Double-layered curtains blocked the last glimmer of light. The bedroom was pitch-black, and the air conditioning was set very low. Song Xueyan pressed half his face into the spring and autumn quilt, drifting in a half-dream, half-wake state back to Yan Qi’s bedroom.
The layout of the two bedrooms was originally similar, but with Yan Qi moving in, that bedroom had been completely transformed, clearly taking on a more lived-in, cozy feel. The fresh, clean scent of lime was scattered everywhere, as if a giant net had swallowed Song Xueyan whole.
“I’m warning you, don’t force me to use my ‘small’ size to bully your ‘big’ size.”
When Yan Qi said this, Song Xueyan paused. But Yan Qi’s eyes held a smile, showing no malice, so he reasonably speculated that Yan Qi was just posturing to scare him.
“Children who rebel get spanked,” he advised kindly.
Yan Qi stared at him for a long while after hearing this, his gaze traveling from top to bottom, then from bottom to top, as if he wanted to flip him over and examine him thoroughly, inside and out.
“Just you? I could toss you with one hand, no problem.” Yan Qi tapped the body lotion tube in his hand, producing a dull, thumping sound like a challenge. “Want to try?”
“Better not.” Song Xueyan raised an eyebrow, looking dismissive. “You’ve made yourself smell so good; don’t go slipping and falling and needing to wash it all off again.”
A small dab of white lotion spilled from the nozzle, sticking to Yan Qi’s fingertip. He wiped it onto his knee and smoothed it out in a few strokes.
Yan Qi stood up. He was half a head taller than Song Xueyan, exerting a subtle, invisible pressure.
Song Xueyan sensed something and subconsciously took a half-step back.
The lotion tube landed on the carpet with a soft thud. Song Xueyan was grabbed by the shoulders and pressed onto another long sofa by Yan Qi.
His white cotton slippers flew off. Song Xueyan kicked his bare feet against Yan Qi’s abdomen, forcing him back two steps, then quickly reached out to grip the back of the sofa, using it as leverage to vault over. Just as his feet staggered to touch the carpet, Yan Qi attacked again, locking his arms around Song Xueyan’s waist and tackling him onto the bed behind them.
A stifled grunt was swallowed by the cool air of the AC.
Song Xueyan braced his leg against Yan Qi’s chest, his voice unstable. “You—”
Yan Qi propped himself up with his arms. He locked onto Song Xueyan with his gaze, refusing to let a single ripple on that face escape him. When Song Xueyan tried to pry his arms away, he countered by pinning Song Xueyan’s hands down.
Song Xueyan adjusted his breathing. “Are you trying to hit me? Or do you want to hear me call you that, too?”
“Neither,” Yan Qi said. “I’ve watched all of your works.”
The topic changed so abruptly that Song Xueyan was taken aback. “And so what?”
“Before this, I hadn’t watched any of your dramas. It’s not because they weren’t good, but because I don’t like heavy, realistic themes—I couldn’t help it, it’s just my preference.” Yan Qi looked at Song Xueyan, his tone tinged with regret. “But after I finished them all, I felt that you acted so well. Many shots kept flashing through my mind, leaving such a deep impression. I regret not discovering them sooner, and I almost missed them entirely.”
Yan Qi laid his admiration out plainly, but Song Xueyan averted his gaze evasively. “Your fate with them hadn’t arrived yet; it just has now.”
“Do you remember Thirteen Palaces? The traditional martial arts drama? You played a side character who was neither truly good nor evil, named Bo Lu.” After Song Xueyan nodded slightly, Yan Qi let out a “Wow.” “There were a few fight scenes in there; you looked so good fighting the movements were graceful without losing strength, flowing like water. I think that was a perfect appearance. The screen time wasn’t much, but every scene was a highlight. There’s a highlight reel of Bo Lu’s fights online with a huge view count; I contributed at least twenty of them. The first bullet-screen comment I ever posted in my life was for you!”
Song Xueyan was left floating by the praise, his raised foot losing half its strength.
Yan Qi swore solemnly: “After Dangerous Symptoms airs, I’ll be sure to watch it.”
Speaking of Dangerous Symptoms, Song Xueyan remembered An Shigo. He lifted his lids, glanced at Yan Qi, and said nonchalantly: “Well, when you watch that drama, you might want to pay more attention to the other lead.”
“I’m watching it because of you; I’m only paying attention to you.” Yan Qi didn’t catch the subtext and continued self-assuredly, “Of course, I’ll appreciate the other characters too, and I’ll learn from the parts they acted well.”
Song Xueyan had nowhere to vent his frustration. His hand, which had been pinned by Yan Qi, twitched slightly, his fingers struggling to scratch at the back of Yan Qi’s hand.
Yan Qi felt ticklish and pressed down as a threat, but he used too much force and couldn’t pull back. Song Xueyan’s leg slid up along the fabric of his chest, locking into a leg-over-the-shoulder position.
“Uh…”
“Ah!” Both their pupils dilated at the same time. Song Xueyan was more reserved—his eyes just shimmered with moisture but Yan Qi turned bright red from his face down to his neck.
The scene was truly too bizarre!
Yan Qi stiffened, subconsciously trying to get up, but Song Xueyan, startled by the movement, gripped his palms firmly. He didn’t manage to rise, and was instead pulled back; unfortunately, the two collided even more tightly!
A breath escaped Song Xueyan’s lips, extremely faint, yet glaringly obvious in the stifling, silent atmosphere. He looked at Yan Qi, saying nothing. All the emotions in his eyes churned together, making it impossible for Yan Qi to read them.
The scorching heat on his ears left Yan Qi’s brain blank. Song Xueyan lay beneath him, his appearance against the black sheets like a pile of fresh snow. His face looked like the sky after a sunset, his eyes holding a lake shrouded in mist—a different kind of beauty than usual.
Neither moved, neither made a sound. They remained rigidly pressed together, unable to tell who had moved first.
Time was stretched thin and torn by the awkwardness, and the scorching hardness was on the verge of melting the fresh snow.
Song Xueyan finally couldn’t take it anymore. His other hand released the messy sheets he’d been clutching, and he pushed Yan Qi away with force before kicking him off.
Yan Qi stumbled back a few steps, but felt a sudden release. Before he could say anything, Song Xueyan was already off the bed and kicked him again.
Yan Qi fell back into the single sofa. The white dog plush toy sitting on the back of the sofa fell forward and landed right on his head. Yan Qi ignored it. He looked at the red-rimmed corners of Song Xueyan’s eyes and, for once, felt cowardly.
Song Xueyan smoothed his collar, stared down at him for a long time, and said nothing.
Yan Qi eventually couldn’t stand the thousand arrows of the gaze anymore. He squatted down, moved a few steps, and took the initiative to straighten Song Xueyan’s two white slippers, placing them back by his feet. Conciliatorily, he stuffed the dog plush toy into Song Xueyan’s hands and whispered: “Don’t, don’t catch a cold.”
“Uh…” Song Xueyan gripped the toy tightly, lifting his foot—
Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Yan Qi reached out and, albeit clumsily, put the slipper on for him.
Song Xueyan left, the door closing with a dull thud.
Yan Qi looked up toward the end of the bed. The snow-white figure had moved away, but Song Xueyan’s scent seemed to linger on the black sheets—a faint, lingering trace that couldn’t be ignored.
The inexplicable impulse still stood tall, setting his throat on fire. Yan Qi’s throat felt parched as he stared straight at the end of the bed.
“Fuck.”
The summer night’s torrential rain arrived suddenly, hammering against the window in the middle of the night.
Song Xueyan woke from a dream with a start. He tilted his head back, his head resting against the pillow, his knees curled up, stifled groans leaking intermittently from his throat.
The dog plush toy lay across his face, covering up the secret turbulence.
Behind a wall, the bathroom was drizzling. Yan Qi leaned against the cold, damp wall, the water from the shower head wrapping around his breaths. The warm yellow light caught him from all directions, leaving the fierce desire nowhere to hide.
Soaked in the same rain, the two clutched their respective corners of the quilt, both losing sleep.
The next afternoon, when Song Xueyan left his bedroom, Yan Qi had not yet returned.
Yan Qi had many fight scenes in the drama, so he had to go off separately today for martial arts training. Following Fang Zhouji’s usual arrangement, the crew would organize a one-to-three-month special training for newcomers with fight scenes or actors who weren’t good at martial arts.
But Yan Qi’s fight scene during the screen test had been so beautiful that it won the hearts of Fang Zhouji and the show’s martial arts director, who made an exception and promoted him out of the special training class.
Song Xueyan poured half a glass of warm water and sat on the sofa looking at the schedule sent by Han Dongling.
The crew was hosting a kickoff banquet tonight. The cast and production side would all be participating, and investors would send representatives, though the specific candidates were uncertain.
The white-on-black table was detailed and tidy, but as Song Xueyan looked at it, his eyes grew blurry, and he couldn’t help but think of Yan Qi from last night. The heat that had finally dissipated gathered again, coalescing into a vague cluster. He hurriedly downed the half-glass of water.
It was still early. He put on his shoes and decided to go to Fang Zhouji’s house to drop off some gifts for the elders and visit Wangye.
A while later, his phone rang, and a WeChat message popped up.
An arrangement schedule for the kickoff banquet was posted in the group, and the crew group became lively. The director’s assistant specifically tagged him in the group.
Song Xueyan followed the crowd and replied “Received,” only to notice that Yan Qi hadn’t replied yet.
Adorable True Beauty Chen Wanlu: 【Dare I ask, who is coming from the investor side? @Red Bean Tycoon Fang Zhouji】
Un-nosed Real Handsome Guy Shao Bai: 【Who do you want to come? (Smirking)】
Adorable True Beauty Chen Wanlu: “Fu Yangle!”
Un-nosed Real Handsome Guy Shao Bai: “Unlikely, right? Although this drama is invested in by Yaoguang, it can only be considered a cultural project under the Zongchen Group. I think it’s probably the person in charge of Yaoguang’s TV project.”
A string of echoes jumped out below.
Adorable True Beauty Chen Wanlu: 【Don’t forget that Fu Yangle’s little baby is hidden in our crew @Dumpling King Tang Wanbai, and his wife @Red Bean Exterminator Group Leader Song Xueyan. You two, please work your magic! I want to see my male god! (Crying)】
Chen Wanlu had played Song Xueyan’s younger sister in Black Cliff; this time, in Ascending the White Jade Stairs, she was playing Xiao Zhenyue’s imperial younger sister. Playing siblings twice could be considered fate. Song Xueyan wasn’t an enthusiastic person, but Chen Wanlu left an impression as a witty and cute girl who had once helped him avoid trouble.
He was just about to reply when the other target who had been @-ed jumped out.
Dumpling King Tang Wanbai: 【This palace has already lost favor! (Crying) Please, I beg @Red Bean Exterminator Group Leader Song Xueyan.】
Another string of begged-for-mercy messages followed, only they didn’t dare to @ Song Xueyan.
Song Xueyan looked at the lively group and replied: 【Begging @Strawberry Cake Supporter Number One Tough Guy Handsome Guy Yan Qi.】