RSDH CH28

Old Xu, sitting in the passenger seat, was startled by Cheng Duzhou’s sudden high volume.

Looking back, he saw the couple in the back row staring at each other without blinking.

One with a face like snow, the other with a face congested with blood, like the white-faced Cao Cao and red-faced Guan Yu. The atmosphere hid a baffling tension.

It wasn’t convenient for Old Xu to look more, so he turned back and turned up the volume on his headphones.

Under Duan Xingye’s overly calm gaze, Cheng Duzhou couldn’t control his Adam’s apple from rolling tremblingly. It was as if he had been pricked; his inflated momentum slowly leaked out.

Finally, Duan Xingye blinked slowly and said lazily, “Why are you shouting so loudly?”

“…”

Fuck, was it very loud?

Once self-doubt arises, everything is over.

Pfft, the last wisp of air escaped.

Cheng Duzhou went soft, a trace of wretchedness flashing across his face. Fortunately, he was an actor and was instantly covered by calmness.

“If I disturbed you, sorry.”

His black eyes were waveless, devoid of emotion. Removing the messy modal particles, he returned to the proper appearance of a domineering CEO.

“But please speak according to facts.”

Cheng Duzhou retracted his hand resting on the back of the seat and retreated to the car window.

Seeing he only left the back of his head for him, Duan Xingye also turned his face, looking out the window on his side.

The camera was placed in front, with a certain degree of wide-angle, pulling the distance between the two even further.

The couple tilted their heads, displaying equally superior profiles, and crossed their legs in the same elegant posture towards their respective directions. The cloudy day seemed to add a cyan-gray filter to them, giving the whole picture a sense of cold arrogance.

“Like a wealthy contract couple who are estranged in spirit! I’m dying shipping this!”

“Since knowing Lü Ye Shu Huai is real, the atmosphere is maxed out no matter how I look at it.”

“Hating every day that I entered the pit too late, this pair is too fragrant, too fragrant!”

Along the way were fields covered in fresh greenery, full of moist texture under the misty weather, like a refreshing movie poster.

But at this moment, Cheng Duzhou’s mood was more like the leaden clouds spreading on the horizon, the rain hanging heavily on the mountainside about to fall.

He recalled his second year of high school. For a period, he worked part-time as a tutor on weekends. The unscrupulous principal of the institution even asked him to go out and set up a stall. Parents scanned a QR code to get a homemade vocabulary book or exam key point manual.

It was at the entrance of a shopping mall. Cheng Duzhou sat at the table of the stall. Turning back, he happened to see Duan Xingye through the clean glass wall, sitting in a restaurant with his group of rich kids eating stir-fried rice cakes. Talking and laughing, everyone relaxed and at ease.

Cheng Duzhou’s gaze swept over those classmates. He thought, studying hard, striving for higher education, fighting tooth and nail to enter society, getting an offer everyone envied, only to see the company name belonged to a former classmate’s family. His ultimate destination was still working for this group of rich second generations.

Finally, he looked at Duan Xingye…

Duan Xingye seemed to see him too, but his gaze swept past instantly.

He didn’t dare to think about what came after.

…

Cheng Duzhou rested his elbow on the window sill, biting two teeth marks on his index finger knuckle, completely calming down.

He had done quite well all these years. Duan Xingye erected high walls, and he never knocked on the door, leaving face for Duan Xingye and dignity for himself.

The matter of the friend gathering was him crossing the line.

The one who should recognize his identity wasn’t Duan Xingye, but him.

He wasn’t even an accessory; at most, a human-shaped vibrator.

Cheng Duzhou restrained his emotions, his sharp brows returning to indifference, smoothing the wrinkles on his trousers.

His heart became cold and hard again.

Duan Xingye suddenly asked, “Why did you kiss me?”

Cheng Duzhou’s hand paused, leaking a trace of annoyance: “Stamping a seal.”

Duan Xingye tilted his head looking at the green fields outside the window, one hand twirling a strand of highlighted hair, and said, “Your seal is quite unique.”

Cheng Duzhou heard the mockery, and his magnetic voice lowered: “What?”

Looking down on it?

Won’t let me kiss?

I’ll do you when we get to the accommodation.

Duan Xingye said leisurely, “Rinsed in beef tallow hot pot, right?”

“…………”

Bullet comments:

“Hahahahaha! Teacher Duan is unparalleled!”

“Wealthy family filter shattered directly.”

“Dying of laughter, watching President Cheng crack open with my own eyes.”

Cheng Duzhou’s neck was almost twisted to the back of the car. He touched his lips with the back of his hand, his face full of chagrin.

Duan Xingye glanced at the back of Cheng Duzhou’s head, an extremely faint smile appearing in his dark pupils.

He said he was an accessory, yet Cheng Duzhou insisted on emphasizing loudly that he was his husband.

Simply nonsense.

A relationship with a certificate, could he not know?

But was the point about being an accessory?

The point was he had no obligation to accompany him to friends’ gatherings; it wasn’t written in the marriage agreement.

Duan Xingye couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him.

However, thinking of Cheng Duzhou’s urgent attitude when refuting him, there was a kind of sincerity revealed by a rational person exposing impulse.

Duan Xingye couldn’t help thinking that their marriage was arranged single-handedly by his grandfather, the order of parents.

After getting the certificate, Cheng Duzhou’s side posted the official announcement just like that, but never used him for hype. The two were rarely in the same frame, but when facing the media alone, Cheng Duzhou would strictly use “Husband” to address him.

Duan Xingye always thought Cheng Duzhou doing superficial work so conscientiously was out of fear of his grandfather.

But looking at it now, Cheng Duzhou might have accepted their relationship from the bottom of his heart. Because it was endowed by law and also a promise he accepted himself, even without feelings, he always placed him in the position of “Husband.”

To Duan Xingye, this was a kind of respect.

If based on this, for nearly two years, Cheng Duzhou hadn’t let him be harassed by the outside world because of the marriage relationship, counting as a qualified contract marriage partner.

Except for the junior brother not long ago, but Cheng Duzhou handed in an answer sheet that satisfied him reasonably well.

The car passed through the wilderness and got on the highway to the scenic area.

The clouds at the end rolled and poured down a ladder of light; the sky showed signs of clearing up.

Watching this, Duan Xingye curled the corner of his lips imperceptibly, then lowered his head, opened his phone, and sent a message.

After the kiss he thought was domineering collapsed completely because of a beef tallow hot pot, Cheng Duzhou was silently savoring the mixed flavors in his heart when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate.

He cast a glance at the screen.

Seen: [Next Friday Singer-Songwriter airs. If there is a gathering, I don’t guarantee I can arrive on time.]

Cheng Duzhou raised one eyebrow high, looking at Duan Xingye on the other side.

Duan Xingye lowered his head. His profile lines were faintly blurred at the edges by the light of the cloudy day. His dark upturned eyes were half-lowered, lacking the usual mean coldness, adding a few degrees of ambiguous gentleness.

Cheng Duzhou’s heart beat faster. He put down his crossed legs, leaned his upper body forward and low, holding the phone with both hands to type.

Cheng Duzhou: [No need to be on time, as long as you arrive. I can pick you up.]

Seen: [No need.]

Both sides went silent.

Duan Xingye was about to exit WeChat when another message came.

Cheng Duzhou: [You are too much.]

Seen: [?]

Duan Xingye looked at the chat box with indifferent eyes, wondering if he gave him too much face again.

Cheng Duzhou: [I wouldn’t kiss an accessory.]

Duan Xingye: “…”

Cheng Duzhou: [Cat Tsundere Hmph.jpg]

Seen: [Hit Your Skull with a Hammer.jpg]

…

At first, the livestream didn’t know what the two guests were doing, just watching the couple playing on their phones respectively.

But as they played, Cheng Duzhou suddenly smiled at his phone. Not long after, Duan Xingye also pursed his lips, unable to hide the upward arc of the corner of his mouth.

Neither made a sound, but everyone realized what was happening.

“People are right next to each other, yet using phones to communicate. What sneaky things are the young couple doing again? Treating us like outsiders.”

“Ahhh this kind of smile is too familiar to me! It’s high school students in puppy love holding their phones at school!”

“Suddenly feel they are so pure.”

“Pure? Does anyone remember the three wrappers in one night?”

“Are you turning a blind eye to President Cheng’s scarred back?”

“Was the vow to emit cat sounds my auditory hallucination?”

“…”

While Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye were battling with emojis on WeChat, the livestream had already laid out various evidence regarding how impure they were.

Finally arriving at House No. 1 arranged by the production team, the yard full of climbing Chinese roses and wild roses made the audience exclaim repeatedly.

The interior decoration was creamy wood style, a refreshing painting style hitting the face.

Only after stepping on the floor did Duan Xingye realize the floor heating was on, instantly boosting his favorability for this house.

The central air conditioning indoors was also on. Duan Xingye turned it up a few degrees before taking off the heavy down jacket. Having blown in the cold wind for hours during outdoor recording, warmth surged up at this moment, and the tightness in his body gradually disappeared.

Duan Xingye stir-fried hot pot base at noon, carrying a heavy spicy smell on him. The smell also seeped into his hair, becoming more obvious after entering indoors. He couldn’t stand it, and since they had to take makeup photos for the grand movie after three o’clock, he planned to take a shower first.

Going upstairs and pushing open the bedroom door, he saw a narrow and long window on the opposite wall, like a scroll of Along the River During the Qingming Festival, framing a view of the ancient water town outside.

Bullet comments:

“Crying with envy, really want to live in this kind of house by the water.”

“Happy, President Cheng and Teacher Duan get to stay in the best room every time~”

“No wonder Teacher Duan had to work so hard to sell moe, definitely worth it.”

There was a camera position in the room. Old Xu left first, and the couple closed the door.

Duan Xingye took clothes from the suitcase.

Cheng Duzhou walked to his own suitcase and squatted down, saying, “I’m going to wash later too.”

“Wash what?” Duan Xingye leaned over to smell his clothes. “Your smell isn’t heavy.”

Cheng Duzhou and the others were only responsible for eating hot pot; any smell had mostly been blown away by the outdoor wind.

Cheng Duzhou unzipped the suitcase and said, “Just hurry up.”

Duan Xingye glanced at him sideways and went into the bathroom.

…

Duan Xingye took a shower and blew his hair dry before coming out, swapping Cheng Duzhou in.

He took the envelope from noon out of the pocket of his previous jacket, planning to open it together after Cheng Duzhou came out.

The specific roles they drew had to be shown to the audience.

Acting in The Legend of White Snake. Because there was no gender-bending, Duan Xingye wasn’t worried about drawing a female role from the original work. But he hoped to be a passerby with few scenes so he could slack off during filming and wouldn’t leave too many embarrassing scenes in the final finished short film due to poor acting skills.

Thinking this, Duan Xingye got into bed and sat properly. Feeling sleepy after a while, he tilted onto the quilt beside him and fell asleep.

Unknown how long passed.

Duan Xingye woke up due to a cold touch falling on the bridge of his nose.

He opened his eyes.

Cheng Duzhou had finished showering and was propping himself above his body, looking at him, asking in a low voice: “Is there still a smell?”

Duan Xingye’s consciousness wasn’t clear upon first waking. He lightly licked his dry lips, confused: “What?”

Cheng Duzhou didn’t speak. Lowering his head, he kissed the small mole on the side of his nose again, looking at him: “Is there?”

Duan Xingye blinked slowly, raising a hand to touch the bridge of his nose by his eye. It was wet.

Only then did he react; Cheng Duzhou was talking about the beef tallow hot pot smell.

The livestream watched helplessly as Cheng Duzhou came out of the bathroom, climbed onto the bed, and kissed Duan Xingye awake directly, screaming ahhh long ago.

“Fainted from the sweetness of the young couple’s wake-up method!”

“President Cheng is scheming! Deliberately didn’t call Teacher Duan first so he could kiss twice!”

“He is so rigorous; stamping the seal has to be in the same spot.”

“No wonder he insisted on showering. Seems President Cheng really cared about what Teacher Duan said in the car.”

“Still having idol baggage after two years of marriage, thoughtful. My partner and I are already free with grinding teeth and farting in sleep.”

Cheng Duzhou now smelled of the sweet scent of body wash and shampoo, plus the refreshing smell of toothpaste.

Duan Xingye rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “No.”

Only then did Cheng Duzhou move away.

Duan Xingye turned over, hugging the pillow and being lazy for a while. After fully waking up, he sat up slowly.

The two held their respective envelopes.

Cheng Duzhou asked, “Who do you want to play?”

Duan Xingye said, “Shopkeeper.”

He remembered in the TV version he watched as a child, there was such a supporting role.

Cheng Duzhou understood immediately: “You want to be a hands-off shopkeeper.”

Duan Xingye didn’t refute, asking, “You?”

Cheng Duzhou said, “I’m fine with anything.” Then he glanced at Duan Xingye’s envelope. “You first.”

Duan Xingye opened the envelope and took out the role card.

Cheng Duzhou looked even more eager than him, kneeling on the bed and leaning over.

Duan Xingye flipped open the card and saw:

[Bai Suzhen] (White Snake / Lady Bai)

“…………”

Cheng Duzhou pfft-ed and sat back. “It’s okay, no cross-dressing anyway.”

Bullet comments rolled excitedly.

“Congratulation on getting the main lead!”

“Looking forward to it, want to see Teacher Duan in ancient costume!”

“If President Cheng gets Xu Xian, it’s a perfect match.”

Duan Xingye was obviously dissatisfied with the role he drew. Frowning, he reached out to take Cheng Duzhou’s card. “What are you? Let me see.”

Cheng Duzhou raised his hand high, not letting him take it. “Saying it first, I’m not swapping with you.”

Duan Xingye pulled his sleeve, not caring: “You open and look first!”

Cheng Duzhou glanced at the role card in his hand and said, “I feel this card might be Xu Xian.”

Duan Xingye: “How do you know?”

“Feeling.”

Preventing Duan Xingye from sneak attacking to grab his card, Cheng Duzhou flipped the card open while holding it high and took a look.

The next second.

He threw the card, indignant: “I’m not playing a bald donkey!”

Duan Xingye: “…”

Oh. Fahai.

Then it’s fine.

The bullet comments laughed until they cramped, typing “I’m fine with anything” on the public screen one after another.

The ancient costume styling studio was inside the scenic area, close to Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye, so they went out later than other guest groups.

After styling came taking makeup photos and rehearsing. The program team would post the photos on the official blog tonight as a preview for tomorrow’s show.

Of the four main characters, Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye took two. Jiang Li played Xu Xian, and Wu Enqi’s husband Wu Hao played Xiao Qing (Green Snake).

Therefore, except for Fahai, all were gender-bent versions.

However, Fahai seemed a bit unhappy, unknown whether worrying about his bald donkey look or not getting the Xu Xian role he longed for.

There were pedestrians in the scenic area. Along the way, many fans had gathered, lining the path to welcome them.

When Duan Xingye and Cheng Duzhou walked past, shouts of “Teacher Duan,” “President Cheng,” and ” Lü Ye Shu Huai” rose one after another.

Cheng Duzhou occasionally nodded in greeting, like walking a movie red carpet.

Duan Xingye just swept his gaze through the crowd once, then had no interaction.

Passing a spot, a male fan suddenly screamed hoarsely: “Wifey I love you!”

The voice was too loud, causing Duan Xingye to turn his head and look.

As a result, that male fan jumped up, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted even louder: “Wifey I love you!!!”

Duan Xingye frowned slightly and asked Cheng Duzhou, “What did he say? Calling who wifey?”

Feeling Duan Xingye was about to go back and argue any minute, Cheng Duzhou put an arm around him, leading him forward, saying calmly, “Calling me wifey.”

My wifey is truly irritable.

…

The styling studio occupied an antique building with white walls and black tiles, divided into upper and lower areas.

To give the couples a sense of anticipation after changing, the production team specially separated all pairs. See you directly on set after makeup and styling.

Cheng Duzhou arrived on the second floor. Hearing he didn’t really have to play bald and just needed to style a modern hairstyle, his burden lessened a bit.

This was the only short film he and Duan Xingye participated in together. Like taking a photo together, he always hoped to look handsome.

His costume was black monk robes and a red cassock. Improved, the cut was stiffer and easier to look good in photos.

Old Xu followed Cheng Duzhou filming. Seeing the bullet comments, he asked on behalf of the audience: “President Cheng, looking forward to Teacher Duan’s ancient costume look later?”

Cheng Duzhou pondered and said, “Looking forward, but can basically imagine what it looks like.”

With Duan Xingye’s face, even clipping cat ears looked good; ancient costume definitely wouldn’t be bad.

Duan Xingye encountered the same question on his side, asked by Wu Hao’s follow director.

Duan Xingye sat in front of the vanity mirror, accepting the makeup artist binding his hair. He thought for a moment and said, “I’m looking forward to his braised egg (bald head) look.”

The follow director said, “President Cheng’s hairstyle is still retained; not a real monk look.”

Duan Xingye instantly lost interest. “Then no expectation.”

“Pfft!”

The director and the bullet comments laughed together.

After a long half hour, Duan Xingye finally finished makeup and hair, turning to enter the changing room, unnoticed by the makeup artist whose eyes were full of amazement.

Duan Xingye’s costume was white clothes of a dashing young master, with a white jade belt around his waist.

When he came out of the changing room, the whole room was quiet for a moment. Everyone stared at him, gazes a bit straight.

Wu Hao’s makeup artist was using a flat iron for ionic perming. Only when white smoke rose from the wig did he frantically try to remedy it.

Costumes couldn’t withstand the wind and cold. Duan Xingye still draped his down jacket over his shoulders when departing for the set.

He was guided out the back alley by staff.

There were many fans waiting by the road outside. The moment they saw Duan Xingye come out, everyone seemed to be identifying who it was. The next second, overwhelming screams swept through the entire street.

On the second floor, even Cheng Duzhou heard the sound and asked, “What happened?”

Old Xu could see feedback from the livestream and knew Duan Xingye had come out. Smiling slightly, he deliberately kept him in suspense: “Nothing, someone finished styling.”

The program team’s makeup photos used the scene where Xu Xian met Bai Suzhen on the bridge as background, so everyone took their positions after makeup.

Cheng Duzhou appeared late and wasn’t with most people. There was no scene for him by the river bank; he had to wait in the courtyard.

Jiang Li already stood on the arch bridge.

By the shore, Duan Xingye gritted his teeth lightly, took off the down jacket, straightened his back in the cold wind, and stepped onto the bow of the awning boat.

Cameras for each group were in position.

The director gave the order.

The awning boat sailed away from the shore.

Wherever the awning boat passed, crowds on both sides shouted. Soon, everyone tacitly shouted in unison: “Lady Duan! Lady Duan! Lady Duan…”

As the boat approached the arch bridge, the most classic scene was finally arriving.

—Xu Xian standing on the bridge looking at Bai Suzhen below, their eyes meeting.

Seeing Duan Xingye gradually approaching.

Jiang Li gauged the distance and leaned out slightly from the railing of the arch bridge.

However, right at this moment.

The audience on site let out high-pitched “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” screams.

The camera tilted its angle following everyone’s focus.

On the bridge, behind Jiang Li who was standing sideways, another tall figure draped in a cassock leaned out.

The reason it attracted attention wasn’t just the man’s handsome appearance, but also because the angle of his body leaning was too exaggerated.

If Jiang Li only leaned fifteen degrees toward the river, he leaned fully sixty degrees.

Hooking his head, he stared unblinkingly at the white-clothed young master passing below standing at the bow of the boat.

The boat passed through the bridge arch.

He flicked his wide sleeves and hurriedly switched to the other side of the bridge to continue watching.

Livestream burst into laughter:

“Fahai! This isn’t appropriate for you!!!”

__

Author’s Note:

President Cheng: Amitabha. Tonight Cheng-hai (Cheng-sea) wants to invite Lady Duan for a battle of three hundred rounds.

Teacher Duan: Believe it or not, I’ll slap you onto the wall with one tail.

President Cheng: Good, good.