Things got a bit out of hand yesterday; it was more intense than the previous times.
Lin Wang had been driven to such a state by Chi Yuan, begging for this, pleading for that, acting like a spineless younger brother six years his junior, and even ruined a T-shirt that Lang Zhi had bought for him. He was one step away from having an X-ray to see if his brain was filled with nothing but that kind of business.
In hindsight, Lin Wang felt embarrassed.
He was so deeply embarrassed that he skipped breakfast and went for a two-hour run outside the villa before returning.
While running, he kept thinking that it was a good thing Chi Yuan held back and did not push things to the very end; otherwise, he would not even have had the strength to run two laps to cool off.
Lin Wang was not exactly a man who cared deeply about his reputation; he had not survived in this industry for so many years by relying on his face. It was just that, for a moment, he had not wrapped his head around the situation.
In the past, he had always been the one in control, but every time he was with Chi Yuan, he felt like a naive novice being led by the nose. Suddenly, the roles were reversed, and so thoroughly, both physically and mentally, making Lin Wang’s internal feelings rather complicated.
But complicated as it was, Lin Wang was not at an age where he would let himself spiral into a dead end. After running a few laps to soothe his nerves, he knew life would go on as usual. In the end, it was an enjoyable experience, and he had not exactly been on the losing end.
Lin Wang did not dwell on it any further; in his current situation, he did not have the luxury to overthink it.
Since he skipped breakfast, Auntie Zhou had kept the meals for Lin Wang and Chi Yuan warm. After nine, Lin Wang ran back, brought the food out, rummaged through the refrigerator, took out the side dishes Lang Zhi had brought, and set everything on the table.
Before picking up his chopsticks, Lin Wang glanced upstairs. He did not know what the situation was like before he arrived, but he knew that since he had started coming over, Chi Yuan would not eat unless called.
If one had to be strict, it was Chi Yuan who started it yesterday, but as for the later part, the way his brain was overcome by hormones and the way he insisted on dragging Chi Yuan into it, Lin Wang really could not clear his name.
Thinking of this, Lin Wang did not start eating. He went upstairs to call Chi Yuan.
There was no answer when he knocked, so Lin Wang pushed the door open.
To his surprise, Chi Yuan was already up. He was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, his lower back leaning against the vanity. His long legs seemed to stretch endlessly as he looked down at the floor.
Lin Wang followed his gaze, and his ears instantly burned. His clothes and pants were still tossed there, damp and spread out on the floor like incriminating evidence of an affair.
He had been wearing Chi Yuan’s pajamas to sleep last night. Lin Wang had rushed to put them on this morning, tossed them in the washing machine, and they were currently drying on his bedroom balcony.
The window was open and the room temperature was low. For once, there was not much sleepiness on Chi Yuan’s face, though his eyelids remained languidly heavy. He swept his gaze toward Lin Wang’s neck and mumbled, “Brother.”
Lin Wang was a master of pretense; his complexion looked no different than usual. After acknowledging him, he naturally walked in and bent down to tidy up.
Chi Yuan stood by and watched him clean. Lin Wang could clearly hear the sound of him rinsing his mouth. He did not look up, but he could already imagine the movement of Chi Yuan’s Adam’s apple.
The atmosphere was not overly suggestive; both were as calm as if nothing had happened, but there was an undeniable sense that things were no longer ordinary.
While eating, Yu Qi called Lin Wang, saying that the public opinion storm on Weibo had been controlled. They had labeled the situation with Chi Yuan as “losing a game of Truth or Dare.” Given that Lin Wang’s current public persona was “Chi Yuan’s good friend,” it managed to brush things off.
Once they confirmed Chi Yuan was nearby, Yu Qi told Lin Wang to put the phone on speaker. He informed them that the variety show was scheduled for October 4th and they needed to prepare as it was only a few days away.
Chi Yuan did not speak. Lin Wang had not looked into the show, having spent all his time learning how to act. He swallowed his food and asked offhandedly, “What do we need to prepare?”
Yu Qi replied, “Xu Wenyang will tell you the small details a day in advance. The theme of the show is ‘Searching for Art,’ so there will be a lot of walking. You two should get some rest and save your energy these next few days so you do not run out of steam later.”
Lin Wang agreed. That night, after his session with the acting teacher, he did push-ups, sit-ups, planks, and various other exercises in his bedroom for over two hours.
If the show was as physically demanding as Yu Qi said, then he could not afford to be unprepared.
Those without stamina could not rest enough, while those with stamina could just play however they pleased.
Early on the 4th, Xu Wenyang arrived with the driver. The car was packed with suitcases; all of their daily necessities had been packed two days prior.
Lin Wang only had one bag; the rest belonged to Chi Yuan. While Xu Wenyang was packing, Lin Wang laughed, “Anyone who knows would think we are filming a variety show; anyone who does not might think you are taking your brother to a beauty pageant.”
He thought to himself, with Chi Yuan’s face, a beauty pageant would not be out of the question.
Just as Xu Wenyang had said, as the weather turned cool in October, it was easier for Chi Yuan to wake up. After breakfast at seven, the three of them, including the driver, got into the car.
The variety show was titled Searching for the Quietude and Love in Life. It sounded quite artistic, and the content was fairly Zen.
In Lin Wang’s summary, it was just a group of people going on a trip, taking photos, and filming videos.
According to the usual procedures for this variety show, filming would start the moment the guests set off. However, since the relationship between Lin Wang and Chi Yuan was inconvenient to expose, and the director was “one of their own,” they decided to change the approach.
They had the guests group up in pairs and meet the camera crew on the road.
In the car, Xu Wenyang tried to prepare Lin Wang, “Brother Lin, we will get off at the next highway exit. The camera crew is waiting there; they will start filming as soon as we get on the other vehicle.”
Xu Wenyang comforted him, “Do not be nervous, Brother Lin. With Chi-ge there to handle the traffic, eighty percent of the camera will definitely be focused on his face.”
Lin Wang possessed the ability to handle unexpected interviews. As for being nervous, he had seen enough big events to not be rattled by this.
As Xu Wenyang kept talking, Lin Wang glanced at Chi Yuan next to him. Chi Yuan happened to be looking at him, too. When their eyes met, Lin Wang inexplicably looked away first.
Realizing it made him look guilty, he tried to compensate by saying to Chi Yuan, “Want to sleep a bit more?”
Chi Yuan was usually quite obedient. As soon as Lin Wang said that, he leaned against Lin Wang’s shoulder and closed his eyes to rest.
He laid down so closely and naturally that before Lin Wang could think much of it, Xu Wenyang panicked, “Oh my god, get up! Are you two trying to make an official announcement or something? The cameras will be here soon, stop sticking together!”
Chi Yuan had always done as he pleased in the entertainment industry; there was not much he would not dare to do. If the mood struck him, he might actually announce it.
When Xu Wenyang could not persuade him, he turned his focus to Lin Wang, his expression so pitiful he looked like he was about to cry.
Lin Wang sighed and helped the half-asleep man sit back up against the seat. Chi Yuan opened his eyes and looked at him, his brow furrowed slightly, looking quite dissatisfied.
Lin Wang looked down at his phone, hiding his laughter as if he had not noticed, and asked Xu Wenyang, “Are the cameramen almost here?”
Xu Wenyang nodded frantically at Chi Yuan.
The camera crew joined them at the exit of the highway. Since there was not enough room in the car, Xu Wenyang had to get off and follow in the trailing vehicle.
The cameraman and the temporary director greeted Chi Yuan and Lin Wang, installed cameras in the car, clipped microphones to their collars, and signaled for them to start filming.
Usually, this part would involve conversation between the guests, either setting up a persona or saying something funny for the audience.
But Chi Yuan did not speak, and Lin Wang was not exactly a chatterbox. The two sat side-by-side in the back, each playing with their own phones. There was none of the “warmth” seen when they held umbrellas for each other or when they called for each other to come home on Weibo.
Lin Wang did not think much of it. He usually did not talk much when he was with Chi Yuan anyway; most of the time they were silent. It was not awkward, just a calm and natural silence.
But the staff in the car did not know that, and even if they did, they would still be anxious.
In terms of traffic, talent, and status, Chi Yuan was the absolute heavyweight of the guest list. The production team was counting on him for headlines, so they could not afford to have such a lackluster start.
Since the guests were not talking, the temporary director had to manufacture a topic.
Lin Wang’s identity was the most looked-down-upon in the industry, an eighteenth-tier artist who climbed the ranks through schemes and negative press. Even if he rode a rocket, he could not reach the edge of Chi Yuan’s shadow.
Having such a person sitting next to Chi Yuan was a topic in itself.
The temporary director smiled at Lin Wang, “Teacher Lin, this is your first time on a variety show with Teacher Chi. How are you feeling?”
Just participating was fine, but emphasizing with Teacher Chi was clearly intentional. Someone less composed would have seized the opportunity to gush and latch onto Chi Yuan for screen time.
Lin Wang did not take the bait. He smiled at the camera and said, “We have not arrived yet, so I have not had the chance to feel anything.”
The temporary director looked at Chi Yuan. Seeing that he had no intention of joining the conversation, he continued with a forced, casual tone, “Teacher Lin is truly humorous. Rumor has it that you and Teacher Chi have a very good relationship in private. Are you always this humorous when you are with Teacher Chi?”
Lin Wang saw through his goal of creating drama. He did not make things difficult for him, just went along with it, “This is such a big question, you had better ask Teacher Chi himself.”
The director’s eyes lit up, “Teacher Chi…”
“It is not that intimate,” Chi Yuan said, not taking his eyes off his phone screen. He tapped away at the keyboard and said something that stunned everyone, “He does not even sleep with me.”
Lin Wang had his head down, so the camera did not catch his expression. The director was excited first, then immediately worried about the relationship between Chi Yuan and the chief director.
Can this part even be aired?
The car drove to the airport, and the group took a two-hour flight before arriving at the first recording location, a small fishing village in the south by the sea.
In October, the north was already cold, but here it was still over twenty degrees Celsius.
The flight was delayed. By the time Lin Wang and Chi Yuan arrived, the others were already chatting in a two-story villa arranged by the production team.
In addition to the previously confirmed actress Su Xi, singer Song Min-tan, idol Miao Qing-he, popular young actress Tao Yun-qing, and the best newcomer actor Liu Lin-jia, the production team had also invited the young director Fang Yue, who was Su Xi’s public boyfriend.
The two entered one after another, Lin Wang in front, Chi Yuan behind. As soon as Lin Wang entered, he saw Liu Lin-jia sitting on the far end.
Liu Lin-jia was looking at him too, her eyes like she was looking at a stranger, showing no traces of having just been threatened by her ex-boyfriend.
His lower back tightened as Chi Yuan’s breath drew near. Fearing the cameras would catch it, Lin Wang hurried forward, greeted those present, and found an empty spot to sit down.
His attitude was not exactly deferential; it was just sufficient to maintain courtesy.
Apart from the unavoidable social obligations in business, Lin Wang could not be described as a particularly approachable person from any angle.
In the words of his “fox friends,” he was a loner. It was just that when necessary, he could perfectly disguise himself as the person closest to you, chatting until you felt like crying and hugging him, calling him “Brother.”
Aside from relatives like Lang Zhi, Lin Han-chuan, and Shi Yu, whom Lin Wang treated with genuine sincerity, the only person he was willing to deal with patiently was this creditor, Chi Yuan.
Of course, his patience with Chi Yuan was not entirely because he owed him money.
When Lin Wang sat down, there was not much of a reaction from the others, except for Miao Qing-he and Tao Yun-qing, who smiled at him.
When Chi Yuan sat next to Lin Wang, the smiles on everyone’s faces became significantly more sincere.
Su Xi was the most senior and eldest among the group. While others were still hesitating, she was the first to tease Chi Yuan, “You are late, Boss Chi. What held you up on the way?”
Su Xi was nearly forty this year and maintained her looks exceptionally well. Her boyfriend, Fang Yue, was only twenty-eight.
She had debuted early and only acted in artistic films aimed at winning awards. She was an ethereal figure who did not really pay attention to entertainment gossip, so her knowledge of Chi Yuan was limited to his musical achievements.
Had it been anyone else present, they would not have dared to address Chi Yuan so directly.
One dared to ask, the other dared to answer.
“On the way?” Chi Yuan thought for a moment, tilted his head, and looked at Lin Wang very naturally. He raised an eyebrow, “Brother, what did you do to me on the way?”
Lin Wang had just unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and taken a few sips. Upon hearing this, he nearly spat it all out. He coughed several times to recover and turned his head to look at Chi Yuan.
Their unspoken tacit understanding was such that neither had to say anything; just by looking at each other, they could tell what the other was thinking.
Lin Wang: My bad, brother. I will let you sleep on my shoulder for the whole day next time. Let this go.
Chi Yuan: Mm.
Chi Yuan: This thing is not over.