Ch.96 – The Star Around The Sun

Zhu Tianjie withdrew his hand and said to Xia Xingcheng, “Won’t you invite me in?”

Xia Xingcheng said, “If you have something to say, say it here.” 

Yet Zhu Tianjie pressed on and took a step forward, raising an arm to block the door. He looked at Xia Xingcheng and said, “I heard you were sick, so I came to see you.”

Xia Xingcheng’s tone was indifferent. “Isn’t it all thanks to you that I got sick?”

Zhu Tianjie let out a laugh, glancing around the corridor, then slightly entered Xia Xingcheng’s room, saying, “I just wanted you to understand.”

Xia Xingcheng asked, “What is it that I needed to understand?”

Zhu Tianjie said, “That you shouldn’t refuse people you can’t afford to refuse. If this is how you mingle in this industry, you’ll just suffer losses in the future.”

Xia Xingcheng’s eyes carried a hint of disgust. “I’ve been in this industry for six to seven years. This is the first time I’ve come across someone like you.”

The expression on Zhu Tianjie’s face transformed. He seemed to be trying hard to restrain his emotions, lightening his voice as he said, “Xingcheng, I didn’t expect that you’d be this sick either. If it weren’t for the fact that I like you, I wouldn’t have gotten mad at your affair with Yuan Qian. Let me in, it’s not good for us to be seen talking out here.”

Just as Xia Xingcheng was about to reject him right then and there, the bathroom door suddenly opened and Yang Youming’s voice rang out from inside. “Xingcheng, let him in.”

Zhu Tianjie was clearly startled. He couldn’t make out who’s voice it was, but his eyebrows were tightly knitted as he directed a ferocious look Xia Xingcheng’s way. 

Before Zhu Tianjie could open his mouth to utter a single question, Yang Youming came out of the bathroom. He was wearing a bathrobe, and a pair of slippers adorned his feet, his hair still wet. He calmly stared at Zhu Tianjie and said, “You can come in if you have something to say, Tianjie.”

Zhu Tianjie’s face displayed an abrupt look of astonishment and his whole body stiffened, as if he had suddenly been struck by something. He stared at Yang Youming in disbelief then turned to look at Xia Xingcheng, his eyes gradually transforming from doubt and unease to panic. Then, he subconsciously straightened up and made to stick his hands in his pockets, yet in that instant, he couldn’t locate them, so he let them hang at his sides, looking rather awkward. He displayed a reluctant smile. “Ming ge? What are you doing here?”

Yang Youming’s eyes were a little cold. “I’m staying here tonight.”

Zhu Tianjie gave a hollow laugh. “So that’s how it is, then I won’t disturb you two.” With that, he turned around to leave.

Yet Yang Youming called out to him, “Tianjie, don’t you have something to say to Xingcheng? Come back in and say it.” After that, he turned and walked further into the room. 

Zhu Tianjie subconsciously turned sideways as if he wanted to leave right away, but in the end, he thought it was improper and gritted his teeth before following Yang Youming inside. 

Xia Xingcheng noticed a fine layer of sweat on Zhu Tianjie’s forehead. When Zhu Tianjie passed him, he immediately closed the door. Fortunately, no one outside had passed them in that long period of time. 

After closing the door, Xia Xingcheng also went back inside the room and saw Yang Youming sitting on the sofa while Zhu Tianjie stood in front of him. That reluctant smile was still on his face as he said to Yang Youming, “It’s actually quite late, I shouldn’t be bothering you.”

Yang Youming’s voice was low and mild as he said, “Sit down and speak. If you have anything to say to Xingcheng, I can listen in too.”

Zhu Tianjie hands clenched into fists, his thumbs pressing onto his palms. He hesitated for a while before sitting down, then said, “I heard that Xingcheng was sick, so I came to see him.”

Xia Xingcheng slowly walked to his bed and sat down, bent over listlessly, yet he straightened out his legs and slipped his feet out of his slippers and stepped on them with the soles of his feet. He was very relaxed at this time, hardly needing to think about anything—only watching Yang Youming and Zhu Tianjie.  

He realized that Zhu Tianjie was genuinely nervous—though he was sitting on the sofa, his hands were constantly rubbing at his knees. 

Yang Youming, on the other hand, was leaning on the sofa, expression unreadable, eyes serene. Yet on the contrary, it gave one an intense feeling of oppression. 

The only thing in Xia Xingcheng’s mind was the fact that Yang Youming’s bathrobe was slightly opened at the chest. He wanted to pull it up for him. 

Yang Youming said to Zhu Tianjie, “You said you wanted to teach Xingcheng. What have you taught him?”

Zhu Tianjie’s hands came to a halt as he said, “I was just playing a joke on Xingcheng.” 

Yang Youming asked, “What joke? He had to be hospitalized because of a fever—isn’t your joke going too far?”

All this while, Zhu Tianjie’s complexion was a little pale. He was originally wearing many layers, and the heating in their room was turned on. Beads of sweat continuously oozed from his nose, slowly gathering into one large pearl. He wiped off the sweat at his nose, and quietly said, “Ming ge, I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t know about your relationship with Xia Xingcheng, I thought—” He didn’t finish the last half of his sentence. 

Feeling that his throat was a bit itchy, Xia Xingcheng lightly coughed twice.

Yang Youming turned to face him and asked, “Are you cold?” His voice became gentle once more.

Xia Xingcheng shook his head and said, “My throat is a little dry.”

Yang Youming got up, walked to the small bar table, and poured a cup of warm water. After, he walked over to the bed and handed it to Xia Xingcheng. 

Xia Xingcheng took it and gulped it down.

Zhu Tianjie stood up and walked up to Xia Xingcheng, then said, “Yesterday, I really didn’t do it on purpose, Xingcheng. I had things on my mind, so I kept making mistakes. What I said earlier was nonsense, don’t take it seriously.”

Once Xia Xingcheng finished drinking, he passed the glass back to Yang Youming and glanced at Zhu Tianjie. 

Zhu Tianjie looked quite sincere, but Xia Xingcheng didn’t believe a word he said. Since he simply didn’t want Zhu Tianjie here wasting their time, he tugged at Yang Youming’s sleeve and said, “Ming ge, please let Mr. Zhu leave. Nothing happened yesterday, I don’t want to argue either.“  

Hearing what Xia Xingcheng said, Zhu Tianjie immediately followed his cue and said, “Then you guys rest well, I’ll be leaving first.”

Before Zhu Tianjie left, Yang Youming said, “If you can’t even be a good person, how are you going to act well?”

Zhu Tianjie’s blanched face unexpectedly reddened. He smiled awkwardly, then opened the door and headed out. 

Xia Xingcheng closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief. Once he went back inside, he saw Yang Youming sitting on the edge of the bed, his brows faintly wrinkled. He climbed on from the end of the bed, crawling to Yang Youming on all fours, then turned over and lay down on his leg, looking up at Yang Youming from below. 

Yang Youming stroked his forehead. “Why didn’t you tell me when I asked you this afternoon?”

“What should I have said?” Xia Xingcheng rubbed against his palm, feeling comfortable. “That Zhu Tianjie bullied me and I want you to help me take revenge?”

Yang Youming said, “At least let me know what’s really going on.”

“Forget it,” Xia Xingcheng blinked lightly. “When he pressed me into the cold water, I kept telling myself to endure and act well. There’ll always be a day where I can step on Zhu Tianjie and properly humiliate him.”

Yang Youming laughed at his words and bowed his head to look at him, “So vengeful?”

Xia Xingcheng exclaimed, “Look, he apologized to me tonight for your sake, but in his heart he still looks down on me. He might not think that there’s a difference whether I’m with you or with Yuan Qian. This doesn’t comfort me at all.”

Yang Youming nodded. “I didn’t expect that he would hit on you. In the end, there’s something wrong with Zhu Tianjie’s character.” 

Xia Xingcheng thought for a moment, then asked Yang Youming. “He won’t retaliate against us and expose us to the media, will he?”

“He wouldn’t dare.” Yang Youming was mute for a while before saying, “Xingcheng, if we’re together, it’ll be difficult to completely hide it from the people in our circle. It’s hard to escape from rumours and gossip, but the best way to protect ourselves is to not be photographed.”

Xia Xingcheng nodded. “I know.”

Yang Youming said, “This kind of romance will definitely feel suffocating after a long time.”

Xia Xingcheng earnestly replied, “It’s okay to feel suffocated, as long as we can always be together, it’s better than anything else.”

Yang Youming looked somewhat frustrated. “That just means we can’t do anything freely.”

Xia Xingcheng rolled over and sat up, sitting cross-legged on the bed as he faced Yang Youming. His bathrobe had already loosened, collapsing to expose most of his shoulder. Changing the subject, he said, “How come Zhu Tianjie thinks I’m gay? I’ve always been wondering about this.”

Yang Youming’s gaze fell on his tattoo once more, as if he couldn’t get tired of looking at it. He then slowly asked, “What did you do with him?”

Xia Xingcheng said, “Just normal filming. There was a time where we often ate to eat together, but I’ve never initiated a conversation with him or anything.”

“Don’t you have a kiss scene with him?” Yang Youming said in a flat tone. 

Xia Xingcheng was struck dumb. “Why do you keep coming back to this, I told you it was a parody.”

Unexpectedly, Yang Youming continued to speak in a low and calm tone, “Still, you wore a dress in front of him. I’ve never seen you in a dress before.”

Xia Xingcheng looked at him and couldn’t contain a burst of laughter. “Why are you so petty?”

Yang Youming reached out to capture his foot, his fingers gently caressing the sole. “Where’s your dress? Wear it and give me a look.”

Xia Xingcheng felt tickled by his touch and tried to retract his foot, laughing as he said, “At the stylist’s place. You go steal it back and I’ll wear it for you to see.” 

Yang Youming didn’t let go of his grip on Xia Xingcheng’s foot and stubbornly said, “You go steal it.”

Xia Xingcheng laughed so hard he had no energy left, then lay down on the bed, the hem of his bathrobe slipping open on both sides. 

Yang Youming froze and said, “You weren’t wearing underwear all this time?”

Xia Xingcheng looked up, his feet pressing on Yang Youming’s thigh, and he slightly blushed as he looked at him. “Yeah, Zhu Tianjie couldn’t see anyway. Whether he likes me or purely wants to sleep with me, it’s all just a daydream, it’s never going to happen.”

Yang Youming looked at him, expression gentle. A while later, he let go of his foot and said, “You’re still not well yet, let’s turn in early today.”

That night, Xia Xingcheng took the last of his medicine and slept in Yang Youming’s arms. He didn’t know whether it was the effects of the cold medicine, but he slept particularly soundly and barely even dreamed the entire night, sleeping until dawn the morning after. 

The curtains in the room were drawn. It was dim, and only from a small crack could he see that it was already dawn outside. 

Xia Xingcheng didn’t spot his phone, nor did he know the time. Since he fell ill due to filming, he could continue resting today, and he didn’t need to rush back to resume shooting. 

He quietly turned his head to look at Yang Youming and found that he was still asleep. His eyes were tightly shut, and when he slept, he looked especially serene.

Thus, Xia Xingcheng leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss on Yang Youming’s lips. Unexpectedly, Yang Youming opened his eyes the next moment. 

“You sleep too lightly.” Xia Xingcheng said, almost pasted to the man’s face.

Yang Youming raised his hand and hugged him close, then shut his eyes and rubbed against his forehead. Afterwards, he said, “I’m old.”

Xia Xingcheng said meaningfully, “Then how come I haven’t seen a decline in your abilities?”

Yang Youming laughed out loud with his eyes closed, then said in a lazy tone, “So do you want me to decline or not?”

Xia Xingcheng’s hand was already at his chest. It slowly slid down. “I won’t turn my back on you even if you do.”

Yang Youming opened his eyes to gaze at him, took a serious look at him for a moment, then asked, “Feeling better?”

Xia Xingcheng answered, “I’m not dizzy anymore, and my limbs aren’t sore either.” He neared Yang Youming’s ear, then whispered a sentence, “We can do it.”

Yang Youming chuckled and said, “Okay.”

Only when they were very close did Xia Xingcheng discover that Yang Youming had fine lines on the corner of his eyes whenever he laughed. He couldn’t help but kiss the place below his eyes, giving it all his attention. Then, he uttered a line that made his skin crawl, “I love you so much, even your every wrinkle.”

Yang Youming gradually restrained his laughter. He hugged Xia Xingcheng tightly, then said, “I love you too, Xingcheng.”

They spent the morning fooling around on the hotel bed. Xia Xingcheng, who had just gotten better, was entirely sore all over again afterwards. He weakly lay on the bed, on his stomach, as Yang Youming firmly imprisoned him from behind.  

His body was completely soaked with sweat—he didn’t even have the strength to crawl out of bed and take a shower. 

At noon, Xia Xingcheng heard someone knocking on the door. He couldn’t let Yang Youming go open the door, so he had no choice but to get up, weakly taking the bathrobe that had been discarded at the foot of the bed and wrapping it around himself. Even the bathrobe belt was tied around him by Yang Youming. 

Xia Xingcheng headed outside, thinking it was Hua Hua who had come to deliver food. Yet once he opened the door, Xia Xingcheng found that the person who stood outside the door wasn’t Hua Hua, but Yuan Qian. 

Yuan Qian had a flower bouquet in her hands. She smiled at first, but after looking at Xia Xingcheng for a moment, her smile faded. She asked, “Is there someone inside?”

The curtains in the room were still tightly shut, it was dark and stuffy inside. 

Xia Xingcheng hesitated.

Yuan Qian immediately understood. She handed the flowers to Xia Xingcheng, then said, “I came to visit you, but it seems like you’re better already. I’ll be leaving first, then.” She turned around and walked down the corridor without looking back. 

Xia Xingcheng went back in. The instant he closed the door, he saw himself in the dressing mirror with the light of the corridor. His hair was disheveled, his cheeks flushed red, and his lips were faintly swollen. However, what was more obvious was the hickey that overlapped the tattoo above his collarbone. He was the spitting image of obscenity.  

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t/n – ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

⟵ Chapter 95 | TOC | Chapter 97 ⟶