Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 173: Let Me Warm You Up

The director, who was sitting in the next room, was so excited. With a “pfft” the deputy director next to him was the first to laugh. These two people forgot they still had their microphones on.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Young people nowadays were really carnivorous. They were worried that the two of them wouldn’t be as ambiguous as Wang Siyi’s pair. That kind of plot was so common that people would often get tired of it. Unexpectedly, they got a sprinkle of sugar from two handsome guys!

“Can this be broadcast?” Zhang Fen asked.

The chief director, Guo Weimin, said with great regret, “It may not be possible to broadcast it in full.”

Although it wasn’t explicit, it was still too sexually suggestive. They could still broadcast a part of it! They were the experts in this field, so they should be able to pass the reviews!

“I suddenly want to learn a foreign language. Later, you should teach me a few more sentences. We can start with the most basic ones.”

Yan Qiuchi said, “Then you let go first so I can start unpacking our luggage.”

Since they are recording a program, most likely they will gather and have dinner later. It was impossible for the program team to let them rest so soon. Shen Jintai’s cell phone suddenly rang, so he let Yan Qiuchi go and went out of the bathroom and took out his cellphone. The call was from Li Meilan.

“International long distance,” Shen Jintai said when he answered.

Li Meilan hurriedly said, “I’ll just say a few words and be done in a minute. You must pay attention. You should always be on guard against the camera. There’s also a mic on your body so they can hear whatever you say. Don’t talk nonsense!”

Shen Jintai looked down. “Fuck!”

“Don’t cuss!” Li Meilan said. “Remember that everything you do and everything you say may be seen by the audience.”

Yan Qiuchi asked, “What’s the matter?”

“I forgot that we still have mics on our bodies,” he said.

Neither of them was used to recording a reality show, so the thought slipped his mind. Shen Jintai immediately went next door, and as soon as he walked in, he was greeted with a room full of people who all smiled at him.

Shen Jintai said, “Cut it for me.”

Guo Weimin said, “You didn’t say much. It’s quite sweet, actually. Jintai, we’re a couples variety show, so we have to have some sweetness!”

They had all signed the contracts, and they would cut things that they deemed would be excessive, but that would be entirely up to the production team. Shen Jintai felt so embarrassed that his private words between the two of them were actually heard by the entire program crew.

With his lesson learned, when they went to dinner, he told Zheng Siqi and the others, “Pay attention to your mics. They can still record your sound even when the camera can’t film you.”

As a frequent guest on variety shows, this was not new to Zheng Siqi. “Of course. You didn’t say anything that you didn’t want the program group to hear, did you?”

“I forgot about the mics,” Shen Jintai said.

“Then you need to pay better attention,” Zheng Siqi said. “Our side is a bit better.”

Unlike Zheng Siqi and Yang Lizhi, who were just acting, Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi were actually lovers.

The dinner tonight was on a cruise ship traversing the Seine River. While they ate, they could take in the sights along the Seine River.

“Aren’t our funds limited? It’s pretty expensive to eat such a meal on a cruise, right?” Wang Siyi said, “Why don’t you eat something light? I’m not very hungry, so I can help save everyone money.”

“When I was at the airport, didn’t the director say that the accommodation and meals on the first day were provided by the program team?” Yang Lizhi said as she flipped her hair. She was speechless at Wang Siyi’s mentality. With so many xiao hua popping up, many had developed this type of persona. What era were we in? Girls should also be more self-reliant and capable*!

*Clarity: She is basically chiding Wang Siyi for her naiveté and inexperience.

If it weren’t for the cameras, she would have rolled her eyes.

In March, the weather in Paris was similar to that in China. While the men had on more layers, Wang Siyi and Yang Lizhi dressed in pretty outfits. When they arrived at the banks of the river, a wind blew by, causing Wang Siyi to shout from the cold. Without saying a word, Tang Ye took off his coat and put it on her.

Zheng Siqi asked Yang Lizhi, “Are you cold?”

Yang Lizhi said solemnly, “I would rather be beautiful and freeze to death.”

Shen Jintai couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this. Tang Ye turned his head and motioned for Yan Qiuchi to come forward since they needed him to speak French.

Shen Jintai followed Yan Qiuchi to the front. Their group was large, encompassing the couples and also the program group, so it attracted the attention of many tourists on the cruise ship. As soon as they boarded, they heard someone shout, “Li Xu! It’s Li Xu and his royal highness the Prince!”

Shen Jintai was taken aback for a moment. He saw a group of Asians walking towards them. It turns out to be a group of tourists from China, who looked very excited seeing them. Yang Lizhi stood aside embarrassingly with her arms crossed to make room for them. Seeing those aunties enthusiastically surrounding Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi, she was convinced that all her efforts filming <The East Palace is Coming> were for naught!

Wuwuwu, she must be strong!

“Are you… He Lanbi?” An auntie suddenly asked her.

Yang Lizhi brushed her hair as she said, “Auntie, do you want to take a photo?”

The auntie was very excited to take a picture with her. Yang Lizhi let out a long sigh and saw Shen Jintai beckoning her over as he smiled at the aunties and said, “The empress is here too.”

Yang Lizhi glanced at Shen Jintai with a smile. He was very considerate.

“The East Palace is really popular,” Wang Siyi said to Tang Ye with some envy. The drama was considered one of the most popular within the Chinese entertainment circle.

Yang Lizhi remained nonchalant for over an hour, but as the night got darker, the wind from the waters became chillier. Despite drinking a few glasses of red wine, it still didn’t dissipate her coldness. Zheng Siqi took off his coat and put it on her shoulders. She looked back at him, and this time she didn’t try to be brave but instead said, “Thank you.”

Wang Siyi and Tang Ye sat close to Shen Jintai as they listened to Yan Qiuchi introduce the scenery along the river. It seems as if he had memorized a travel guide as he knew every attraction along the way, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Furthermore, he was able to share the historical allusions and anecdotes that they didn’t know about these well-known attractions.

As Yan Qiuchi was explaining the sights, he reached out his hand and brushed Shen Jintai’s hair, which had gotten messed up from the night breeze.

This wasn’t the first time Shen Jintai had come to France, but it was the first time he had gone on a tour down the Seine River. The sight was particularly beautiful at night. He lay on the railing, and probably because of his actor’s instinct, he felt the camera zooming in on him, so he turned his head and stroked his hair towards it. His jet-black hair smoothed out under his stroke and fell softly down his face, all the while he gave the camera a beaming smile.

The shooting today was quite special as they had to shoot some clips for the promotional videos. There were prescribed actions such as single shots, couples shots, and the entire six-person group shot. The other two pairs were fine, but since Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi were an actual couple, the shots needed to have some intimacy.

Yan Qiuchi, who has always been at ease, suddenly started to cramp up. He didn’t know where he should put his hands.

“Just be natural. Do what you normally do while chatting and looking at the scenery. We’ll choose from the materials we shoot. Just one request. It’s better if you two get closer. You’re a couple after all, so we need you to be different from the other two pairs.”

With so many people on the cruise ship, it was impossible for them to behave so intimately. They leaned awkwardly together as they looked at the Statue of Liberty. The wind was blowing on Shen Jintai’s face, and suddenly he became emotional.

“In the beginning, France gave the United States a Statue of Liberty, and later the United States gave one back to France. This is it. It’s much smaller than the one in the United States. It originally was facing the Eiffel Tower, but later it turned to the west to face the Statue of Liberty in the United States,” Yan Qiuchi said.

“Freedom shines on the world,” Shen Jintai said. He pursed his lips and moved a little towards Yan Qiuchi. He was close to Yan Qiuchi’s arm, and he lowered his hand to clasp the back of Yan Qiuchi’s hand that was on the railing. The camera was behind them, but it didn’t capture this moment.

“I have been here once before,” Shen Jintai said quietly. “A long time ago, I came alone in winter, and it was very cold at that time.”

Yan Qiuchi found that Shen Jintai’s hands were also very cold now. He pulled out his other hand and covered Shen Jintai’s hand. Shen Jintai suddenly raised his hand and lifted it up, then turned to look back and smile at the program group, giving them a firm and calm gaze.

This scene became the promotional clip for the second season of <Honey, Let’s Travel> and also became one of the classic shots for JinQiu CP. In slow motion, Shen Jintai turned his head first, then Yan Qiuchi, as they were holding hands together.

When they got off the cruise ship, it was already half past ten. Zheng Siqi came to their room to remind them not to forget to block the camera. “Just put clothes or towels on them. You can take off the mic and put it in the living room, and cover up the cameras there too. In the morning, you can just take off all the coverings.”

Since the bathroom was outside the bedroom, Shen Jintai simply covered up most of the cameras.

“Can they still hear us talking like this?”

As a result, before Zheng Siqi could answer, the staff who were filming them all nodded.

“Damn it,” Shen Jintai said.

Zheng Siqi said, “If you keep your voice down, they won’t be able to hear you. I’ve tried it.” It’s possible for Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi to have sex while recording the show, right? As long as they kept their voices low, the program team wouldn’t be able to hear them.

Yan Qiuchi came out of the bathroom in a bathrobe and was stunned to see Zheng Siqi. Seeing him, Zheng Siqi said, “Then I’ll go back and rest. See you tomorrow.”

Shen Jintai sent him out the door and went into the bathroom to take a shower. After he came out, Yan Qiuchi was already on his laptop.

“Work?”

“Just a bit.” Yan Qiuchi closed the laptop and looked at the time. It was almost midnight. This was the first night they were sleeping under the cameras, so both of them were a bit unaccustomed. After turning off the lights, Shen Jintai hid in the blanket and said softly, “Siqi said if we keep our voices down, they can’t hear us.”

Yan Qiuchi hugged him. “That won’t work. You screamed loudly as soon as you orgasm.”

Shen Jintai was embarrassed. “What are you thinking, I… I didn’t mean that!”

Yan Qiuchi said, “During the day, didn’t you say you wanted it?”

Shen Jintai said, “You’re crazy if you think I want to do that kind of thing in front of a bunch of cameras.”

As soon as he was excited, his voice became a little louder. Yan Qiuchi quickly smiled and said, “Keep your voice down. Keep your voice down.”

After the two of them lay there for a while, Shen Jintai noticed that Yan Qiuchi was unbuttoning his pajamas. He grabbed his hand. “You… You’re too bold.”

“I don’t want to sleep in our pajamas,” Yan Qiuchi said. “Besides, the cameras are all covered.”

Shen Jintai’s face was hot, and Yan Qiuchi took this chance to strip him of his pajamas after a moment’s hesitation.

“Isn’t this more uncomfortable for you?” he said.

Yan Qiuchi didn’t speak and took off his own pajamas. Since their last toss and turn, Shen Jintai hadn’t only stopped doing it with him but also refused to sleep naked with him because he found that Yan Qiuchi would feel extreme discomfort if he wore pajamas and didn’t allow him to have direct skin-on-skin contact.

It has been too long since he was able to hug Shen Jintai like this. As soon as Yan Qiuchi stripped everything off, he immediately hugged Shen Jintai like an octopus and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

Besides, today was an eventful first day, and he had to fly on a long-distance flight. He was actually really tired today. If he were being honest, Shen Jintai also liked to sleep with Yan Qiuchi like this. At first, he would tremble a bit, but after getting used to it, he felt very warm and comfortable. There was an indescribable sense of intimacy between them, but doing this in front of a bunch of cameras made him feel both excited and ashamed.

He turned a few times.

“Don’t move.”

Shen Jintai sneered. “Hehe. Who told you to take off my clothes.”

“It’s early spring. Why are your hands and feet still so cold.”

“That’s just how I am,” Shen Jintai said.

Yan Qiuchi let out a “Nn”, then suddenly said words of love, “It’s fine. I’ll keep you warm for the rest of my life.”

Shen Jintai was momentarily stunned before embarrassment overwhelmed him. Still, he felt extremely moved, despite those clumsy words of love, but they were Yan Qiuchi’s honest feelings.

---

The author has something to say:

The first day was quite tiring, so it’s better to let Xiao Jin have a good rest.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Whatever Yan Qiuchi says can make my heart melt.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 172: My Man’s So Excellent

Fang Fengmei and Yan Tiefeng were deeply concerned about Yan Qiuchi’s participation in a variety show.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?” Yan Tiefeng asked.

“The plane takes off at 6 in the morning,” Yan Qiuchi said.

“That’s early.” Fang Fengmei said, “Have you packed everything?”

“We’re all packed,” Shen Jintai said. “We’ll be back in a week.”

The program team was fully cooperative during Yan Qiuchi’s time. Since he has a lot of work, the time he could spare was limited. It wasn’t possible to film for 15 consecutive days, so the program team adjusted the shooting plan and coordinated the schedule with the other four. They would shoot for one week, then wait a week and shoot again for another week.

Zheng Siqi and Shen Jintai had a good relationship, so he was naturally willing to cooperate with their schedule, while the other pair of celebrities, actress Wang Siyi and actor Tang Ye, were newcomers who were just overjoyed to be selected and starred in the show with a few top stars. The show was bound to catch fire, and they were just there to drink the broth, so of course they were more than happy to cooperate.

It was only Yang Lizhi who had her own opinions but could only hold them secretly inside. Recently, there had been several new post-00’s huadans in the entertainment industry. When she debuted, she had won multiple awards and was lauded for her beauty. Now, seeing that she was about to turn 30, she felt an impending crisis coming. Her acting skills weren’t strong enough, so she needed a hot variety show to brush her sense of existence. Sunshine Media’s thighs needed to be hugged as much as possible, given the recent period drama she starred in that was produced by them had caught fire.

Starting tomorrow, they will live under 24-hour surveillance, so tonight was their last moment of freedom. Shen Jintai felt that he should give Yan Qiuchi a little sweetness. After all, in the next week, they have to share the same bed, but they can’t do anything… Since cameras will be recording them even in their bedrooms. Though they can hide themselves under the blankets, they can’t cover up the sounds, so they must live an abstinence life.

But when he saw Yan Qiuchi, he seemed a bit odd. He wasn’t sure if the psychological pressure was too great.

Shen Jintai said, “Now that we have decided to participate in the program, let’s treat it as a vacation. Just relax and do what we usually do, but pay more attention to our words and actions.”

He felt that Yan Qiuchi’s cultivation was there, so his normal performance should be outstanding.

Yan Qiuchi rubbed his back with one hand and finally stopped at his waist as he kneed it slowly. Shen Jintai was taken aback at first before leaning towards him to slightly kiss Yan Qiuchi’s lips.

Yan Qiuchi said, “You don’t want to record the show tomorrow?”

Shen Jintai was slightly embarrassed as he said, “You don’t want it…?”

Are you going to take it or leave it?

Yan Qiuchi smiled and said, “I haven’t been allowed to touch you these few days and have been holding back. It hasn’t been too bad for this week, so I’m holding it in. I’m afraid if I get it, you won’t be able to move tomorrow.”

The plane was also departing at six in the morning, and they had to get up at five to make it.

It was late at night, but the gold powders were already chatting enthusiastically.

“I’m worried.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Yan Qiuchi wouldn’t hold back our brother, right?”

“He’s never been on a show before, so who knows what kind of person he is. I’m not demanding much from him. Just don’t drag our brother down. Otherwise, those sunspots will have another orgasm.”

Yan Qiuchi was praised too highly online. They all said how good he is, but they simply found that this was just flattery. If Yan Qiuchi performed badly on screen, wouldn’t this mean that Shen Jintai had no vision? After all, Shen Jintai was obsessed with Yan Qiuchi, and everyone knew this.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Shen Jintai was woken up by Yan Qiuchi. He opened his eyes in a daze and felt Yan Qiuchi kiss his forehead. “It’s time to get up.”

He sat up and found that Yan Qiuchi had already finished washing and was fully dressed. There were two cameras squatting in the corner like ghosts and he didn’t know when they came in. Only a small light was turned on in the room, making it look quite dark. Shen Jintai sat up and rubbed his eyes.

Fortunately, due to his beauty rewards, he had a superb complexion, so that even when he just got up in the morning, he still looked handsome. The crew originally wanted to capture his plain-looking face but found that Shen Jintai looked better without makeup on.

While he did look gorgeous when he had makeup on, his face looked exceptionally pure without it. His lips were naturally rosy, his eyebrows were neatly trimmed, and his eyelashes were dense and long.

Turning on the headlights, he left the bedroom and found that there were already a bunch of people in the living room, including Li Meilan and the crew.

“Are we starting to film now?” Shen Jintai asked in a hoarse voice.

When the program team said they would film them 24 hours a day, they really meant it. Even on their way to the airport, there was a cameraman sitting on the passenger seat, shooting the whole process. Li Meilan was calm as she said, “It’s fine. If you don’t think it’s appropriate, we can have them cut it out.”

For this shooting, stars were not allowed to bring their own staff. Li Meilan was only here to take him to the airport. On the way, she chatted with the program team and offered some suggestions to them.

They felt that Yan Qiuchi was too quiet and cold, so they hoped that Shen Jintai could talk more. Otherwise, this whole scene would be quite dry, and they may need to cut it out later.

There were three pairs of celebrities. Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi were the true lovers pair, Zheng Siqi and Yang Lizhi were taking the friendship route, and Wang Siyi and Tang Ye were taking the single individual route. Whether they become hot, or not would all depend on the early stages, and more importantly, whether the show would be popular or not would mainly depend on whether the sugar between the two of them was sweet enough.

The program team knew this, and Shen Jintai knew it better. However, he wasn’t a coquettish man. Yan Qiuchi was quite lustful, but only behind closed doors. On the outside, he would be restrained and gentlemanly. It’s estimated that he wouldn’t be able to stand it if they asked him to kiss Shen Jintai, and neither could he.

“How big is the scale of the broadcast?” Yan Qiuchi, who had been sitting silently beside Shen Jintai, suddenly asked.

Li Meilan glanced back at him. The editor-in-chief sitting in the front turned his head and said, “It’s okay. If it’s inappropriate, it will definitely be cut off when it’s broadcast.”

Shen Jintai was also curious about the broadcast scale of the TV station, so he asked, “Can kisses be broadcast?”

Li Meilan laughed and slapped him on the arm. “I don’t know if the kiss can be broadcast, but they will definitely put in what you said just now.”

Shen Jintai was embarrassed. “No, no. Cut out what I said just now.”

The editorial director was overjoyed. This is the kind of pink bubble that she wanted!

“This depends on the kiss,” The editorial director said, “We have staff who specialize in controlling the scale. Don’t worry about it too much. Our show strives for authenticity. Just do what you two usually do!”

Kiss as much as you like! If they can get a shot of the two kissing, their ratings will ascend straight to heaven!

Shen Jintai sighed with emotion as he felt the looseness of the television series in this world. Not only were there gay TV series and movies, but even variety shows could feature gay couples, and they could even kiss!

He glanced at Yan Qiuchi.

Although Shen Jintai’s itinerary was not made public, many gold powders knew about it, so they ran over to send him off. Fortunately, there weren’t many people there since it was just about dawn. Many of them had been waiting all night at the airport. Shen Jintai went over to take a picture with them.

“My friend in Paris said that it has been raining for the past two days, so it’s a bit cold over there. Brother must pay attention and keep warm.”

“I have all my essentials,” Shen Jintai said. “I really can’t accept your gifts. I’m not allowed to bring an assistant, and I have to go abroad, so I can’t take them with me.”

Yan Qiuchi went to check in. After they entered the airport, Li Meilan and the others went back. With no assistance, Shen Jintai was afraid he couldn’t handle all the suitcases by himself. Hurriedly, he said a few words to the gold powders, and they all ran to help him.

Many gold powders were talking about it secretly as they took pictures with their phones.

“Yan Qiuchi is so handsome.”

“He looks better in person.”

“He doesn’t even let our brother take his luggage. He’s quite good at taking care of people.”

“He seems to be wearing an Armani jacket. He is indeed an Armani lover.”

The gold powders have grilled Yan Qiuchi inside out. They found that his fashion sense was relatively fixed, mainly sticking to black, gray, and white formal clothing, and the brand was mostly Armani.

As for Shen Jintai, the windbreaker he was wearing was from a brand that he was currently endorsing. It was one of the two top luxury brands under his endorsement right now. Most likely all the clothes he prepared on the show were from this brand, based on the rumor that broke saying Shen Jintai had met with the person in charge of the brand.

Shen Jintai’s clothes today were somewhat different from usual. Since his comeback, he usually followed the formal business style whether he was attending public events or in his private life. Today, though, his clothes were particularly fashionable. He was wearing white gold bracelets on his wrists that carefully matched his luxurious clothes, giving him an exceptionally glamorous look. It was quite contrasting to how Yan Qiuchi was dressed, but it made them match particularly well.

After a while, the other two pairs of celebrities had arrived at the airport. The shots of them gathering together attracted many passersby who came to watch.

A round of introductions was made. Wang Siyi blushed when she shook hands with Yan Qiuchi and Shen Jintai as she shyly said, “Just call me Xiao Yi.”

Shen Jintai wanted to laugh but, worried about the camera recording him, held himself back. Seeing Wang Siyi’s eyes shine, it was obvious that she was a rotten girl.

‘So handsome! So handsome!’ She secretly commented.

Tang Ye glanced at her. “I’m sorry that it’s me that you’re traveling with.”

Though Tang Ye could be regarded as a handsome guy, compared with Zheng Siqi, Shen Jintai, and Yan Qiuchi, he instantly became inferior.

Yang Lizhi was still a gorgeous queen. Her hair was wavy as she flicked it back. When she filmed the East Palace, she almost couldn’t drink the broth of the heroine. This time, she was determined to grab a little bit of heat for participating in this reality show.

After boarding the plane, it was more than ten hours before they reached Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. When they left the airport, the members of the program crew left them to their own devices.

They decided to take a taxi to the hotel together.

Yang Lizhi had just woken up from the flight, covered herself in sunglasses, and wore a big hat. She said, “I can’t do it. I can’t speak English, and my French is atrocious.”

Wang Siyi was even more delicate, and the other three actors all showed embarrassed expressions, but they weren’t worried as they knew Yan Qiuchi had studied abroad, so his English was bound to be good.

Yan Qiuchi said, “I’ll ask.”

As he said it, he walked towards someone nearby while everyone waited there with their luggage. As soon as Yan Qiuchi spoke, everyone was stunned. Yan Qiuchi actually spoke in French. His pronunciation was so fluent that it was sexy.

Shen Jintai knew that Yan Qiuchi’s English was good, but he didn’t expect his French to be of the same caliber as well. Last night, he asked Yan Qiuchi if he could speak French, and he replied that he could speak a little bit.

What little bit?!

He gave Zheng Siqi a triumphant glance since the two of them are familiar and interact the most.

Zheng Siqi said, “Look at how prideful you are.”

Under Yan Qiuchi’s leadership, everyone successfully got into the car. When they arrived at the hotel, Yan Qiuchi took the lead as the five of them waited around in the lobby.

Tang Ye looked at Yan Qiuchi and gave a “wow”. He shook his head and said, “Brother Chi is awesome¹.”

“Swearing¹ isn’t allowed in front of the camera,” Wang Siyi said.

¹Clarity: The word he’s using is (牛逼) which refers to someone as being very “powerful” and “strong” but can also refer to as a “bragging cunt”. This is why Wang Siyi responded like this.

Shen Jintai glanced at the two of them.

The hotel that the program team booked for them was average with okay conditions. It was mainly chosen because it was in a good location that was close to several major attractions. As soon as he entered the room, he said to Yan Qiuchi, “I’ve discovered a secret. Wang Siyi and Tang Ye feel like lovers.”

It seemed that they were a couple pretending to be strangers in order to participate in the show.

Yan Qiuchi pointed to the camera in the living room. “Are you allowed to say it?”

“They can cut it,” Shen Jintai said.

He put down his luggage and explored the room. Despite being small, he found there were actually eight cameras set up. With the exception of the bathroom, the cameras captured everything else. He opened the bathroom door and beckoned Yan Qiuchi to come over.

Yan Qiuchi glanced at the camera and walked towards him. Shen Jintai pulled him into the bathroom, shut the door, and immediately put his arms around Yan Qiuchi’s neck.

Yan Qiuchi smiled. “You’re acting mischievous again. You know I dare not touch you, right?”

Shen Jintai smiled and said, “I’m just praising you. Your French is so good that it gave me a lot of face.”

Yan Qiuchi smiled and said, “If I don’t come back out and they broadcast this, the audience will think we’re doing it in the bathroom.”

Shen Jintai became excited. “How do you say my sweetheart in French?”

“Mon chéri.”

Shen Jintai followed suit before smiling and kissing Yan Qiuchi. “Monch é ri*.”

*Clarity: It’s purposefully like this because Shen Jintai isn’t fluent in French, so his pronunciation is off.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to rile me up?” Yan Qiuchi put his arms around Shen Jintai’s waist.

“I just think it’s so sexy when you speak French!” Shen Jintai’s eyes were hot. He suddenly felt his love for Yan Qiuchi growing. Bai Qingquan was right. A literate man was truly sexy!

Yan Qiuchi smiled and pecked his lips. “You know, usually when I touch you, you bemoan as if you’re dying. Now that there’s a bunch of cameras around, you want to hook up?”

Shen Jintai said, “I’m just thinking about it. It’s just that you’re so sexy.”

There was nothing scarier than a handsome guy with culture.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

After this episode Yan Qiuchi signed up for a lifetime membership to Rosetta Stone, thinking if French can get him laid, he’ll learn all the languages.

Yan Qiuchi: “Mon chéri.”
Me: Faints.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 171: A National CP’s About to Be Born

“Touhua wants to participate in a variety show with Prince Yan? Is this true?!”

“Several marketing accounts have been reporting on it, so I think it’s true.”

“Ho ho ho, this time they’re going to make their relationship public through the show. This is usually how a top stream does things, and Touhua would be no exception.”

“Touhua has always been unique, and he’s the only one who can still keep his powder after his romance breaks out. How I envy his physique.”

“Don’t talk about it so early. It depends on how Prince Yan performs, right? If he behaves well, everyone will be happy. If he rolls over, it will be wonderful.”

“I also think Yan Qiuchi is quite courageous to do this. He just made a comeback against the gold powder. With such a big play now, if his car overturns, he won’t be able to get it back up again.”

“By the way, the ratings for <Honey, Let’s Travel> will be explosive. The producers are so awesome that they gathered all three masters of The East Palace and even Yang Lizhi!”

“Are Bai Qingquan and Zheng Siqi participating for sure? I always think this kind of news is fake.”

“I also think this news is fake too. Zheng Siqi and Yang Lizhi might have a pairing because of the rumors around them, so the variety show will try to fry that, but Bai Qingquan? Who would he be paired with? A man or woman?”

Bai Qingquan propped up his chin with his hand and looked at the contract in front of him, staring at it over and over again.

“Flying guest*?”

*(飞行嘉宾) Refers to a special guest that a program team invites for one or several episodes, but they are only temporary and not permanent.

Wei Ge nodded. “They are quite sincere. Yesterday, their director personally called me and said that he hoped to facilitate the reunion of the three Great masters of The East Palace.”

<The East Palace is Coming> was still hot and has now become a classic. With Shen Jintai, Bai Qingquan, Zheng Siqi, and Yang Lizhi, who were all hot-topic characters of the drama, especially the three great masters, this combination would be an explosive one.

The <Honey, Let’s Travel> program team didn’t want to make such a big deal, and they didn’t have a large budget, until they received a call from Shen Jintai.

Shockingly, it wasn’t just Shen Jintai; Yan Qiuchi also wanted to participate in the show together with him!!!

Did they even need to worry about ratings? Topics? Advertisers?

As soon as the news broke out, all major businesses exploded and stormed the program group with ceaseless calls, vying to be the title sponsor for the program, and thus they sold all advertisement slots that could be sold. Before the program was even recorded, they had already made a large profit.

The program team held a meeting with the station overnight and felt they couldn’t let go of this opportunity to explode, so they immediately contacted Zheng Siqi and Bai Qingquan, planning to form a reunion.

With the popularity of The East Palace, coupled with rumors of Shen Jintai’s romance, it would be impossible for the show not to become popular.

It was easier to talk to Zheng Siqi, as he was originally a frequent guest of various variety shows on their station and his schedule had been free recently. Yang Lizhi and her team took the initiative to contact them, so that was a done deal. With the two pairs coming together again, rumors of them being lovers would spread again, which would make Monsoon Entertainment happy.

But Bai Qingquan directly refused. Though he was more courageous now to stand in front of the public, let alone whether it was a man or woman, he was still embarrassed to talk to anyone at all!

However, the program team felt that there was already too much talk between Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi, so it would be a pity if Bai Qingquan couldn’t get together as well. They discussed it in circles, trying to lobby the relationship, but in the end they took a step back and asked Bai Qingquan to just be a flying guest. He only needed to appear for one or two installments.

Bai Qingquan looked at the eye-watering remuneration provided by the program team and had to admit that this program group was not short of money.

“Are you coming?” Shen Jintai called and asked.

“I’ll think about it again. When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.” Shen Jintai said, “First we’re going to France, then England, and finally Italy. The crew will be coming over to shoot later.”

“At the Yan’s Manor?”

Shen Jintai nodded. “Yes.”

“Shit.”

Bai Qingquan felt that this show was indeed going to explode. Just the opening shot of the scene capturing a rich family’s estate alone would land on the hot search. That’s not even mentioning how famous the Yan’s Manor is.

—

The <Honey, Let’s Travel> team felt they had struck gold. As soon as they entered the gate of the Yan’s Manor, they were stunned by the sight. Zhang Fen, the director for the film crew, was sweating from pure excitement. Before leaving, their program team held a meeting to ensure that the Yan Estate must be filmed well, as it would be used for the opening shot of the second season.

The most luxurious place in the Yan’s Manor was not its interior but its exterior. A large manor stood in front of a gorgeous courtyard behind the building of the municipal government. Every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Capturing the scene from a distance, it looked like a castle that was located deep in the jungle, especially now that it was spring and flowers were blooming abound. The lawn in the courtyard was neatly mowed, and flowers dotted the green grass. In the middle was a large, elegant fountain.

“Have you started filming?” Shen Jintai took the microphone handed to him by the sound engineer and pinned it to his chest. He saw that there was a camera raised and pointed at him.

“They have already started filming!” Shen Jintai shouted into the cloakroom.

Yan Qiuchi came out holding a stack of clothes. He was unaccustomed to having so many cameras pointed at him, but he acted as if he were experienced and didn’t show any shyness as he started packing up his clothes one by one.

Everyone in the program group wanted to scream, but there were too many things to scream about.

First seeing the sight of the Yan’s Manor. Then seeing Shen Jintai’s handsome face on screen. Then, seeing a noble son like Yan Qiuchi made them want to scream even louder than before. Every time Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi would interact or say a word to each other, they wanted to scream again!

It was like recording history. They could imagine how many people would shout at the top of their lungs and how high their ratings would be once this was broadcast!

Wow, Shen Jintai is actually living in the Yan’s Manor!

Fuck me, fuck me! Yan Qiuchi is helping Shen Jintai pack his luggage, including his underwear!

This kind of detail was very unusual and not necessarily explicit, but such revealing information was very exciting.

“I don’t have a clue what I should bring when traveling abroad. I used to be followed by people when I would travel, and they would bring all the necessities.” Shen Jintai felt embarrassed saying this. In order to ease his embarrassment, he joked, “But fortunately, I have President Yan, my personal butler, to take care of everything!”

His President Yan was packing things up with a sullen face. When he heard what Shen Jintai said, he looked up and smiled. Behind the camera, the editor and director couldn’t help but feel their hearts skipping a beat. Wow, wow, wow! The abstinent and cold President actually had a very gentle smile. The only drawback was that he didn’t talk very much.

The people on the program team couldn’t help but ask, “I think you have packed a lot of things. Do you travel often?”

“I travel often,” Yan Qiuchi said.

Wow, wow, wow! His voice was also very good.

Since Shen Jintai was often seen on screen and had done many interviews, everyone was familiar with him. Yan Qiuchi, on the other hand, was different. He was rarely ever seen in the public’s eye, so this feeling was unfamiliar, and it gave off a more exciting and mysterious feeling than Shen Jintai.

Looking at the way he packed their things, it could be seen that he was a meticulous person. The clothes were neatly folded, and the luggage was organized in a clear manner, showing that he was an extremely self-disciplined person.

Moreover, there was a huge difference in the number of outfits between him and Shen Jintai. Between the few suitcases they had, almost all of them were filled with Shen Jintai’s clothes. When asked why, Yan Qiuchi said that because Shen Jintai is an artist, he needed to look better, but his clothes were just black, gray, and white suits, so he didn’t need a lot of them.

Whenever a person in the program asked Yan Qiuchi a question, he would reply with a short and concise answer in a tone that was neither too slow nor fast, showing how highly cultured yet cold he is.

After recording the clip of them packing their luggage, neither of them put on makeup before they sat down in front of the camera for the interview segment. When they were packing just now, Shen Jintai let Yan Qiuchi handle everything by himself. Now that they had arrived at his home court, he got up and helped Yan Qiuchi set up his microphone and adjust the lighting for him.

“You can shoot however you want with me, but this is the first time he’s on camera, so make sure you capture him well and make him look handsome,” Shen Jintai said with a smile.

Since most of the program crew are girls, when they saw this kind of scene, they wanted to scream at the top of their lungs. It may have something to do with gender, as unlike a male and female couple, in which the woman would act coquettish and cute, Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi were still relatively restrained with each other, but these small details are particularly sweet, which is only uniquely found between male couples.

After the interview, everyone from the program group left. A female editor said, “I think Yan Qiuchi will become popular after this show is broadcast.”

Zhang Fen smiled. He was originally worried that Yan Qiuchi would drag things down. Now, his existence will only enhance Shen Jintai and make him more radiant. He was excellent, handsome, and good-tempered, so that when he sat side by side with Shen Jintai, it made them look like a perfect couple.

Their show should really catch fire and possibly become a phenomenon-level variety show. These two people were just what they needed. If this kind of CP breaks out, it can be even more powerful than a TV series.

Looking through Yan Qiuchi’s resume, he can speak French, Italian, German, English, and Japanese. He graduated from an Ivy League school and can play violin and basketball. As the successor to the Yan empire, he stood out among the outstanding young entrepreneurs. With such an outstanding list, it would be strange if this male god didn’t explode.

Originally, the program team thought their explosion point would be Shen Jintai, but now it’s actually Yan Qiuchi.

After the program team went back, they edited the footage filmed today and showed it to the chief producer and chief director in the conference room. When everyone watched it, they immediately decided to adjust the program strategy and put Yan Qiuchi as the highlight.

If a popular variety show really wanted to break out of the circle, there had to be a crouching tiger, hidden dragon* that few people knew about, making it the biggest explosion that would be the most profitable… This was also the standard to measure whether a show would get popular or not. It was all dependent on the cast.

*(卧虎藏龙) Refers undiscovered hidden talent or just hidden talents.

They wanted to make Yan Qiuchi and Shen Jintai a national CP.

---

The author has something to say:

Mr. Yan Chongya* is worthy of the title male god!

*Refers to positive energy and encouragement.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 170: I Want to Escape!

As soon as he lay down, the door of the room opened. Yan Qiuchi came in with something for him to eat.

“Why are you up?” Yan Qiuchi said as he hurriedly put the food on the bedside table and then sat down beside him.

Shen Jintai lay on the bed. “I’m dying.”

Obviously, this was not the first time Yan Qiuchi has heard him say this. He smiled, as if they were words of flattery, and said, “Is your stomach still sour? I’ll rub it for you.”

Shen Jintai waved his hand. “No need.”

Rub it, and it’ll ignite the fire again!

Yan Qiuchi had plenty of excuses now. When Fang Fengmei accompanied Yan Tiefeng to his hospital examination, it provided a great excuse. Yan Qiuchi had pestered him for it in the early morning, even after they had tossed and turned from 10 at night to 1 in the morning. Then they started again at 7 this morning! He wasn’t fucking indestructible!

Shen Jintai regretted deeply that the rewards Xiao Ai had given him had truly harmed him more than helped. He vaguely realized that this system was just a conspiracy from start to finish. On the surface, it was pitched to him to destroy the male protagonist’s lustful desires, but the actual results were that the rewards he received turned out to be rewards for the male protagonist!

What ass, what kind of may cherries, what kind of thin waist, what kind of sensitive feet?! These were all rewards for Yan Qiuchi! They were all pits for him! How could a person like Yan Quichi, who was already eager, possibly let him go? He was so obsessed with him that he didn’t even want to get out of bed!

But what he hated the most was some kind of reward that Xiao Ai secretly gave him. Although he didn’t know the specifics, he could faintly guess. Every time he would say, “I can’t do it” or “My body can’t bear it” Yan Qiuchi would check that spot and tell him, “I’ve looked at it, and it’s all good. Baby, you’re really capable.”

With this, he didn’t have a reason to refuse! It made him want to throw up a mouthful of blood. He could stand it physically, but not mentally. He and Yan Qiuchi were so compatible together that he was afraid they would go completely wild, and he felt that if this continued, he couldn’t last much longer and would eventually want to call him husband.

Thinking of this, it was much better when he was filming <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>. Yan Qiuchi didn’t dare mess around because he was worried about it interfering with his work and had to endure it by himself, but he was gentle and loving, and seeing this warmed his heart.

He needs to get back to work!

His phone rang, and Yan Qiuchi hurriedly got up. “I’ll get it for you!”

After speaking, he immediately did a kip-up and ran to the table to get Shen Jintai’s phone. His physical flexibility was quite surprising.

Yan Qiuchi looked at the phone and said, “Li Meilan is calling.”

Shen Jintai connected and let out a “Hello.”

Li Meilan said, “I found a few variety shows. Do you want to pick it up?”

It didn’t really match Shen Jintai’s characteristics to participate in variety shows. When the national variety show <Full Preparation> asked him to be their resident MC, he refused, because he felt that actors should participate in variety shows as little as possible to reduce their exposure and maintain a certain degree of mystery and also because he wanted to focus on acting.

Li Meilan knew his thoughts and supported them. Now that she brought it up, it must be that she was considering it.

“If you think it’s okay, then I’ll pick it up.”

Li Meilan said, “It’s a celebrity documentary travel reality show. I think it’s quite suitable for you.”

“Is it the kind where a bunch of stars go abroad together and the producer pits them?”

Li Meilan said, “No, it’s <Honey, Let’s Travel>. Well, I’ll show you the information they sent me. There’s a detailed program introduction and some video clips from previous seasons.”

Shen Jintai hung up the phone and soon received the information from Li Meilan.

Yan Qiuchi said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to rest?”

Hur hur hur, do you think I can rest now?

When he was a virgin, he didn’t know that papapa would be so tiring. Every time they did it, he would be sweating and dying everywhere. They were young men with strong bodies, but why did Yan Qiuchi’s energy seem to be inexhaustible? Was it because he has the special physique of a male protagonist in a danmei?!

“How sincere of you,” Shen Jintai said lightly.

“Are you hungry?” Eat something first.”

Shen Jintai sat cross-legged on the bed, clicked on the self-recommendation video sent by the producer, and watched it while eating. Yan Qiuchi watched next to him.

<Honey, Let’s Travel> was a special reality show. It was a mixed collection of travel shows. Every season, six people would be selected to form three pairs to travel. One pair is a real couple… As they say, traveling is the cornerstone for couples, and any lovers who dare to participate in such a show are really courageous. One pair was a single man and woman who didn’t know each other. This route focused on the ambiguous nature of travel, which perhaps would lead to sparks flying. The last pair were good friends, that could either be two boys, two girls, or a boy and girl.

What the program team wanted was to invite him and Bai Qingquan to form a BaiJin friend group. The production cycle would be half a month, and the theme would be: During the season of spring, love blooms.

“Didn’t you stop participating in variety shows?” Yan Qiuchi asked.

“The kind of competitive or gaming variety shows like <Full Preparation> I find boring, and I’m not good at them. I think this kind of show is okay. I get to record a show, travel, and take a break from work.”

The conditions offered by the studio were very generous, with an extremely high remuneration, which meant they were full of sincerity.

The show was broadcast online and gained some popularity in a small area last season. This season, if they could hook top stars, it would rise to an incomprehensible popularity level. Naturally, the bigger the celebrity guest was, the bigger it’d be for the show. With Shen Jintai’s current fame, the show tried their luck and approached him with this opportunity.

“Do you have enough time? Didn’t you say that we would go together for a few days in March?”

Hur hur hur. Go out and play with you? It’s me who’s being played with!

Shen Jintai said, “Not working for all this time makes me feel uneasy. It’s only for half a month. When the show’s finished and I haven’t picked up my next project, won’t I still have lots of time?”

“Could Bai Qingquan fit it into his schedule?” Yan Qiuchi asked again. He actually felt a bit jealous. He felt that Shen Jintai wasn’t affected. Despite their tussles these past few days, where he reluctantly “suffered” with him, he had tried multiple times to get Shen Jintai to call him husband, but the other vowed not to call him that as he bit the bed sheets. His male dignity was tough to crack.

Then there’s also the history Shen Jintai had with Bai Qingquan. When Yan Qiuchi watched the introduction video, he saw that they would be sleeping in the same room. Even though Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan were both shous, it’s still very dangerous. It’s not to say it’ll develop into a terrifying level, but he didn’t want to see any kind of ripples, no matter how small they were.

“Since they said it, they are probably in contact with him. I think the message sent by Sister Lan also says they were also in contact with Zheng Siqi.”

This was even worse! Zheng Siqi’s nickname was “Little Prince Yan”. Even his face looked similar to mine, albeit he was younger.

Shen Jintai took a pillow and stuffed it behind him to give him more back support as he continued watching the contents of the previous season. He found that this travel reality TV show was really good. It was both romantic and realistic. The crew also promised “absolutely no shipping”.

The show was delicate, life-oriented, and down to earth. There was no embarrassment or traveling while in poverty, no conflicts or drama, and overall the community looked very wholesome. After watching it, Yan Qiuchi thought that the show was well done.

“Do they want ordinary people?” Yan Qiuchi asked.

Shen Jintai: “Huh? You… want to participate?”

“I think it’s quite interesting,” Yan Qiuchi said.

“There’ll be cameras shooting 24 hours a day,” Shen Jintai said. He felt that such a thing would be hard for a normal person to adapt to. Even stars who often appeared on camera, in face of a reality show, would also feel uncomfortable facing the camera that was recording them at all hours of the day.

“I think after you film this for half a month, when you come back, you’ll join another crew again,” Yan Qiuchi said. “Anyways, the two of us had plans to travel together. I’ll go talk to them about the terms. In terms of privacy, they will make some concessions.”

The program team must be willing. Neither of them had made it public yet, but they plan to participate in this program together. Such a topic would guarantee to be explosive.

Shen Jintai’s heart accelerated.

There was also another reason why Yan Qiuchi came up with this idea. Reality shows were double-edged swords. When done well, people can soar, but if they collapse, the star’s shortcomings would be exposed for all to see. He felt that Shen Jintai was a relatively straightforward actor with a delicate mind, but his day-to-day average life wasn’t too strong. Bai Qingquan was even more of a princess. Since his debut, he had the help of his team to take care of everything around him. They both lack serious real-life abilities to live on their own, especially when they are going abroad.

As far as he knew, they were both average in their foreign languages too. He, on the other hand, could speak multiple foreign languages and liked to take care of others. He especially loved traveling when he was younger and traveled often with his friends and families. He’ll be able to arrange their itinerary well from beginning to end. With his good temper and strong work ethics, he would be a good, if not the best, travel companion.

Besides, he could also show the gold powders what kind of person he really is. It’s not uncommon for a star and an ordinary person to get together, but compared to your average person, Yan Qiuchi has his particularities. He’s not as low-key and is well known. He’s been on a lot of the hot searches before, and as the same-sex lover of a top flow, netizens would pay unprecedented attention to him while also making various speculations and comments about him.

He and Shen Jintai were a good match, and he wanted the world to know how much he loved him. He especially wanted to show it to those who had similar feelings toward him.

“They all say that it’s best that couples don’t travel together,” Shen Jintai said. “It seems that it’s easy to quarrel, which could lead to a breakup.”

“The two of us will never quarrel for the rest of our lives,” Yan Qiuchi said.

“Why?” Shen Jintai asked.

“Because there’s no reason for us to quarrel.”

Shen Jintai thought for a moment and thought what Yan Qiuchi said rang true. He was a relatively lazy person. Except for filming, he rarely had particularly strong emotions. Yan Qiuchi had a better temperament and was a gentleman inside and out. With such a strong tolerance and calm temperament, in addition to being considerate and rarely making mistakes, it was hard to imagine what they would fight about.

He did feel that there were truly no shortcomings from Yan Qiuchi… except for his endless demands. Either way, no matter what, he had to take this job. He really couldn’t stand it anymore. His body was too good, and Yan Qiuchi couldn’t hold back. Even he himself couldn’t hold back because of the sensitivity rewards. It was painful yet so blissful being “tortured” by Yan Qiuchi.

But if they were to shoot a variety show together with cameras filming 24/7, could Yan Qiuchi hold himself back for half a month?

Holy shit. He felt excited at the thought that he could punish Yan Qiuchi for this half month, forcing him to pretend to be a gentleman at all hours of the day and night. To him, it felt like a small hobby he had developed that he was embarrassed to say aloud.

Late at night, on a forum, the groundhogs started coming out. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Amazing disclosure!!!! A couple’s variety show had invited Touhua and Prince Yan! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

“There are so many CPs for Touhua, but this time it’s finally true!”

---

The author has something to say:

Touhua has died forever.

President Yan had started attracting fans wildly. He has the figure, the looks, and is perfect and gentlemanly in every way. He knows multiple foreign languages and is an omnipotent national male god.

Gold powder: Jintai is the destiny, Qiuchi is the grass wall*!

*(墙头草) Refers to a person who has no opinions and just goes along with wherever the wind blows. || In this context, it’s saying Yan Qiuchi is just following his wifey everywhere. What his wifey does, he goes with it.

The top couple will receive blessings from everyone!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Shen Jintai should be thankful that he got those rewards, cause trust and believe, if they’d been going at it for the past 3 days with few breaks… he should be in the hospital, let alone moving.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 169: I want to work!

As soon as Yan Tiefeng saw Fang Fengmei, he asked her about the company. Although she was capable, she had been retired for many years and wasn’t familiar with the company’s business or personnel. Now, every time she came back, the couple would talk about the business for a while.

This was still the case today. Before going upstairs, Fang Fengmei said to Shen Jintai, “During this time, Qiuchi asked someone to redesign his room. Have you seen it? Let Qiuchi take you to see it.”

Shen Jintai looked back at Yan Qiuchi. After the couple went upstairs, Yan Qiuchi said, “Let’s go. I’ll show it to you.”

Shen Jintai followed him upstairs. As soon as they entered the room, Yan Qiuchi hugged him, pressed him against the door, and kissed him. It seemed Yan Qiuchi liked doing this kind of thing behind a door very much.

They hadn’t made it out for many days. Shen Jintai’s legs became soft from just his kiss. He had almost forgotten the feelings he gets from making out, and now that he was kissing Yan Qiuchi, all of them came rushing back.

In broad daylight and at home again, it was impossible to go further than just kissing, but Yan Qiuchi can kiss for a long time and won’t get tired of it. In the end, Shen Jintai was afraid that his lips would swell, so he pushed him away. Panting, he glanced into the room and said, “You changed the wallpaper?”

Yan Qiuchi propped open the door of the room with one hand while using the other to wipe the corner of his mouth. He straightened up and said, “Nn, do you like the color?”

Shen Jintai nodded. “Simple yet lavish.”

Yan Qiuchi’s room used to be very simple. The room was large but had very few things, giving it an empty feeling. Now that it had been redesigned, more decorations were added, giving it a warmer vibe.

Shen Jintai walked inside and noticed that Yan Qiuchi was following him. When he turned around, Yan Qiuchi had pushed him down onto the bed. He was pressed down for a long time as they kissed. Yan Qiuchi held him tightly as he sandwiched him between his legs.

Shen Jintai didn’t resist, as his heart was full of warmth. The two kissed for what seemed like hours before they parted and laid on the bed next to each other. Yan Qiuchi hugged him as he asked about his filming. While they talked, Yan Qiuchi made small movements, like touching his hand for a while, then his face, all while trying to reach into his clothes.

“Is your contract with Monsoon Entertainment about to expire?”

“No, there’s still more than half a year left,” Shen Jintai said. “President Ji called me yesterday and asked to set up an appointment with him to talk about the contract renewal.”

“Talking so early in advance, he’s probably afraid that you will not renew,” Yan Qiuchi said. “No matter what conditions he offers, don’t promise him.”

Shen Jintai said, “Nn. I want to start my own studio.”

It wasn’t unusual for stars to open their own personal studios, assuming that they had strong enough wings to fly solo. The advantages were, first, that they got to be their own bosses and would have the final say in what kind of job they took, whether they wanted to work or not, and how they worked, and second, that there was no need to give a part of their earnings to the company as all the money they earned went directly into their own pockets.

Shen Jintai felt that with his current capital and momentum, starting his own studio would no longer be a problem, and he didn’t need a brokerage company to feed him resources. It was just that he was still a newcomer and his team wasn’t yet mature, so there was a certain degree of risk if he fought alone. After all, he was still on the rise, and one step in the wrong direction could overturn his momentum, making it difficult to get up again.

“I think it’s a bit early for you to open a personal studio right now. You should wait another two years,” Yan Qiuchi said. “Didn’t you want to join my company?”

It wasn’t that Shen Jintai hadn’t thought about it. If he cooperated with Sunshine Media, it would definitely have a one-plus-one effect that’s greater than two. In addition to being afraid that they would be unable to separate the public from the private, he was also worried that he would form a competitive relationship with Sunshine’s Media’s current first brother, Bai Qingquan.

In the past, the two of them might have been able to divide their shares equally, but now, after the alt-account incident, Bai Qingquan’s momentum had waned. If he joined Sunshine Media now, it was bound to put a lot of pressure on him, and he was afraid it would affect their friendship.

Although he wanted to have a great career, he still cared about other people’s feelings, so it wasn’t an easy choice to make. As Yan Qiuchi was not only his lover but also an expert in the entertainment industry, he put aside his worries and consulted with him for his opinions.

Yan Qiuchi caressed the strands of Shen Jintai’s hair and rubbed them gently as he said, “Or you can make a compromise. Set up your own independent studio and rely on Sunshine Media. You can still use the company’s resources, but separate them from contracted artists like Bai Qingquan.”

“Are you opening the back door for me?” Shen Jintai asked with a smile.

Who knew that Yan Qiuchi smiled ambiguously when he heard this, then lowered his voice and said, “I’ll open it for you soon.”

Yan Qiuchi was quite colorful, but only in action*. Even on that night when they had sex, he was the silent, dry type who didn’t speak much. Suddenly, Shen Jintai realized the innuendo that Yan Qiuchi was making, and his face flushed with shame as the atmosphere suddenly changed. It hadn’t been a long time since they had sex. Don’t bother mentioning Yan Qiuchi, even if he misses it occasionally.

*Clarity: He’s saying Yan Qiuchi pretty vulgar, but only in physical actions. He’s not colorful (vulgar) in his language like right now.

Yan Qiuchi gave him that kind of smile. Seeing Shen Jintai’s face so red, his eyes were filled with excitement. He gathered up his courage and asked further, “Well, how do you want me to open it for you?”

Shen Jintai laughed and got up from the bed with a blushing face. Yan Qiuchi himself felt a bit embarrassed. After all, it was his first attempt at using colorful language, and seeing Shen Jintai smile shyly like this, he thought that he set out to be tigers but ended up as dogs*.

*Idiom referring to failing to achieve what one sets out to do. || In this context, he’s trying to have sex with Shen Jintai, but his words may have backfired and are leading to the opposite.

He had always been rigid and followed the rules since he was a child, so he had never said anything like this. He sat up and asked with an embarrassed smile, “What are you laughing at?”

Overwhelmed from embarrassment, he simply covered it up with force as he put his arms around Shen Jintai and got on top of him again. Shen Jintai grabbed his arms, kept laughing, and said, “Don’t talk like that. I’m going to get goosebumps. It’s weird and too embarrassing, hahahaha.”

Yan Qiuchi smiled and bit Shen Jintai’s chin lightly.

“I think the method you just described is feasible. I will go back and discuss with Sister Lan and the others.”

Yan Qiuchi became more serious and said, “As for Monsoon Entertainment, if President Ji has any opinions, you can say that it was my idea, and I don’t want you working under him anymore. It’s common sense now that we’re together that I refuse to have you under him. He should also be mentally prepared for this.”

—

On the second floor, Fang Fengmei went to the cloakroom to change clothes after talking with Yan Tiefeng.

“Xiao Jin came from Shen’s house today and brought a lot of things,” Yan Tiefeng said with a smile.

Fang Fengmei glanced at him when she heard this and asked, “Did Lao Shen send it?”

“Who else would besides him,” Yan Tiefeng said. “There’s a lot of things that I don’t think our family needs. Let’s see what we can do with them.”

Fang Fengmei finished changing her clothes and came out while tying up her hair. “He’s preoccupied. Although Qiuchi and Xiao Jin are both men, they are still divided up as man and woman. Our family has given him so many gifts during New Year’s, thinking that the two of them will get together, that he probably thought we were looking at Xiao Jin as a daughter-in-law, so he felt uncomfortable. In fact, as long as our children have a good life, whether they’re the husband or wife, gong or shou, there’s no need to pay so much attention to it.”

Yan Tiefeng opened the document in his hand as he said, “Since Lao Shen cares, I don’t think they will be allowed to live at home in the future. Doesn’t Qiuchi have a house outside? Have it cleaned up and let them move in there. They can come and visit us occasionally when they want to stay here. In this way, once they go public, it’ll look good on all sides. Xiao Jin is a public figure, so we need to pay more attention. Besides, young couples like to live by themselves.”

“Speaking of that, I heard Quichi say they plan to make their relationship public on Valentine’s Day. But Xiao Jin was busy filming with the crew at that time, and the company suggested they wait for the movie to be completed, so they postponed it. It’s almost March, and there’s no special day coming up. If they wait any longer, the next big eventful day will be July 17^th, Qiuchi’s birthday.”

Yan Tiefeng put on his glasses, took a look at the documents that were brought back today, and then called Yan Qiuchi. Yan Qiuchi came down after a while, and the father and son chatted about business.

Shen Jintai buttoned his shirt up, put on his pants, and covered his body with a blanket. Looking at Yan Qiuchi’s hunger and thirst, there will inevitably be a “fierce battle” tonight.

Should he buy lube?

Although he didn’t know what secret rewards he had received from Xiao Ai, he felt that his body wasn’t indestructible like King Kong’s. In addition, Yan Qiuchi had been holding back all this time, so going once or twice may not be enough.

Thinking about the feeling of a swollen stomach made him go soft. He took a few deep breaths. He’s a celebrity and definitely can’t be caught buying this kind of thing.

Should he have Xiao Tang do it?

But that’s also quite embarrassing. Shen Jintai tossed and turned as he hesitated on what to do and eventually fell asleep.

When Yan Qiuchi returned after finishing his talk with Yan Tiefeng, he found Shen Jintai fast asleep. He got into bed and laid down beside him. Dusk had already fallen, and the sky was stained with warm colors. The night rays shone through the window, casting a warm color on Shen Jintai’s face.

His eyelashes were dense and long, the bridge of his nose was straight, his lips were rosy, and his complexion was fair. His hair was jet black and thick, and it was slightly messy as it sank into the pillow.

It was late in spring, and his lover was sleeping quietly by his side. All was peaceful and calm. After lying for a while, he got up and went out.

Shen Jintai slept until dinner, when Yan Qiuchi woke him up. He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and said, “I was a little tired from filming.”

“Let’s go down and eat. There is plenty of time to sleep at night after eating,” Yan Qiuchi said.

Shen Jintai nodded, opened his blanket, and got out of bed. He had slept with his clothes on, but after getting out, he felt a bit chilly, so he put on a coat. When he was about to leave, he suddenly found there was an extra bag at the head of the bed that seemed to contain some medical supplies. He didn’t remember this bag being there before he fell asleep.

When he opened the bag and took a closer look, his face instantly turned red. It was lube. He immediately turned his head and stared at Yan Qiuchi, who remained silent as he wrapped his arms around his waist, signaling him to go out.

Shen Jintai put down the bag, and his face became even hotter, but he didn’t say anything. During the entire dinner, he barely talked to Yan Qiuchi. It was obviously not their first time, but he was even more nervous than their first time, so much so that he barely had an appetite, so he didn’t eat much.

But it wasn’t all just nervousness. There were traces of excitement as well. Probably knowing what Yan Qiuchi was thinking, he felt as if he could read Yan Qiuchi’s impatient thoughts: ‘Why haven’t you finished eating? Why haven’t you finished chatting? It’s already so late. Why aren’t we heading upstairs?’

In the end, he didn’t even dare look at Yan Qiuchi, as he felt Yan Qiuchi had turned into a completely different person. There was a kind of sexiness in him that was anxious and couldn’t be restrained that he was desperately trying to hold back through sheer perseverance.

—

After filming wrapped up for <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>, Li Meilan was able to take a rare break and spend those few days at home with her children. On the third day, she received a call from Shen Jintai who’s voice sounded weak.

“What’s the matter? Are you sick? Your voice sounds so hoarse.”

Shen Jintai, who seemed as if he had been tortured, asked, “Sister Lan, do you have any jobs lined up? It doesn’t have to be a filming job. Anything is fine. Just arrange it for me.”

Li Meilan smiled and asked, “You’re such a workaholic. Do you feel uncomfortable if you don’t work for a few days?’

“Hurry up and make arrangements for me,” Shen Jintai said. “It’s best if it’s something I can start right away!”

Li Meilan was moved by Shen Jintai’s professionalism. How can there be such a motivated artist like him in this industry!

“Okay, let me take a look for you.”

After hanging up the phone, Shen Jintai moved to the bed and lay down with trembling legs.

Xiao Ai, come out quickly! I want to return these rewards!

---

The author has something to say:

Shen Jintai: Sister Lan, help me!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Bro, you read the original novel. You knew what Bai Qingquan’s fate was, and you took over that. I mean, every night and day, all times of day. Doesn’t that ring any bells?

On a side note, I really like Fang Fengmei’s line: In fact, as long as our children have a good life, whether they’re the husband or wife, gong or shou, there’s no need to pay so much attention to it.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but perhaps it’s more of a cultural thing. At least in the west, no one cares about who’s the husband or wife (well, we just refer to both of them as husbands or wives) and even less about positions. BTW, in terms of gong and shou, it’s part sex position but also characteristics. Like a gong is the manly masculine buff guy who protects and the shou is the pretty, dainty, beautiful guy who receives said protection.

Coming from an Asian background, I do know that they tend to apply to gender roles pretty solidly, whether you’re gay or not.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 168: Beautiful Spring

Li Meilan and Xiao Tang looked at each other. It seems that every time filming has wrapped up, Shen Jintai’s mood always becomes low. Li Meilan thought for a while and felt that the film and television dramas he starred in were too heavy.

In <The East Palace is Coming> he died. In <Pilot> he died. In <When You’re Older> he died multiple times. While no one died in <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> the theme was heavy and realistic.

“Brother Jin, I have good news for you,” Xiao Tang said. “<When You’re Older> has grossed over 1.5 billion at the box office, and it has successfully obtained an extension for its run.”

After a month in theaters, it still made around 10 to 20 million a day. Many major entertainment outlets predicted that the box office would eventually reach 1.9 billion and everyone was paying attention to whether it could break 2 at the end of its run.

When <The East Palace is Coming> got popular, it led to the birth of many Korean and American dramas that tried to mimic its style. However, without the investment and scale, and without the amazing actors and their skills similar to those of the East Palace, they all failed to replicate its brilliance.

With <When You’re Older> becoming a dark horse at the box office and making a lot of money for Xingyun, in just this month, multiple projects for same-sex movies were announced, and the relatively high-quality danmei has been robbed*.

*Clarity: Basically saying mass production of danmei turned to media has now decreased the quality of the genre in general as all these companies wanted a piece of that same-sex profit that The East Palace and When You’re Older got, so now it’s all about volume and not necessarily about quality.

It was just that there were limited talents suitable for making movies. It was rare for something to have a storyline that had explosion points that could attract the market. Screenwriter Song Chenchen was currently working on a campus-themed youth comedy. While it wasn’t even completed yet, many companies were already vying to buy the copyright for it.

Speaking of which, Song Chenchen was also smart. After his novel <When My Lover Gets Old, I Will Still Be as Beautiful as a Flower>, the second book he wrote took the route of a warm comedy. Li Meilan felt that Shen Jintai should also be like Song Chenchen and change course and take on a comedy genre for his next project to lift his mood.

The main problem was that while comedies were easy to get high box office numbers, they were not easy to produce at high quality. They will excel if they perform well but will be ridiculed mercilessly if they suck. Shen Jintai wasn’t an actor who could be funny through the use of crude jokes. If he picks up a comedy, it would have to match his personal temperament.

With <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> finally wrapped up, Shen Jintai still hadn’t picked out his next project yet.

“Don’t worry at the moment,” Li Meilan said. “Take the opportunity to have a good rest. <Pilot> and <Welcome Rain and a Spring Night> haven’t been released yet, so you should give us a vacation.”

Shen Jintai laid down, smiled, and said, “Ask Wang Nan and the others. Let’s have a meeting and discuss. If you guys want to go abroad, which country do you want to visit? I’ll pay for all of it. Airfare, accommodations, and food. Let’s start a team-building event.”

Xiao Tang applauded as soon as he heard it. “Yes, yes!”

“If you have significant others, you can bring them as well,” Shen Jintai said again.

Li Meilan said, “Xiao Tang, hurry up and find one.”

Shen Jintai laughed and looked at Xiao Tang. His tone was soothing as he said, “Xiao Tang, when you find someone, be sure to show her to me. If you get married in the future, I’ll be your best man.”

When Xiao Tang heard this, he was really surprised. “Really?!”

Shen Jintai smiled; his eyes were particularly warm.

He was going to take a break, but Yan Qiuchi was still busy. There was no way for him to take a break right now since he just took over the Yan family business.

Shen Jintai went home first to have a meal with Shen Ruhai. He had taken the initiative to go home, so Shen Ruhai and Liu Qi almost regarded him as some kind of distinguished guest.

“It’s a shame Qiuchi couldn’t come with you,” Liu Qi said with a smile.

“He has been very busy at work recently. I haven’t seen him for two days,” Shen Jintai said.

“I believe Fang Fengmei has returned?” Shen Ruhai said, “It’s not easy for her since her arms haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“I didn’t even know that Sister Fang was so good.” Liu Qi took off her apron and sat down. “Later, when I heard others talk about her past, I realized how strong she used to be. Now that Lao Yan is recuperating in bed, she’s there to help Qiuchi.”

Fang Fengmei was now the second-in-command of the Yan Group.

Shen Xiaomei was still at kindergarten, so she didn’t come back until later that afternoon. After Shen Jintai finished lunch, he planned to visit the Yan’s Manor and see Yan Tiefeng. This time, Shen Ruhai and Liu Qi bought a lot of things for the Yan family, and they loaded them into his car. While they were loading things up, Shen Jintai suddenly saw a girl walking her dog yelling at him, “Jintai!”

After he took a closer look, he recognized that it was Lin Xu. She was his best friend, or more precisely, the best friend of the original Shen Jintai.

However, he wasn’t familiar with Lin Xu. She treated him as a sister and spoke more of “sisterhood” than even Bai Qingquan. He was very unaccustomed to her at that time, and he didn’t have much affection for her. Since entering the group for filming, he had slowly become estranged from her. This alienation was deliberate. Lin Xu had taken the initiative to contact him a few times but later lost her enthusiasm when she found that he was lukewarm toward her. Later, when <The East Palace is Coming> exploded, he had become a top stream again, and his schedule became so busy that he wasn’t able to come back for most of the year, causing their relationship to separate even further so that they now gradually became strangers.

Now that he had met her again, he waved to her enthusiastically. <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> had touched him deeply and made a great impact on him. Everyone in the world received affection, love, and friendship from others in their lifetime, but for some, it was from a very small number of people. It was best to be able to cherish this kind of feeling, whether it was superficial or not.

Lin Xu’s dog still remembered him and kept rubbing on his lap. Lin Xu grabbed it and said with a smile, “Stop it.”

Shen Jintai asked, “How are you doing?”

“I’m still the same,” Lin Xu said a little stiffly.

“Are you going to graduate this year?”

She had been attending university abroad, which was also one reason why the two rarely see each other.

Lin Xu nodded and said, “I will graduate in June.”

“Are you planning to stay abroad or return home?”

“My parents asked me to come back, so I should come back.”

Shen Jintai smiled and said, “If you have time, we should have dinner together.”

“Ok,” Lin Xu said with a smile.

It was awkward. While they said they should have dinner together, they didn’t know when that would happen or if it would even happen. His schedule was packed, and he and Lin Xu weren’t really best friends. Meeting and being able to greet each other was probably their closest state.

When all the gifts had been packed into the car, he and Lin Xu waved goodbye to each other. Lin Xu stood on the grass with her dog in her arms, watching Shen Jintai hug Shen Ruhai. Shen Ruhai was obviously taken aback by his action, as he didn’t expect Shen Jintai to do something like this. His body stiffened for a bit before he heard Shen Jintai say, “Dad, take care of your body. I can earn money, so don’t work too hard.”

He heard Liu Qi say that Shen Ruhai was working hard to start a business again. He was a middle-aged man who was almost 50. Even if he wanted to start over, he no longer had the energy and time like he had in his youth.

Shen Ruhai didn’t speak. He only patted him on the back and sent him into his car. When the car drove away, Shen Ruhai glanced at Liu Qi with eyes that had turned red. He turned to walk home, and when he got inside, he changed his shoes at the entrance. He paused there for a while before wiping his eyes with his thumb.

Spring had arrived, and everything was flourishing. The flowers had started blooming in this high-end community as Lin Xu led her dog home. Shen Jintai had completely changed. The Shen Jintai, who used to have an awkward relationship with his family and would tell her everything had disappeared. Though there was still some semblance of their friendship, she knew that she had lost her best friend.

—

Shen Jintai rolled down the car window and breathed in the fresh air outside. The trees on the long road were sprouting new leaves and the flowers were in full bloom. When the car entered the Yan’s Manor, the scenery was even more lush. The fields were covered in trees, forming a dense forest, and the fields were dotted with wildflowers. When he arrived in the courtyard, there were clusters of spring flowers everywhere. Yan Tiefang was walking around in the garden, assisted by a caretaker.

His recovery has been slow. He was able to get out of bed now, but he still couldn’t walk properly. When he saw the car park in the courtyard, he paused his movements and saw Shen Jintai getting out. The sun in spring cast its light on him, giving him a bright and gorgeous glow.

“Uncle Yan.”

Yan Tiefeng smiled and said, “Why are you here? Your Aunt Fang and Qiuchi are still at the company.”

“I came to see you.” Shen Jintai said with a smile. He helped Yan Tiefeng as they walked to the living room together. Yan Tiefeng sat on the sofa and watched the household staff carry things Shen Jintai had brought over.

Yan Tiefeng said, “This Lao Shen is really the same. After receiving my gifts, he will always return them in equal.”

When he heard that Shen Jintai was at the Yan’s Manor, Yan Qiuchi came back with Fang Fengmei after leaving work. When the car entered the yard, Shen Jintai ran out to greet them. Fang Fengmei hugged Shen Jintai as soon as she got out of the car.

Yan Qiuchi got out from the other side and buttoned up his suit. “I knew it wasn’t me that you’re running so fast for.”

Fang Fengmei had recently gotten her hair done, her lips were painted, and she was dressed in a professional outfit, looking extremely capable and noble. She smiled and patted Shen Jintai. “Hurry up and go hug him or he’ll get jealous.”

Shen Jintai hadn’t seen Yan Qiuchi for two days. He had been on a business trip and just came back today. Seeing him now, his heart was full of warmth. He walked towards Yan Qiuchi, who gave him a restrained hug before letting him go. When Yan Qiuchi saw that Shen Jintai was still holding onto him, his ears turned red.

This Yan Qiuchi. When they slept together at night, he would always whine and say how pitiful and uncomfortable he was and would even kiss his feet a few times, but when there were outsiders around, he would act so gentlemanly, pretending to give off that abstinence aura.

“Finished?” Yan Qiuchi asked in a low voice.

Shen Jintai said, “Nn”.

Yan Qiuchi smiled.

After holding him for so long, he was finally relieved. It just so happened that after his business trip, he had a few days to clear up. It seems that there’s no need for them to go out these next few days.

While Fang Fengmei was not paying attention, he kissed the top of Shen Jintai’s head.

---

The author has something to say:

Spring has arrived, everything has recovered, and it is breeding season again.

The plain and warm affection, the friendship between the old and the new in life, and the bright and warm love. Listening to this song “Loving Kindness” by Ye Kefu* while reading this chapter.

*I can’t find anything on this song.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Aww, I like Lin Xu, but I can understand as well. People grow and change as they get older. When you don’t share things in common or aren’t interested in the same thing anymore, the relationship tends to fade, unless you put in the effort to maintain it. That’s just a part of life.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 167: Welcome Rain on a Spring Night Finale

Some time ago, Xu Xingchen deposited all his money into a bank card and handed it to Xu Dahai. “The password is still your birthday.”

Xu Dahai thought that he had accepted his proposal. Without speaking, he took the bank card and said, “When you arrive in Beijing, work well. Don’t worry about me and live a good life with Xiao Sun.”

He felt regretful that he could not meet Sun Mingzhi. He wanted to see him, yet also didn’t.

Xu Xingchen said, “We have broken up.”

Xu Dahai was taken aback for a moment, then fell silent. He eventually asked, “Was it because of me?”

“No, it’s our own problem.”

Xu Dahai sighed. What he wanted to say was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed those words back. For two men who were together but couldn’t get married or have children, when they broke up, it was just that. He felt that their bonds were too unreliable. But it was useless to say such a thing. He only had endless worries, and he didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t plan to go back to Beijing. I want to stay at home for a while,” Xu Xingchen said.

“You’re not working anymore?”

Xu Xingchen said, “I can always find another job since I have ample experience, but I only have one father. How can I possibly leave you alone and go back to Beijing? How would I feel relief? What are the conditions in the nursing home? Would it be better than our place now? You don’t know anyone there, so how can you count on them? You aren’t their father, so do you still expect them to take good care of you?”

Xu Dahai had become a bit temperamental. After hearing this, a hint of panic rose, and he touched his knees.

“We severed our relationship, so are you afraid that I’ll bother you? You’re right. Originally, you weren’t a good father, and I wasn’t a filial son, but there’s no one else to turn to, so let’s just make do with what we have. No matter how much you think your son dislikes you, it’ll still be better than outsiders.”

Xu Dahai hung his head, rubbed his knees with both hands, and said, “You may have to help feed me in the future…”

Xu Xingchen said, “This is not for you either. I may return to live here in the future. What would they say about a bigshot son who went to live in a city, and when his father fell ill, he threw him into a nursing home? No matter how you spin it, how can I raise my head in my hometown? Stop thinking about it. When you die, it’ll be in front of me.”

After he finished speaking, he opened the door and went out. After a while, Xu Dahai chased after him. He handed over the bank card, shredding the last of his dignity as a father. His eyes were like those of a child who looks up to an adult for permission. “Then… you should take this. My mind… One day I won’t be able to remember where I put it.”

“Cut.” Qiu Hong stood up and said, “Ok, it’s over.”

Shen Jintai and Cai Jun came over to watch the replay, only to find that Shen Ruhai and the others were here. He was still immersed in the play and called Shen Ruhai “Dad”.

Probably also touched by the content of the shooting just now, Shen Ruhai said, “Hey, I came to visit you… I told you in advance.”

“I know.” As Shen Jintai said it, he hugged Shen Xiaomei. “Let’s talk in the car.”

He then asked Shen Xiaomei, “Are you cold?”

Shen Xiaomei said, “Brother, why are you crying?”

Shen Jintai’s eyes flushed slightly, and he said, “Brother cried while filming just now. It’s not really crying.”

Liu Qi had picked out some snacks that were given to them by the Yan Family over Chinese New Year’s and brought them with her.

Touched by the filming just now, Shen Jintai cherished them. He always felt pity for Shen Ruhai. In the past, he had a bad relationship with his son. Now that he’s old, they’ve reconciled, but he didn’t know that his son was no longer in this world. If he hadn’t transmigrated, Shen Jintai would have jumped to his death a long time ago.

Where was the original Shen Jintai? Perhaps like him, he inexplicably transmigrated to another world and started a new life.

Seeing him look like this, Shen Ruhai smiled and said, “You act very well. I finally could witness it firsthand.”

They began chatting in the RV. After a while, Xiao Tang talked about the hardships he had suffered when they were filming <Pilot>. “The shooting conditions are much better now that we’re shooting a film produced by President Yan’s company.”

Liu Qi had heard that Shem Jintai was injured when he filmed a scene where he had to jump into a river. “It seems that you have it tough.”

“Don’t act too hard. Safety still has to come first,” Shen Ruhai said. “When I was young, I acted too rashly and now have multiple problems. My stomach is bad, and now that I want to maintain it, I found it’s too late.”

Indeed, there was no job that was easy. Shen Ruhai had worked hard all his life. At his current age, he suddenly went bankrupt. All the hair on his head had grayed, and he had to move into the home of his estranged son. The feelings he had were probably not much different from those of Xu Dahai.

As Xu Xingchen, he was still considerate to Xu Dahai, and as Shen Jintai, he should give the same consideration to Shen Ruhai. Perhaps they would never be harmonious and happy as a filial family, but the least he could do is try his best, like Xu Xingchen.

Before Xu Dahai’s mental health completely deteriorated, Xu Xingchen took him to visit Beijing. They visited the Forbidden City and watched the raising of the national flag. Later, on a whim, he even took him to where Sun Mingzhi worked, and they watched him from a distance.

Xu Dahai shook his head and said, “He’s not as good as that kid, Yu Chenglin.”

Xu Xingchen laughed.

Even the doctors in Beijing couldn’t do anything about his Alzheimer’s. After they returned from Beijing, Xu Dahai’s condition worsened. Gradually, he needed to be reminded constantly.

“Who am I?”

“You are my son.”

“What’s my name?”

“Xu Xingchen.”

“What’s your name?”

Xu Dahai smiled and said, “Xu Dahai, a sea of stars*. The name your mother named you after.”

*Xingchen (星辰) and Dahai (大海) combined means a sea of stars. He’s saying his mother gave him the name Xingchen to compliment Dahai.

“Then what’s my mother’s name?”

“Her name is… her name is… I can’t remember.”

“Her name is Lu Mingfen.”

Xu Dahai smiled and said, “Yes, yes, Mingfen.”

Another winter came. Xu Xingchen was worried about leaving Xu Dahai home alone, so he took him to the farmer’s market to buy vegetables. When they passed by Yu Chenglin’s stall, Xu Dahai commented that he wanted to eat fish.

“Do you remember him?” Xu Xingchen asked.

Xu Dahai shook his head and asked, “Do I know him?”

“Uncle, this is Yu Chenglin.” Yu Chenglin smiled embarrassingly.

Xu Dahai shook his head again, stared at the fishpond, and said, “I want a fish. Crucian carp.”

He didn’t even remember Yu Chenglin’s name. Xu Xingchen had been living in his hometown for a year now. He had become more familiar with Yu Chenglin again, so he chatted with him as he picked out a fish. Yu Chenglin still refused to accept money from him.

“Alright. I’ll buy you a drink another day,” Xu Xingchen said.

Coming out of the farmer’s market, Xu Dahai said, “That young man isn’t bad.”

Xu Xingchen smiled as his eyes became moist.

It was over a decade ago that he called Yu Chenglin out and severely beat him. He had scolded him and told his family that he was a disgusting pervert and that his actions were incomprehensible. Now, ten years later, not even knowing who Yu Chenglin was or whether he was straight or bent, he jokingly wanted to pair them up.

The past was truly forgotten, but it’s okay to forget as long as Xu Dahai can still remember his name and that Xu Xingchen is his son. He was old and sick now, and it was natural to rely on his son.

The two drank fish soup that evening, and since then, Yu Chenglin would come to their house to deliver fish every few days.

One day Xu Dahai was sitting in the yard watching Xu Xingchen standing on a ladder picking persimmons and asked, “Do you like Yu Chenglin? I think he’s pretty good.”

He had even sneaked off one day to the farmer’s market and asked Yu Chenglin if he liked his son.

“My son is not a pervert. He didn’t know that I came here today, so please don’t scold him. I want to ask, do you like him? My son is a college graduate who works in Beijing. He’s very promising.”

Yu Chenglin smiled and was surprised and touched by this. “I do.”

Xu Dahai raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes as if in awe. “Then think about it. He likes you quite a lot, and he’s single.”

After that, Yu Chenglin called Xu Xingchen, who quickly came over to pick up his father. On the way back, Xu Dahai murmured, “When I die, what are you going to do? There’s no one around to take care of you when you get old. You have no child, and you must have someone near you.”

Xu Xingchen was tired of hearing these words and didn’t respond as they carried the fish home.

After winter passed, spring came.

Xu Xingchen put down a basin of hot water and asked him to wash his feet as he sat next to him and watched TV. Xu Dahai soaked his feet for a while in a daze. When Xu Xingchen turned off the TV, he asked, “Are you finished?”

“Yes.”

Xu Xingchen went to dump out the water, then wiped his feet, and then he asked, “Who are you?”

“I am…” Xu Dahai was stunned for a while, then smiled as if he were embarrassed. “Who am I?”

Xu Xingchen stopped the movement of his hands and squatted on the ground, looking up at him. “Think about it hard. Who are you?”

Xu Dahai thought hard for a while before awkwardly laughing. “My brain is confused right now, hehehe.”

“Xu Dahai, you are Xu Dahai.”

“I am Xu Dahai.”

“Then who am I?”

“Who are you?”

“Don’t you know who I am?”

Xu Dahai smiled embarrassedly and rubbed his knees with both hands.

Xu Xingchen said, “I am your son.”

Xu Dahai didn’t respond; he just said, “My son is Xu Xingchen.”

Xu Xingchen smiled and said, “Yes, I am Xu Xingchen, your son.”

Xu Dahai gave him an awkward smile.

Xu Xingchen put his hands on Xu Dahai’s knees, raised his head, and asked, “Don’t you know who I am?”

Xu Dahai saw that his expression had changed and panicked. “I’m sorry. You… you are… Who are you?”

Xu Dahai remembered that his son’s name was Xu Xingchen, but he could not recognize the person that was right in front of him.

The day has finally arrived.

Xu Xingchen buried his head on Xu Dahai’s lap and said, “I am your son. My name is Xu Xingchen. Xingchen Dahai was the name given to me by Lu Mingfen. Lu Mingfen is my mother…. And your….”

Before he could finish, he burst into tears. Xu Dahai touched his hair warmly, at a complete loss. His expression began to dull as sadness took over, and he started crying as well.

Xu Xingchen still had a father but no longer has one. At the moment of loss, love will reach its peak. Their familial bond had become much closer within this year. Their feelings of estrangement were now only unconditional love.

Shen Jintai could no longer suppress himself. He cried heavily as snot flowed down, but the camera didn’t give him any close-ups. It only captured the vision of a father and son crying sadly, and this elicited the feelings of the crew, whose eyes were all moist.

When this scene was done, they went outside to film the rain. The sound of pattering was to indicate that the first spring rain had arrived in the year. There weren’t many elements of a “rainy day in the spring night” in the movie.

When Qiu Hong introduced the background, he said that Xu Dahai was a scholar and his favorite poem was <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>. In the first year of their father-son reunion, it had rained that spring. Xu Dahai had recited the poem under the sound of the pattering rain in the yard.

On the wall of Xu Dahai’s room, he hung a calligraphy of <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>. This was one of the few props that Qiu Hong introduced. It’s said that when Xu Xingchen was fourteen, on the second day of high school, he participated in a calligraphy competition held by the county and won a prize for it. After returning home, he also wrote this poem for Xu Dahai, which was now framed and hung in his room.

While the movie did not delve deeply into exploring their characters, every time the camera moved around the room, it brought hints of the underlying feelings that couldn’t be expressed in words. Shen Jintai felt that this poem had a special meaning for Qiu Hong and was the reason why he used it, as it seemingly has nothing to do with the theme of the movie.

Perhaps the feelings of father and son were like the spring rain. It dampened but was silent and traceless, just like how they were in this movie, coming slowly and restrained. Watching it from beginning to end, one could find that it had moistened their entire heart, filling it with both warmth and sadness.

The final shot of the movie was after a night of spring rain. Xu Xingchen was walking through the fields, holding Xu Dahai’s hand. The flowers and plants were all wet from the rain, and the dampness made their colors stand out.

At this time, Xu Dahai no longer knew who Xu Xingchen was, but he was still dependent on him, like a young child who didn’t know the meaning of parents but still relied on them to take care of him.

At the end of the movie, there was still much to be said, but there was no need to say it.

After the scene was filmed, Qiu Hong, who has always been calm and restrained, covered his face and cried bitterly. When he collected himself, he folded his hands together, bowed to everyone, and said, “Thank you. Thank you.”

[The good rain knows its seasons,
When spring arrives, it brings life.
It follows the wind secretly into the night,
And moistens all things softly, without sound.]

When Shen Jintai got into the car, he looked outside the window at the coming spring. After the rain last night, the weather in Nancheng was getting warmer, and there were new buds that were flowering.

[On the country road, the clouds are all black,
On a riverboat, a single fire is bright.]

He closed his eyes and said, “At dawn, one sees this place now red and wet, the flowers are heavy in the brocade city.”

---

The author has something to say:

The remaining parts of this novel will be sweet!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

A very bittersweet chapter.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 166: The Interaction Between Film and Reality

Perhaps it was due to his having slept for a few hours just now, but Yan Qiuchi tossed and turned. He got up in the middle of the night to drink a glass of water. After he finished his glass, he went into the bathroom and didn’t come out. Shen Jintai opened his eyes in a daze. He wanted to go to the bathroom to have a look, but he was so sleepy that he didn’t move.

After a long while, Yan Qiuchi had returned to bed. He hugged Shen Jintai from behind, buried his head in his neck, and kissed his ears. Yan Qiuchi’s lips were soft and had a hint of coolness to them.

After such a night, Shen Jintai thought Yan Qiuchi was really good. Although he had strong desires and suffered from skin hunger and thirst, he still restrained himself when he needed to be restrained. This restraint was extremely moving, as it showed the extent of his love.

Shen Jintai’s acting was immersive. He felt that if he fully wants to enter the emotions of the characters, the less he experiences reality, the better. Therefore, in the two days before filming the highlights, he stopped running roadshows and stayed with the crew. Except for acting and thinking about his character, he did nothing else.

On the day of filming the climax scene, it happened that Shen Ruhai and his family came to visit the set.

It was coincidental that the father-son relationship in <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> was particularly similar to his current relationship with Shen Ruhai. Their emotions, especially the father’s, were restrained, and they didn’t know how to express them. In the past, he hadn’t been a good father, but now that they were more connected, the line was awkward and alienated.

The difference, though, was that the father-son relationship in the drama was a lot stronger and reflected that of a blood kinship*.

*Clarity: Shen Ruhai is not really the transmigrated Shen Jintai’s father, so he doesn’t feel a “blood” kinship that could be said about Xu Xingchen and Xu Dahai.

Xu Xingchen’s and Xu Dahai’s relationship had once been severed, but it had now vastly improved. The son was now an adult, and the position of power had been reversed. Xu Xingchen would lead his old father to bask in the sun, accompany him to buy vegetables, pick up clothes for him, and make meals according to his taste, all while trying to encourage him to mentally exercise so he could retain his memory.

The father has now become a child, and the child has now become the father. Time was cruel and indifferent, but family affection was warm and everlasting, so it could brace against it, generations after generations.

One day around noon, Xu Xingcheng was cooking in the kitchen while Xu Dahai was sitting alone in the living room watching TV. When Xu Xingcheng came out with a steaming plate of food, he almost dropped it when he saw water dripping down the chair that Xu Dahai was sitting on.

He hurriedly put down the plate, walked over to take a look, and asked, “Did you wet yourself?”

Xu Dahai stared at the TV set, but his mind seemed to be lost in a daze. He turned his head and looked at Xu Xingcheng. “Huh?”

Xu Xingchen couldn’t tell what was going on in his head. He helped Xu Dahai up and made sure that he wetted himself, then confirmed that his pants were indeed wet. Xu Dahai then seemingly woke up, as if from a dream, and with surprise. He quickly became embarrassed and started to panic as he stuttered, “I… I don’t know. I…”

Xu Xingchen went to his bedroom and got him a new set of clothes and said, “Change out of those clothes and go wash them, then change into this set. Do you want me to wash your clothes?”

Xu Dahai didn’t speak. He took the fresh pair of clothes and went into the bathroom. Xu Xingchen sat blankly outside for a while before getting up to grab a mop and dragging it on the floor to clean up the mess. The food on the table was no longer warm. He walked to the kitchen to bring out the soup. Halfway through, he suddenly put down the bowl in his hand, propped it against the stove, and stood there motionless. 

When the food was ready, Xu Dahai hadn’t come out of the bathroom yet. He knocked on the door and heard Xu Dahai say, “Why are you rushing me?” The tone had hints of anger.

Xu Xingchen said, “I’m not. The food will be cold if you keep dawdling.”

He stood in the living room for a while, as if he suddenly thought of something, then turned around and went into Xu Dahai’s room again. He rolled up the quilt and sure enough, he saw a padded jacket lying in the middle of the bed. He picked up the padded jacket and found that the bed was damp and there was a large wet stain.

Most likely, when he found out that he had wet the bed, he was probably too embarrassed to clean the sheets. He stripped the bed of its sheets and put it out in the yard. Xu Dahai had just come out of the bathroom, paused when he saw this, and didn’t say a word.

After eating, Xu Xingchen went to wash clothes while Xu Dahai smoked in the living room. Xu Xingcheng was also embarrassed, but his feelings were far more complicated than just that. Xu Dahai remained silent for the rest of the night. After the awkward experience, neither of them knew how to face each other.

When Xu Xingchen woke up the next morning, Xu Dahai was gone. He thought Xu Dahai had run away from home, and in a panic, he ran out and looked for him. He searched for a long time, but in the end, it was futile.

Chinese New Years have already passed, and there were no young people in the neighborhood. He had been away for so many years that he didn’t know many people, so he could only rely on Yu Chenglin for help. Without saying a word, Yu Chenglin found a few friends and searched for all the places that Xu Dahai tends to go to.

Unable to find him Xu Xingchen became more anxious and worried until he saw Xu Dahai driving the electric car and coming towards him slowly. When he got out, Xu Dahai took out a bag of chestnuts and said, “It’s still hot. For you.”

Xu Xingchen was so overwhelmed with anger that he threw the bag to the ground. “Where did you go? You didn’t even take your phone with you. Don’t you know how worried I was? Or is it because you’re used to living alone and have forgotten about your son?”

Xu Dahai probably didn’t expect him to be so angry, and he said, “I forgot to take my phone… you… Why are you so angry at me?”

As he said it, he bent over to pick up the chestnuts that had scattered all over the ground. After picking them up, Xu Dahai entered the house silently as he heard Xu Xingchen calling someone in the yard and saying, “He came back by himself. Thank you and sorry for the trouble. Tell everyone that I’ll invite them to dinner when I have time.”

Xu Xingchen hung up the phone and entered the house with a gloomy expression. Seeing Xu Dahai’s back, his anger disappeared. Joy filled his heart as he eased his emotions. “I’m not angry at you. I thought you ran away from home. You’re like this now, and sometimes you can’t remember who you are. I don’t know what to do if you get lost on the road without your phone. I’m always worried about you.”

Xu Dahai said, “Today, I visited a few nursing homes in Yangshu County and Zhaomiao County. After comparing them, I found that they were okay. The condition’s better than I thought, and there are a group of old men and women in there that I can get along quite well with.”

Xu Xingchen was taken aback for a moment and said, “For a childless person like me, you don’t want me to enter a nursing home when I get old, but it’s fine for you, despite having a son? Did I ever say that I don’t care about you anymore?”

“I’m not discussing it with you.” Xu Dahai suddenly regained his youthful strength. “I have already registered my name. I’ll go through the formalities tomorrow, so you hurry up and return to Beijing. It’s pointless to watch over me.”

“Are you disobedient again?” Xu Xingchen became serious. When he became like this, Xu Dahai would get scared and be obedient, just like he was when he was a child.

But this time it didn’t work. Xu Dahai said, “I feel bad for you, and it makes me uncomfortable that I can barely eat or drink. There hasn’t been a filial son for a long time, and our relationship was once severed. Eventually you’ll come to dislike me, and I will resent you. Our relationship has now improved, so why make it worse? Don’t worry. I won’t die alone. When the time is almost there, I’ll definitely contact you so we can see each other one last time.”

Xu Dahai sat down on the chair and continued, “Even if you watch over me 24/7, you can’t cure my illness. It’s only a waste of your time. How many months or even years do you plan to take care of me? You came back this time, and this is enough to satisfy me. I wasn’t a good father to deserve a filial son. I won’t cause you trouble, and I don’t want you to suffer with me. Why destroy the last bit of our father-son affection? If you have a conscience, just give me half the money I gave you some time ago, and I’ll take it to live in a nursing home.”

Shen Jintai turned his back slightly as he could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

Qiu Hong said, “Ah, no, you can’t cry.”

Shen Jintai paused for a while, blushed, and asked, “Is this reasonable?”

Cai Jun also felt emotional. His opinion was that he didn’t need to cry, but he could shed tears.

Qiu Hong still insisted on not letting him cry.

Shen Jintai’s crying scenes were good and especially contagious. The two dramas he had starred in, <The East Palace is Coming> and <When You’re Older>, had contributed famous scenes of his crying, but this wasn’t in line with Qiu Hong’s thoughts on Xu Xingchen. In <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> he was seemingly weak but also had a very strong heart. He came out of the closet at 19 and went to college while independently supported himself financially. He had a sense of tenacity and stubbornness. If there were too many tears, the texture of the character would be watered down*.

*Clarity: He’s basically saying showing too many tears wouldn’t match the kind of character model that Xu Xingchen is (a strong person who overcame many difficulties in life).

This movie was similar to a documentary. The plot was trivial, restrained, and sensational. He was a persistent director and felt he would never compromise his style, so he would never give in. There was nothing wrong with Shen Jintai crying, as it showed that he was a good actor with delicate feelings and possessed great empathy.

“The crying scene should be left to the end.” Qiu Hong said, “If you endure a few more times, I’ll give you what you deserve in the end.”

He felt wanting to cry but not being able was too sadistic. Shen Jintai had no outlet to let it out and vent. Because of this dull pain, he didn’t feel right playing his role. Acting after crying was completely different than acting while under depression all the time.

Shen Ruhai’s family entered the set accompanied by Li Meilan and others. Liu Qi kept holding Shen Xiaomei’s hand, and she warned, “Be quiet and don’t disturb your brother’s filming.”

Everything around the three of them was unfamiliar. There were many staff members on set, but everyone was quiet. When they entered the set that was currently being filmed, Shen Ruhai greeted all the staff members very humbly, completely devoid of the usual domineering boss style that he once had.

He looked around and saw machines, cameras, lights, photographers, prop designers, makeup artists, costume designers, field directors, and the like everywhere, and they were all looking at one person. The person was sitting in the brightest place, lying on a dilapidated sofa. His side face appeared on the monitor and looked like a textured world. The ray of light seemed to have a life of its own as it wrapped around Shen Jintai, making him look familiar yet unfamiliar.

Shen Ruhai opened his mouth slightly and stared blankly. He noticed that Shen Xiaomei was tugging on his shirt, so he hugged her tightly as the light reflected off of Shen Xiaomei’s innocent and childlike eyes.

---

The author has something to say:

Family interaction inside and outside the play.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Ah, this movie is emotional, but in a different kind of way than his previous ones.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 165: Moderation

When he was young, he was desperate for love. As he got older, he learned that the only people in the world who would love him the most were his parents. His father’s tears had touched Xu Xingchen in the softest part of his heart. For the first time in more than a decade, he felt the fatherly love from Xu Dahai.

The past had passed, and it no longer mattered who was right or wrong. He only hoped that the remaining time would be longer to make up for the years they had missed.

After Chinese New Year’s, he went with Xu Dahai to visit relatives and friends. On the way back, he ran into Yu Chenglin. Xu Xingchen stopped to greet him. Yu Chenglin glanced at the electric car and yelled, “Uncle” at Xu Dahai.

“Going to visit relatives?” Xu Xingchen asked.

Yu Chenglin was riding a motorcycle, and there was a car coming from behind. He glanced back as Xu Xingchen said, “You can go.”

Yu Chenglin nodded and drove away.

Xu Dahai asked, “Who was that again? He looks familiar.”

Xu Xingchen smiled and said nothing. He no longer recognized it was Yu Chenglin who he had beaten back then.

Outside the police cordon, there was a crowd surrounding the area. Shen Jintai got out of the car and went to help Cai Jun. Cai Jun jumped out of the car and laughed. “You really think I’m an old man.”

Shen Jintai smiled and went to Qiu Hong’s side to look at the shot just now. Qiu Hong made an okay gesture. Shen Jintai looked at the crowd of onlookers before getting into the car that was waiting for him.

They were on the outskirts of the city. Looking around, it was full of plains that were covered with snow. Shen Jintai looked at the time and asked, “Is it a bit late?”

“It should be fine if there’s no traffic jam.”

Shen Jintai changed his clothes directly in the car. He didn’t have time to style his hair and went to the premiere like this.

Bai Qingquan and the others were already waiting for him. Next to him was a handsome young man in high spirits who was dressed in a formal outfit with a 37-point slanted hairstyle. It was the screenwriter for <When You’re Older>, Song Chenchen.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Shen Jintai said.

“Your crew won’t even give you a break?” Bai Qingquan said.

“Did you two discuss it?” Song Chenchen said, “You’re wearing matching outfits.”

Shen Jintai was wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a black coat, while Bai Qingquan wore an off-white coat and also had on a turtleneck sweater.

“Interesting. What a coincidence,” Shen Jintai said.

“Get ready to enter,” Zhao Jindong, the boss of Xingyun, said.

Song Chenchen took the lead when he heard this and walked towards the entrance. Bai Qingquan tilted his head slightly and whispered to Shen Jintai, “I heard that Teacher Song and President Zhao are a couple.”

Hearing this, Shen Jintai glanced at them, put his hand on Bai Qingquan’s arm, and asked, “I saw a clip of you before coming here, and you weren’t wearing this. Did you change so you could match me?”

Bai Qingquan glanced at him with a smile. “Isn’t your brother so loyal?”

Shen Jintai thought that Bai Qingquan had not completely recovered from his scandal. Knowing Bai Qingquan’s previous character, he would assuredly not use “brother” but “sister” instead.

The publicity method to promote <When You’re Older> was ingenious. It was mainly focused on the use of new media for publicity. The premiere ceremony was held later than for ordinary movies. After it’s large-scale release, they invite a bunch of media and audience members to blow rainbow farts for it.

In terms of influence, it was better once Yan Qiuchi waved his hand.

—

“Have you heard? Rumor has it that the employees of several major companies under the Yan family received tickets to <When You’re Older>!”  

“Someone got a ticket yesterday. Brother-in-law Yan is quite pompous.”

“Whether it is a brother-in-law or a son-in-law, only he could accomplish something of this caliber!”

“Hahahaha, I heard that Yan Qiuchi not only sent movie tickets to his employees, but also held a lucky drawing through Shen Jintai’s official fan club to give free tickets to gold powders, including red envelope giveaways. This move has to please his wife and his wife’s fans. I have to say, his means are quite high.”

“He has already made a comeback against the wind of gold powders side. Money can make a ghost run the mill*.”

*(有钱能使鬼推磨) Idiom refers to as long as you have money, you can make someone do anything for you.

“When <When You’re Older> was released, I realized what it truly means to be a gold powder. Our boss is the head of a small company, and he’s tall and handsome. A very ordinary man who watches football and basketball on the weekdays. Yesterday, he actually gave us a dozen movie tickets and said to take all our families to go see it. One brush wasn’t enough. It’s best to brush twice, saying that as long as we watch <When You’re Older>, no matter how many tickets we buy, he’ll reimburse us. It was truly shocking!”

“Hahahaha, sisters upstairs. It doesn’t have to be gold powder. Your boss may also be a moonlight powder!”

“Bai Qingquan has also seen the return of his fans recently. He’s so beautiful in this movie. When he burst into tears, it made my heart hurt.”

“I’ve been so addicted to this kind of pairing of a domineering president and a big star recently. It’s a pity that I can’t find a meal replacement. Is it convenient for the sisters on the sixth floor to post a photo of your boss? I feel that your boss is my favorite type—straight-laced and rough. A big gong!”

“I can send it, but our boss isn’t a domineering president. He just runs a small decoration company. I hope no one here knows him. Otherwise, I’ll be in trouble.”

After replying, the poster posted a picture. In the picture was a young man with a tan complexion. He had a buzzcut and was more handsome than the average passerby. He looked exceptionally tall and sturdy. He was wearing a suit with a white shirt underneath and had on a loose black tie that was hanging around his neck, showing off part of his neckline. He had a cigarette in his hand that exuded manliness.

“Wow!”

“Definitely not similar to Prince Yan. I don’t think it matches Touhua very well. Touhua has a strong CP with Prince Yan. One is noble and handsome, while the other is bright and sunny, making a very harmonious pairing.”

“Hahahaha, my boss should be a straight man. Apart from giving us tickets to watch this movie, he’s just like any other average guy. However, he doesn’t have a partner. There are quite a few girls who like him. Although he’s not a big boss, he’s still pretty rich.”

“I want to say… He’s not suitable for Touhua but fits pretty well for Bai Qingquan! Have you forgotten the requirements from Bai Qingquan’s alt?!”

“Hahahahaha, I remember: you don’t need to be handsome, but you have to be a pure gong. You have to be powerful enough to go nonstop for three days and nights!”

“There’s also: You have to be able to pick me up and fuck me!”

“Pffft. I just finished watching <When You’re Older> and almost forgot what Bai Qingquan really like.”

“Bai Qingquan’s image was so clean. When I think about this, I feel it’s such a tragedy. What a pity that he was such a fairy.”

“I’m the only one who thinks his alt is fine. We’re all humans, and we all have a Weibo alt. What’s said online and in reality are not the same. At least I dare not let my friends and family know the things I have said on Weibo. An alt account has no scruples, and often the things it posts are exaggerated. I don’t think Bai Qingquan would be so shameless. Otherwise, he wouldn’t last in the entertainment industry and would still be like a little chick waiting for feed!”

“That’s true. Gays have always been loudmouthed. However, as a public figure, it’s normal to be affected after being stripped of his starlight. I don’t know what kind of boyfriend he will find in the future. There were actually a lot of things exposed in his alt, but the sex was the most eye-catching, and that’s what the public only pays attention to. I found from many of his posts that he feels very lonely, and he also does a lot of charity, which he posts pictures of and the like of on his alt. His heart is quite good, but it’s a pity that no one pays attention to things like this.”

“Bai Qingquan’s water army has exceeded the standard!”

—

In a movie theater near Nancheng Film and Television City, after the screening of <When You’re Older>, a group of people left the theater crying. The cinema was on the first basement floor, with the exit on the right. Posters of the latest movies were hanging along the walls. A young man, around 25, who looked strong and capable, was smoking a cigarette as he stared at the poster for <When You’re Older>.

On it was Bai Qingquan, leaning slightly to his side with tears in his eyes, showing a very handsome and gentle look.

—

After attending the premiere, Zhao Jindong invited the entire group to a meal. When Shen Jintai returned after dinner, it was already past 11 at night.

Xiao Tang was keener this time and only sent Shen Jintai to the door of his room but did not go in. “Then Brother Jin, see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your hard work.” Shen Jintai took the things in his hand, opened the door, and went in.

The living room was empty. He put his things down and went to the bedroom. He saw Yan Qiuchi lying in bed, sleeping soundly. He closed the door, sat in the living room, and sorted out the things he brought back today.

He had received New Year’s gifts from the representatives of the gold powders today, and he brought all of it back. His popularity had risen to the point where the gifts he received seemed endless. Many fans even sent things directly to the hotel where he was staying at. He usually accepted them but didn’t get the chance to go through them. They were all stored in a room he designated for gifts. When he had free time, he would open them one by one.  

He went to shower, and the sound of the water woke up Yan Qiuchi. When he came out to blow dry his hair, Yan Qiuchi had pushed the door open and came in. With a sleepy expression on his face, he asked, “You came back so late today.”

“The meal lasted longer than expected. When did you return?”

“A little after 8. I had a good rest.” As Yan Qiuchi said it, he took the hair dryer from Shen Jintai’s hand and started to dry his hair. Shen Jintai had smooth, thick hair that had a great feeling in his hands. His drowsiness eased as he helped dry off Shen Jintai’s hair, and his eyes brightened up. “How did filming go today?”

“Speaking of that.” Shen Jintai pulled down his bathrobe slightly, revealing the hickeys on his neck. “Look at what you did. I couldn’t even cover it up with makeup. In order to match the previous scene, we had to reshoot them all and waste the entire morning.”

Perhaps it was due to the hot water from the shower, but the hickeys on Shen Jintai looked even redder than before. Yan Qiuchi held his fingers and asked if it hurt. Shen Jintai shook his neck and shrank back slightly from the touch. He was more sensitive than normal people, as he had personally found out the night before.

This sensitivity applied to everywhere on his body, including his toes. That night, Yan Qiuchi had kissed his feet with great enthusiasm, and he reacted in that way…

Yan Qiuchi smiled.

It’s this kind of smile again!

Shen Jintai had greater experience now. As soon as he saw Yan Qiuchi’s smile, he knew what was going on in his head. He brushed off Yan Qiuchi’s hand, closed his bathrobe, and walked out.

Yan Qiuchi put down the hair dryer and said, “It looks like the box office will explode today.” He was smart to shift the topic.

Shen Jintai immediately smiled when he heard this. He went to the cloakroom and said as he was putting on his pajamas, “I’ve heard. President Zhao and Director Sun were incredibly happy at dinner tonight. Maybe in a few days, we will have a celebration banquet. It’s said that in less than three days, the movie will bring in as much capital as it originally cost to produce, though I’m not sure how much we can earn with it.”

Though his remuneration for the movie was low, he had a box office bonus. With the first movie going so well, the road in his future will be much smoother. Not only was he happy, but the gold powders would be happy as well.

Yan Qiuchi sat down on the bed and said, “You have to be more cautious when picking up projects in the future. <Pilot> and <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> were both good, and there should be no problems with these two movies. One would make money at the box office, and the other would win lots of awards. If you take on projects with this kind of quality in the future, you will be able to sit firmly in the front in less than three years.”

Shen Jintai climbed into the bed with a smile. He opened the blanket and laid down. Inside was warm as it still had Yan Qiuchi’s residual body heat. “A good film hasn’t been found yet. My next project hasn’t been decided. All the scripts I’ve gotten so far aren’t very good.”

“Then you should give yourself a vacation,” Yan Qiuchi said. “It’s not bad to take a few months off. Your popularity will remain within the next year, and your fans are loyal.”

<Pilot> would be released around summer vacation, and <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> would probably be released at the end of the year. In addition, <When You’re Older> was released at the beginning of this year, making it a total of three big screen works in a single year.

“Nn…” Shen Jintai smiled. He pierced Yan Qiuchi’s careful motives by saying, “Indeed, there’s plenty of time then, so, President Yan, won’t you restrain yourself?”

He was extremely satisfied when he delivered this sentence. Yan Qiuchi had asked him to rest, but he knew exactly what Yan Qiuchi’s intentions were!

It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear it, but the current filming of <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> was about to get more abusive. It’s hard to imagine that kind of state if they keep rolling around in the bedsheets in full swing all night every night. How was he supposed to act in a bitter drama the next morning? The spring tide on his body hadn’t dissipated, and with a sore stomach, how could he expect to start crying!

Shen Jintai shuddered. He had to abstain from sex these next few days, at least until he finished filming the highlights for <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>.

---

The author has something to say:

Silly boy, in the end, you’re not the one who suffers every day!

Buzzcut guy will not have a name until the main story is over. Straight and rough gong x a fairy on the outside, slightly confused on the inside, shou. There will be a special “White Moonlight” extra. Seven years admiring the white moonlight, and one year to study his wife’s alt! The wishes of the alt account will be fulfilled by him, one by one!

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Kinky Thoughts:

Bai Qingquan, come get your gong! He’s just what you ordered. Just don’t regret your wish of “nonstop 3 days and nights!”

Note: Bai Qingquan’s story will be in the extras. I can’t wait to read about them!

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 164: Fatherly Love

Yan Qiuchi became honest and laid back down. After several minutes, he gradually leaned forward again. Shen Jintai’s heart was hot, but his face was cold. He felt that he currently had the momentum and needed to seize it. “Put on your clothes.”

Yan Qiuchi didn’t speak, but after a while, he said, “It’s uncomfortable to have on clothes while cuddling…”

“Didn’t you wear it before?”

Yan Qiuchi said, “That was then. Now… it’s different.”

How could it be the same? He had tasted the most delicious meat in the world, but now he could only lick the bones. How could he possibly be satisfied? In fact, even while they embraced naked, it was already pushing his limits. He wanted to reproduce what they did last night.

Twice a day isn’t too much, right?

He felt that Shen Jintai’s fitness was pretty good. Not mentioning his own, as long as he thought about the feeling of them being wrapped between each other, he felt like he could ascend.

However, he also knew that <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> couldn’t be delayed anymore. The whole crew was waiting on Shen Jintai. <When You’re Older> would also be officially released tomorrow, so Shen Jintai has to carve out time for his promotional roadshow as well*.

*Clarity: This means the movie will be released in theaters nationwide. The premiere previously was a limited run before the movie hits theaters everywhere.

<When You’re Older> had garnered a big reputation and was predicted to be a big hit among the blockbusters premiering at Chinese New Year’s. The screening rate had risen from 7% of the original to 15%* and its release was also coming at an opportune time. With reviews of the other blockbusters in the same period not as good, it was inevitable that <When You’re Older> would take the lead.

*Clarity: I believe this is referring to market share. Of all the movies that are shown during this time, When You’re Older takes up 15% of that share.

Shen Jintai fell asleep lightly and felt Yan Qiuchi tossing and turning. He hadn’t fallen back asleep since the early hours of the morning. When he opened his eyes, he felt Yan Qiuchi sitting up in the dark. He didn’t expect Yan Qiuchi to be such a lustful person, as if he could die from discomfort if he wasn’t relieved.

Shen Jintai was also infected by his strong desire. Thinking about how Yan Qiuchi was full of desire for him made his heart feel quite itchy. After all, it showed that the person he loves had a strong love for him, making him quite satisfied. He hesitated for a while, and eventually the thought of having to go to the crew early in the morning and attend the premiere of <When You’re Older> in the evening made him hold back.

If he was honest, seeing Yan Qiuchi be able to restrain himself even though he was obviously burning inside made him like Yan Qiuchi even more. He thought that men who could control their lower half were quite attractive.

When he woke up the next day, he found that Yan Qiuchi was no longer there. He got up and got ready. As he was blow-drying his hair, Yan Qiuchi came into the bathroom and said, “I got you breakfast.”

Shen Jintai made a noise in acknowledgement and saw Yan Qiuchi’s expression looking a bit haggard. Yan Qiuchi walked behind him and took the hair dryer from his hands. Shen Jintai said, “I can do it.”

“Just satisfy this selfish request,” Yan Qiuchi said. If he hadn’t fallen in love, he wouldn’t have known that he would be so clingy. He was afraid this would turn Shen Jintai off, but he couldn’t help himself. He just wanted to take care of him and love him, and he hated himself for not being able to do everything for him. In this way, taking care of the one he loves brought him great satisfaction.

When Xiao Tang came over with breakfast, he saw Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi were already eating, so he took the breakfast back to his room. When Li Meilan came, he asked her, “Sister Lan, will I not have to buy breakfast for Brother Jin in the future?”

He felt a little lost, as if his work had been taken away from him. President Yan was such a busy boss, yet he could still go out and buy breakfast.

After breakfast, Yan Qiuchi left for work. Before leaving, he told Shen Jintai, “If I have time, I’ll pick you up from the crew.”

“You didn’t sleep well last night,” Shen Jintai laughed. “If you finish work early, go back and get some rest. I have Xiao Tang and the others, so you don’t need to pick me up.”

Shen Jintai touched Yan Qiuchi’s face and took a closer look. “Why are your eyes so bloodshot?”

“It was almost dawn before I fell asleep,” Yan Qiuchi said. His tone was neutral, making it obvious that he wasn’t trying to sell pity.

Yan Qiuchi took his coat from the hanger before saying, “Okay, I’m leaving.”

When Shen Jintai walked him to the door, Yan Qiuchi turned around and wanted to kiss him. Shen Jintai gave him a kiss, but it wasn’t enough for Yan Qiuchi. He grabbed his waist and kissed him fiercely, as if he were releasing all the force he had been holding in all night. Releasing his restraint, he pressed Shen Jintai on the door and kissed his neck.

They kissed unknowingly for several minutes, both of them getting riled up. Shen Jintai felt he was infected by Yan Qiuchi’s excitement. His strong desires and lust could easily be felt, and it was particularly easy to infect him.

“I’m leaving.” Yan Qiuchi finally let go of him, opened the door, and went out.

When he left, he ran into Xiao Tang, who had been waiting in the corridor. Seeing him come out, Xiao Tang tiptoed slightly. He no longer bowed to Yan Qiuchi. He nodded and said, “President Yan.”

Yan Qiuchi let out a “Nn” and went into the elevator.

Shen Jintai wiped the corners of his moist mouth. His tongue felt numb.

—

Since it was the first day of work after the new year, Shen Jintai had prepared red envelopes for every staff member of the crew. When he arrived on set, Xiao Tang took the box filled with red envelopes and accompanied him as he gave them out.

“I heard you were sick yesterday.” Cai Jun asked with concern, “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better,” Shen Jintai said shyly.

It took a while to put on his makeup, mainly because he had to cover up all the hickeys on his neck. After a day had passed, the hickeys had turned darker in color, making it almost impossible to completely cover them with just makeup alone.

Yan Qiuchi was out of control when they were doing it, and the result was a lot of trouble for him during filming. In the end, he could only change outfits, but it didn’t match with the previous scenes he filmed. In order not to delay any longer, they had to reshoot those scenes again.

Xu Dahai’s illness had worsened, and his instances of forgetfulness had increased. Memories of the past began to occupy his mind, and their father-son relationship had become more harmonious. Xu Xingchen felt that Xu Dahai was becoming more like a child. His temper was still stubborn, but he could be coaxed.

It was cold in the middle of winter, and the small county town was isolated. The days were short and the nights long. There was nothing to do and nowhere to go. Xu Xingchen would clean their house several times out of boredom.

As he was doing this, he found his textbooks from middle school, toys when he was a child, and his two main diaries, eliciting past memories. From the beginning of his third year in high school, his diary was full of thoughts of a young man’s love. Sitting on the bed as he read a few entries, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

He didn’t remember what he was like when he was this young. There were still stickers of Xiaolongnu* in his diary, as well as those of Choi Ji-Woo in <Stairway to Heaven> and Lee Joon-gi in <The King & The Clown>.

*Fictional female protagonist from the wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong.

He remembered that the first same-sex movie he watched in his life was <The King & The Clown>. After the college entrance examination was over, he and Yu Chenglin went to an Internet cafe on Huimin Road to watch it together. At that time, the two of them were still in an ambiguous period. There was only one chair and one headset, so they huddled together in the chair, leaning against each other as they shared the headset.

After watching the movie, they went to the billiard hall on the south side of the cinema to play billiards. Yu Chenglin taught him how to play. When they went home in the evening, Yu Chenglin held his hand as they walked through a deserted alley.

It was also that day when he went home and bumped into a woman who came out of the master bedroom in untidy clothes. Xu Dahai was lying shirtless on the bed, snoring loudly. He had a bad temper and was in a cold war with Xu Dahai. Eventually, Xu Dahai beat him, and he ran away from home and stayed with Yu Chenglin for a few days. It was then that they tasted the forbidden fruit.

In retrospect, his state of mind was very different at that time than it was now. He couldn’t accept Xu Dahai’s remarriage. He was resistant to having a stepmother, not only because of his feelings for his late mother but also for his self-esteem.

Ironically, when he came out of the closet, Xu Dahai thought that he was an embarrassment, a pervert, and a sicko. He felt that his own father couldn’t understand him. He had looked online and found that homosexuality was not a perversion. Many countries were calling for gay equal rights, and, in the west, some had already accepted same-sex marriage. Even doctors have said that it wasn’t a disease but more like “fireworks of a different color.”

Everything was written in his diary in scrawled handwriting. It was obvious that he had just been scolded by Xu Dahai when he wrote this entry, as the feeling was extremely angry. Now that he was grown up, he could understand his father a bit better.

Society was developing too fast, and one generation left its mark on the next. Life was full of growth and changes, and while some people may understand, they couldn’t simply start over and rebuild their foundation from scratch.

But time could change everything. Just like how Xu Dahai didn’t hesitate to sever their father-son relationship, he had now softened and would occasionally ask while they ate dinner:

“Is it okay not to go back? You’ve been gone for so long?”

“Why hasn’t he called you recently?”

Later, he would even call Sun Mingzhi “Xiao Sun”. “What does Xiao Sun do?”

Xu Xingchen didn’t tell Xu Dahai that he had already broken up with Sun Mingzhi. Their relationship was already heavy enough that he didn’t want other things to complicate it further. When he thought about Sun Mingzhi, he didn’t hold any more hatred. After crying a few times in his dreams, his life was now only filled with Xu Dahai’s affairs.

For example, taking care of Xu Dahai’s daily life. He would practice memory exercises with him and take him to the doctor. Xu Dahai’s lack of cooperation was the biggest headache for him.

“I asked the doctor a long time ago,” Xu Dahai said. “It’s pointless to spend your money in vain as there won’t be any results.”

Xu Xingchen knew this in the end after the past few days of seeking medical advice.

Xu Dahai had told him to go back to Beijing.

“Let’s talk about it later,” Xu Xingchen would always say.

Xu Dahai eventually stopped urging him since Chinese New Year’s was approaching. On New Year’s Eve, Xu Xingchen climbed up the ladder and hung a spring festival couplet on the gate. There was “Spring” in the middle and an upside-down “blessing” on both ends, which signifies “the blessing is here”. Aunt Zhao and the others were eating and chatting while Xu Dahai was cautiously holding the ladder at the bottom and commandeered, “Put it to the left. A little more left.”

The sound of firecrackers could be heard from a distance. This was the last Chinese New Year that they would spend together as father and son.

That night, Xu Dahai fell ill and developed a high fever. Xu Xingchen spent the night in the corridor of the hospital. When they returned home from the hospital the next day, Xu Dahai gave him all the keys, bank cards, and passbooks.

“You still have so much money in your hand.” Xu Xingchen was surprised when he saw the passbook. “You said you didn’t have money to see a doctor.”

“It’s useless.” Xu Dahai withered his hands and handed him a green bank card. “This debit card was the one you gave me. I don’t know how much money you have put in it, but all of it is still there…”

When he wanted to sever their father-son relationship, Xu Dahai guilted him with all the support he’s given for so many years that he felt compelled to pay it back. He opened an account and started putting money into it every month. He first started with 600 a month, then 1,000, and eventually 2,000. Now it was estimated that the account probably held more than 100,000.

“Even if you don’t get married, you can at least still have a home. I heard that housing in Beijing is expensive… When I die, sell this house… After a few years, it’ll be demolished anyway. With the money from this, you can at least afford a down payment. I haven’t saved much these years. In the past few years, it had taken me a while before I saw a doctor… Haa.” Xu Dahai sighed again and changed the topic. “When you’re old, I’ll already be gone. When you get old, who will take care of you? You have no children…”

Xu Xingchen paused and said, “These days, there are many people who aren’t married. As long as they have money, they can move into a nursing home rather than stay home alone.”

Xu Dahai didn’t understand or accept this way of living, but there was nothing to discuss. He was worried and anxious, but there was nothing he could do, so he wept silently.

Xu Dahai rarely cried, so he made Xu Xingchen uncomfortable. He said, “You don’t have to worry about me. There’s been rapid social development. By then, perhaps people won’t even marry anymore. Think about it. Just ten years ago, you would have never thought that divorce would be so common now. You haven’t been to a big city before, so you don’t know that there are now a bunch of older men and women who aren’t even married. When I get older, I might be able to adopt. As long as I work hard, the adopted child will be just as good as a biological one. By then, it’s estimated that I’ll also be able to get married. Do you know that many countries have already legalized gay marriage?”

“It’s all possible, but it’s also possible that you don’t have anyone and end up alone when you’re old and have no one to take care of you if you get sick. You don’t even have any siblings.”

The more he spoke, the sadder he got, and eventually Xu Dahai covered his face and started crying. He was old, really old. The father who once beat him to the ground has now become an old man who would willingly cry in front of him.

The camera moved from Cai Jun’s back to Shen Jintai’s face. Shen Jintai licked his lower lip slightly as his throat bobbed. His eyes were moist, but his expression was solemn. If this were his own father, he might step forward and hug him, but as Xu Xingchen, he could only sit there, stretch out a hand, and put it on Cai Jun’s back.

Li Meilan tilted her head slightly as he wiped away her tears.

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The author has something to say:

Half sweet, half sour.

I wrote a more realistic drama inside a drama.

This movie will win big!

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Kinky Thoughts:

Familial love is quite complicated, especially when you’re raised in a conservative household and you’re gay.

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