FLME Ch60

After Xie Heyu finished reciting this line, Yu Wen looked up at the sky with a melancholic expression, tears welling up in his eyes.

The boy touched his hair, feeling that this accusation was quite inexplicable. He was caught up in his writing, and at this moment, he realized it, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Xie Heyu remained calm, his mental state steady as an old dog.

Compared to him, the online users’ thought processes seemed to be quite tumultuous.

「Bro, smile a bit; it makes me look like a lunatic.」

「Bro, you made me sweat profusely.」

「Xiao Yu, manage your agent! His humor is off the charts, help!」

“Huh? Why should I manage him?” Yu Wen laughed in surprise, “Usually, he manages me.”

Xie Heyu scrolled through the screen for Yu Wen to see, asking, “Should I continue?”

Before Yu Wen could respond, the online users exploded in the comments.

「Bro, you’re a ninja; I respect you.」

「In the last life, you killed and set fires; in this life, you’re living on the same planet as a dead person.」

「Don’t recite anymore, really. I have a friend who can’t handle it, not me though. I can eat any melon, but my friend has a weak stomach…」

Yu Wen turned off the screen and handed it back to the boy.

The number of viewers in the live stream had multiplied three or four times since it started, with many users coming from trending topics. Although Yu Wen hadn’t followed the trending news, it was obvious that such explosive gossip would hit the headlines.

Skipping the topic of mockery, Yi Ming quickly collected her emotions and sat back in front of the camera. She didn’t dare let Xie Heyu leave, fearing that she and Yu Wen would lose their composure; leaving Xie Heyu behind could provide a stable emotional anchor.

So, when the users tuned in, they saw three neatly arranged people in green T-shirts.

「…What a strange T-shirt, but oddly pleasing to the eye.」

「May I ask which organization you belong to? Can I join?」

Yu Wen sat in the center, with his knees together and hands crossed, sitting in a dignified and solemn posture, looking like he could draw a moon on his forehead and cosplay as a fair-skinned Bao Zheng.

The users affectionately referred to him as “Grand Judge.”

This was the first time the Melon King took the initiative to reveal something, and it was also the first time the Grand Judge hosted an online court. The users asked him how he felt about it.

Yu Wen enjoyed watching the fun, but he didn’t like becoming someone else’s amusement; every time someone called him the Melon King, he looked quite conflicted.

But this time, for the sake of justice, he stepped forward!

“We are not an organization; we are just ordinary, unremarkable, justice-loving citizens… To be awarded the title of ‘Melon King,’ first, I want to thank my company, Starlight Media. Without the company’s base salary, I wouldn’t be where I am today…”

「Here we go again; he’s talking nonsense again.」

「All users, look to me! Xiao Yu’s wife is making a major acceptance speech! Everyone, listen!」

At the end of the live stream, Yi Ming dug out a small gavel and a hat from an ancient drama. Yu Wen put on the official hat, holding up the small hammer solemnly, saying, “Does the defendant’s lawyer have any objections?”

The users cooperated, all claiming to be the defendant’s lawyers, asserting that the defendant was heinous and deserved death, asking the Grand Judge to grant him the death penalty.

Judge Xiao Yu ultimately showed mercy, making a decisive ruling: “Expel from the entertainment industry, never to be hired again!”

「Good!」

「A great relief!」

—

The online court was just a joke, and Yu Wen’s verdict wouldn’t truly take effect. However, this crazy online live broadcast evidently resonated well with the contemporary youth. Not long after it was recorded, the view count soared to tens of millions.

The movie emperor’s downfall added a bit of humor to the judgment.

To reward Yu Wen, Yi Ming ordered a table full of late-night snacks. Yu Wen looked at the full table of barbecued food and said, “Master, it’s mainly you who wants to eat, right?”

The master shot him a knowing look.

Yu Wen was quite picky about barbecued food; generally, he preferred fewer condiments, but he happened not to like overly seasoned dishes. After tasting a few bites and finding it not to his liking, he took a coconut juice to the balcony for some fresh air.

He opened his phone, predicting that Weibo would be too laggy to log into and wisely decided against it. However, discussions were happening in various WeChat groups about this matter.

Chu Han: [Scumbag! Beast! Trash!]

Xi Su: [… Don’t get too worked up; I can hear your voice from the third floor.]

Xie Jiamao: [After watching the live stream, our Xiao Yu is truly clever and just. Lina Bear holding her face.jpg]

Gao Kaiyu: [I really want to gouge out your mother’s eyes… Hurry up and hire a lawyer! Get our sister and brother out, if this isn’t handled well, it might be our Xiao Yu who retires from the industry.]

Xie Jiamao: [Who dares! Who dares let our Xiao Yu fail in the entertainment industry? I’ll make them unable to live!]

After Yu Wen read it, he felt a bit embarrassed; he indeed lacked consideration this time, probably leaving behind a lot of talking points. But the matter was in front of him, and there was no reason to shirk responsibility.

So, he sent a private message to Xie Jiamao, earnestly trying to be cute and apologizing.

Unexpectedly, Xie Jiamao replied: [A mere movie emperor, not worth mentioning. Xiao Yu, feel free to fly; Starlight Media will always be with you!]

Yu Wen: “…”

Yu Wen couldn’t help but scratch his head, wondering if their ragtag group was this powerful.

That’s right, bald Uncle lives in that area, so he must be a big shot. I just don’t know which industry he’s a big shot in; it shouldn’t be convenient for him to enforce the law across industries.

Yu Wen thought it over and felt that the boss was a bit arrogant, but he still played along: [Waving a bat and cheering.jpg The boss is the most amazing! The world’s top 500? Done!]

Another particularly lively group was his Spicy Teacher group.

Several teachers in the group questioned why Yu Wen and Yi Ming didn’t bring them along for the gossip.

Tong Li: [I’m really stupid, I really am. I thought that joining this group meant I could grasp the latest gossip. I never expected some colleagues would sneak off to eat while we were recording. All the support and time over the years have ultimately been misdirected…]

Fan Xiangyang: [Yi Ming, Yu Wen, I trusted you two wrong. Don’t think I can’t recognize it; that’s the outfit for the second episode. We were right upstairs, why didn’t you lift a finger to let us know! This justice-seeking event should have included a certain someone!]

Daniel Li: [We promised not to separate and to always be together…]

Jian Heng: [I once thought that I was the best gossip buddy with Yu Wen…]

Yu Wen scrolled through the group chat messages, puzzled as to how the Spicy Teachers knew he was sneaking off to eat during the recording.

Then he went online and understood.

In a screenshot that Yi Ming posted on Weibo, there was one of her and Yu Wen squatting in the bushes, yes, that was the picture she had saved as evidence; there was also another one, taken in a hot spring hotel restaurant, where the film king got slapped in the face, and a bystander captured the moment, magnifying the right side of the photo to show Yu Wen with his cheeks puffed out as he chewed.

He really would say thanks.

The comment section took an unexpectedly bizarre turn.

「Among those two photos, it seems I recognize one of my acquaintances…”}

「I’m not his fan and haven’t seen his work, but I already know his face. His surname is Gua (Melon), right?}

「…What a lunatic! Our baby’s surname is Yu! The Melon King is just his nickname! His name is Yu Wen!}

The first comment garnered nearly a million likes: 「Wife, during the live broadcast, you didn’t say you were there the whole time.}

Yu Wen closed his eyes and chose to face this crazy internet head-on.

He replied to the first comment using his main account: 「I’m often on site, what’s wrong? Little cat holding face.jpg}

It’s me, the weird one on site! What’s wrong? Want to beat me up?

When people start to slack off, awkwardness and restraint vanish into thin air.

Yu Wen changed his profile picture to a meme made by a fan, a Q-version cat image wearing a crown, looking proud and majestic, with a watermelon hanging from its neck and the words “The Melon King has arrived” engraved on the crown.

He then updated his introduction to: 「This is the territory of the Melon King. Please establish a brainwave connection with the Melon King after a beep. If we’re on the same frequency, congratulations, you’ve won a surprise prize of sharing the melon field!}

Not long after he relaxed and slacked off, the film king began to counterattack, but the users weren’t paying attention to his Weibo content; their focus was on other aspects.

「Did you wash your hands? If you didn’t wash your hands, don’t talk to me.}

「My mom won’t let me play with people who don’t have good hygiene.}

「Your handwriting looks stinky…}

「Go take a shower, I’m serious.}

「I really want to give you a bullet, I’m serious.}

No matter what he posted on Weibo or what the content was, the users only had one phrase: “Did you wash your hands?!!”

Very well.

A thoroughly enjoyable counterattack.

The situation tilted heavily; in fact, there was no room for struggle. Yi Ming and Yu Wen both had companies, and that female artist was a pillar of the Huiteng Group, making it hard to take any action against them. None of them were easy to provoke, and in terms of facts, the film king was at a disadvantage.

Yu Wen estimated that this grand drama would reach its conclusion by tomorrow.

He put his phone away, leaned over the balcony, enjoying the night breeze while sipping coconut juice. After a while, the boy came out holding two bottles of beer, shyly asking him, “Want to drink?”

Yu Wen wasn’t accustomed to the spicy taste of alcohol, but he felt the other person wasn’t looking for someone to drink with; perhaps he was looking for someone to talk to, so he took it.

“I’ve known Brother Zhuang for many years…” As soon as the boy opened his mouth, Yu Wen knew it was going to be a long story.

There was a long bench on the balcony, and Yu Wen sat over, patting the spot beside him.

Although he felt quite disdainful towards the film king, Yu Wen still listened seriously to the story of this relationship, both good and bad. It was normal for the boy to be unable to extricate himself, but Yu Wen put himself in his shoes; if it were him, this relationship would never have started.

There were many flaws in the surname Zhuang, but he had one advantage: he treated the boy particularly well. Of course, that was in the past.

“He had bad habits that I didn’t like, and he changed right away. When he was in school, his grades were poor. At that time, we weren’t even lovers, just friends. I joked about it, and he took it to heart; after that, he made a lot of progress in the second monthly exam, asking me like a kid if I could praise him…”

Young lovers, going through ups and downs, it was really not easy to get to this point.

“When you’re young, you often have thoughts like that, being against the world… You probably don’t understand; you’re smarter than me.” The boy looked at Yu Wen with a smile and said, “He’s not a perfect person, but he takes every word of mine to heart. Others say we’re not suitable, but I think it’s because they don’t understand my weight in his heart…”

Perhaps it held weight, but as time passed, that weight would fade, and a person would reveal their true nature.

Those changed habits, the daily greetings, the warm thoughts… Gradually, they disappeared between the two.

The boy couldn’t understand and could only attribute it to being too tired from work. After this incident occurred, he suddenly realized that it was because he no longer loved him.

Why not say it directly? They could have parted on good terms.

Yu Wen listened quietly, saying nothing. The boy’s confession was mainly self-deprecating, clearly not needing comfort or advice; he had already thought it through. Perhaps he just wanted to conclude his ridiculous eight years with this sharing.

“…I once heard a saying,” After speaking for a long time, the boy paused, and Yu Wen finally spoke softly: “’Go love a person who is inherently good, rather than someone who is good to you.’ I think it makes a lot of sense.”

When love wears away, a good person is still good, while an unworthy person remains unworthy.

The boy was taken aback, his eyes a bit moist, and said, “That’s a really good saying, but unfortunately, I realized it too late.”

Yu Wen smiled and said, “It’s not too late to know it now.”

The boy smiled as well, raising his beer toward him, “Cheers to us, where it’s still not too late.”

Yu Wen set down his coconut juice, pulled the tab, and gently clinked glasses with him.

The cans clinked, spilling bright liquid.

With the atmosphere like this, Yu Wen drank a few sips. Stories have a way of going well with drinks; as the boy talked, he sipped, and before he knew it, he finished a can of beer.

During the process, Xie Heyu came out to bring him food and noticed his flushed face, feeling worried.

But Yu Wen said, “Teacher Xie, I might have a constitution that doesn’t get drunk; I feel nothing at all right now.”

He looked pretty good; although he was a bit flushed, his speech was clear, and his eyes were bright.

Yu Wen tilted his head and acted cute toward Xie Heyu, “Teacher Xie, can I have another bottle?”

Xie Heyu silently stared at him and could only turn around to get them two more cans, conveniently preparing some honey water to sober them up.

Earlier during the live broadcast, Yu Wen was very curious about the part of ‘being bent,’ and now he opened the second can of beer, finally voicing his doubt.

“Why, why did you bend?”

The boy smiled and said, “Most people’s sexual orientations are fluid. I remember I read in literature that absolute homosexuality and absolute heterosexuality are very rare. With experiences and environments changing, orientations can likely change. I can only say, don’t confine yourself to a certain definition; when change comes, embrace it. Your feelings come first.”

Yu Wen knew this; he had a wide and varied knowledge base, but that wasn’t the main point of his question.

Yu Wen said, “No, I meant to ask, how did you discover that you were bent…”

His voice grew softer, feeling a bit awkward.

The boy thought for a moment and said, “There’s no obvious dividing line; one day, Zhuang suddenly kissed me, and I realized I didn’t dislike it. That’s when I knew I definitely liked him.”

A kiss?

Just a kiss and that was enough?

At eleven o’clock in the evening, this justice-seeking event finally came to an end. Yu Wen couldn’t remember how many cans of beer he had drunk; counting the empty cans, it was probably four or five.

He felt alright, a bit dizzy, but his mind was clear.

The boy left first, and he declined Xie Heyu’s offer to drive him, saying, “I called a car; thank you all so much for today.”

Yi Ming asked him to send a message when he got home.

There was still a large portion of the late-night snacks left on the table. Yi Ming, though craving, didn’t have much of an appetite and was worried about the large table of food, “Xiao Yu, aren’t you eating? Barbecue left overnight won’t taste good if heated up tomorrow.”

Yu Wen intended to help her out, but holding his chopsticks, he stared for a long time, unsure how to begin.

At this moment, Xie Heyu pushed over a small plate containing a few grilled shrimp with their shells removed, along with a few processed beef skewers.

Yu Wen didn’t have to think to know that Teacher Xie had definitely tried these beforehand, picking out what he thought he could eat.

Teacher Xie had selected the best!

Yu Wen’s face flushed red as he broke into a silly smile, picking at the food. Suddenly, he recalled the earlier conversation with the boy about the theory of ‘good people and people who are good to you’ and teased, “Teacher Xie, if it were someone else, would you also pick out food for them…”

Xie Heyu replied, “People with particular tastes will be taken care of appropriately.”

Yu Wen laughed again, “Teacher Xie, if you said, ‘only care for you’ at this time, it would make others feel like they were being favored, you know.”

Xie Heyu paused for a moment, pondering, “That’s a form of social politeness; there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Yu Wen tilted his body, leaned closer, and pretended to whisper, “Let me tell you secretly, Xiao Yu thinks… it’s particularly good! Our Teacher Xie is just that kind and considerate person.”

Xie Heyu looked at his proud expression and suspected that he was drunk.

With a bit of grease on the corner of his mouth, Xie Heyu took a tissue to wipe it off and gently asked, “Do you want to drink honey water?”

Yu Wen thought for a moment, “Yes~”

So Xie Heyu went to the kitchen and poured him the honey water that had already been prepared.

The two completely didn’t notice that Yi Ming was sitting across from them.

Detective Xiao Ming crossed her arms, glancing at this and that, and her detective instincts triggered.

Something was off, she thought.

Very off.

Driving back to the villa from Yi Ming’s house, it was nearly midnight.

Yu Wen sat in the passenger seat, half asleep.

He woke up when the car stopped, but he felt lazy all over, lacking energy and not wanting to open his eyes.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say he was drunk, but the alcohol still had a certain effect on his body’s functions. Yu Wen felt his mind was clear, but his whole body was hot, and his temples throbbed painfully.

Xie Heyu called him twice, but when he didn’t respond, he got out of the car first.

After waiting for a moment, Yu Wen heard the passenger door being opened, and a clean, refreshing scent, difficult to describe, like a detergent unique to Xie Heyu, washed over him.

“Yu Wen?”

Xie Heyu leaned in close, his voice light and slow, as if afraid of waking him. In the night, a sense of ambiguity and flirtation inexplicably arose.

Yu Wen could feel his breath brushing against his chin, tickling slightly.

He suddenly became nervous.

He remembered the boy’s story, where Zhuang suddenly kissed the boy… Teacher Xie wouldn’t also want to kiss him, would he?

No, no, Teacher Xie was different from Zhuang; Teacher Xie wasn’t that frivolous.

But then again…

A kiss wasn’t out of the question…

Didn’t they say if a kiss isn’t disliked, then it means liking? If a kiss is disliked, it means not liking. If he kissed him, he could get an answer and wouldn’t have to continue this awkwardness with Teacher Xie… It’s better to clarify feelings sooner rather than later…

Click—

Xie Heyu unbuckled his seatbelt.

Yu Wen: “…”

He immediately had a subtle premonition; sure enough, the virtuous Teacher Xie did not exhibit any inappropriate behavior and directly lifted him from the passenger seat.

Yu Wen closed his eyes, thankful he had been drinking and grateful for the deep night, where no one could see his suddenly flushed face.

…What exactly are you thinking, Yu Wen? This is quite embarrassing…

Yu Wen tightly hugged Xie Heyu’s neck, his entire body feeling shy and hot.

The lights in the villa were dim; Chu Han and Xi Su had already returned to their rooms, so Xie Heyu didn’t turn on the lights and carried Yu Wen upstairs.

At the corner of the second floor, in front of Yu Wen’s room, Xie Heyu paused.

He said softly, “Are you awake?”

Yu Wen trembled slightly.

Xie Heyu: “Should I take you in? Or do you want to come down now?”

Being caught pretending to sleep, there’s nothing more embarrassing than this in the world.

Yu Wen buried his head, maintaining the last shred of dignity, pretending to just wake up, rubbing against Xie Heyu’s neck.

“Um… Let me down, Teacher Xie…”

Xie Heyu let him down, and when he withdrew his hand, he pinched the back of his neck, as if to blame him for drinking and making a fool of himself.

Yu Wen felt ticklish and shrunk his neck like a little kitten.

Oh right… He was drunk.

This realization seemed to activate the remaining alcohol in his body, and his mind became a bit hazy. When Xie Heyu told him to enter, he tugged on Xie Heyu’s sleeve and mumbled:

“Kiss me…”

“…”

The corridor was unlit, with moonlight spilling in from outside, creating a frost-white floor. Xie Heyu looked down at him, and Yu Wen’s eyes were bright and clear.

Xie Heyu said, “You’re drunk.”

“…Not drunk.” Yu Wen felt a bit shy, meeting his gaze and then lowering his head as if trying to find a crack in the ground. After a long while, he finally repeated softly, like a mosquito buzzing.

“Kiss me… um—”

Xie Heyu held his chin, pressing him against the wall.

His lips and tongue were warm, even hotter than body temperature. Yu Wen felt as if he were being bitten, then licked, and after licking, the tongue wanted to come in and touch his tongue. The movements could be described as gentle, but there was always a sense of intensity, as if he wanted to bite off his lips.

This is kissing…

Xie Heyu was taller than him. When he kissed him, he half-forcedly pressed his thumb against his jaw, making him tilt his face up. Once he got used to this position, that hand began to stroke the side of his neck, occasionally pressing down on his Adam’s apple boldly.

“No, no, don’t press.” Yu Wen exclaimed like a startled fish, suddenly jerking back, grabbing Xie Heyu’s hand in panic, and saying, “It’s uncomfortable; don’t touch, don’t touch…”

Xie Heyu released his lips and gently pressed their foreheads together. Finally, he stood a bit straighter, looking down at him with deep eyes, as if gazing into a whirlpool.

He asked, “Yu Wen, are you really drunk or pretending?”