Cen Jing did not believe a single word that came out of Chu Xingyun’s mouth. “…You’d better be.”
“What kind of person do you think I am, Brother?” Chu Xingyun whispered. “You don’t trust me at all.”
Cen Jing walked over to the desk and sat down. He opened his phone and looked through the unread messages he had missed during the day. “I don’t think you need my trust.”
“I do.” Chu Xingyun tried to sound sweet to comfort him, while carefully moving closer. “If you don’t trust me, I’ll be heartbroken.”
Cen Jing was completely heartless: “Then be heartbroken.”
During their live streams, he was willing to play along with the “fan service” as his biggest compromise. He was not willing to provide emotional support outside of work hours.
“Fine,” Chu Xingyun said softly. His eyes moved down toward Cen Jing’s phone screen. “If you want to see me sad…”
Cen Jing glanced at him and ignored him. After checking a message from his manager, he swiped back to the main screen. A new profile picture appeared at the top, and two messages popped up.
Mu Ran: Brother Cen Jing, are you free right now?
Mu Ran: Can we talk for a bit?
Chu Xingyun saw the messages and the name—Mu Ran. If he remembered correctly, this was the actor playing the third male lead in the drama Cen Jing was currently promoting. Why was a minor co-star messaging Cen Jing at 11:00 PM just to “talk”?
Cen Jing noticed the messages too. He clicked the chat and started typing “wait a moment,” but Chu Xingyun pressed down on his hand.
“Don’t make him wait. Talk now.”
“I’m busy right now.” Cen Jing tilted his hand to get free. “Chu Xingyun, don’t you have your own phone?”
“Yours looks better.” Chu Xingyun didn’t feel guilty at all for snooping. “Who is he, Brother?”
“A colleague.” Cen Jing sent the “wait a moment” reply anyway and started answering other people.
Chu Xingyun began to imagine who Mu Ran was. “What kind of professional colleague chats at 11:00 PM?”
“Is it that strange?” Cen Jing looked at him. “I’m about to sleep in the same bed as a ‘professional colleague’ in a little bit.”
Chu Xingyun’s eyes widened. “Am I on the same level as him?”
Cen Jing: “Aren’t you?”
The same level? Does that mean—
“Have you slept with him too?” Chu Xingyun’s voice got louder, full of disbelief.
Mu Ran was 22 years old, with a gentle and clean look. Fans called him the “Campus First Love.” He was a rookie actor, and this drama was his first project. Chu Xingyun quickly put the facts together. Looking at his photos, Mu Ran was definitely attractive to both women and men. Standing next to Cen Jing, they actually looked like a good match.
Chu Xingyun bit his lip hard, his gaze turning cold.
“…No.” Cen Jing was speechless. “I have many colleagues. Are you saying I’ve slept with all of them?”
“That’s the problem…” Chu Xingyun felt a bit hurt. “How can you put colleagues you’ve slept with in the same category as those you haven’t?”
“So, should I put you in the ‘unprofessional’ category?” Cen Jing found it funny.
“Yes.” Chu Xingyun accepted that happily. He wanted to know more: “In that category, is there anyone else besides me?”
Cen Jing turned his head and saw that Chu Xingyun’s eyes were turning red. His eyes, which usually curved upward, were now looking down. Cen Jing’s heart felt a small spark. He was about to answer when his phone started ringing with a video call request.
Mu Ran’s face appeared on the screen.
“I’m going out for a second.” Cen Jing didn’t answer immediately; he just silenced the ringer.
Chu Xingyun grabbed Cen Jing’s wrist, his eyes pleading. “…Answer it here.”
“No.” Cen Jing pulled his wrist away. “It’s not appropriate.”
He hadn’t spoken to Mu Ran in a long time. This was the first time the younger man had reached out like this, so something important must have happened. This was Mu Ran’s privacy, not just his. Before Chu Xingyun could say anything else, Cen Jing walked out.
Cen Jing walked into the game room and answered the video call just before it timed out. A clean, handsome face appeared on the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Cen Jing leaned his phone against the computer monitor and sat down. “You seem in a hurry. Did something happen?”
“Long time no see, Brother Cen Jing.” Mu Ran smiled gently. “Because it’s been so long, I decided to video call. Is that okay?”
Cen Jing tapped a key on his keyboard. “It’s fine. Just tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Okay. Something has been bothering me lately.” Mu Ran hesitated. “Brother Cen Jing, I remember you like men, right?”
Cen Jing: “Yes.”
Mu Ran had found out by accident. Once, an actress had followed Cen Jing to his dressing room to confess. Cen Jing turned her down many times, but she wouldn’t give up. Finally, Cen Jing told her the truth about his sexuality. Mu Ran happened to be outside the door with a script and overheard everything. Since then, they had become close.
“I think I might like a guy too,” Mu Ran said, biting his lip nervously.
“How did you find out?” Cen Jing asked.
Mu Ran looked into the camera. “When I see him being close with other guys, my chest feels tight and uncomfortable.”
“Can you accept that you like men?”
Even though being gay was common in the industry, some people still had traditional views and couldn’t accept it for themselves.
“I… I can accept it,” Mu Ran nodded.
Cen Jing analyzed the situation. “So, what are you worried about? Whether you should confess?”
“Well…” Mu Ran leaned closer to the camera and fixed his hair. “He happens to like men too but I don’t know if he likes my type. Brother Cen Jing, do you think he would like someone like me?”
“Everyone has different taste…”
“Based on your taste,” Mu Ran interrupted, sounding desperate. “If it were you, would you like me?”
“You are very nice—”
BANG—
Cen Jing stopped talking and looked at the door, which had been pushed open with great force.
Chu Xingyun was leaning against the doorframe, wearing a black silk robe that was almost see-through. The warm yellow light showed his waist through the fabric, and the hem of the robe barely covered his thighs.
…What was he wearing?
“Brother Cen Jing?” Mu Ran called out from the screen, waiting for an answer.
“Are you still talking?” Chu Xingyun acted lazy on purpose. “I can’t sleep without you.”
Cen Jing: “…”
He had no idea what Chu Xingyun was trying to do. “If you can’t sleep, play on your phone.”
“The phone isn’t fun.”
Chu Xingyun stretched and walked into the room with an exaggerated sway until he reached Cen Jing’s chair. He leaned over Cen Jing’s shoulder toward the camera, his robe falling open to show a lot of skin.
“Is this the ‘home wrecker’?”
Mu Ran’s face changed instantly. “Who are you calling a home wrecker?”
“Sorry, slip of the tongue.” Chu Xingyun tapped the screen and shrunk Mu Ran’s face into the corner. “I meant to say ‘Third Lead.’ You’re the third lead in his drama, right?”
Mu Ran spoke through gritted teeth. “…Yes.”
He was 100% sure Chu Xingyun didn’t have a slip of the tongue. He did it on purpose.
“Go outside,” Cen Jing said, moving the camera away from Chu Xingyun. “We still have things to talk about.”
“Then I’ll wait for you on the balcony.” Chu Xingyun didn’t argue.
“The balcony is windy.” Cen Jing looked at his outfit. “You should stay in the room so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Yeah, Brother Chu,” Mu Ran added sarcastically. “Put some clothes on.”
Chu Xingyun was now certain that Mu Ran was being hostile.
“I’d just have to take them off anyway,” Chu Xingyun replied, ignoring Mu Ran’s “advice.” “It’s much more convenient not to wear them.”
Cen Jing: “…”
“Don’t misunderstand,” Chu Xingyun whispered into Cen Jing’s ear. “I mean it’s more convenient for sleeping.”
Cen Jing’s head began to ache. By “explaining” it only to him, Chu Xingyun was clearly trying to make Mu Ran misunderstand.
“Really?” Mu Ran couldn’t hide his anger. “Are you that easy?”
Cen Jing reacted before Chu Xingyun could. He said sternly, “Mu Ran, apologize.”
“Brother Cen Jing…” Mu Ran sounded hurt. “He’s the one who started talking nonsense.”
Cen Jing didn’t want to argue. He hung up the video call.
“I apologize for him,” Cen Jing said to Chu Xingyun, putting his phone face down. “I’ll explain to him later what you actually meant.”
Chu Xingyun’s nose felt stingy. He should be happy that Cen Jing defended him, but his heart felt a sharp pain.
“I poked him on purpose. If he wants to insult me, let him.” He blinked quickly to hide the tears.
“Why did you provoke him for no reason?” Cen Jing asked. “Do you enjoy being insulted?”
“He likes you,” Chu Xingyun said, not wanting to hide the truth about his rival. “Even if I didn’t poke him, he’d still hate me. So, I’m going to make him even more upset.”
Cen Jing looked shocked. “What are you talking about?”
He hadn’t talked to Mu Ran in over six months. Even during the drama promotion, they barely interacted. Mu Ran liked him? That was impossible.