TSBDRA 7: Coughing Blood Out of Nowhere

That night, when filming wrapped up, everyone was utterly exhausted except for Xu Xishuang, who had just spent the whole day watching others act.

No one was in the mood for another group dinner. They packed up and headed back to rest one by one, wanting to get a good night’s sleep before the next day’s intense shoot.

Xu Xishuang noticed that Chi Siyuan still hadn’t fully shaken off his character, Xia Qinglang, and judging from the amount he had filmed today, he was clearly worn out. So Xu Xishuang decided not to approach him right away. It’s better to let Chi Siyuan rest and go over lines together later that evening.

He left the set at a leisurely pace, stopping every few steps, and eventually made his way back to his hotel room.

His assistant Xiao Wang had been put in the room next door. The ever-dutiful Xiao Wang had borrowed the hotel’s kitchenette and made a full spread of nutritious meals for Xu Xishuang. He even bragged, “Xishuang, Xiao Wen got into the civil service thanks to my cooking!”

Xiao Wen was the star who used to work under Zhao-jie and had since quit the industry to become a civil servant. He was also Xiao Wang’s previous boss.

Xu Xishuang twitched at the corners of his mouth, staring at the meal in front of him. Though it smelled and looked great, it was low-oil, low-salt, and completely chili-free. With quiet despair, he picked up his chopsticks and ate every last bite.

After sending Xiao Wang off, he played on his phone for a while. Chi Siyuan still hadn’t come by or messaged him. So Xu Xishuang walked to the balcony, took down Yan Yushan’s shirt he had hung to dry that morning and found an unused garment bag in his luggage.

There were some unrecognizable floral letters printed on the bag. Xu Xishuang stared at them for a bit but couldn’t make sense of them. Still, it looked like a clothes bag, so he didn’t overthink it. He carefully folded the T-shirt and tucked it inside.

Just in case, he texted Yan Yushan first to say he was coming by to return the shirt.

Yan Yushan replied with a single “Okay,” and gave him the room number. Xu Xishuang realized with mild surprise that they were staying on the same floor. He pocketed his phone, found the right room, and knocked on the door.

Inside, Yan Yushan quickly set down his script, nerves kicking in as he opened the door.

When he’d received Xu Xishuang’s message, a thousand thoughts had run through his mind. He figured Xu Xishuang was probably trying to talk about that night—not that he could bring it up directly—so he had used the shirt as an excuse.

He had mentally rehearsed several conversations, running through every possible scenario but what he hadn’t expected… was for Xu Xishuang not to step inside at all.

Xu Xishuang just lifted the paper bag and handed it over. “Here’s your shirt.”

Yan Yushan took the bag.

Xu Xishuang turned to leave.

“Wait.”

The deep voice practically brushed his ear. Xu Xishuang’s fingers twitched. He resisted the urge to rub his ear, turning halfway to glance at Yan Yushan, silently asking what he wanted now.

Yan Yushan leaned against the doorframe, his tall frame nearly brushing the top. His broad shoulders blocked out the warm light from the room behind him, while the hallway—true to the stingy hotel owner’s style—was left unlit. Xu Xishuang stood in a patch of shadow, looking at Yan Yushan, who stood backlit against the glow.

He noticed a slight hesitation on Yan Yushan’s face, but he couldn’t read what exactly he was hesitating about. His eyes were drawn to the tiny mole under Yan Yushan’s eye.

Yan Yushan’s features were deep and sharp. When he wasn’t speaking—especially when expressionless—he looked downright intimidating, like some cold-hearted villain in a drama but that tiny mole softened everything. It stirred an inexplicable urge to touch his eyes and kiss that spot.

If they were in bed, and he looked at you like that from above, sweat sliding down his nose bridge…

Yeah, Xu Xishuang could understand why fans called Yan Yushan the ultimate top of the entertainment world.

That presence, that build, that demeanor—if he wasn’t the top, who was?

Xu Xishuang was still zoning out when Yan Yushan suddenly said, “…Come in. We’ll talk inside.”

Xu Xishuang bristled a little.

He didn’t want to be alone in a room with Yan Yushan—especially not when both of them were men, and had already slept together. If it were anyone else, he would assume this was a subtle invitation for round two but coming from Yan Yushan? He couldn’t help overthinking it.

Was it because he’d been a little too friendly with Chi Siyuan today? Was Yan Yushan jealous? Is he coming to confront him?

Xu Xishuang wanted to refuse but he could sense that Yan Yushan’s tone tonight left no room for argument. The man had clearly made up his mind. He even stepped aside, opening the door and giving him a clear path in while his eyes fixed on him, waiting.

Not wanting to offend the top-tier celebrity and current director of the production, Xu Xishuang hesitated for two seconds, then turned and stepped into Yan Yushan’s hotel room.

The room was clean and sparse. Yan Yushan hadn’t left any personal clutter around. Aside from the open script on the desk, it was nearly bare.

Xu Xishuang casually pulled out a chair and sat by the table, waiting for Yan Yushan to speak.

Yan Yushan set the bag with his shirt by the bed and sat across from him, visibly tense. “How’s your… body?”

“Fine,” Xu Xishuang replied.

Well, at least he wasn’t dying right this second.

“About that night…” Yan Yushan cautiously asked, “Do you need any compensation?”

“No,” Xu Xishuang replied flatly.

Everything he’d spent at Dr. Xu’s clinic was billed to Yan Yushan. He hadn’t paid a dime and really, health was the only thing that mattered. Houses, cars—those were all meaningless. Staying alive was the real priority.

It was just sex. He had enjoyed it and since the compensation had been Yan Yushan’s idea in the first place, what he had already asked for was enough. Asking for more would be greedy and off-putting.

In fact, Xu Xishuang was starting to believe the book was right—Yan Yushan really was a virgin. Only a virgin would care this much about their first time and keep bringing it up.

He completely forgot that he himself was a virgin too. In his mind, he was now the more experienced one so he reassured him gently, “It’s fine. Just forget about it. No need to bring it up again.”

Little virgin.

“…Okay.” Yan Yushan was silent for a beat before responding.

He looked at Xu Xishuang’s calm, composed face and felt a dull ache in his chest. Clearly, Xu Xishuang didn’t want anything more to do with him and would rather minimize contact entirely. He had even let himself be wronged if it meant avoiding any further humiliation for Yan Yushan.

Yan Yushan couldn’t tell what he was feeling. Logically, he should’ve been relieved but instead, it felt like a wad of cotton was stuck in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Since there was nothing else to say, Xu Xishuang stood up to leave. He opened his mouth to say goodbye, but before he could get a word out, a wave of iron-tasting heat surged up his throat. His expression changed instantly.

He couldn’t hold it back. With a sickening “ugh,” he vomited a mouthful of blood right onto Yan Yushan’s open script, staining the A4 paper crimson.

Xu Xishuang: …Oh, crap.

Yan Yushan: !!!

He shot to his feet so fast he nearly flipped the table. Leaning forward, he grabbed Xu Xishuang by the shoulders, panic written all over his face. “What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine…” Xu Xishuang mumbled.

Just another random blood-vomiting episode.

There was still some blood in his mouth. He swiftly grabbed a tissue from the cabinet, spat into it, wiped his lips, and crumpled it into his hand.

Then he noticed something strange. His body was trembling.

Wait, no—it wasn’t him. It was Yan Yushan’s hands, shaking against his shoulders. That tremble was transferring into him.

“Do you want me to…” Yan Yushan’s voice was hoarse, his gaze glued to him like he might collapse at any second. “Should I take you to the hospital?”

“I’m really okay,” Xu Xishuang half-laughed. “It’s normal. Dr. Xu knows about it.”

Although Dr. Xu was still baffled and even wanted to name the condition after him.

Silently apologizing to Dr. Xu in his heart, Xu Xishuang told a harmless little lie. “He said it’s just stagnant toxins in my body. Vomiting them out actually helps. It makes me feel lighter.”

So please, let’s not make a late-night ER trip. They wouldn’t find anything anyway. 

The original owner had spent over a decade seeing doctors all over, and no one had figured it out. He had hundreds of medical visit records saved in his phone.

Yan Yushan stared into his eyes until Xu Xishuang started to get nervous. Only then did he finally look away, reluctantly believing him. He let go of his shoulders and silently walked him to the door, still visibly pale.

Xu Xishuang stepped out and looked down the hallway when he suddenly locked eyes with Chi Siyuan coming from the opposite direction.

Xu Xishuang: !!!

Chi Siyuan: ?!