RBNR Ch50: Two years had passed

In late December, Qin Bao announced the official establishment of his personal studio.

At the same time, news surfaced online about Qin Bao joining the sci-fi movie “Echoes” as the second male lead.

The movie had been in preparation for many years. The first male lead was an established veteran actor chosen since the script was written, while the second male lead had long been determined to be a well-known young actor. However, due to its grand scale and expensive special effects, the project had been postponed multiple times.

When the project resumed, the second male lead was suddenly replaced by Qin Bao, causing a heated discussion online.

[What the heck? Replacing a talented actor with a model? Has the crew gone mad?]

[I was really looking forward to it, but now forget it. Thanks for saving me the ticket money. 【smile】]

[Waited for six years, and now you’re doing this to such an important role?]

[【Eating melon】When Lü Rui and Qin Bao met last time, original fans should have been cautious.]

[Why replace the second male lead? If you have to replace him, at least get an actor. Can a model act?]

[Insider info 【whisper】, actually LR and QB kicked the original actor out. Guess why they made this sudden change?]

[Who does QB think he is, being so arrogant? He’s just a model, right?]

These comments infuriated Xiao Xu and Jin Si, prompting them to register small accounts to fight back.

Jin Si was displeased. “It’s clear that guy ditched the crew, so how is it our Bao who stole his role?”

Xiao Xu typed furiously on the keyboard. “Yeah, it’s infuriating. Sister Lü herself approached Bao. She said he fit the role, and we participated in a fair audition, getting selected by the director. These people are just mean!”

Brother Lu, standing behind them, said helplessly, “Can you two handle so many people with just four hands?”

Xiao Xu got up angrily. “I’m going to hire some online warriors! Bao, sign off on this so I can get finance to approve the payment!”

Qin Bao, having just finished his acting class, was lying on a lounge chair by the window, resting with his eyes closed. “…No.”

Xiao Xu turned to Brother Lu for help. “Brother Lu—”

“Ignore it. Let’s focus on our work. Letting them talk creates buzz.” Brother Lu said, “I’ll contact the crew later and ask them to make a statement. We won’t take the hit for nothing.”

Xiao Xu muttered, “Why isn’t Bao worried at all?”

Brother Lu chuckled. “He’s been like this since he debuted. Haven’t you noticed, being his assistant for so long?”

Xiao Xu knew Qin Bao’s personality well, so she reluctantly gave up.

With Brother Lu joining, the studio was finally getting on track.

Brother Lu had watched Qin Bao grow up and knew his temperament and habits, making their cooperation smooth. Qin Bao’s departure from SISI had been contentious, so he never expected Brother Lu to come.

For someone like Brother Lu, who had worked at SISI for over a decade, leaving and following a young artist just starting out wasn’t an easy decision.

Qin Bao was short on people, and Feng Chengyu knew this, so Qin Bao’s first thought was that Feng Chengyu must have said something to persuade Brother Lu, leading to his big decision.

But Brother Lu denied it: “Really, no, it wasn’t your husband. I just know you two are married, but I’ve never met him. I’d feel my legs going weak if I saw him.”

This was true; Feng Chengyu indeed didn’t have the time.

Only then did Qin Bao dismiss his doubts. Knowing how strong-willed Feng Chengyu was, it indeed wasn’t his style to meddle in such affairs.

“Well, it’s great that you’re here,” Qin Bao said to Brother Lu, then awkwardly added, “…Thank you for coming to help me.”

There was no need to elaborate on what he was thanking him for.

Brother Lu understood and patted his head with a smile: “You were right to scold me last time; I am a coward. Now I’m coming to rely on you, so don’t despise me.”

Qin Bao lifted his chin and said, “I only despise you for coming too late. Anyway, you’re tied to me now, so it’s too late to run.”

Brother Lu immediately took on multiple roles, quickly getting the studio’s operations on track.

With him managing everything, Qin Bao only needed to focus on auditions, signing contracts, and attending acting classes. He even squeezed in two fashion events.

During this period, Feng Chengyu was traveling between two places. Even when he was in the capital, they rarely met.

The third hearing for Feilu Star finally made progress, and it was designated as a fifty-year no-mining zone for rare metals. The cabinet, which had consistently voted against it, suffered a crushing defeat.

Subsequently, the Empire formally announced a plan to repatriate refugees from Feilu Star, and thousands of refugees would be relocated to the Empire. The next day, a council member was assassinated.

As the newly appointed Vice Speaker of Council, Feng Chengyu held a press conference as the spokesperson.

The Empire’s citizens were shocked by the incident, with many strongly opposing the acceptance of refugees. But some focused on a different detail.

[Wait a minute! Did I just see a wedding ring?]

[Left ring finger! Feng Chengyu is married?!]

[The Empire’s most eligible bachelor is married?! This is a thunderbolt! How can I stay single and have hope now!]

[Who! Who is Feng Chengyu’s spouse?!]

[Why not make it public? 🤨Is it shameful?]

[For someone of his status, it’s normal if they don’t want to make it public, right?]

That night, the hashtag #FengChengyuMarried# trended but was quickly taken down by mysterious forces, and other discussions about Feng Chengyu didn’t gain traction.

It seemed Feng Chengyu had taken action.

Afraid of being exposed, Qin Bao watched the news all night, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

*

Due to the tense situation, Tu Yisen didn’t get his expected vacation, lamenting on Dingxun for three days. Since he couldn’t return, Qin Bao and Shan Yiming also canceled their dinner plans.

On New Year’s Eve, after finishing his last class, Qin Bao suddenly received a call from Brother Lu.

Brother Lu sounded mysterious on the phone: “Bao, after class, take the east side path.”

Qin Bao thought he was picking him up: “I’ve already called a cab.”

“Just go, there’s a surprise.” Brother Lu insisted, “It’s decided.”

Qin Bao felt suspicious.

It was winter, and the weather was particularly cold. Qin Bao hadn’t ridden his bike these days. He wrapped himself in a black down jacket and walked through the campus without much concern for his image. The bitter wind blew, and passersby kept their heads down, rarely glancing his way.

On the side path, he saw a familiar gray sports car usually parked in his garage at home.

Opening the car door, who else but Feng Chengyu was sitting in the back seat?

“You’re back?”

Qin Bao got in.

“You say that every time we meet.” Feng Chengyu said, “Xiao Bao, it’s hard not to think you don’t want to see me.”

Thinking he’d spend New Year’s Eve alone, Qin Bao felt a warm glow inside, though he didn’t want to admit it: “Brother Lu said there was a surprise, so I came. Turns out it’s you.”

Feng Chengyu got up and handed him a bouquet of champagne roses from the passenger seat: “Surprise.”

Qin Bao: “…”

Why give flowers again? So old-fashioned.

Suppressing his desire to complain, Qin Bao held the flowers and asked, “When did you and Brother Lu start conspiring?” Thinking of the recent news, he added, “Is it really okay for you to come out alone?”

Feng Chengyu’s eyes held a hint of amusement: “Why, starting to worry about me again?”

Again, what do you mean?

Qin Bao was speechless: “I’m worried about being held responsible. After all, you came to see me. If something happens, I won’t be able to explain it to Professor Feng and the others.”

Last time when Feng Chengyu brought a gun, he felt something was off but was brushed off.

Qin Bao didn’t like those so-called “don’t want you to worry” well-intentioned lies.

The car’s smart assistant started, and the vehicle drove home.

Feng Chengyu thought for a moment and told Qin Bao: “Yes, it’s actually quite dangerous.”

Qin Bao was shocked.

Feng Chengyu continued gravely: “This car doesn’t have a bulletproof system. Maybe we’ll be dead in the next second.”

Qin Bao: “……”

Not wanting to talk to him, he turned to look out the window.

A few minutes later, he spoke irritably: “Feng Chengyu, are you safe or not? Don’t try to brush me off.”

Turning back, he saw Feng Chengyu still looking at him, his dark eyes deep, seemingly never having looked away. Just as Qin Bao was about to speak, Feng Chengyu touched his face and smiled: “Safe. I won’t let you become a widow.”

That night, the first snow of the new year arrived gracefully.

They were intimate under the snowy sky outside the window.

Breathing heavily, the glass window fogged up. Fingers traced patterns, leaving clear marks on the glass. The atmosphere inside was moist, sweet pheromones mixing with the scent of daffodils. Qin Bao’s chest heaved, his face rubbing against the pillow, leaving red marks.

The Alpha’s embrace was reassuring.

If only those hands were gentler, not making his wrists hurt.

Qin Bao liked being in control. When he couldn’t bear it anymore, he took the initiative.

Blankets piled up, and he tilted his head back, exhaling his breath.

A passionate and tender reunion ended at the stroke of midnight.

Feng Chengyu lit a cigarette, ruffling Qin Bao’s slightly longer black hair: “What are you thinking about?”

Qin Bao lay on his side, staring at a long-unanswered chat window on his phone screen, with a lone “birthday cake” emoji sitting in the chat bubble.

“Nothing.” He turned off his phone, rolled over, and grabbed Feng Chengyu’s cigarette.

Taking a puff, he leaned in and passed the smoke to the Alpha.

“I want to do it again.”

Qin Bao’s eyes held a seductive desire.

“Shall we?”

…

In March, Qin Bao officially joined the cast, and his marriage seemed to settle into a steady routine. Besides meeting, Feng Chengyu started sending him flowers again.

Holidays, festivals, ordinary days.

Bouquet after bouquet arrived at the studio on time.

Jin Si was puzzled for a long time: “Which fan knows your address? Is it a sasaeng fan?”

Xiao Xu suggested, “Maybe we should refuse next time.”

Qin Bao passed by and said, “Don’t bother. If you don’t like them, just throw them away.”

Jin Si: “?”

Xiao Xu was also puzzled: “What do you mean?”

Only Brother Lu smiled and whispered, “Since someone likes sending them, we might as well accept them. They can beautify the environment.”

The two thought about it and agreed, so they dropped the matter.

But every time a delivery person brought flowers, they turned into detectives, trying to find clues to uncover the mysterious sasaeng fan.

Time flew by with bouquets at the studio and constant NGs and cuts on set. June arrived quietly.

Mu Xian returned to the country.

He brought back several sets of custom-made clothes for Qin Bao, so Qin Bao invited Ms. Rong to join them and treated Mu Xian to dinner.

Now that Qin Bao had one foot in the entertainment industry, paparazzi followed him more frequently than before.

That day, photos of him and Mu Xian appeared in the news.

#QinBaoOnDateWithOrdinaryAlpha#

#QinBaoSuspectedOfDating#

…

Feng Chengyu was really perverse. He actually said to Qin Bao, “I still don’t know how measurements are taken. Baby, can you teach me?”

It was then that Qin Bao discovered there was actually a tape measure in their closet.

But he never wanted to find out what new uses a tape measure could have!

After filming for “Echoes” for four months, Qin Bao missed his first wedding anniversary.

To make up for it and fulfill the contract conditions, he cleared his schedule after wrapping up. Xiao Xu and Jin Si, unaware of his marriage, thought he was going on vacation.

“Vacation?…” Qin Bao said expressionlessly, “Just doing labor.”

And it was indeed labor.

Somehow, Feng Chengyu managed to free up time as well. He got Jacob’s help to rent a cabin in the Grody Mountain Forest, and the two spent an exhausting week there.

With beautiful scenery all around, Qin Bao was either in bed or on the way to eat, wanting to sleep as soon as he hit the pillow.

Surprisingly, after that exhausting week, not only was he not drained by a certain someone, he even gained a few pounds.

When he returned to work to shoot an advertisement, the photographer praised Qin Bao’s great condition.

Qin Bao: “…”

Thank you very much.

At the end of the year, Mo Xiao suddenly contacted Qin Bao through his connections.

He had now gone public with his then-secret girlfriend and felt a bit embarrassed for implicating Qin Bao at the time. This time, he was reaching out on behalf of a friend.

Ling Che was preparing a new album and needed to shoot an MV for one of the love songs.

This immensely popular singer was very picky and had been unsatisfied with many candidates for the MV lead. Mo Xiao recommended Qin Bao.

Brother Lu thought it was worth a try, as quality exposure would be beneficial for Qin Bao’s career.

The MV would be released before the movie, serving as a small test of Qin Bao’s acting skills for the public.

After some interaction, they hit it off.

The song was called “Drying Memories,” with excellent lyrics, melody, and mood. The MV’s storyline resembled a short film.

Filming the MV took a week, and Qin Bao’s impression of this new music king was: cold, polite, proud. Though very talented, Qin Bao straightforwardly told Brother Lu he never wanted to work with him again.

After work ended, it was the New Year again. Based on last year’s schedule, Qin Bao had planned his vacation early.

But this time, Feng Chengyu didn’t come.

For an entire week, Qin Bao received no news about Feng Chengyu. The Feilu Star issue had long been resolved, and political figures were no longer in danger, but somehow, Qin Bao remained very agitated.

He sent a message on Dingxun and even, unusually, called Feng Chengyu.

Lin Zi answered: “Mr. Feng is in a meeting and can’t take your call. Xiao Bao, you can tell me if you need anything, and I’ll relay it to him.”

Qin Bao blushed: “No need to relay anything.”

He just wanted to check if Feng Chengyu was still alive.

After hanging up, Qin Bao didn’t call again.

Perhaps it was because he was used to the daily updates from Feng Chengyu, even if he didn’t reply, just touching his phone at the end of the day and seeing the messages.

So Qin Bao couldn’t help but wonder, is he really that busy?

Not even a moment to send a message?

Fortunately, when Feng Chengyu reappeared in the news, he was unscathed.

Qin Bao rode his motorbike out and was recognized by fans at a gas station. He took off his helmet and even gave an autograph.

“Qin Bao! Happy New Year!”

The fan shouted blessings.

“Spend today with your loved one!”

Qin Bao mounted his bike: “Happy New Year.”

The wind on the mountain was strong.

He rode round and round.

Standing alone at the top of the mountain, looking at the bustling city below and the fireworks constantly blooming in the sky, Qin Bao had to be honest with himself.

Two years had passed, and he was still in love with Feng Chengyu.