Author: 反舌鸟 / Mockingbird
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 14
The meal ended on a sour note.
It was easy to make cutting remarks, but Long Xingyu suddenly felt somewhat powerless. He could certainly mock Yu Ruoyun for being outdated and discarded by the market, just like when they first “met”. It was easy to do; no one stayed at the top forever. But it was hard to make demands of Yu Ruoyun. What right did he have to manage so much about Yu Ruoyun? Only Yu Ruoyun wouldn’t show him any resentment.
Unable to speak, Long Xingyu lowered his head and began eating. This university’s cafeteria was quite famous. Aside from the strange dishes, the other foods were pretty good, though everything tasted bland to Long Xingyu. In his peripheral vision, he could still see Yu Ruoyun, who still had makeup on from the scene—a bit haggard to fit the character and storyline, with darkened skin and heavy eye circles. In this light, Yu Ruoyun seemed like an ordinary middle-aged man.
The first time he saw Yu Ruoyun was backstage at an event. Jiang Yu had clothes draped over his arm, thinking of finding a changing room. Amid the chaos, someone called out, “Xiao* Yu.”
*Little (小) Generally used on someone younger (in terms of age or rank) than the person, it’s a term of endearment or familiarity with the person.
Jiang Yu instinctively responded, but the person walked past him without noticing*. They walked to the crowded area ahead and pulled out Yu Ruoyun, who turned out to be Yu Ruoyun’s agent.
*Clarity: She was using (Yu) [俞] as in Yu Ruoyun, not the Yu in Jiang Yu.
The agent, Xu Ye, had been Yu Ruoyun’s agent from the start. As they walked, he complained, “The media interview is about to start, and you’re still dawdling here.”
Yu Ruoyun only smiled apologetically. Though there was no spotlight backstage, Yu Ruoyun seemed to have one. The crowd was his spotlight.
These memories tormented Long Xingyu.
A few hours later, they were filming a night scene where Long Xingyu’s character’s identity was exposed, leading to a confrontation and fight with the protagonist before fleeing. Long Xingyu calculated that he didn’t have many scenes left. The next time he’d meet Yu Ruoyun in the story would likely be in a jail cell for an emotional monologue. After all, he was just a small boss on Yu Ruoyun’s road to success. Once defeated, the main story would progress, and he was just an inconsequential actor.
Thinking this, Long Xingyu decided to perform better, at least to secure his next job opportunity. However, it seemed he overdid it. By the end, the director’s look wasn’t exactly approving. But he said nothing and began preparing to wrap up.
Yu Ruoyun and Long Xingyu were both splattered with fake blood, and despite wiping off with a wet towel, it still felt uncomfortable. Yu Ruoyun’s assistant, who had returned from a vacation in Japan, brought a blanket for him against the evening chill. Yu Ruoyun, wrapped in the blanket, looked up and told the assistant, “I remember there’s a spare in the car. Bring one for him too.”
Long Xingyu didn’t hesitate, wrapping himself in the same kind of blanket. He recognized the assistant from before. He climbed into Yu Ruoyun’s nanny car and sat down beside him.
He fell silent again, though he had many things to say to Yu Ruoyun. But in Long Xingyu’s current position, he couldn’t voice them, like, “Why did you hire my assistant?”
He initially thought it was a coincidence. The assistant Jiang Yu used to have was also fond of traveling to Japan, always bringing back thoughtless gifts of popular snacks. Jiang Yu would get a share, which was why he knew about them. After all these years, Long Xingyu started to wonder if Yu Ruoyun was some sort of secret pervert.
Yu Ruoyun spoke first. “Is this your first time acting?”
“…Yes,” Long Xingyu said, then improvised. “Does school performances count?”
Of course not, and this Long Xingyu hadn’t even finished high school before becoming a trainee.
Yu Ruoyun said, “It doesn’t seem like it’s your first time.”
He didn’t say Long Xingyu had talent, just that he didn’t seem like a beginner. This omission was interesting, as if Long Xingyu was pretending to be a virgin in bed, and Yu Ruoyun saw through it while Long Xingyu still planned to deny it.
“Maybe I’m an undiscovered acting genius,” Long Xingyu said. “You could consider being my mentor.”
“The director asked if we should reshoot,” Yu Ruoyun said. “He thinks you’re too strong, worried I might mind.”
Only then did Long Xingyu understand the director’s earlier look. He found it amusing. “Worried I’ll overshadow you? I should thank him for having so much faith in me.”
Yu Ruoyun reached over to drape the fallen blanket back over Long Xingyu. While Long Xingyu was talking, he noticed the blanket had slipped and reached out to grab it. When their hands touched, Long Xingyu was stunned for a moment before saying, “Senior, if you keep being this nice to me, it’ll be easy for us to progress further. Don’t forget, I said I’d pursue you.”
“I remember.” Yu Ruoyun suddenly asked, “How did you and Jiang Yu meet?”
Fortunately, Long Xingyu had prepared. “I argued with my family, ran away, and my money was stolen. He helped me.”
There was no way Yu Ruoyun could verify if Jiang Yu had ever given him money, so Long Xingyu lied freely.
Yu Ruoyun looked at him for a long time, uncertain if he believed him. The crew was ready to return, and as the car started, Long Xingyu heard Yu Ruoyun say, “If the ages matched, I’d think you were his illegitimate child.”
Long Xingyu almost spat blood.
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