The more Ye Hancheng spoke, the more aggrieved he became, as if he had been transported back to the night years ago when he first heard the bad news.
He poured another mouthful of wine into his mouth. The liquid trickled down the corner of his lips, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.
“They even ‘kindly’ consoled me, saying it was normal for Teacher Lin to feel that way and that I should be more open-minded. They said I was already a mature actor and shouldn’t selfishly monopolize opportunities meant for newcomers. When I heard that, it sounded so reasonable that I stopped struggling. I just picked one from the scripts they handed me.”
“Holy! This plot is more exciting than modern TV dramas,” Jiang Xun said, his speech slurred from the alcohol. “The antagonist’s methods were truly sophisticated.”
“As for the message you mentioned, I never saw it at all,” Ye Hancheng said, his voice muffled.
Cen Jing added: “Someone likely replied on your behalf.”
Ye Hancheng fell silent but did not refute the guess. Given his certainty that Lin Shen wouldn’t lie to him, this was the only logical explanation.
Chu Xingyun clicked his tongue. “…Senior Ye hasn’t changed management companies, right? They knew the nature of this show, yet they still dared to let him come?”
“As long as there is profit to be made, they don’t care about the backlash,” Cen Jing explained.
【Damn, I was wondering why Ye Hancheng stopped doing movies and ran back to do TV dramas. Turns out he was scammed by capital?】
【That drama used Ye Hancheng’s name to lure viewers in just to slaughter them. After episode 8, his screen time in each episode didn’t exceed ten minutes. It was all ‘resource players’ (industry plants) getting extra scenes until everyone was sick of them.】
【There were at least six or seven resource players waiting for Ye to carry them. Who knows how much blood money that company pocketed.】
“Can’t they just put their minds toward the right path?” Jiang Xun tutted.
“Maybe they did it for my own good…” Emotionally, Ye Hancheng was still reluctant to believe his management had screwed him over. “Being tied too closely to one person isn’t good for future development…”
Lin Shen gave a heavy “Hmph.” “And are you ‘better’ now?”
“…No.” Ye Hancheng looked up at the ceiling, speaking weakly: “…It seems I’m getting worse and worse.”
“You finally realize it!” Lin Shen spoke with the frustration of one seeing a loved one fail to live up to expectations. “…After leaving me, the production teams of your first few projects were actually decent, yet they insisted on adding unnecessary fluff. They were using you to carry the palanquin for others. Did you really not notice at all?”
Ye Hancheng pursed his lips and pondered for a moment. “…The script I received was very different from the content that aired.”
Lin Shen countered: “Most viewers might not care who is acting, but they always care about the flow and integrity of the story. If you add a bunch of completely unnecessary subplots that drag on and make the main plot progress zero percent, who is going to buy it? No matter how well you act, it’s useless!”
“Oh.” Ye Hancheng looked like an elementary student being scolded. “The dramas after that didn’t have that problem.”
“Nonsense!” Lin Shen snapped. “You can’t carry newcomers anymore, so naturally, they started focusing on you again.”
Ye Hancheng: “…Is, is that how it is?”
“Forget it! There’s no use talking about this now.” Lin Shen waved his hand, looking out of sorts.
Even if the misunderstanding from back then was cleared up, it wouldn’t change their current reality one bit. A screenwriter whose talent had run dry and an actor whose acting had become formulaic. What could they do together? Guard the glory of the past and lament at a dinner table about what could have been if they hadn’t been framed by villains?
…That would truly make them total losers.
“I used to be very jealous,” Ye Hancheng said softly. “When I was filming other people’s work, I kept hoping your attempt to ‘create a god’ would fail. I wanted you to realize that not everyone is as capable as I am. But later, when you actually failed, I didn’t feel good about it either.”
Lin Shen gave a light sneer, seemingly mocking both Ye and himself: “Well, thank you then.”
“…But when you continued to fail, I really did curse at you.” Ye Hancheng rolled his eyes, pretending to casually take a sip of wine.
Lin Shen: “You think I haven’t cursed at you?”
Chu Xingyun added leisurely: “It’s precisely because you were secretly cursing each other in private that it deepened the public’s perception of your ‘severed ties’…”
In reality, their loss of contact was quiet, gentle, and tacit. Only after being processed by public opinion did it become the spectacle it was today.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lin Shen shook his head. “It’s already like this.”
Ye Hancheng whispered: “…It won’t stay like this forever.”
At 10:00 PM, the Long Time No See livestream ended. The six people in the media room said their goodbyes and returned to their respective rooms.
Chu Xingyun finished his shower first. He sat at the dressing table doing his skincare routine while browsing hot searches on his phone.
Hot searches related to Long Time No See occupied half the trending list. Ranking first was #Speed of Lin Shen and Ye Hancheng clearing their misunderstanding#.
Initially, most netizens were shocked, thinking this scene wouldn’t happen until the end of the show; they didn’t expect it to be laid out on day one, satisfying their gossip cravings instantly. Later, people began to lament that they hadn’t actually cleared it on the first day. They had been waiting for eight long years.
Chu Xingyun applied a facial mask and continued scrolling. Unsurprisingly, it was still about Lin Shen and Ye Hancheng: “Reminiscing” videos, past collaborations, analysis posts, and the tag #The Ultimate Angsty Love#.
It wasn’t until the teens that Chu Xingyun saw a hot search about himself: #Gao Shan Jing Xing CP Fans Sold Out#. (Note: The CP name refers to Cen Jing and Chu Xingyun.)
The source was Cen Jing’s words during the “Ask the Netizens” segment. Although Chu Xingyun had smiled and smoothed things over at the time as if nothing had happened, CP fans are sensitive creatures and easily fall into a dead end over a single point. Indeed, this hot search was a sea of wailing. Most people were denouncing Cen Jing for “forgetting his roots” and feeling sorry for Chu Xingyun’s “misplaced devotion.” Of course, some called for rationality and told others not to morally kidnap the stars.
Chu Xingyun exited, confirmed he was using his “sock puppet” account, and went back in to post. He didn’t speak for either side but proposed a new perspective:
[Am I the only one who thinks this tastes even better now? Cen Jing used to give unconditional dote, but now he actually says such spiteful things! It’s so vivid! [Starry eyes] Same with Chu Xingyun—how bad was his temper before? Now he actually lowers his voice to smooth things over! Looking forward to his successful ‘wife-chasing’ journey! [Yay]]
The internet was lively today; his post received a reply within a minute.
—First of all, it’s ‘husband-chasing.’ Our Gao Shan Jing Xing ship cannot be reversed. Second, Little Xingyun’s temper was spoiled by Cen Jing! He’s only bad in front of his husband! Third, what kind of Cen Jing solo-stan are you, pretending to be a CP fan? [Contempt] (Checked your homepage.)
Chu Xingyun: …
—The OP is definitely a ‘dream girl’ for the Top.
—Don’t be so quick to label people. What she says makes some sense. We’ve waited seven years; why be so fragile now?
—True… if you want to talk about ‘forgetting roots,’ they forgot seven years ago.
—Stop talking, I’m just happy seeing them in the same frame.
—Still mourning here? Think about the fact that they are lying in one bed tonight. Doesn’t that make you hot instantly?
—My hands are shaking in my pants.
—Can someone post some ‘Xingyun Liushui’ (smooth/flowing) fanart for me to see? [Drool]
Seeing the tone turn “normal,” Chu Xingyun’s heart settled slightly. After a quick browse of other info, he exited Weibo right as the bathroom door clicked.
When Cen Jing pushed open the door, he was surrounded by a faint mist of steam. His deep blue silk pajamas were loosely tied, revealing a small patch of his firm chest at the collar. The fabric was stained dark in several spots by un-dried water droplets. His wet hair hung messily over his forehead, and a droplet rolled down his jawline, sliding over his slightly bobbing Adam’s apple.
Seduction.
Only this word echoed in Chu Xingyun’s mind. He was completely unable to look away.
Cen Jing deliberately ignored his gaze, casually drying his wet hair with a towel. During the period when they first tasted “forbidden fruit,” Chu Xingyun often looked at him with that expression. But later, Cen Jing realized that it was only related to simple desire. To put it bluntly: lust.
Facing it so abruptly again… he was actually a bit surprised.
…Why does he look like he’s been starved for so long?
…I should have closed my pajamas tighter.
…There are so many handsome guys in the industry; is it necessary to make that face at a former colleague?
…In all these years, he hasn’t found a suitable bed partner to resolve his desires?
…Or, am I overthinking?
Thoughts popped up one after another in Cen Jing’s mind. Ultimately unable to withstand the baptism of Chu Xingyun’s gaze, he turned his back.
“Brother,” Chu Xingyun said, his own face fresh from the mask, his tone carrying an unnoticeable lightness. “Let me blow-dry your hair.”
“No need,” Cen Jing instinctively refused. “It’s almost dry.”
“Oh… then let’s go to bed.”
The sound of someone climbing onto the bed came from behind.
Cen Jing: “…”
Cen Jing: “You sleep first. I still have to go to Teacher Lin’s room.”
When he asked for an autograph during the day, he wasn’t just making small talk; he really had brought the book. Although he wasn’t in a hurry, he could use this chance to hide outside for a bit. He hoped that by the time he returned, Chu Xingyun would be asleep.
“Oh…” Chu Xingyun looked dejected. “You won’t sleep there, will you?”
“No.” Setting the towel aside, Cen Jing picked up the book on the table and headed out. “If you’re tired, sleep first.”
“Oh…” Chu Xingyun saw through his evasiveness but refrained from exposing it. “Go ahead.”
Cen Jing gave a quick “Mm” and vanished from the room.
Going down to the first floor and crossing the living room dimmed by night lights, Cen Jing arrived at Lin Shen’s door.
The good news was that the door wasn’t closed, the lights were on, and Lin Shen wasn’t asleep yet. The bad news was that there was someone else inside.
“Little Cen!” Seeing Cen Jing appear, Lin Shen looked like he’d seen a savior. “Quick, help me throw this drunkard out!”
Upon hearing he was to be thrown out, the ‘drunkard’ Ye Hancheng immediately flopped onto the floor and started throwing a tantrum. “No! I’m not going! I want to talk to you! We haven’t had a proper talk in eight years! I want to talk! Waaaah—”
Seeing Ye Hancheng look as if he were about to retch, Cen Jing rushed in and handed him a trash can.
“I have nothing to say to a drunkard,” Lin Shen massaged his temples, looking exhausted. “If I talk to him, he won’t remember anyway and I’m old; I don’t have the strength to stay up all night…”