Good things should be shared with family; he understood the logic of “keeping the fertile water in one’s own field.”
“Sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone.”
Wang Muguang waited for his answer. “Fine, tell me how you’re splitting them.”
Bai Shuijin navigated to a group photo of the male cast and pointed from the first lead to the fourth.
“One for me. One for my mother’s son. One for my uncle’s sister-in-law. And one for my hubby-bro’s wife.”
“…”
A genius of distribution.
So “sharing joy” means everyone watches you enjoy yourself, huh?
Bai Shuijin was very satisfied. Splitting it this way made him seem much less greedy.
Wang Muguang looked at the photo of the second male lead on the phone. This actor was a newcomer who had just debuted. As luck would have it, his debut date was the same as Wang Muguang’s just in a different year.
Simply because of the shared debut date, netizens had inexplicably linked the two, comparing them relentlessly. Behind the scenes, the other’s company was also deliberately marketing the association.
Wang Muguang had massive traffic, so a newcomer hitching onto him gained unprecedented exposure. But because he was constantly being “stepped on” in comparisons, Wang Muguang had been in a state of mental collapse lately, “running a water pump” (crying) every night.
Except the “water pump” was something only he knew about; every time he finished, a large patch of his quilt would be soaked with tears.
Wang Muguang pretended to be casual. “Little Melon, who’s handsomer? Me or this ‘hubby’ of yours?”
Without hesitation, Bai Shuijin replied, “Of course you’re handsomer, Uncle.”
He hadn’t expected a narcissist like Wang Muguang to even ask such a question.
Wang Muguang: “Is that so? I guess you have good taste.”
Wang Muguang was joining the cast in five days, but his scenes officially started filming on the sixth. He wanted to go a day early to soak up the atmosphere on set.
Night Traveler was a Jianghu Wuxia drama set against a lush backdrop of mountains and rivers. The filming location was in the southern city of Nancheng, where it was spring all year round.
Two days before they were due to leave, Wang Muguang received a phone call. His personal assistant had gone skiing with friends and accidentally ended up in the orthopedics ward with a leg in a cast. He wouldn’t be able to go on this trip.
When the call came, the assistant had just finished getting the cast. He was wailing over the phone, the sound incredibly tragic. It didn’t sound like a leg in a cast; it sounded like his entire soul had been encased in plaster.
Wang Muguang sighed at his misfortune. “He’s heartbroken because he can’t work with me.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
Is it possible his leg just really hurts?
Since the personal assistant couldn’t go, Wang Muguang was down an assistant. Bai Shuijin immediately thought of the social practice certification form that the guy had “autographed.”
The social practice opportunity had arrived! Plus, he could go see his “hubbies.”
After Wang Muguang hung up, he saw Bai Shuijin standing beside him with stars in his eyes.
“What’s with the look? Smitten by me?”
“No, Uncle. Didn’t your assistant break his leg and can’t go to the set?”
“Yeah. He’ll probably be on leave for three months.”
Bai Shuijin was eager. “Then take me with you.”
“What are you going to do there?”
“Visit relatives.”
“…”
He meant those “hubbies.”
Fearing the guy wouldn’t take him, Bai Shuijin specifically dug out his social practice form. “Look, you even signed it.”
Wang Muguang was stunned. “When the hell did I sign this junk?”
“The first time we met, when you insisted on giving me an autograph.”
Mentioning their first meeting made Wang Muguang feel a bit embarrassed. “It’s not that I can’t take you, but let’s get this straight: you’re going as my assistant. You have to work.”
“I know, I know.” Following the full protocol, Bai Shuijin added, “I will definitely complete my tasks and won’t drag you down.”
He didn’t forget the most critical part. “Uncle, does your studio have a seal? Find a time to stamp this for me so I can give it to my counselor when I get back.”
.
Wang Muguang didn’t have many cameo scenes; three days on set would be enough. At dinner that night, Bai Shuijin told Wang Huanxiu that he would be going away with Wang Muguang.
“Hubby-bro, I’m going to the film set with Uncle in two days.”
Wang Huanxiu didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Mm.”
Bai Shuijin finished the rice in his bowl and looked up. “Hubby-bro, even though it’s only for a few days, I won’t forget to miss you every day.”