GDRG CH40

The Griffith Observatory at night was nothing like it was in the afternoon. The road leading up and the parking lot were filled with people all over the mountain—most were leaving after watching the sunset, while others were coming up to see the city night view.

Amidst the bobbing heads, the light Windsor blue Bentley became an inconspicuous speck drowned in the crowd.

Xing Jun hated crowded places the most. But walking beside Shi Xueqing, he subconsciously shielded him slightly from the flow of people.

Turning his head for a moment in the exhibition hall, he lost sight of Shi Xueqing, and his heart stopped for a beat.

Fortunately, Shi Xueqing soon popped out from the other side. Xing Jun felt slightly relieved and asked him, “Want to go see the telescope?”

Shi Xueqing shook his head: “Too many people in line.”

True. Xing Jun said, “Then let’s go look from the terrace.”

The terrace was perfect for overlooking the Los Angeles night view. Under the deep purple haze, the myriad twinkling lights of homes looked like a scene from a movie. Xing Jun found a deserted spot and called Shi Xueqing over.

He waved his hand and saw Shi Xueqing standing in the night, eyes watching a few tourists taking photos nearby. His blue shirt seemed about to melt into the night sky.

Like it was about to dissolve away.

Unknowingly, when Shi Xueqing came over, Xing Jun changed his opening line: “Want to take a photo?”

“Rather than photos, what I want to keep more are memories,” Shi Xueqing said reservedly. “Taking tourist photos with a phone is so boring.”

Why is Shi Xueqing suddenly acting pretentious? Xing Jun looked towards those tourists and spotted a boy holding a Leica camera.

His style was a bit like Shi Xueqing’s, but not as good-looking. Shi Xueqing probably saw the other person’s Leica camera and felt a bit of competitive defeat.

Shi Xueqing came over and stood beside Xing Jun.

“Brother Xing, this spot you found is really good.”

Shi Xueqing leaned on the railing, and Xing Jun looked at the misty lights of the City of Angels reflected in the bottom of his eyes.

The world-famous observatory was buzzing with voices, but this quiet little corner belonged only to them. Xing Jun wondered why he had brought Shi Xueqing to the observatory.

Just then, he heard Shi Xueqing say: “Mia, she…”

“What’s your impression of her?”

Shi Xueqing was stunned for a moment. Then, he smiled: “What a coincidence, President Ni’s girlfriend is also named Mia.”

“Many of his influencer girlfriends name themselves after movie heroines. Cecilia, Audrey, Daisy…” Xing Jun said casually.

The one Ni Youwen was dating in LA happened to be named Mia.

Los Angeles had no fairy tales, only endless lanes belonging to luxury cars.
Nor were there any art film protagonists, only fame-seekers using names to flatter themselves.
And sugar daddies covered in the stench of wine, lust, and wealth.

“Next time, you don’t have to come to this kind of dinner. I didn’t intend for you to go, who knew Ni Youwen would chase us home,” Xing Jun thought for a moment and spoke, “Ni Youwen is my high school classmate. His family is very powerful; they helped me a lot when I was fighting for my family inheritance. He is—very useful.”

He is very useful. That was the reason Xing Jun was friends with him. It sounded quite cold.

But why did he suddenly want Shi Xueqing to know the reason he was friends with Ni Youwen?

“Oh…”

“His family is in law. They have people both domestically and abroad. If you have lawsuits in the future…”

Xing Jun paused again. He suddenly realized he didn’t want Shi Xueqing to have any contact with Ni Youwen.

In the past, Xing Jun made friends strictly following the principle of “usefulness.” He knew Ni Youwen’s private life was messy, but since it didn’t affect their business dealings, he didn’t feel much about it.

But now, he suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

This discomfort had gradually accumulated after Ni Youwen came to his house, building up into this belated unhappiness.

“I have a more professional friend. If you have lawsuits in the future, I’ll introduce you to him.”

The words changed on the tip of his tongue. Xing Jun thought of another classmate who studied law during his undergraduate years. That person had an upright style and, like his past self, had been single until now.

“Mmn.”

Shi Xueqing nodded. He seemed to be listening very seriously, but also seemed to be only looking at the night view, lacking interest in these words.

Don’t bring him out to eat with Ni Youwen in the future. Other similar friends too. Xing Jun leaned on the railing, continuing to think this way.

He had a partnership with Ni Youwen; Shi Xueqing didn’t.

He glanced at Shi Xueqing’s profile again. Two people leaning on the same railing, yet clearly harboring two different minds.

What is Shi Xueqing thinking about right now?
What did Shi Xueqing mean when he mentioned the movie just now?

The wind was vast, the night hung low. In this deserted little corner, Xing Jun suddenly felt Shi Xueqing was very far from him.

Even though they had already been bed partners for half a month.

…

Shi Xueqing leaned on the railing looking at the scenery, his mind completely absent from Xing Jun’s words. In his heart, this pile of investors, lawyers, companies, and cooperation matters were all very distant from him.

Although he didn’t understand why Xing Jun thought of bringing him to the observatory to play, Shi Xueqing’s advantage lay in always enjoying the moment. The dinner just now was thrown to the back of his mind; he finally got to see his dream nighttime observatory.

Unfortunately, the nighttime observatory was also different from his imagination.

Closest to him were noisy human voices and other people taking photos. Languages from various countries mixed together.

Shi Xueqing wanted to hum a song alone at the villa entrance, but here, he couldn’t hum it out. Perhaps some things were just like this; living in imagination was more beautiful than in reality.

If only Xing Jun had the money to book this whole area, letting just the two of them play here, Shi Xueqing thought melancholically. Xing Jun spoke little; he could pretend he was here alone, lonely watching the lights of Los Angeles at night.

Very artistic.

Lights blazed on the ground; stars twinkled in the sky. The sea of stars on earth and the sea of stars in the sky merged in his eyes. In this vast night, Shi Xueqing thought, the movie heroine wore a yellow dress here.

His blue top didn’t quite match this place; better not take photos.

Besides, there were so many people here, not artistic at all.

But when leaving the observatory, Shi Xueqing regretted it again. He saw a few chubby Latino people filming a video nearby, imitating the dancing scene from the movie. They weren’t very good-looking, and their movements weren’t standard, but their smiling faces were quite youthful and enthusiastic.

Shi Xueqing envied them for a moment, imagined himself in their place, and then sobered up.

If his weight skyrocketed to that number, he’d rather die.
Besides, Shi Xueqing was quite proud of his fair skin.

Shi Xueqing was really too embarrassed to tell Xing Jun that he also wanted to film a video, especially since he had just rejected Xing Jun’s invitation to take photos, acting like an artistic pretender.

The observatory closed at ten o’clock. After getting into the car, Shi Xueqing lamented in his heart that his photo plan was completely ruined.

Unexpectedly, the car engine started for a second, then stopped.

?

“Get out and take a walk with me,” Xing Jun said.

Shi Xueqing didn’t understand but followed him down the mountain. Xing Jun walked in front, seeming to be looking for something.

After a while, Xing Jun stopped.

“Take a photo for me,” Xing Jun said.

Xing Jun handed over his phone, but Shi Xueqing didn’t take it. He stared blankly at the bench in front of him.

The bench and the night view behind it looked exactly like they were dug out of the movie; even the tree next to it was identical.

And, perhaps because it was too late, there were no other tourists around.

“You want to take a photo?” Shi Xueqing said, only realizing how silly that sounded after saying it.

“Mmn.”

Xing Jun actually didn’t want to take photos. He watched Shi Xueqing pick up the camera, his body pausing, wondering if he should learn the dance from the movie.

Would this make Shi Xueqing relax a bit? He always felt the look in Shi Xueqing’s eyes when watching those young people dance was full of envy.

Just as he reached out his hand, he heard Shi Xueqing say: “Hey hey, put your hand over there, it doesn’t look good posing like this.”

Xing Jun: …
Forget it. He wasn’t good at dancing anyway.

Xing Jun posed under Shi Xueqing’s guidance. The first two looked like a corpse, but the later ones were not bad. Shi Xueqing looked at the photos he took, getting more and more satisfied, thinking his photography skills weren’t bad compared to influencers.

Xing Jun looked so handsome in his photos, like a solemn noble son.

His finger unconsciously tapped on Xing Jun’s face in the photo. Compared to Ni Youwen, Xing Jun was much more handsome. Just as Shi Xueqing was thinking this, he heard Xing Jun say: “Go stand over there, I’ll take photos for you.”

“…”

Shi Xueqing couldn’t hold back the joy in his heart for a moment. He could take photos!

And taking them here was even more cinematic!

Shi Xueqing tidied his hair and ran over hurriedly. Xing Jun held the phone, thinking that compared to himself, Shi Xueqing indeed knew how to pose much better.

He took several photos of Shi Xueqing from the front and side, adjusting the frame under Shi Xueqing’s guidance to make his legs look longer. Xing Jun actually wanted to say Shi Xueqing’s legs were already long enough; any longer and the proportions would be wrong.

But he didn’t say it. As long as Shi Xueqing was happy.

After a while, he said as if unintentionally: “Do you know how to tap dance?”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t the hero and heroine in the movie dance here?”

Shi Xueqing looked at him foolishly: “Brother Xing, you want to dance with me?”

Xing Jun couldn’t help laughing.

“You dance, I’ll film a video for you. Later, you can edit a vlog,” Xing Jun said seriously.

To misunderstand like that, Shi Xueqing is too cute.

“I don’t remember how they danced in the movie… let me check Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book). Why does my phone have no signal?”

“Let me check mine,” Xing Jun said.

The signal on the mountain wasn’t good. They first stood flipping through their phones, then sat together on that stone bench. Below the mountain was the sea of lights of Los Angeles; above was the vast galaxy.

And they were flipping through phones together.

Doing the most trend-following thing possible. Yet, they seemed to turn this thing into a small, important matter belonging only to them.

Heads bowed, backs to the sparse passing traffic, in the hazy night, giving the illusion that their heads were touching.

Shi Xueqing ultimately didn’t have a talent for dancing. But after filming for over ten minutes, there was at least one clip that was usable.

Until the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, walking back to the car with his phone and Xing Jun, Shi Xueqing was still excited.

“Brother Xing, we’re so lucky, there’s actually no one else here today.” Shi Xueqing became a bit chatterbox-y. “We filmed for more than half an hour and no one else came.”

Xing Jun gave an “Mmn,” not knowing what to say to add to the fun. Just as they got into the car, Shi Xueqing suddenly sighed as if thinking of something.

“What’s wrong?” Xing Jun said.

“What a pity, Brother Xing.” Shi Xueqing sat in the passenger seat, his posture elegant and refined. “If someone had passed by, they could have taken a photo of us together.”

Xing Jun: …
Liar. Shi Xueqing didn’t think not taking a photo together was a regret at all, did he?

He glanced at Shi Xueqing. Shi Xueqing looked at him, eyes seeming very sincere.

Forget it. It was already good enough that Shi Xueqing remembered to be professional when he was happy, putting in the effort to coax him.

Shi Xueqing hadn’t posted on Instagram for a few days since arriving in Los Angeles. Today in the car, he finally couldn’t resist, seizing the twenty-minute drive to post one. In the post, there was expensive food from the restaurant that night, and photos taken at the observatory.

He didn’t post the dancing video. He felt it was a bit too childish and trend-following.

And videos were hard to Photoshop. Even so, after posting on Instagram, he still watched that dancing video back and forth several times.

Even as Instagram like notifications popped up one by one. Usually, Shi Xueqing preferred patrolling these proofs of being liked.

He was so happy that he only reacted after returning home. It was past eleven at night, and Xing Jun went to shower. Sitting on the sofa, he suddenly realized Xing Jun had taken photos for him for over half an hour today, but Xing Jun himself barely had any photos taken.

Is this something a sugar daddy should do?

Shi Xueqing suddenly felt quite embarrassed. He ran to the bathroom door, planning to give Xing Jun a kiss when he came out, a token service.

“What are you doing standing at the door?”

“Xing…”

Shi Xueqing’s “Brother Xing” got stuck in his throat.

Probably discovering him outside, Xing Jun didn’t wear a bathrobe, only wrapping a towel around his waist to open the door. Water droplets flowed down Xing Jun’s perfectly lined muscles, following his abs all the way into the towel.

The wheat-colored skin had a honey-like texture under the light.

“…” Looking at those strong muscles, Shi Xueqing’s Adam’s apple suddenly moved.

Then, his face turned beet red.

What’s happening? Is my sexual orientation really hopeless? He actually thought Xing Jun’s muscles were so beautiful, and even thought of the feeling of his lower abdomen being pressed against by Xing Jun’s abs.

Does Xing Jun have muscles near his crotch? Every time he felt it hurt so much being hit there.

Shi Xueqing unconsciously looked down, and after realizing what he did, his face almost burned up.

He heard Xing Jun chuckle low. Fortunately, Xing Jun didn’t tease him this time.

“It’s too late today. I have a morning meeting tomorrow,” Xing Jun said. “Go shower, rest early, we’ll talk tomorrow.”

Shi Xueqing responded inarticulately and ran to shower. Xing Jun watched his back, knowing he actually had a physical reaction.

But for some reason, perhaps because he met Ni Youwen and his partner tonight, Xing Jun didn’t feel like doing it that much in his heart.

At least stop for a day. Shi Xueqing was quite happy today.

He glanced at his phone by the way. His assistant had sent him a message. While on the observatory, the things he asked the assistant to buy had been shipped.

They would arrive at the villa by noon tomorrow.

Xing Jun also scrolled through Xiaohongshu—after keeping Shi Xueqing, he actually started looking at Xiaohongshu too. After a while, he thought for a moment and sent another message to his assistant.

“Buy one of these too.”

Just after he sent the message, Shi Xueqing came back.

Shi Xueqing came back acting a bit awkward. While showering, he kept thinking about his reaction just now. The rich guy’s technique was so lousy; he couldn’t have developed a taste for it (“eating marrow and knowing the taste”), right?

Shi Xueqing had no way of knowing how Xing Jun’s technique compared to others. After all, he had only ever been with Xing Jun.

He shrank down next to Xing Jun and lay down, peeking at Xing Jun quietly. Xing Jun put down his phone and looked at him too.

His body trembled a little.

“Stay home tomorrow noon; there’s a delivery to sign for. If you want to go out and play in the afternoon, just go,” Xing Jun said.

An arm hugged him. Shi Xueqing was already prepared, quietly spreading his legs a little.

But Xing Jun just simply hugged him.

“?”

“Sleep early.” Xing Jun patted his head, letting him bury his face in his chest. “By the way, about Mia…”

Shi Xueqing pricked up his ears. He heard Xing Jun continue: “If you feel uncomfortable, don’t associate with her.”

“I didn’t…” Shi Xueqing didn’t understand why Xing Jun said “uncomfortable.” He wanted to appear understanding.

“You are different from her,” Xing Jun said, then added, “Ni Youwen has a foul mouth; ignore him.”

“He didn’t say anything either, just said I was the one with you in Hawaii.” Although Shi Xueqing didn’t understand, he felt this was a good chance to act cute. And he really didn’t think Ni Youwen said anything foul to him.

This time Xing Jun paused. Shi Xueqing buried in his arms, groggy and about to sleep.

Before sleeping, the night view from the observatory floated in his mind.

Although crowded with people, it was still quite beautiful.

Just then, he heard Xing Jun say a sentence:

“I am only keeping you.”

Shi Xueqing was drowsy, only thinking: Why is Xing Jun telling me this?

As long as the money is enough, Xing Jun can keep three or five; it doesn’t matter to me.

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