ABOES 79: Relationship Exposed

The bathrobe was light. Chi Yunxing, intent only on kissing Duan Zhiyan, didn’t realize that the only thing covering him had already slipped off. After settling himself on Duan Zhiyan’s lap, he leaned down and kissed him directly on the lips.

Duan Zhiyan tilted his head slightly, staying still. Only after Chi Yunxing’s lips landed did the hand around his waist tighten, deepening the kiss.

As their lips and tongues intertwined, Chi Yunxing felt the air in his lungs grow thinner and thinner.

He was the one who had initiated this kiss, yet by the end, he was completely outmatched. As if that wasn’t enough, the hand that had been resting at his waist slowly started to move upward.

The man’s broad palm swept up his spine, sending a shiver through Chi Yunxing.

Chi Yunxing’s ears turned red. That’s when he finally noticed something was off.

He wanted to get up and adjust himself, but before he could, their positions had already reversed. Duan Zhiyan had pinned him down.

Duan Zhiyan finally pulled back from the kiss.

Chi Yunxing’s breathing was uneven, and he rasped, “Zhiyan Ge…”

Duan Zhiyan covered his eyes with one hand and said quietly, “Close your eyes.”

Chi Yunxing didn’t obey. His long, thick lashes fluttered softly against Duan Zhiyan’s palm like tiny brushes.

Then another scorching kiss landed but this time, not on his lips.

Chi Yunxing’s eyes widened slightly, and a soft moan slipped from his mouth.

…

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Duan Zhiyan knocked lightly on the door. “Still not done?”

After a moment, Chi Yunxing’s slightly hoarse voice answered, “No…” followed by a soft, grumbling complaint, “It’s all your fault!”

Leaning against the doorframe, Duan Zhiyan heard everything. He chuckled. “I said it was time to get up. You’re the one who wanted to kiss me.”

Hot water poured down Chi Yunxing’s face, and the steam flushed his skin—from his cheeks to his neck, even his fair chest was tinged pink.

After a long silence, Chi Yunxing gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, blame me. So can you at least leave for now?!”

Not wanting to actually piss him off, Duan Zhiyan replied easily, “Alright, I’ll wait in the living room.”

He sat on the sofa for a while until Liu Ran came to the door with breakfast for the two of them.

Although Liu Ran already knew they were staying in the same room, actually seeing Duan Zhiyan open the door still gave him quite a shock.

Right after Liu Ran left, Chi Yunxing came out of the bathroom.

Duan Zhiyan took out the breakfast and set it up. “Come eat,” he said to Chi Yunxing.

Learning from last night and earlier that morning, Chi Yunxing had dressed properly before stepping out this time.

His pale face was still tinged with a rosy flush. Whether it was from the heat of the shower or something else was unclear.

Chi Yunxing deliberately chose a seat a bit farther from Duan Zhiyan and silently began drinking his porridge.

Seeing that he didn’t want to talk, Duan Zhiyan didn’t say much either. He simply moved all of Chi Yunxing’s favorite breakfast items next to him, even peeling his egg for him.

Chi Yunxing’s gaze followed Duan Zhiyan’s slender hands, and after a while, his eyes flicked quickly to a certain spot then just as quickly looked away.

Taking a bite of the egg, Chi Yunxing frowned slightly.

Did he see that right?

How could Duan Zhiyan still be completely unfazed after all that?

Come to think of it, last time was like that too…

Chi Yunxing’s eyes dimmed. He looked up at Duan Zhiyan again, who was calmly sipping his porridge, looking totally normal.

His frown deepened. Distracted, he accidentally swallowed a whole piece of yolk and, unsurprisingly, choked on it.

The moment he started choking, Duan Zhiyan immediately stood up and held a glass of soy milk to his lips. “It’s not hot. Take a sip.”

Chi Yunxing was coughing so hard his eyes welled with tears. He took a big gulp from the glass and finally managed to swallow the egg yolk.

Duan Zhiyan gently patted his back. Seeing his face still pale, he handed over more soy milk. “Want another sip?”

Chi Yunxing took another sip, covered his mouth, and coughed lightly. Finally, he recovered.

Duan Zhiyan set the glass down and gently wiped the corner of his mouth with a tissue, his voice filled with exasperated tenderness. “How do you even choke on an egg? What were you thinking about?”

Chi Yunxing snapped out of it. Remembering what he’d been thinking earlier, his ears turned hot. “N-Nothing…” But the answer sounded weak, even to him.

Duan Zhiyan’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he stared at him, grinning.

Chi Yunxing didn’t dare meet his eyes and quickly buried his face in his porridge.

What was he supposed to do, directly ask Duan Zhiyan why he didn’t react?!

No way. Absolutely not.

Duan Zhiyan could guess what was going through his mind but didn’t expose him.

After breakfast, Chi Yunxing finally asked, “Zhiyan ge, are you heading back later?”

Duan Zhiyan asked, “Is today your last day of filming?”

Chi Yunxing nodded. “Yeah, after today, I won’t have anything scheduled until next week.”

“Then I’ll stay with you,” Duan Zhiyan said, his deep eyes filled with warmth. “I don’t have anything scheduled either.”

Chi Yunxing lit up. “Really?”

“Of course,” Duan Zhiyan stood up first. “Come on, let’s head to the set.”

He reached out his hand to Chi Yunxing.

Without thinking, Chi Yunxing placed his hand in Duan Zhiyan’s and forgot all about his earlier doubts.

…

When Xie Yi learned Duan Zhiyan was coming along to the set today, she didn’t look surprised and quickly went to make arrangements.

At the set, Ji Xi hadn’t arrived yet, so Chi Yunxing went to get his makeup done.

Even though neither of them cared if their relationship went public, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Duan Zhiyan wore a mask and a hat.

The staff on site were all curious about this tall man, but since Chi Yunxing was right there, no one dared to ask.

Once inside the makeup room, Duan Zhiyan finally took off his mask and hat.

Chi Yunxing’s look for the day was simple, so half an hour later, he was ready to shoot.

Before heading out, he quickly kissed the corner of Duan Zhiyan’s lips when no one was looking and whispered, “Wait for me,” before dashing off.

Duan Zhiyan couldn’t help but touch the spot where he’d been kissed, his smile deepening.

…

Most of Chi Yunxing’s important scenes had already been shot on the first day, so today’s filming was much more relaxed.

After wrapping one scene, Ji Xi was about to chat with him, but before he could say a word, Chi Yunxing had already hurried off to the break room.

Thinking he probably hadn’t slept well, Ji Xi decided to wait until lunch to talk about their next collaboration.

Last night, Ji Xi had received a promising offer for a reality show. He was very satisfied with it and hoped to invite Chi Yunxing to join him.

Why? Because Chi Yunxing’s cooking was just too good.

Ever since they wrapped Let’s Go Travel, Ji Xi had been craving his food constantly.

They weren’t close enough for him to just invite himself over for meals, so he’d had his manager keep an eye out for any suitable variety shows.

Now that he’d finally found one, he wasn’t about to miss the chance.

As soon as it was lunchtime, Ji Xi grabbed a meal box and headed straight to find Chi Yunxing but he was nowhere to be seen.

The door to his break room was firmly shut.

Which was fine—talking in a break room would be even better.

Grinning, Ji Xi knocked.

“Yunxing? Did you get your lunch?”

Inside, just as Chi Yunxing’s lips brushed against Duan Zhiyan’s, the sudden voice made him jolt in shock. He immediately pushed Duan Zhiyan away in a panic.

Duan Zhiyan looked slightly disgruntled but said nothing.

“It’s Ji Xi,” Chi Yunxing whispered, then got up, adjusted his clothes in the mirror, and opened the door.

Ji Xi was standing there with two lunch boxes. When he saw Chi Yunxing, he beamed. “Yunxing, have you eaten yet?”

Blocking the doorway to hide the man inside, Chi Yunxing smiled. “Not yet, my assistant went to grab mine.”

Just then, Liu Ran showed up carrying their meals.

Chi Yunxing took them and said to Ji Xi, “I’ll go eat now.”

As he was about to close the door, Ji Xi stuck out his hand. “Hey, let’s eat together! I’ve got something to discuss with you.” When Chi Yunxing hesitated, he asked, “What, is it a bad time?”

Chi Yunxing wavered. Ji Xi knew Duan Zhiyan and they worked together. It wouldn’t be too awkward.

Yet a part of him really didn’t want anyone interrupting their alone time.

While he hesitated, a familiar chest pressed up behind him. Duan Zhiyan’s low voice murmured, “What’s taking so long?”

Ji Xi thought that voice sounded familiar. He looked up and froze.

“Du-Du-Duan…” Ji Xi swallowed. Considering how many people were around, he held back the last two syllables. “Why are you here?”

Duan Zhiyan took the meal from Chi Yunxing’s hand, glanced at Ji Xi, and replied coolly, “Just visiting.”

Ji Xi: “…”

Seriously? No one told him!

“But—”

“This isn’t the best place to chat. Let’s talk another time,” Duan Zhiyan said, already heading back inside with the lunch. “Yunxing, come eat.”

Standing by the door really wasn’t ideal, but couldn’t he just let Ji Xi in for a bit?

Ji Xi felt wronged.

Chi Yunxing hadn’t expected Duan Zhiyan to step in so directly, but he secretly sighed in relief. He turned to Ji Xi. “Sorry, Ji Ge, I’ll eat first. Let’s catch up later if there’s time.”

Ji Xi could only nod and planned to talk to him during the afternoon shoot.

During filming, Ji Xi watched Chi Yunxing like a hawk. The moment the director called “cut,” he rushed over and blocked him.

“I need to talk to you!” Ji Xi said.

Chi Yunxing blinked. “What is it?”

Glancing toward the break room, Ji Xi grabbed his arm. “Come with me!”

With no other choice, Chi Yunxing followed.

Inside Ji Xi’s room, Ji Xi quickly shut the door and asked in a hushed voice, “Why is Duan Zhiyan here?”

Chi Yunxing gave the same answer Duan Zhiyan had, “He came to visit.”

Ji Xi didn’t question it and simply sighed. “You two really are close.”

Chi Yunxing’s ears turned red. He forced a smile and changed the subject. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Ji Xi finally remembered. He handed over the proposal he’d prepared earlier. “A variety show reached out to me. I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in joining.”

Chi Yunxing hadn’t expected this. He skimmed the document and smiled. “I’ll take a closer look later and get back to you, Ji Ge?”

Ji Xi nodded. “Of course. If you don’t want to do it, just let me know.”

They chatted a bit more before the director started calling people again.

Chi Yunxing followed Ji Xi out and glanced toward his break room—just in time to see Duan Zhiyan, now masked and hatted, walking out.

His heart skipped a beat.

Though the distance was far, he caught the look of grievance in Duan Zhiyan’s eyes immediately.

Chi Yunxing felt a twinge of guilt and was about to go explain when Duan Zhiyan began walking toward them.

Ji Xi also noticed him and leaned over to whisper, “Why is Duan Zhiyan comin—”

Before he could finish, Duan Zhiyan pulled Chi Yunxing over to his side and gave Ji Xi a cool glance.

Ji Xi: “?”

Why is he glaring at me?

Sensing Duan Zhiyan’s jealousy, Chi Yunxing quickly handed him the proposal. “Ji Ge wants to collaborate. Could you take a look?”

Duan Zhiyan swallowed whatever he’d been about to say. “A variety show?”

Chi Yunxing nodded. “Yeah.”

Duan Zhiyan skimmed it quickly and closed the file. “You’ve already done enough variety. If you take on more, you won’t get any rest. Plus, this one films at the end of the year. Our movie starts shooting right after the New Year.”

Chi Yunxing nodded. That made sense.

Turning to Ji Xi, he said, “Sorry, Ji Ge.”

Ji Xi stared, dumbfounded. How had Duan Zhiyan just dismissed him like that?

“You sure you don’t want to think it over?” Ji Xi asked.

Before Chi Yunxing could say anything, Duan Zhiyan answered for him, “No need. I don’t want him to get too tired.”

Chi Yunxing gave Ji Xi an apologetic smile.

Ji Xi: “…”

What do you mean you don’t want him overworked?

The director called again, and they had no choice but to return.

During the shoot, Ji Xi couldn’t stop thinking about that line—“I don’t want him too tired.”

Why did Duan Zhiyan care?

Puzzled, Ji Xi was about to go talk to Chi Yunxing during another break when he saw him running toward Duan Zhiyan with a bright smile.

Chi Yunxing said something with a sparkle in his eyes. Duan Zhiyan leaned in to listen, then pulled out a clean tissue to wipe the sweat from Chi Yunxing’s nose.

They were so close. It looks so natural it was as if no one else existed.

Ji Xi’s eyes widened in shock. A wild guess formed in his mind—

Could it be what he was thinking?!

Their intimate posture didn’t go unnoticed by others on set, either. While Ji Xi was the only one who recognized Duan Zhiyan, others were shocked that a rising star like Chi Yunxing might already be in a relationship!

And his manager, Xie Yi, wasn’t even stopping him?

Xiao Li, one of the crew, was also stunned. Her best friend was a hardcore Chi Yunxing × Duan Zhiyan shipper. She couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.

She immediately pulled out her phone and messaged her.

[Xiao Li: Your CP is dead!]

Her friend replied instantly.

[No way! My CP is forever!]

To prove her point, Xiao Li secretly snapped a photo of the two and sent it.

[Xiao Li: Proof.]

Her friend went silent for a beat, then:

[???]
[WTF! Who is this guy?!]
[My baby got snatched by a pig!!]
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—]

Seeing her friend lose it, Xiao Li couldn’t help but laugh. She replied with seasoned wisdom.

[Xiao Li: Relax. Once enough ships sink, you go numb. I told you—most CPs in showbiz are just for hype. Almost none of them work out.]
[Xiao Li: Don’t be too upset.]

Her friend didn’t reply. Xiao Li still had work to do, so she simply let it go.

What she didn’t expect was that her friend posted the photo on a public platform.

Soon, a thread titled “Chi Yunxing Suspected of New Romance” shot to the top of China’s biggest entertainment forum and the place instantly blew up.

【Chi Yunxing?】

【Got pics or not?】

【If there’s no photo, stop spreading rumors.】

【Chi Yunxing’s been quiet for a while. Is this for promo? Got a drama dropping or what?】

【Fun fact: Secret Love airs next week on XXTV.】

【Ah, makes sense now.】

【Another marketing ploy, I see.】

【Waiting on OP. Do they have actual proof?】

【Camped.】

…

The thread was already heated when the original poster finally returned to drop the bomb.

【OP: Took a while because I was comparing details. This photo was taken today. I checked it against the set photos Ji Xi posted yesterday and backgrounds match perfectly. This photo is 100% real! #photo# #photo#】

Netizens eagerly clicked open the image.

It was crystal clear.

In it, Chi Yunxing was looking up, smiling sweetly at the man in front of him. The man had one arm loosely around Chi Yunxing’s waist and was using his other hand to wipe the sweat from Chi Yunxing’s forehead.

Before the image dropped, most people had dismissed the rumors but now, faced with this picture, the forum exploded.

【Holy sh*t!】

【This photo is way too clear!】

【Who is that guy next to Chi Yunxing? Kinda… hot??】

【OMG, the background is identical! This is legit!】

【But wait, why would he be so open about it at a filming set? Wouldn’t he try to keep it under wraps?】

【Photoshopped, maybe?】

Some skeptical netizens quickly investigated.

【Nope, no signs of editing. This pic is real.】

【+1】

【So if it’s real… then this is the real deal? I’m stunned. He just debuted not long ago and he’s already dating? Isn’t that risky for his career?】

【Sigh. Being a fan is tough these days.】

【I don’t even stan him but… I’m kinda sad for his fans.】

【Hold on, maybe it’s part of an MV or something?】

Honestly, that was possible.

The debate continued, and the thread quickly hit trending status. Soon, gossip accounts started reposting it on Weibo and other platforms.

Chi Yunxing’s fanbase reacted fast—managing comments, pushing positive narratives, and privately messaging Xie Yi.

【Probably a behind-the-scenes still from a music video! Waiting for an official clarification.】

【Stop jumping to conclusions just because he’s standing next to someone! At least come up with a better headline.】

【Wait a sec… why does that guy kinda look like Duan Zhiyan?】

【Now that you mention it… he really does look familiar.】

Duan Zhiyan’s fans, who were happily watching the drama unfold, suddenly stopped laughing.

【How is that Duan ge?!】

Some others chimed in.

【It’s not impossible. Duan Ge does treat Yunxing super well.】

【F*ck… now that you say it, he really might be Duan Zhiyan】

【Goddammit, the more I look, the more I think it is him.】

【If it really is Duan Ge… doesn’t that mean he was visiting the set?】

Soon, a fan posted Duan Zhiyan’s latest public schedule.

【He was at X brand’s product launch yesterday. That event ended in the afternoon.】

【…Well then. All signs point to it being Duan Zhiyan.】

Other users couldn’t help but laugh.

【When this happens to other fandoms, they scramble to clarify. Your fandom? Y’all are halfway to confirming it yourselves.】

Surprisingly, Duan Zhiyan’s fans were very united in their response.

【Well, he did say Yunxing is a very important little brother!】

…

Xie Yi was the first to spot the post.

Chi Yunxing was still filming, and Duan Zhiyan stood nearby, quietly watching him work.

After a moment of hesitation, Xie Yi walked over.

Duan Zhiyan opened the photo on his phone. His brow furrowed. “Who posted this?”

“PR is still investigating,” Xie Yi replied.

Duan Zhiyan handed her the phone. “Ask Ji Xi.”

Xie Yi nodded, then asked, “What do you want to do about the post?”

While neither he nor Chi Yunxing cared much about the public finding out, that didn’t mean they appreciated being photographed without consent.

Duan Zhiyan’s tone turned cold. “I’ll have He You take care of it. Ask Yunxing later if he wants to post a clarification and we’ll go with whatever he decides.”

Xie Yi nodded and headed off to find Ji Xi’s manager.

Meanwhile, Duan Zhiyan turned back toward the set and sent a message to He You.

Not two seconds later, a new message from Chi Xiwen popped up on his phone.

[Chi Xiwen: Is this dog-man you???]