Chapter 6 – Sisters Share the Chrysanthemum

Wei Lai put down Chu Yin’s leg and fell into deep thought, “Does the director think I’m a 1?”

Chu Yin: “Is this really the time to be worrying about that?!”

Madam Wei revealed a calculating gaze, “I’m afraid if word gets out, even more people will try to make me top.”

The sheer absurdity of this statement left Chu Yin speechless. He stared at Wei Lai in shock.

“Don’t feel like you can’t show your face,” Wei Lai said, completely unbothered. “Change your pants and let’s go eat.”

Chu Yin: “There are no pants in the car.”

Wei Lai: “Then have your assistant bring you some.”

Chu Yin only had one assistant, and they had taken the day off. He had thought he could manage alone, but today had been nothing but bad luck.

Wei Lai frowned. “You don’t have an assistant?”

Chu Yin: “Mine’s on leave. Not everyone is like your precious Yao Chaowu, with assistants swarming around him front and back.”

In reality, Wei Lai had assigned three people to Yao Chaowu—one bodyguard and two assistants—to make sure he never went hungry, cold, or got bullied. Compared to that, Chu Yin’s setup seemed downright pitiful for someone of his fame. But more than that, Chu Yin’s habit of adding “your” before Yao Chaowu’s name gave Wei Lai a strange feeling.

“Yao Chaowu isn’t mine,” Wei Lai shook his head. “I terminated his contract.”

Chu Yin’s eyes widened again, this time in genuine surprise.

Wei Lai sighed, “Did you inherit your eye-popping skills from Angelababy¹A Chinese model and actress usually criticized for relying on widening her eyes to express any and all emotions on screen. or something?”

Chu Yin frowned, hesitating before speaking, “Aren’t you secretly in love with Yao Chaowu? How could you bear to just drop him like that?”

Wei Lai suddenly felt as though a rotten cabbage that had been fermenting in his basement for years had just been kicked into broad daylight. “How the hell do you know that? Did you hear me talking in my sleep or something???”

Chu Yin: “…Anyone with eyes could tell. And Yao Chaowu’s definitely playing dumb, right? There’s no way he doesn’t know you like him—he’s just using you to climb the ladder.”

Wei Lai: “Shut up.”

Chu Yin pouted his thin lips, pointing at Wei Lai with teary eyes, “You’re yelling at me? Do you have a death wish, Madam Wei?”

Afraid Chu Yin might burst into tears again, Wei Lai quickly backtracked, “Don’t cry! Stay calm! I’ll go find you some pants.”

Wei Lai stumbled out of the car in a daze. He thought, if even someone like Chu Yin—who barely knew them—could see his feelings for Yao Chaowu so clearly, what about everyone else? What about Yao Chaowu himself?

Though Wei Lai had considered this possibility before, he’d always talked himself out of it. Even if Yao Chaowu knew, so what? Yao Chaowu didn’t like men, and he certainly didn’t like Wei Lai. He couldn’t use his one-sided devotion to guilt Yao Chaowu into a relationship—that would be too despicable.

Even an ordinary person would face endless gossip if labeled as gay, let alone a top idol.

Wei Lai instinctively avoided the crowd, wandering all the way to the parking garage. By the time he realized he’d forgotten to bring Chu Yin pants, he was already two miles away.

Wei Lai: Fuck. Next time we meet, Chu Yin’s definitely gonna punch me till my nose bleeds.

But at that moment, Chu Yin had bigger things to worry about—because Chen Meixian had just shown up and taken most of the heat for him.

Not long after Wei Lai left, Chen Meixian came to visit Chu Yin on set. Hearing rumors about Wei Lai and Chu Yin getting close, he barged into the car, saw Chu Yin without pants, and immediately exploded.

Chen Meixian’s face darkened: “Brother Yin, how long have you known Wei Lai?”

Chu Yin didn’t even look up from his phone, “Just a few days.”

In Chen Meixian’s mind, Wei Lai had always been a shameless, pansexual manwhore. “A few days, and you’re already letting him fuck you?”

Chu Yin looked up, trembling with rage. “You think everyone’s as disgusting and low-class as you? Just because there’s a hole, you think it’s an invitation? There’s nothing between us!”

Chen Meixian: “You never let anyone into your car—in all these years, only me and Assistant Chen could get close to you! Why is Wei Lai special? If you say there’s nothing going on, how am I supposed to believe you?”

“So you have been spying on me,” Chu Yin hissed through gritted teeth. “Even if Wei Lai and I were fucking, it’s none of your business! The legs of all those small-time celebs and models wrapped around your waist could circle the Earth twice by now, couldn’t they?!”

“Brother Yin, even if we can’t be lovers, I’m still family to you, right? Me cheating doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” Chen Meixian sighed wearily. “Even if you never forgive me, I still want you to find someone who truly loves you. Not… not just throwing yourself at someone to spite me.”

Chu Yin: “The person you hired to spy on me—did they only tell you the rumors about Wei Lai and me?”

“Stop calling it spying, it sounds so ugly. I just asked someone to look out for you—I worry about you.” Chen Meixian said, “I heard you got into a fight with Yao Chaowu? How many times have I told you to control your temper? If this gets out, it’ll ruin your image—”

“Did you know I fell off a roof?” Chu Yin interrupted. “Why didn’t you notice I was sitting this whole time? Why wasn’t your first question about my face?”

Chen Meixian: “…”

“Yao Chaowu dragged me off that roof. I hit the ground first.”

Chu Yin lifted his right leg, revealing a horrifyingly swollen ankle.

Chen Meixian frowned, “An injury this bad—why didn’t you tell the staff?”

“Because I’m scared of pain,” Chu Yin said, looking up at him. “I can’t stop crying when it hurts, let alone comfort anyone else. The persona you built for me is ‘aloof tough guy.’ If I broke down sobbing on set and the staff leaked it, wouldn’t that ruin my image?”

Chen Meixian: “Where’s your assistant?”

“Chen Meixian, don’t shift the blame. You never cared if I was in pain.”

“You only care about how much money I can make for you. And how many little whores you can afford with it.”

Normally, Chu Yin would’ve been crying by now. But maybe he’d already used up all his tears arguing with Wei Lai earlier—because for the first time, he felt eerily calm.

“Sometimes… I really envy Yao Chaowu.”

Chen Meixian’s expression darkened as he said, “Chu Yin, what do you mean by this?”

“Break up. Terminate the contract.” Chu Yin clenched his fists. “From now on, we go our separate ways.”

“If our mother heard you say that, how heartbroken would she be?” Chen Meixian said sorrowfully.

Chu Yin’s gaze flickered, and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Chu Yin had been adopted by Chen Meixian’s biological mother. Mother Chen had paid for his education, cared for his daily needs, and treated him as her own. Chu Yin and Chen Meixian had grown up roughhousing like real brothers—until they eventually crossed the line, and their relationship gradually fell apart.

Chu Yin’s extreme tolerance for Chen Meixian stemmed largely from the Chen family’s kindness and his own guilt toward Mother Chen.

Chen Meixian knew exactly where Chu Yin’s weak spot was. Seeing him fall silent, he knew he had won again, firmly securing his control over Chu Yin.

“Since you say there’s nothing between you and Wei Lai, then there’s nothing. I believe you.” Chen Meixian patted Chu Yin’s back gently. “Come on, put your pants on. Let’s go to the hospital.”

Chu Yin murmured distantly, “After the first time we did it, I was in so much pain. You said the exact same thing back then—’Put your pants on, let’s go to the hospital.'”

It felt like a lifetime ago. Chen Meixian strained to recall and asked, “Did we end up going?”

Chu Yin replied, “No.”

After Wei Lai and Yao Chaowu terminated their contract, Wei Lai suddenly found himself with a lot of free time. Though he still managed a few other artists under his agency, they were all low-maintenance and hardly required any effort from him.

When most wealthy people face emotional setbacks, they might go traveling to clear their minds or indulge in food and drink—but not Wei Lai.

Wei Lai had saved up years’ worth of vacation days, all of which he now spent holed up in Chengdu playing mahjong. From one end of the street to the other, he played until the heavens darkened and the sun and moon lost their light.

Pining is no match for mahjong.

Making money is no match for mahjong.

Mahjong is true happiness.

The crisp clatter of tiles was music to his ears, blending seamlessly with the gossip from his mahjong sisters²Gay “sisters,” most likely. At least the one he’s having a coversation with.. Truly, one could learn everything under the sun just by sitting at the mahjong table.

“Hey, Wei Lai, did you hear about Chu Yin’s botched plastic surgery?”

Wei Lai frowned. “Surgery where? His face doesn’t need any work.”

The little sister giggled, a hand on his mouth. “Who knows? I saw it on Weibo’s trending list—he looks different now. His eyes are all puffy. Maybe he got Botox.”

Wei Lai replied lazily, “That’s from crying. It’s in his Lin Daiyu genes.”

The little sister clutched his cheeks, radiating exaggerated excitement. “Oh please, someone like Chu Yin would never cry! My god, those muscles, that sharp nose, that icy aura—if only he liked men!”

Wei Lai recalled the sight of Chu Yin’s perky ass and warned, “…Even if he did, he wouldn’t sleep with you.”

The little sister continued, “True, I don’t exactly have opportunities to meet him at work. Hey, Wei Lai, why don’t you go for it? The Slut Queen of Chunxi Road, how many years has it been since you last shook that jelly ass of yours? Shake it, let him fuck you!!!”

Wei Lai: “…Even if he did fuck me, there’s nothing for you to get excited about.”

The little sister spread out his tiles: “A 1 is hard to come by, sisters share the chrysanthemum—what happens to you, thrills me. Mahjong!!!” (1)

Wei Lai: “…Do you guys want to play mahjong with Chu Yin?”

The sisters: “!!!”

• 1
  A Chinese model and actress usually criticized for relying on widening her eyes to express any and all emotions on screen.
• 2
  Gay “sisters,” most likely. At least the one he’s having a coversation with.