RSDH CH2

The Next Morning.

Cheng Duzhou wasn’t in the room.

As soon as Duan Xingye woke up, various aches and pains flared up in his lower back and legs, instantly souring his mood.

He dawdled getting out of bed, his feet taking turns stepping onto the floor. The warmth from the underfloor heating made his pale, plump toes wiggle slightly.

Cheng Duzhou had been holding back for a long time while away. Last night, once they got started, he lost all restraint. Duan Xingye, on the other hand, hadn’t exercised in nearly four months. As a result, his system reboot time this morning was dragging on.

After sitting on the edge of the bed to wake up a bit more, Duan Xingye stood up. In passing, he grabbed a corner of the bedsheet and crumpled it.

—When the housekeeper comes to clean, she’ll understand that everything on the bed needs to be washed.

Duan Xingye showered and changed into a clean, fresh set of clothes. When he walked into the main living area, he was surprised to find Cheng Duzhou hadn’t left yet.

Judging by his appearance, however, he was just about to head out.

Cheng Duzhou was fastening a Patek Philippe watch. The platinum metal made his wrist look clean and cold. On the back of his left hand, there was a long cut that had already scabbed over.

Last night, they had been far apart on stage, and once they got home, their interactions happened in the pitch dark. It wasn’t until now that Duan Xingye clearly saw the injury on his hand.

He didn’t need to ask to know it was from filming.

Cheng Duzhou was famous for his dedication. To play the role of a mob accountant, he spent half a year passing six CPA exams. He didn’t hesitate to soak in a swamp for three days and three nights in the summer just to capture a three-minute realistic scene. Even when fighting professional martial arts actors, he never used a stunt double.

In the new film that had just wrapped, Cheng Duzhou played an undercover narcotics officer. Action scenes and dangerous shots were inevitable.

Duan Xingye recalled that last night, in the heat of the moment, he had felt a short, centipede-like scar on the side of Cheng Duzhou’s waist. He asked if he got it in Myanmar.

Cheng Duzhou had moved his hand to a different spot and replied that it was from a few years ago.

Staring at the scar on the back of Cheng Duzhou’s hand, Duan Xingye suddenly felt a strange discomfort in his heart.

At that moment, Cheng Duzhou snapped the watch clasp shut and lowered his wrist. “Do you want me to heat up the porridge?”

Cheng Duzhou had woken up early to make fresh pork liver porridge, along with two side dishes.

Duan Xingye, however, focused first on the romance variety show contract spread out on the table—the one he had prepared for Cheng Duzhou last night.

He reached out and flipped directly to the last page to check.

The signature line was empty.

Duan Xingye’s chest tightened, followed by a sudden surge of nameless anger. Yet, when it reached his face, it manifested as a calm, breezy smile.

He had left a sticky note in the study last night. His meaning was clear enough: he hoped Cheng Duzhou would cooperate and go on the show with him.

But Cheng Duzhou had slept with him, yet still had the nerve not to sign.

Duan Xingye sat down and picked up a pen.

Since you didn’t sign this one, then it’s the divorce agreement, right?

But when he opened the divorce agreement, it was also blank.

Duan Xingye stared at it coldly for a moment, then raised the pen to sign it himself.

The next second.

His snow-white wrist was seized by a large palm, suspended in mid-air, unable to move.

While restraining Duan Xingye, Cheng Duzhou tilted his head to look at the agreement. “I figured since I hadn’t signed it either, what’s your rush?”

“I don’t care if you sign or not!” Duan Xingye suddenly snapped. “This divorce is happening today!”

Cheng Duzhou looked at him and saw a flush spreading down Duan Xingye’s long, fair neck, a blue vein pulsing visibly twice.

“What happened?” Cheng Duzhou released his wrist, leaned back against the table, and asked in a deep voice, “Why do you have such a big problem with me?”

Duan Xingye retorted sharply, “You don’t know?”

Cheng Duzhou’s eyes were dark. “If I knew you had a problem with me, would I have come home and gone straight to business?”

“…”

Duan Xingye’s delicate jaw tightened. Knowing exactly what business Cheng Duzhou was referring to, a prickly heat burned in his heart, and a thin layer of red surfaced on his face.

“Then did you know there were reporters there last night?” To prevent Cheng Duzhou from derailing the conversation, he stopped beating around the bush. “They asked me if you would attend. I answered that you were in Myanmar. Then, as soon as the show started, you appeared on stage like a magic trick. How do you think that makes me look?”

Cheng Duzhou had been too busy last night and truly didn’t know such an incident had occurred. He took a moment to sort through the information.

“It would have been fine if the reporters hadn’t asked me, or if I had just told them to go to hell! But look at the situation now. People think that even the fan site masters know your schedule better than I do. They think Cheng Duzhou is too lazy to even offer a perfunctory lie to his pillow partner. Oh, yes, yes, yes, I’m practically an ‘abandoned husband’ now!”

His voice rose on the last sentence. Duan Xingye’s “iron lungs” were terrifyingly powerful; the vibration even caused the crystal chandelier above to tremble.

Cheng Duzhou remained quiet.

Duan Xingye didn’t care how the public viewed their relationship as a couple, but he cared immensely about his own image. With his arrogant personality, he absolutely refused to be painted as the one who was dumped.

Cheng Duzhou had no intention of making Duan Xingye look like a fool and could understand his frustration. But strictly speaking, blaming this entirely on him was unreasonable.

“I didn’t plan to attend the annual gala initially, but after getting off the plane, I was pulled in last minute to save the show,” Cheng Duzhou said calmly. “You never even asked when I was returning to the country. I assumed you didn’t care. Sending you a message unprompted would have just been asking for a snub.”

“You…”

“It was you who requested at the start of our marriage that we didn’t need to act like a loving couple in public. I thought non-interference once we left the house was our tradition.”

“…”

Duan Xingye instantly misfired. Cheng Duzhou’s explanation was watertight. He had a belly full of fire that hadn’t exploded yet, but he choked on the smoke because he lost the moral high ground. His small face had long since lost its usual calm arrogance.

Cheng Duzhou added finally, “Besides, I didn’t know the reporters prepared a question like that.”

“Cheng Duzhou!” Duan Xingye finally caught an opening. “Do you lack even that little bit of foresight!?”

“?”

“If you had messaged me in advance, would this have happened?”

“…”

Cheng Duzhou took a moment to process this logic.

“You clearly could have just convicted me, yet you specifically listened to my explanation. Duan Xingye, you really are something.”

Duan Xingye ignored Cheng Duzhou’s sarcasm, staring straight at him. A clear, bright flame seemed to burn in his dark pupils.

He had been laughed at all night and was suffocating with grievance, yet Cheng Duzhou was still calmly reasoning with him?

Is logic what I need right now?!

He had wanted to use the romance variety show to save face, but Cheng Duzhou wouldn’t sign.

Just as the marketing accounts online said: appearing on variety shows is acting, filming movies is acting, but Cheng Duzhou simply wasn’t willing to act with him.

Was he really that detestable?

Thinking of this, the grievance that hadn’t been obvious before surged up. Duan Xingye pursed his rose-petal lips, and a hint of moisture glazed the light in his clear eyes.

Duan Xingye’s skin was pale, so the slightest redness around his eyes became very obvious. Even though he still looked sharp and prickly, it didn’t stop him from striking a chord of pity deep in one’s heart.

Cheng Duzhou’s eyes felt slightly hot. He took a deep breath, stopped leaning against the table, and stood up straight. He pulled the variety show contract in front of him and picked up the pen.

“Duan Xingye.”

He looked down and signed his name with a flourish, his voice strained with patience.

“You’re being a bit annoying.”

Cheng Duzhou understood. He had to sign this contract today, or else he would owe Duan Xingye.

Even if Duan Xingye wasn’t in the right at all.

Duan Xingye raised his palm and pressed it against his reddened eyes. Under the cover of this action, he quietly peeked out of the corner of his eye at the contract.

Cheng Duzhou had signed it.

“Don’t sign it,” Duan Xingye said, his breath still hitching, though his voice had softened considerably. “Now you think I’m annoying. Later you’ll say I forced you. Go film with that junior brother of yours.”

Cheng Duzhou tossed the pen back onto the table and lifted his eyelids. “What filming?”

Clearly, the online rumors about him starring in a BL adaptation were false; even the person involved hadn’t heard of it.

But Duan Xingye still didn’t give him a pleasant look. “Ask your junior brother.”

Noticing that Duan Xingye had mentioned “junior brother” twice now, Cheng Duzhou said, “If you’re talking about the other host, my interaction with him is limited to last night’s gala.”

Meaning: he hadn’t met the guy before, and wouldn’t know him in the future.

“Why are you explaining to me?” Duan Xingye refused to look at Cheng Duzhou and picked up his bowl. “I don’t care.”

Cheng Duzhou said, “You look like you care a lot.”

Duan Xingye scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. Even if you had eight hundred junior brothers, it’s none of my business.”

“Third time.” Cheng Duzhou pointed out the number of times he mentioned “junior brother.” He said, “Duan Xingye, stop being stubborn.”

“…”

Duan Xingye’s temper flared, and he was about to put the bowl down.

Cheng Duzhou checked the time on his wrist and interrupted, “I’m leaving. I’m late.”

Duan Xingye, despite his dissatisfaction, saw that the person had already left, so he had no choice but to continue drinking his porridge.

But the aroma of pork liver and scallions instantly filled the air. It was so savory that he temporarily tossed his unhappiness aside, the tip of his tongue darting out to lick the corner of his lips.

For a movie emperor, Cheng Duzhou’s cooking skills didn’t lose out to outside restaurants.

Moments later, the sound of the door closing was heard.

Duan Xingye glanced at the divorce agreement still lying there, and casually closed it.

Duan Xingye had flexible working hours recently. He leisurely finished breakfast and went downstairs, where his private car was already waiting in the spot.

His assistant, Xiao Dai, was in the car. As soon as they met, he complained, “Since last night, a lot of rhythm-baiting posts have suddenly popped up online, saying that you and President Cheng don’t get along and that the junior brother is successfully taking over. No need to guess whose team is behind this. Do people really market themselves as homewreckers just to get famous now? It’s making me so depressed!”

Xiao Dai’s feelings were genuine because he was a fan of the Lü Ye Shu Huai CP.

Once, a netizen saw his Level 18 badge in the Super Topic and sent him a private message just to express shock: “Bro, your fetish is niche enough.”

“Depressed about what?” Duan Xingye twirled a strand of his white-highlighted hair around his finger and said indifferently, “It’s not like our bad relationship is anything new.”

Xiao Dai felt an arrow pierce his heart. “…”

Duan Xingye sat in the back seat. The pale winter sunlight projected into his dark pupils, causing him to squint slightly. “But what is that junior brother anyway?”

“Tang Ning?” Xiao Dai quickly explained. “He debuted as the center in a talent show. After the group formed, he transitioned to acting. He filmed an ancient idol drama that got a 3.8 on Douban—it was so bad it was unwatchable. When fans of the original BL novel heard he was playing the lead, they rioted. It only calmed down when rumors spread that President Cheng was joining.”

Duan Xingye understood the cause and effect and let out a cold laugh. “No wonder they used Cheng Duzhou’s name to market the new drama. Even I almost believed it.”

“Exactly, exactly!” Xiao Dai said indignantly. “He’s just a rookie, but he’s got guts. Not only is he leeching off President Cheng’s heat, but he’s also stepping on you, Teacher Duan!”

Duan Xingye paused, shifting his gaze from the window to the front. “Besides saying the official couple doesn’t match, what else are they saying?”

“They say the reason the crack ship smells sweeter than the official ship is because Tang Ning is better looking than you!”

“Huh.” Duan Xingye suddenly relaxed, genuinely finding it hilarious. “Does he not know I have the number one god-tier face in the entertainment industry? He really dares to brag about anything.”

“…”

Xiao Dai suddenly wasn’t angry anymore.

However, he was still vaguely worried. “Is President Cheng really going to film with him for the hype?”

“He rushed into acting before he understood how to be an idol, and now he’s rushing to farm traffic before he can act properly.” Duan Xingye leaned forward to search for a power bank in the front seat, saying carelessly, “Your President Cheng is a man of virtue and artistic integrity. That kind of person wouldn’t even enter his eyes.”

Xiao Dai’s spirits lifted.

Is this the confidence and certification from the official partner?

Unprecedented.

I’m shipping it!!!

…

Duan Xingye plugged in his phone. The moment the screen lit up, a message notification appeared.

Two minutes ago.

Cheng Duzhou: [Changed schedule last minute. Going to Universal now to meet the producers.]

“???”

Duan Xingye typed expressionlessly.

Seen: [I don’t want to know, thanks.]

The reply came instantly.

Cheng Duzhou: [Didn’t you blame me for not telling you where I was going in advance, making you look like a fool?]

Duan Xingye: “…”

Seen: [You don’t need to report every little thing to me.]

Cheng Duzhou: [I do. Otherwise, people will think Cheng Duzhou is too lazy to even offer a perfunctory lie to his pillow partner.]

Seen: […You’re overthinking it.]

Cheng Duzhou: [This is called foresight.]

“………..”

Crack.

Duan Xingye’s fingers tightened, and he violently snapped his phone case in half.

__

Author’s Note:

President Cheng: Reasonable foresight is a sign of maxed-out survival instincts.