Good grief.
Bai Mao stared at the message Mr. Yu had just sent him and couldn’t help blurting out in astonishment, good grief.
Was Mr. Yu really planning to play things that wild?
Ever since discovering that this world was actually the setting of a novel, Bai Mao still cherished life as always yet he also found himself more willing to loosen his restraints and indulge in certain curiosities, trying out every experience he had never dared to attempt before.
But something like video… you could see everything, sure but you couldn’t touch anything. Would it really… feel like anything?
With that doubt in mind, he glanced at the filming schedule. There was no scene of him tomorrow morning. Even if he stayed up late tonight, it shouldn’t cause any problems.
So, with a mentality of “might as well give it a try,” Bai Mao readily typed back his agreement: “I understand, Mr. Yu.”
Returning to the hotel, he reminded his two assistants at the door, “Unless I call you on WeChat, don’t come in.”
The two assistants exchanged a quick glance and nodded. “Alright.”
After locking the door behind him, Bai Mao headed straight for a shower. By the time he finished, it was already quite late, almost eleven o’clock. He sent a message to his sponsor:
“Mr. Yu, are you still awake? I’m ready.”
Almost instantly, Yu Xiangchen initiated a video call.
Bai Mao was dressed in a soft cotton pajama set, his hair still dripping water from the wash. He casually threw a towel over his shoulder, settled down cross-legged on the bed and looked toward the screen.
A moment later, the image appeared, slightly delayed by a second.
It was obvious Mr. Yu had also just come out of the shower. His upper body was completely bare, strong lines and tight muscles displayed boldly in front of the camera without a trace of shyness.
Seeing Bai Mao wrapped up so snugly, Yu Xiangchen’s brows knit faintly.
“Why are you dressed so properly? Didn’t we agree on… a full naked chat?”
Bai Mao: “…”
He had no experience with this sort of thing and had assumed there would be a slow buildup, at least a bit of conversation before diving into the real subject.
He never thought Mr. Yu would be so straightforward. The moment the camera turned on, the man was already… fully prepared?
Wasn’t this a bit too,
Eager. Very eager.
A playful trace of laughter flickered in Bai Mao’s eyes. “My fault. However…”
He lifted a finger and hooked it onto the collar of his pajama top, tugging it down bit by bit, his voice lightly teasing:
“But doesn’t Mr. Yu want to watch me take it off? Just like you would strip it off me with your own hands?”
Yu Xiangchen’s gaze followed the movement of that finger almost subconsciously.
After a short pause, he muttered, “…That works too.”
While speaking, Bai Mao carefully observed every detail of the man on the screen.
The last time he visited Yu Corporation’s headquarters, Yu Xiangchen’s extremely strange behavior had made Bai Mao suspect that the man suffered from some kind of dual personality disorder. Even then, he had quietly taken note, watching him more closely.
Now that he saw him again, his eyebrows, the color of his pupils, the high straight bridge of his nose, the hard but elegant facial contours, everything was completely identical to the Yu Xiangchen he knew.
There could never exist two human beings who were exactly the same. Even identical twins would have subtle differences that could be noticed upon close inspection. But Yu Xiangchen was…
Absolutely identical.
The realization finally pushed away his suspicions.
Yu Xiangchen glanced at the time, impatience seeping into his voice. “Why aren’t you taking it off?”
“Don’t be anxious, Mr. Yu.” Bai Mao placed his phone slightly farther away, fixing the angle so his full body was in view. His hands crossed over the hem of his pajama top, slowly pushing it upward.
Yu Xiangchen remained outwardly composed, pretending indifference as he stared at the screen but his face was already noticeably closer to the camera than before.
The fabric rose, revealing long, slender legs, pale and smooth.
Yu Xiangchen narrowed his eyes, memory immediately recalling the soft and silky feel beneath his palms the last time he touched them. A pity Bai Mao was currently filming in Hengdian; they couldn’t meet in person. He couldn’t actually put his hands on him tonight.
How aggravating.
The lift of the shirt continued, revealing his narrow waist.
Although Bai Mao had recently gained popularity and received plenty of offers, he cherished his reputation and Xue Dongming had not overloaded him with schedules. When not working, he spent most of his time in acting classes and physical training.
The training plan Yu Xiangchen prepared for him was quite intense. Combined with Bai Mao’s own commitment to keeping his figure sharp for filming, the results had finally begun to show.
His waist was lined with a faint layer of toned muscle, the early shape of abs visible beneath his skin. Two beautiful V-lines ran downward, accentuating the smooth planes of his abdomen.
Most people would have their attention stolen entirely by those seductive lines.
But Yu Xiangchen’s focus drifted elsewhere.
“You’re too thin.”
He frowned, displeased. “Didn’t I tell you to eat more?”
At last, the pajama top came off.
Bai Mao’s hair had been mussed from tugging the shirt over his head. Looking toward the screen, he blinked with wide-eyed innocence. “I did eat. I have a pretty big appetite.”
Yu Xiangchen didn’t buy it. “You’re filming right now. Aunt Wang isn’t there to watch over your meals. Whether you really eat or not is entirely up to you. If you had eaten as much as you claim, how could you still be this skinny?”
After sharing skin to skin intimacy with Bai Mao, Yu Xiangchen had developed a possessive, almost fledgling dependency on him. He found himself caring about every tiny detail of Bai Mao’s life.
He had even looked up information online, learning how actors and idols forcefully control their weight to look good on camera. Some seemed to eat well on programs but secretly spat the food out once the cameras stopped rolling. Others would purge in the restroom afterwards.
Occupational hazards, unavoidable.
But in Yu Xiangchen’s eyes, Bai Mao was alarmingly thin. No restraint was necessary, he needed to grow fuller, healthier.
It had already been two months since he told Bai Mao to eat more. And the result?
Not even a hint of weight gain.
Clearly, Bai Mao thought he could get away with doing whatever he wanted simply because Mr. Yu wasn’t physically there to supervise.
Bai Mao fluttered his lashes. “I really have been eating. If you don’t believe me… I can send you a photo or video every time I have a meal?”
Yu Xiangchen almost replied “Yes” without thinking but suddenly stalled.
His lips parted slightly, as if a sentence formed in his mind. Yet he swallowed it down and remained silent.
The air between them stilled.
After waiting a moment with no response, Bai Mao shifted positions, letting out a small sleepy yawn. “Mr. Yu?”
Yu Xiangchen’s mood was restless.
For the first time in his life, he was dissatisfied with something that only happened once every month, three nights, each painfully short.
“…No need.”
He lowered his gaze, voice quieter yet tinged with frustration. “No need to send me photos or videos of your meals.”
He only showed up so rarely, what difference would sending those photos even make? It would accomplish nothing, except letting that person know he and Bai Mao were still in contact. No benefit whatsoever.
“Oh… ” Bai Mao replied softly.
Yu Xiangchen’s tone turned cool. “We’ll talk next time.”
“…?”
Next time?
Before Bai Mao could react, the video call ended.
He stared at the suddenly darkened screen, stunned.
Wait.
Seriously?
His pants were already halfway off.
And that was it?
Where was the promised full-on naked call???
Remembering the fleeting flash of awkwardness on Yu Xiangchen’s face right before he hung up, Bai Mao could vaguely guess the reason. It must have been the mention of sending food photos… that must have wounded the feelings of this personality that appeared so infrequently.
His eyes became blank. “…What a miscalculation. I should’ve changed the subject and gotten naked immediately.”
Even if he wanted to bring up meal monitoring, he should have waited until after. Obviously.
But since the call was already over, Bai Mao shook off the frustration.
He had spent the entire day on set sitting on those small folding stools, his backside was still sore. And it was late anyway. He took his time blow-drying his hair, then slid under the blankets to sleep.
Meanwhile…
Call duration: 0:12.
Only twelve minutes.
Yet all of Yu Xiangchen’s earlier intentions had completely vanished.
He frowned deeply. Long-pressed the message thread. Deleted it.
Not only that call. He continued tapping and scrolling, deleting every chat record he had with Bai Mao, one-sided, clean, merciless.
From that moment on, not a single trace on his phone showed that he and Bai Mao had ever communicated.
WeChat was truly a very convenient app.
After that failed not so naked call with “Mr. Yu,” the man didn’t reappear at all for the next half month.
Which honestly, surprised Bai Mao.
Based on past experience, he had assumed this Mr. Yu would at least show up two or three days in a row. But clearly… that was not happening this time.
If you asked Bai Mao how he felt about it now, regret. Pure, overwhelming regret.
Without the nightly “academic research” with Mr. Yu, Bai Mao’s life in Hengdian returned to a very normal, healthy routine.
Early one morning, he finished his hotel breakfast, grabbed his two assistants and headed for the filming location. On the way, he bought extra breakfast food to hand out to the crew members who rushed to work without eating.
After greeting the director and team one by one, he sat down quietly on a little folding stool.
The assistant director gave him a few extra glances before walking over. “Didn’t you have no scenes scheduled this morning?”
Bai Mao smiled. “I wanted to come watch the seniors act. Learn from them.”
Princess of Xi-He was a heroine-led drama, the female lead appeared throughout the entire story. And the celebrity playing the princess was an extremely popular young actress; the shows she starred in previously had all exploded in ratings.
Her presence in any project practically guaranteed viewership.
Bai Mao genuinely wanted to learn from observing her.
It was also a homework assignment from Teacher Jin in his acting class, observe, analyze, improve.
“…Huh?” The assistant director blinked. “You mean you want to watch Le Zhijun perform?”
Bai Mao nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you can go back.”
“…”
The assistant director chuckled. “Zhijun has other engagements lately. She won’t be able to come over.”
Now it was Bai Mao’s turn to freeze. “But the schedule says today’s scenes are for the Princess of Xi-He…”
“Yes, the schedule does say that.” The assistant director laughed again, clearly resigned. “But Zhijun can’t make it. You know how it is, shooting locations in Hengdian cost money by the day. We have to keep up the progress. So we’ll use a double instead.”
Considering Bai Mao’s background, he didn’t bother beating around the bush. Everyone here would find out anyway. So he explained openly: “With modern special effects, face-replacement technology is very advanced. We’ll just patch the shots later and replace the face. Same difference.”
“…”
Bai Mao struggled for words. “But won’t the audience…”
“No worries.” The assistant director waved dismissively.
“That popular actress isn’t worried about being cursed out, you don’t need to worry on her behalf.”
“……”
Bai Mao’s throat tightened.
He had accepted the role because the second male lead’s character was written well and with an award-winning actor and a popular actress in the lead roles, the project should have had guaranteed quality. Even after the unpleasant incident earlier, he still took the job for those reasons.
And now he learns the production and the actress were pulling something like this?
Face-replacement effects would never look identical to real acting.
Never.
He could already foresee the future, harsh criticism, disappointed viewers and a ruined reputation for the show.
Absolutely absurd.
Completely ridiculous.
He fell silent, internally speechless. After thinking for a bit, he still chose to stay.
Before long, the director arrived. He sat right next to Bai Mao, casual as ever. “Bai Mao, about that group gathering we mentioned before, what did Mr. Yu say?”
Bai Mao had never asked Yu Xiangchen about any such gathering.
Maintaining his polite smile, he replied, “Director, I asked. Mr. Yu doesn’t have time. You know how it is, Yu Group is huge. He’s extremely busy.”
“Oh…” The director dragged the syllable out, making it unclear whether he believed it.
Either way, Bai Mao couldn’t care less.
“No time then never mind,” the director shrugged. “There’s always another chance later.”
Bai Mao nodded happily. “Of course, Director. Next time for sure.”
When filming for the afternoon and evening finally wrapped, Bai Mao let out a breath of relief. Xiao Yang hurried up to hand him water, while Da Bao helped unfasten the many layers of armor costume.
Just as he removed his mask, the director called out: “Bai Mao! Come here for a sec.”
He walked over.
Standing beside the director was a man with a gloomy expression.
He looked exhausted, thin to the point of sickliness, cheeks slightly sunken. But judging by his facial features, if he regained his health, he would undoubtedly be a very handsome man.
Yet the look he gave Bai Mao was anything but friendly. There was arrogance there. Contempt.
“So, you’re Bai Sheng’s second brother?”
That title instantly told Bai Mao who the man was.
Ying Yimiao.
The investor who despised Bai Mao simply because he was close to Bai Sheng.
Their gazes met briefly before Bai Mao’s eyes shifted toward the director. The director gave an awkward little smile.
“Mr. Ying said that once he arrived, he insisted he had to see you.”
Bai Mao responded with a calm, polite smile. “Yes. I am Bai Sheng’s second brother.”
Suddenly, Ying Yimiao extended his hand.
Bai Mao lowered his eyes.
The man had large hands. But everything about him screamed hostility. So Bai Mao did not move. He simply stood there, silent, making no effort to reciprocate.
Ying Yimiao didn’t rush him. His face remained expressionless, his hand held out steady, waiting.
Finally, unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, the director called out: “Bai Mao.”
Only then did Bai Mao extend his hand.
He intended to give a light, polite handshake and immediately withdraw but Ying Yimiao’s grip tightened sharply, trapping his hand firmly.
A faint smirk lifted the corners of the man’s mouth. “My name is Ying Yimiao.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The chapter has ended. The coffee propaganda begins.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · A Nightmare or Reality?Chapter 2 · Yu family’s BanquetChapter 3 · I know your Secret..Chapter 4 · Becoming A Stand-InChapter 5 · Real IntentionChapter 6 · Yu XiangchenChapter 7 · Moved into new houseChapter 8 · Why he’s so perfect?!Chapter 9 · Role stolenChapter 10 · Four Times a WeekChapter 11 · Wrong Message?Chapter 12 · Flower protectorChapter 13 · Study MaterialChapter 14 Part 1 · I don’t have that kind of worldly desireChapter 14 Part 2 · I don’t have that kind of worldly desireChapter 15 · Four thousand yuan has arrived in AlipayChapter 16 · In the River?Chapter 17 · Boss like him, People would ready to do OvertimeChapter 18 · Does Mr. Yu have two faces?!Chapter 19 · Now we can begin to express our gratitude.Chapter 20 · Split Personality!Chapter 21 · Mr. Yu is busy and may not have time to comeChapter 22 · Call duration: 0:12Chapter 23 · He’s not Worth itChapter 24 · Mr Yu on film setChapter 25 · You can consider me if you decided to leave Mr. YuChapter 26 · Big Sister has unique hobbyChapter 27 · Really? I’m actually the young master of the Bai family?Chapter 28 · Bai Sheng is Pitiful?Chapter 29 · Someone took a picture of themChapter 30 · Your little one is hereChapter 31 · Mr. Yu asked me if I had a stiff neckChapter 32 · The little lucky butterfly’s wings flutteredChapter 33 · Mr. Yu, you came here just once at the beginningChapter 34 · The door wasn’t lockedChapter 35 · You’re an adult nowChapter 36 · Are rooms still available by scrambling?Chapter 37 · I’m definitely going to watch this variety show!Chapter 38 · Who asked Bai Sheng for money to support Bai Mao?Chapter 39 · How many zeros are there?Chapter 40 · You have to be careful with your methodsChapter 41 · Let’s get MarriedChapter 42 · I’m obviously just coveting your body!Chapter 43 · Does what we’re doing count as Sneaking?Chapter 44 · You want to change rooms?Chapter 45 · Isn’t Bai Sheng’s scheming way too deep?Chapter 46 · Mr. Yu in front of me has become calm and composedChapter 47 · You care a lot about Yu Yutian?Chapter 48 · Bai Sheng has found someoneChapter 49 · How to fall in loveChapter 50 · Uncle Long LegsChapter 51 · Bai Mao, I’m a little scaredChapter 52 · I simply told them the truthChapter 53 · That was far too mercilessChapter 54 · Your fans mention it in your fan forumChapter 55 · In your dreamsChapter 56 · Hello, UncleChapter 57 · Verified account had repliedChapter 58 · Maomao, you don’t need to be afraid of themChapter 59 · What a headacheChapter 60 · It’s a bit… tragicChapter 61 · I’m waiting for you at homeChapter 62 · That’s just too much!Chapter 63 · Is this watch really that expensive?Chapter 64 · Tian CityChapter 65 · They’re easy to get along with.Chapter 66 · Want to have a relationship with marriage in mind?Chapter 67 · Is this the joy of being someone’s “little uncle”?Chapter 68 · Has the protagonist finally figured it out?Chapter 69 · I miss youChapter 70 · That whole family is something else.Chapter 71 · Then comfort meChapter 72 · What about sincerity?Chapter 73 · There’s also 10% of the company’s sharesChapter 74 · So called conservativeChapter 75 · I thought you’d be walking with a limpChapter 76 · They’ve been brainwashedChapter 77 · We got marriedChapter 78 · CongratulationsChapter 79 · You already knew it was me?Chapter 80 · You look very good in a shirtChapter 81 · Did you used to like Bai Sheng?Chapter 82 · I never liked himChapter 83 · Uncle is super niceChapter 84 · Extra 1Chapter 85 · Extra 2Chapter 86 · Extra 3