RSDH CH29

The continuous chants of “Lady Duan” drifting from the riverbanks were far too massive to ignore. Stepping out of the studio, Cheng Duzhou had only intended to watch the commotion from a distance.

The moment he stepped out of the alleyway, a canopy boat happened to pass through the canal ahead.

The white-clad figure standing at the bow left behind a silhouette that instantly nailed Cheng Duzhou to the spot.

The man’s long hair was tied high, the cascading strands soft and glossy as water. His warm, jade-like nape was neatly framed by the collar of his inner robe. An outer layer draped down his straight, slender back, the hem swaying gently in the wind. A pristine white brocade robe perfectly accentuated his well-proportioned figure, exuding an absolutely breathtaking, peerless grace.

In that fleeting, stunning glimpse, Cheng Duzhou’s mind went entirely blank. He felt as though the azure sky, the gently rippling emerald river, the grey stone slabs—every ounce of beauty in the scenery completely lost its color before that white silhouette.

A frantic palpitation seized his heart, a mixture of profound familiarity laced with a sudden, intoxicating strangeness. It birthed an intense, overwhelming urge, driving him to see exactly what that person looked like from the front.

The riverbanks were packed with spectators, everyone shouting loudly toward the center of the water. With all attention fixed on the moving boat, no one noticed a monk with a full head of hair sprinting after it from behind the crowd.

Cheng Duzhou finally caught up. Seeing the boat about to pass under the bridge, he bounded up the stone steps in two strides and, without a second thought, leaned half his body over the railing to look down.

In that moment, his wish was granted.

Duan Xingye wore a jade crown, his hair neatly swept back, leaving that snow-white, lavishly beautiful face completely exposed. It was a beauty so striking it bordered on brazen.

His eyebrows looked like the delicate strokes of an ink wash painting, and his upturned dark eyes brimmed with vibrant spirit. The lines of his nose were superior and refined, his lips full and colored like blooming roses. Every hue on his face was clean and pure. Clad in that white robe, he was the flawless, elegant young master of a chaotic world.

Cheng Duzhou stared at Duan Xingye without blinking. The closer the boat drifted toward the bridge’s arch, the further his head craned downward, rendering him completely deaf to the deafening screams of the crowd.

The four livestream rooms of Companionship Along the Way captured the scene on the bridge with crystal clarity.

When a man draped in a red kasaya rashly burst into the frame, the viewers froze for a second, only thinking: what a handsome monk.

The monk had thick black hair, and the pure black monk’s robe he wore had been tailored to be narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, his two sleeves fluttering in the wind. A bright red kasaya was draped from one shoulder to the opposite underarm, fastened with a ring clasp. Tall and exuding a commanding, heroic aura, he clearly wasn’t some ordinary temple sweeper, but a grandmaster capable of flooding the Golden Mountain with a single strike.

The monk’s appearance instantly reduced Xu Xian to a background prop. The camera lens locked entirely onto him and the person standing at the bow of the boat.

Black and white. On the bridge and below it. One leaning half his body over the edge, the other standing tall as a pine. Their eyes met.

The livestream absolutely exploded over this scene.

“Ahhh! The ultimate dual gods of historical costumes have just been born in my heart!!!” “I’m begging you two to star in a BL drama! I’m going crazy!” “They are Lu Ye Shu Huai, everyone ship them right now!!!” “God-tier! Absolutely god-tier!” “Duan Xingye looks too ethereal. This is the most perfect embodiment of the phrase ‘the man is like jade, a young master unmatched in this world’ I have ever seen.” “The way that monk is looking at the young master is far from innocent.”

The audience was overly excited, shipping them with a vengeance.

But soon, some viewers snapped back to reality.

“Wake up! That’s Fahai and Bai Suzhen!” “Hahahaha! Why is Fahai staring even more intently than Xu Xian? Whose wife is that under the bridge anyway?” “This monk looks like a total playboy.” “I’m laughing and crying at the same time. I despair at President Cheng’s lack of self-control.” “He lost his mind over his wife’s beauty and is still just staring.” “I’m at the scene. President Cheng literally chased the boat all the way to the bridge just to look at Teacher Duan, I’m dying of laughter.” “I won’t say who Teacher Duan has completely bewitched.”

Hearing the massive uproar from both banks, Duan Xingye didn’t pay it much mind at first. It was only when the canopy boat was about to enter the bridge tunnel that he timed the moment they crossed paths to look up at Jiang Li on the bridge.

Their eyes met, and his heart skipped a beat.

That wasn’t Jiang Li. It was Cheng Duzhou.

Because he had absolutely zero mental preparation, he was genuinely startled.

Cheng Duzhou was equally stunned.

The moment Duan Xingye lifted his long eyelashes and his dark pupils cast a leisurely glance upward, a trace of languid, seductive charm spilled out.

Cheng Duzhou’s heart plunged into chaos.

He’s seducing me.

Snake demon confirmed!

The space under the bridge was pitch-black. Duan Xingye blinked blankly.

Light suddenly broke through the darkness as the boat passed through the tunnel and reached the other side.

He turned his head to look back up at the bridge, wanting to see what exactly was going on.

As a result, a person was still leaning over the upper railing.

It was still Cheng Duzhou.

“…”

The screams from both riverbanks had morphed into a riotous chorus of laughter.

In truth, Cheng Duzhou’s monk attire today exuded a very righteous aura, which, combined with his unparalleled ascetic vibe, made him look both sexy and alluring. But when he stared at Duan Xingye like that, he only reminded everyone of a lecherous scoundrel tailing a respectable married man in broad daylight.

After changing his outfit, Duan Xingye had garnered countless admiring gazes along the way and thought nothing of it, merely focusing on playing his part. But being stared at so intensely by Cheng Duzhou made his face burn uncontrollably.

He felt ashamed on Cheng Duzhou’s behalf, yet that idiot was still staring at him without an ounce of self-awareness.

This bald donkey.

So embarrassing!

Choosing out of sight, out of mind, Duan Xingye turned away and stopped looking at Cheng Duzhou, but he could still feel that scorching gaze poking holes in his spine.

He steadied his breathing twice, ultimately turning his head back. When he opened his mouth, his iron lungs were astonishing, vibrating the water ripples beneath the boat: “Cheng Duzhou, get back here right now!”

The sudden eruption of roaring laughter from both banks echoed through the entire ancient town.

The livestream was bustling with fiery excitement.

Before long, the topic #DuanXingye’sLionRoarDisciplinesHusband climbed the trending charts.

The scene of gazing at each other across the bridge and boat was a modified design by the production team. It was originally meant to be performed by Jiang Li and Duan Xingye. However, because Cheng Duzhou crashed the set, and his gaze toward Duan Xingye was far more on point, the protagonists of this scene were swapped to Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye, and the promotional stills were kept.

Yet once the story’s background was applied, the visual looked entirely like an epic, forbidden romance between Fahai and Bai Suzhen.

Duan Xingye and Jiang Li’s group photo became the umbrella-borrowing scene.

Because it was a gender-swapped version, the character personas had to shift accordingly. They couldn’t shoot Bai Suzhen looking coquettish and feminine, nor could Xu Xian look overly honest and wooden.

Under the camera, Jiang Li, dressed in academy scholar robes, offered the oil-paper umbrella with both hands, her face turned slightly away in a display of shyness. Duan Xingye wore a faint smile, his hands positioned to accept it.

Though Duan Xingye had zero acting experience, he was incredibly photogenic. As long as he didn’t freeze his expression and added a slight smile, those lively, upturned eyes radiated a unique brilliance, making the White Snake feel like a gentle yet slightly wicked noble young master.

Wu Hao, on the other hand, could not integrate well into the role of Xiaoqing.

Initially, he mimicked the Xiaoqing from past TV dramas, walking with floating, swaying steps as if his leg bones were broken and improperly set. Pinching his fingers into an orchid pose, he squeezed his vocal cords and called out to Duan Xingye walking beside him: “Gege~”

Duan Xingye’s brow violently twitched, instantly backing three steps away from him.

The chat typed: Hahahaha! Teacher Duan wants to kick Xiaoqing straight back to the Purple Bamboo Forest!

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter, especially Wu Enqi, who rocked back and forth letting out goose-like honks.

Highly embarrassed, Wu Hao scratched his head and said clumsily, “I feel like it’s a bit hard to grasp.”

Since entertainment was the main goal, the head director told him to just act like his usual self.

So Xiaoqing just became a reckless himbo.

The scenes for Fahai and Xu Xian were the easiest to shoot.

Cheng Duzhou and Jiang Li, a Best Actor and a Best Actress, conveyed intense emotion to the audience through still photos alone, their dramatic tension overflowing.

When it came to Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye’s scene, the viewer count in the livestream visibly spiked.

After experiencing the initial encounter on the arched bridge, everyone was eager to see the pairing of Fahai and Bai Suzhen, though in reality, they were still projecting the real-life married couple onto them.

The two were in the courtyard, shooting a combat scene.

To present a natural movie-still effect, the guests would act out the scene first, allowing the photographer to capture candid shots from the sidelines.

Xiaoqing was supposed to follow Lady White. However, Wu Hao didn’t need to step in, choosing to sit on the sidelines and watch the show.

The couple had already taken their positions. Facing each other, one held a sword, the other held a monk’s staff, their weapons clashing.

The moment the director called “action,” Cheng Duzhou’s demeanor shifted entirely. Fahai’s cold cruelty and unyielding rigidity were portrayed flawlessly. It was exactly like watching the character on a movie screen, creating an unbreakable layer of distance from everyone around him simply by being so exceptionally professional.

Wu Hao marveled at how powerful he was, secretly glad he didn’t have to act opposite Fahai. Compared to a professional, an amateur like him would probably look like they belonged in a completely different genre, destined only to be crushed.

Duan Xingye wasn’t a professional either, but he was completely different.

When acting, Duan Xingye possessed an inexplicable confidence. In terms of sheer aura, he actually fought Cheng Duzhou to a draw, not flinching in the slightest. Furthermore, that face miraculously masked all flaws in his acting technique.

Facing his nemesis, he simply maintained a frosty expression. There was zero love, hate, or vendetta in his eyes, nor was there any instinctual fear of a powerful opponent. Simply put, there was zero acting involved, but his face was just far too beautiful to ignore.

Everyone’s attention was instead drawn to Duan Xingye’s impossibly long eyelashes, his bright, dark pupils, and the wind fluttering through his hair.

“Sorry.”

Suddenly, Cheng Duzhou’s eyes flickered, his imposing aura inexplicably collapsing as he called a halt.

For Cheng Duzhou, who was famous for having the fewest NG (no-good) takes in the industry, this was incredibly rare.

The head director asked blankly, “What’s wrong?”

Lowering his staff, Cheng Duzhou stole a quick glance at Duan Xingye, dropped his gaze, and said, “Let me adjust for a moment.”

The head director checked the time. They had been shooting non-stop all afternoon, and no one had taken a break. Since it was the final set of photos anyway, they paused work to resume shortly.

Duan Xingye pursed his lips in displeasure. He had intended to pass the scene in one take and wrap up early in the freezing cold, but Cheng Duzhou had dropped the ball. Poking the man’s waist repeatedly with his flexible prop sword, he demanded: “What is going on? What is going on? You were fine with everyone else, but you flop when it comes to me. Cheng Duzhou, don’t you dare play games with me.”

He mumbled as he complained, his continuous muttering sounding suspiciously like pouting, prompting the viewers to scream about how cute he was.

The sword was a prop and couldn’t hurt anyone. Pinching the blade with his fingers, Cheng Duzhou pulled the Duan Xingye at the other end right up to his side. Ignoring the people walking back and forth around them, he reached out and pulled him into a full embrace.

Duan Xingye stiffened. Putting aside matters in bed, he and Cheng Duzhou maintained clear boundaries in private, let alone hugging in broad daylight, making him feel highly unaccustomed to it.

But right now, Cheng Duzhou’s chest was warm, driving away the chill, so he gradually relaxed and didn’t push the man away.

Unable to see Cheng Duzhou’s expression, Duan Xingye asked, “What is wrong with you?”

Cheng Duzhou let out a slow, muffled sound, saying softly, “I’m having a little trouble getting into character.”

Duan Xingye paused, then asked, “Tired?”

“Not tired.” Cheng Duzhou shook his head. “I could go back and battle for three hundred rounds.”

“Get lost.” Catching the implication instantly, Duan Xingye moved to push him away.

Refusing to let go, Cheng Duzhou called him: “Duan Xingye.”

“What?” Duan Xingye snapped crossly.

Cheng Duzhou took a deep breath, but his voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, as if he simply couldn’t hold it in any longer: “You look so beautiful…”

Duan Xingye froze slightly, stopping the shoving match between them.

After a moment, his eyelashes trembled, and he raised his voice for no reason: “Of course I know that, do I need you to tell me?”

Plenty of people had told him he was beautiful.

From his very first day in kindergarten, countless people had surrounded him to praise his looks.

It was just that Cheng Duzhou had never been among them.

Perhaps precisely because of this, hearing Cheng Duzhou suddenly praise his beauty made his ears go soft, strangely experiencing a long-lost sense of bashfulness.

Thinking about how beautiful he was—so beautiful that it made Cheng Duzhou chase a boat and forget how to act—he didn’t feel much smugness, only a fierce, burning heat in his chest.

Jiang Li walked in from the main gate just then, asking, “How’s the shoot going?”

Seizing the opportunity, Duan Xingye shoved Cheng Duzhou away and declared without looking back: “Freezing to death. I’m going to put some clothes on.”

Because the photoshoot didn’t use microphones, the audience couldn’t hear the audio, but they saw everything clearly through the livestream.

Xu Xian returned home and entered the courtyard, only for Lady White to suddenly push Fahai away and leave in a slight panic.

Yet Fahai’s face was red, and Lady White was blushing just the same.

The chat commented: “What is this inexplicable thrill of immorality?”

By the time the promo photos were finished, the sky had already gone dark.

Since the general flow of the story had essentially been rehearsed during the afternoon photoshoot, only one or two scenes remained unconfirmed. Bold in their skills, the guests decided to improvise the rest tomorrow.

The production team arranged a dinner featuring the ancient town’s local delicacies. Afterward, everyone returned to their respective homes.

At 9:00 PM, the official Companionship Along the Way Weibo account posted the fully retouched promo stills, soaring to the top of the trending charts in a very short time.

The most discussed photo remained the one of Duan Xingye standing on the boat, looking up to meet Cheng Duzhou’s eyes.

Several fan artists had already drawn watercolor and ink wash versions of that scene based on the afternoon’s livestream, pushing Lu Ye Shu Huai to viral fame outside their usual circles.

“Both have god-tier faces, an absolute perfect match.” “That gaze is truly too fiery.” “Waaah, it’s too sweet.” “You can feel Cheng Duzhou’s love right through the screen.”

Scrolling through the netizens’ comments, Duan Xingye didn’t feel that the way Cheng Duzhou looked at him had anything to do with love.

Tilting his head to lie on his pillow, he asked Cheng Duzhou, who was sitting beside him: “Tell the truth, are you a pervert?”

Cheng Duzhou glanced at him and locked his phone: “Coming, my lady?”

Duan Xingye: “…To do what?”

Cheng Duzhou slid under the covers, acting deeply mysterious: “Help me in my cultivation.”

Disgusted to death, Duan Xingye spat: “Scram, scram, scram, scram, scram!”

…

The next day, Duan Xingye was woken by the sound of water outside.

This was perhaps the only drawback of staying in a riverside guesthouse.

Bright and early in the morning, boatmen were already passing by, and people were washing clothes on the banks.

They were allowed to gather later today, so waking up now felt a bit too early.

His thoughts still somewhat groggy, Duan Xingye rubbed his face with the duvet for a long time. When he finally lifted his head, he happened to see the camera mounted on the table flash twice before the green light turned on.

The livestream had started again.

Duan Xingye didn’t want to bother with it, thankful he had pinned Cheng Duzhou down again last night so the room wouldn’t look like a disaster zone this morning.

Rolling over to turn his back to the camera, he prepared to sleep a little longer, but catching the morning light, he saw Cheng Duzhou’s sleeping face.

Duan Xingye didn’t go back to sleep immediately. His gaze bounced back and forth along the silhouette of the side profile traced by the light.

Duan Xingye’s aesthetic standards were incredibly picky, both visually and in terms of taste. But he had to admit, Cheng Duzhou was quite handsome. Especially his jaw—lean but not overly sharp, with smooth lines. He was handsome and refined in his youth, and full of masculine charm as an adult.

Just as he was watching, Cheng Duzhou suddenly moved. Rolling over, he wrapped an arm around Duan Xingye’s neck and back, skillfully pinning him beneath his body as he turned, without applying too much heavy weight. With one more rotation, they swapped positions, leaving Duan Xingye lying prone atop his broad chest.

“?”

Looking at the man who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, Duan Xingye said, “Are you awake?”

Cheng Duzhou let out a low “Mm,” his voice thick with the nasal tone of someone not fully roused.

“How did you know I was awake?” Feeling awkward lying on top of him, Duan Xingye tried to get off, only to have his waist held tight.

Cheng Duzhou slowly opened his eyes and said, “I felt you looking at me.”

Duan Xingye pursed his lips, unashamed.

Looking at you is a blessing for you.

With his sleepy eyes half-closed, Cheng Duzhou looked at him, his voice slightly hazy: “I had a dream.”

Resting his crossed hands on Cheng Duzhou’s chest and placing his chin over them, Duan Xingye asked: “What was it?”

Cheng Duzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed faintly. “I dreamed you got on a boat, and I kept chasing and chasing you from the shore, but no matter how much I called you, you wouldn’t listen.”

Duan Xingye understood immediately. He was influenced by the promo shoot yesterday.

Then, he naturally recalled the moment he looked up from the boat and saw Cheng Duzhou.

Hanging half his body off the bridge, looking as if he was about to fall off, staring blankly like a silly dog.

“Pfft—”

Suddenly finding it hilarious, Duan Xingye buried his face.

Cheng Duzhou frowned slightly, reaching up to stroke Duan Xingye’s highlighted hair.

He didn’t understand what was so funny. In the dream, he had been so sad he could die.

Lifting his face again, the smile hadn’t completely faded from Duan Xingye’s eyes. The warm morning light refracted in his gaze, sparkling and bright.

In that moment, Cheng Duzhou suddenly wasn’t sad anymore. Watching Duan Xingye resting so trustingly against his chest, his face pristine and beautiful, his smile innocent and pure, his heart suddenly swelled to the brim with soft emotion. He remembered what Duan Xingye had said by the stream yesterday.

“When you smile, the sky warms up.”

Cheng Duzhou’s fingers slid downward to rub Duan Xingye’s soft, fair ear. Hazy with sleep, he felt an overwhelming urge to express something.

He wasn’t a human vibrator. He had feelings too, and his feelings were far, far, far deeper than Duan Xingye ever imagined.

Duan Xingye’s ears suddenly grew hot. Feeling a tickle, he lightly pursed his lips, gradually pulling back his smile.

He wasn’t used to this.

Remembering the livestream was still running, he decided he shouldn’t keep lying on Cheng Duzhou like this. It was improper.

Just as Duan Xingye was about to issue a warning, Cheng Duzhou called out in a low, raspy voice: “Duan Xingye…”

Duan Xingye looked at him: “Hm?”

Meeting those bright dark pupils, before he was even fully awake, Cheng Duzhou’s heart was already pounding fiercely.

When you smile, the sky warms up.

No, his feelings for Duan Xingye were far more intense than that.

Unable to suppress his emotions any longer, they surged out like a flood. Cheng Duzhou said, “When you smile, I get h—”

BEEP—

A ruthless, censoring beep suddenly blared through the livestream.

The chat, eagerly anticipating the rest of the conversation: ???

What did he say?

__

Author’s Note:

President Cheng: Tender romance taking a steep dive into the gutter.