FLME Ch61

When Xie Heyu asked this, Yu Wen instantly froze.

Truly drunk, or pretending to be drunk?

It was true, yet also false. He didn’t have his usual rationality and effortless composure; his head was woozy and heavy, but he clearly knew what he was doing.

That’s right, it was on purpose… Honesty is a beautiful human virtue. Just close your eyes, open them, and admit it. After admitting it, just run—the door is right behind you anyway… Yu Wen muttered to himself in his head, continuously gathering his courage.

Silence and awkwardness spread through the corridor.

Just as he parted his lips to speak, Xie Heyu, having not received an answer, suddenly lifted his chin again, and those damp lips descended once more.

Having just kissed, their lips were as soft as cotton, carrying a damp, moist warmth—whether it was saliva or breath, it was hard to tell. Amidst the lingering movements, Yu Wen found the rhythm. With his eyes slightly open, through the shadows of his eyelashes, he saw Xie Heyu’s features mere inches away.

Teacher Xie was dressed in his trendy streetwear again today. A dark stud adorned his left earlobe, looking incredibly handsome.

Yu Wen remembered the bus stop where they first met.

It was raining that day, the air damp and heavy. The cool guy waiting for the bus handed him an umbrella. At the time, he thought, This cool guy has real personality, and also, he’s a really good person.

Free favors are the hardest to repay, and good people are the ones you absolutely shouldn’t mess with.

If you ever let the latter down, guilt will take root, clinging to you like a disease in the bone for the rest of your life.

Give and take; if someone respects me an inch, I repay them ten feet. This was Yu Wen’s philosophy in navigating the world.

Up until now, he had kept a clear mental tally of everyone who had been good to him, and he had different ways of repaying them. Xie Jiamao? Simple. Work hard to make money, work hard to become famous, and help the boss fulfill his dream of breaking into the Fortune 500. Chu Han? Also simple. Keep an eye on his dynamics with Feng Chengzhou and always have a small shovel ready—if Teacher Chu was ever unhappy, he’d flip that guy surnamed Feng over with one scoop. Xi Su, Yi Ming… they were all mingling in the same circle, and there would always be opportunities to return their favors in the future.

Only Xie Heyu was different.

Only Teacher Xie was different.

He wasn’t an industry insider, so he didn’t need Yu Wen’s resources; he came from a good family background, so he didn’t need to worry about his future; even his salary wasn’t managed by Yu Wen, and giving him a bonus had no official justification…

Teacher Xie’s favors were incredibly difficult to repay.

If you added romantic feelings on top of those favors… then it was over. Yu Wen felt he’d be indebted to Teacher Xie for a lifetime.

While his mind was wandering, Yu Wen suddenly felt Teacher Xie take a step toward him. As he pressed closer and closer, the space to move became increasingly confined, and even the air grew thin. He snapped back to his senses and reached up to grab Xie Heyu’s hand.

This kiss was lasting entirely too long.

When Xie Heyu finally let go, Yu Wen even felt his lips tingling. His head was spinning—dizzier than when he was drunk—as if he lacked oxygen.

Yu Wen felt a bit unsteady on his feet.

He wanted to bury his head directly into Xie Heyu’s chest and let Xie Heyu support his entire limp body. But that wouldn’t do; he still hadn’t made things clear.

So, with the back of his head pressed against the wall, he tilted his head back, panting rapidly like a dying fish.

Xie Heyu nuzzled his cheek. His gaze was dark and heavy, and just as he was about to lean down for a third kiss, Yu Wen hastily shrank back, grabbing his wrist with unconcealed fluster.

Can’t kiss anymore.If we kiss again, the skin is going to break.

Xie Heyu paused in place. A moment later, he carefully leaned in, his movements slow and gentle, pressing a soothing kiss to Yu Wen’s cheek.

Seeing that he didn’t resist, Xie Heyu nuzzled the tip of his nose again, before dropping a feather-light kiss onto the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye.

Yu Wen dazedly enjoyed the tender affection.

“Yu Wen, truly drunk, or pretending?” Xie Heyu asked again.

Ah?

In that split second, perhaps because Xie Heyu’s dark pupils were too oppressive, Yu Wen’s mouth suddenly slipped.

“H-Half drunk.”

He regretted it the moment it left his mouth. What’s wrong with you, Yu Wen? How did you become so dishonest…

Xie Heyu didn’t seem angry. He had always been like this, giving Yu Wen ample time to adjust in this regard. Hearing this, he merely nodded slightly and took a few steps back. Aside from a slightly husky voice, he looked completely unlike someone who had just been making out.

“Get some good rest. Go inside.”

Xie Heyu stood in the hallway, watching him return to his room.

Only after entering the room did Yu Wen snap back to reality—Wait? How did it develop like this?!

He, he… he was supposed to ask him out!

Yu Wen calmed down and slapped his own mouth in frustration over his failure to meet expectations. Dishonest!

The slap actually hurt. Yu Wen went to the bathroom to check the mirror and realized the skin on the corner of his mouth was already broken.

No wonder it hurt.

He took an absentminded shower. Coming out, he lay on the bed, picked up his phone, and saw a few messages from Xie Heyu.

Yu Wen grew nervous. He poked into the chat and opened them—[Don’t shower for too long, be careful not to faint], [Send me a message when you’re done washing], [Blow dry your hair].

…?

That’s it?

Yu Wen touched the damp ends of his hair, feeling a guilty conscience. He muttered, “How did he know I didn’t blow dry my hair? Did he secretly install cameras? Or maybe he didn’t leave and is eavesdropping outside my door…”

The final guess was incredibly absurd.

The usual Yu Wen would think he was crazy, but the current Yu Wen felt it made perfect sense.

Two minutes later, he opened his room door. Like a true detective, he cautiously poked his head out, quickly glancing left and then right.

Nobody was there…

Oh, wait, there was one person.

Yu Wen slowly turned his head and locked eyes with Xi Su, who was standing at the top of the stairs with a look of utter astonishment.

Yu Wen: “What are you doing here?”

Xi Su: “I came downstairs to get water, and I saw you here, uh, performing some performance art…”

As expected, being near vermilion makes one red. Xi Su’s vocabulary was getting more sophisticated by the day.

Yu Wen curled his lip in disinterest. “Go drink your water then.” Saying that, he turned to head back to his room.

“Wait a sec.” Xi Su scratched his head and said, “Are you under too much work pressure lately? If you’re too embarrassed to say it, I can go talk to your manager? Tell him to accept fewer gigs for you…”

Yu Wen didn’t say a word for a long time.

Then, he mumbled a sentence that left Xi Su completely baffled.

“That’s my manager, I don’t need you to talk to him…”

Xi Su: “?”

He watched Yu Wen close the door and sighed inwardly. Work really does drive people crazy. Look at this colleague, he’s lost his mind.

Yu Wen blow-dried his hair and lay back down on the bed.

He stared blankly at the WeChat conversation box.

After a long while, he tentatively typed a few words: [Wanna date…]

No, too frivolous.

Deleted it.

Typed again: [Actually, I wasn’t drunk tonight…]

No.Just saying he wasn’t drunk was too flimsy.

How should he say it?

He had to tell Xie Heyu why he changed his mind. Bringing out his true feelings was the only way to show sincerity. Back when Teacher Xie confessed, he poured his heart out and laid everything bare. Naturally, Yu Wen had to make his own feelings clear too…

Where should he start…

Yu Wen tossed and turned until the latter half of the night. The alcohol and sleepiness hit him simultaneously, and he drifted off in a daze. The phone dropped beside his pillow as he sprawled out. Fortunately, the blanket was covering him, so he didn’t catch a cold.

Waking up the next morning, his head hurt a bit, but he felt refreshed.

He had work today—he needed to shoot the character posters for Moonlight Harbor. Xie Heyu had messaged him early in the morning to remind him, preparing to drive him over. Yu Wen saw it but didn’t reply.

He still had his painstakingly crafted true feelings sitting in the draft box! If he replied, what if his true feelings got deleted?

…Okay, those were all excuses. He was just feeling a bit shy.

Going downstairs, Xie Heyu’s car was parked at the entrance. He was leaning against the hood, looking down at his phone.

Yu Wen smiled and bounded down the steps, feeling the weather was quite nice today—the sky was blue, the breeze was cool.

Noticing the commotion, Xie Heyu looked up just as the rear window rolled down. Xiao Zhou poked her head out and smiled in greeting. “Teacher Yu.”

Yu Wen executed a flawless ten-point landing and froze dead in front of the steps.

Xiao Zhong followed suit, poking his head out enthusiastically. “Teacher Yu, time for work!”

Yu Wen hadn’t had many gigs a while ago, and since Xie Heyu could handle things alone, he had given the two assistants half a month off. Yu Wen had completely forgotten they existed.

Yu Wen’s expression didn’t change, freezing for a moment before walking forward. He looked alive, but inside, he was already dead from awkwardness.

Thank goodness he held back earlier and didn’t act coquettishly with Teacher Xie.

…Thank goodness he didn’t say anything he shouldn’t have.

The journey was quite long. Yu Wen originally planned to talk to Xie Heyu face-to-face in the car, but with Xiao Zhong and Xiao Zhou there, he felt too embarrassed.

Xie Heyu opened the passenger door. Before getting in, Yu Wen grasped the car door, casting him a hesitant look. Their hands touched on the door, and Yu Wen subconsciously hooked his pinky around Xie Heyu’s.

Then he was caught.

Xie Heyu grabbed his hand and quickly let go. The process was brief, but the pad of his finger seemed to teasingly brush across Yu Wen’s palm.

That face remained as emotionless as ever. Yu Wen almost suspected it was just his imagination.

Getting into the car, Yu Wen thought hesitantly: Did we… hold hands just now?

In front of Xiao Zhong and Xiao Zhou, he couldn’t ask. Halfway through the ride, unable to hold back, he turned around and asked the two assistants: “Did you not enjoy your vacation?”

Xiao Zhong grinned. “Of course we enjoyed it! But the vacation is over, so we’re back to work, accompanying Teacher Yu on your explosive rise to fame.”

“…Thanks,” Yu Wen replied politely. Then, clinging to the passenger seat, he said with a serious face: “I’ll give you another half-month off, okay?”

The car fell into a momentary silence.

Xie Heyu looked at him through the rearview mirror. The corners of his mouth uncontrollably ticked upward for a second before being suppressed by his formidable emotion management skills.

Teacher Xie reverted to an expressionless face.

“I understand, Teacher Yu,” Xiao Zhou said solemnly. “This is a test for us, right? Don’t worry, Xiao Zhou is absolutely not a lazy glutton! You can trust me completely!”

Xiao Zhong chimed in with agreement.

Yu Wen couldn’t get through to them. As the conversation went on, the two even began to suspect Yu Wen was trying to fire them, their eyes welling with tears.

“Forget it,” Yu Wen said listlessly. “Having employees like you is the company’s blessing.”

Failing to give the two assistants a vacation, Yu Wen barely spoke for the rest of the trip. He huddled in his seat, occasionally looking at the scenery outside the window, occasionally peeking at Xie Heyu.

Every time he peeked, Teacher Xie would accurately catch his gaze in the rearview mirror. Then Yu Wen would perform eight hundred movements in a minute, making himself look incredibly busy.

Getting out of the car, Yu Wen stood in front of Xie Heyu. Xiao Zhong and Xiao Zhou stood right beside him like left and right guardians, making it impossible for him to squeeze out a single word.

“…Are you really not coming in with me?” After a long while, he finally stammered out this sentence.

Xie Heyu said, “The shoot is starting soon. I’m going to discuss your call sheet with Director Miao. Xiao Zhou and Xiao Zhong will stick with you.”

Yu Wen had nothing to say to that. After hesitating for a moment, he said to him, “Then wait for me in the car. I might come out halfway through; I have something I want to tell you…”

Then, escorted by Xiao Zhou and Xiao Zhong, he turned and headed toward the studio. The two assistants, fresh off their vacation, were bursting with energy, marching proudly and confidently, as if they were going to accept an award.

“I might not come out—” Halfway there, Yu Wen ran back. The wind ruffled his hair, his eyes shining brightly as he added to Xie Heyu, “I might not have time to come out. What I want to say, I might just text you.”

Xie Heyu didn’t speak, just stared at him intently.

Seeing no reply, Yu Wen had no choice but to leave first. When he was far away, Xie Heyu stood in place, took out his phone, and slowly typed three words into the chat box:

[I wanna kiss…]

Inappropriate.

Deleted it.

After deleting it, he put the phone back in his pocket and pinched the bridge of his nose.

There were two VIP guests in the studio today.

Dozens of photos were spread across the coffee table by the lounge sofa. The assistant director was trying to pick out a face capable of taking on the male lead role from these photos. He agonized over it for a long time, finally picking one out and handing it to the man next to him.

Feng Chengzhou took one look and said, “No good. This guy used to get into flame wars with netizens online. Lots of profanity, a very rich dark history. He could collapse in a scandal at any moment.”

The assistant director picked another one. President Feng said, “This guy has a DUI. He’s a legal liability.”

On another sofa, Bian Ce was reviewing a massive stack of profiles on male celebrities in the domestic entertainment industry. The company had practically stripped these artists down to their underwear. Any information that netizens could possibly dig up was printed on these files.

Bian Ce flipped through them one by one, filtering out the ones that barely passed the bar and handing them to Feng Chengzhou.

After the incident with Best Actor Zhuang, all major production companies were on high alert and much more cautious in their casting. At the very least, anyone with a criminal record was an absolute no-go.

Feng Chengzhou was even more extreme. He practically dug up eight generations of their ancestors. Anyone whose resume wouldn’t pass a civil service background check didn’t pass his bar.

Yi Ming hid by the door, poking her head out, quietly scrutinizing the expressions of the people inside.

Yu Wen spotted her instantly and asked, “Why aren’t you going in…”

“Shhh—”

Yi Ming solemnly made a hushing gesture and whispered, “I’m afraid President Feng is going to fire me…”

When she said that, Yu Wen also pursed his lips, his expression turning subtle.

Putting it that way, would he and Yi Ming get fired as a package deal?

Although the Best Actor Zhuang incident wasn’t started by them, they were the ones who forcefully fanned the flames and even openly confronted him. Now the director had no choice but to recast the male lead…

“Second Master, I learned a principle last night: running away is useless. A person must be honest.” Yu Wen kept a straight face, acting entirely serious.

Yi Ming: “You mean…”

Yu Wen: “Let’s go in and admit our mistakes.”

Yi Ming thought about it. Makes sense.

“You go first.”

Yu Wen: “…”

Feng Chengzhou said, “Does Director Miao not have a backup male lead?”

The assistant director sighed helplessly. “We do, but the backup’s acting isn’t up to par. Director Miao’s intention is still to choose from the skilled actors. Even if their looks don’t perfectly match, their acting has to pass the test.”

The corner of Feng Chengzhou’s eye twitched. He continued to look down and flip through the files, but his peripheral vision caught two dawdling figures.

He looked up to see Yu Wen and Yi Ming hugging the wall, inching toward them at a speed of half a step per second.

“Do you two… really like this wall?” Feng Chengzhou asked, perplexed.

Seeing that they were spotted, Yu Wen didn’t hide anymore. He exchanged a glance with Yi Ming, encouraged each other, stood at attention in front of the three of them, and began to admit their mistakes.

Yu Wen: “President Feng, for the past few days, Xiao Yu has been unable to sleep at night, reflecting on my mistakes, often feeling anxious…”

Yi Ming: “We were wrong.”

Yu Wen: “Regarding the matter with Teacher Best Actor, Second Master and I were truly inconsiderate, causing you trouble…”

Yi Ming: “We are very sorry.”

Yu Wen: “We hope you will give us another chance. Xiao Yu will engrave this mistake in his heart and never commit it again…”

Yi Ming: “Don’t fire us.”

Seeing Yu Wen about to speak again, Feng Chengzhou hastily said, “Stop, stop, stop, don’t say anymore. I’m scared of you.”

Watching their nervous and cramped expressions, Bian Ce couldn’t help but laugh. He rolled up a few files and lightly tapped each of them on the head. “So you know you caused trouble, huh? Choosing a male lead is secondary. Did you know that when you two stepped forward, how many marketing accounts out there started saying there was discord in the cast? Good thing our President Feng has money and managed to suppress it financially.”

The assistant director smiled at them. “Replacing the lead actor isn’t your fault. It’s his own misconduct, don’t blame yourselves for it. Alright, come over here. Help me see which of these faces can play ‘Fu Mingshen’.”

Yu Wen: “You’re not firing us?”

Feng Chengzhou raised an eyebrow. “You’re Director Miao’s precious little sweetie-pie, who would dare fire you?”

Yi Ming: “And me?”

Feng Chengzhou: “Director Miao’s other precious little sweetie-pie.”

Yu Wen rejoiced and immediately wanted to unleash a barrage of rainbow farts on Feng Chengzhou. The Crown Prince warned vigilantly, “If it’s more than three words, don’t say it.”

Yu Wen: “…Thank you, sir.”

Exactly three words.

The shoot hadn’t started yet, so the two sat down to help pick candidates. In reality, they were mostly just making up the numbers. The moment Yi Ming saw those detailed files, she completely immersed herself in the joy of eating melon, completely forgetting the task.

As for Yu Wen, he was absentminded.

He asked the assistant director when the shoot would start and learned it could begin at any moment, so he gave up on the idea of going out to find Xie Heyu.

He opened the WeChat chat box and continued to delete and edit.

[First of all, I am very honored to be liked by you, Teacher Xie.

I assume my reaction on the day you confessed hurt your heart, so I specifically want to clarify here: I was flustered and panicked at the time. It wasn’t disgust; I just didn’t know how to react in the moment. Looking back now, even if you had asked to date then, I wouldn’t have rejected you. Maybe I would have run away, maybe I would have asked for a few days to think about it… but I wouldn’t have rejected you.

Because I like you too.]

In the car.

Xie Heyu had finished discussing the call sheet. It was still early. He sat in the driver’s seat spacing out for a bit, suddenly remembered something, opened the glove compartment, and took out a small paper boat folded from an old newspaper.

The paper boat was neatly folded and well-preserved. It was left behind in his car from the time Yu Wen accompanied him to paint the company walls.

It was hidden very deeply, just like his feelings.

Xie Heyu unfolded the paper boat, then folded it back together.

He thought absentmindedly, It really was hidden too deeply… Teacher Xiao Yu never noticed it once.

Boiling a frog in warm water shouldn’t be like this.

It seemed… he hadn’t turned up the heat at all.

[I often ask for your accessories, but I never wear them. Even knowing those styles don’t suit me, I still keep asking you for them. Why is that?

I thought about it for a long time. Liking your style and liking you as a person perhaps coexist simultaneously.

Every time you appear, my heart skips a beat. My liking you was just a matter of time.]

Xie Heyu’s fingers flew nimbly, unfolding and refolding the paper hat, his movements growing faster and faster.

If he kept hiding it and let Teacher Xiao Yu recover his senses, the warm water… might just boil them into bros.

Whether it’s a rejection or an acceptance…

He had to ask.

[Hahaha, maybe I’m sounding a bit melodramatic, mm… In short, and to sum it all up, I just want to tell you, I actually really like you.]

Snap—

Xie Heyu pulled open the glove compartment, shoved the paper boat inside, picked up his phone, and typed out a line of text.

Yu Wen typed out the final sentence: [Wanna date?]

His finger hovered over the send button, hesitating to press it.

Ding-dong—

A new message suddenly popped up in the chat box.

Xie Heyu: [Date?]

Yu Wen’s heartbeat abruptly skipped a beat. After a long while, he reacted, put the phone down, and gently covered his face.

The tips of his ears, exposed to the air, were already bleeding red.

He caught his breath for a moment, picked up his phone again, and typed a single word with lofty, cold elegance:

[Mm.]