ASFSODS 98

It was still dark outside when the phone alarm went off. Wen Chi wasn’t fully awake yet, but his hand reached for the phone and accurately turned off the alarm. He then snoozed for a few more seconds before struggling to get out of bed.

“Jiang Siheng, wake up.” Wen Chi hadn’t forgotten about his boyfriend who came home last night, but when he turned his head, he noticed that the man who had been sleeping beside him was already gone. “Where did he go?”

Wen Chi scratched his head and, as he got out of bed, his eyes caught sight of a small black square box on the nightstand.

What is this?

Wen Chi opened the box, revealing a finely crafted men’s watch with crushed diamonds. He picked it up and looked at it but didn’t try putting it on his wrist. Instead, he placed it back into the box.

After finishing his wash, as he walked out of the bathroom, there was a sound of a beep at the door. Wen Chi froze in shock, staring at Jiang Siheng who had just entered. “You…”

His gaze fell on the room key card in Jiang Siheng’s hand. Uncertain, he walked over to the card reader by the door and saw his own key card there. Turning back to Jiang Siheng, his expression became complicated. “Where did you get my room key card?”

“I got it from the front desk,” Jiang Siheng replied, carrying breakfast. He was dressed in sportswear, with his bangs slightly damp, clearly having just gone for a run.

Wen Chi didn’t ask how Jiang Siheng managed to get the room key. He looked at the breakfast placed on the table and said, “I’ll eat on the way, or I’ll be late.”

“The schedule has been delayed. You can finish your breakfast and still make it in time.”

One of the benefits of staying at hotels near the film set is that the breakfast spots around here open extra early, as they usually cater to the film crew’s breakfast needs.

“Delayed? How come I didn’t know?” Wen Chi picked up his phone and opened the group chat for the film crew. He found that the assistant director had posted about the delayed shooting schedule fifteen minutes ago. “Oh, alright then.”

When Jiang Siheng heard the last part, he found it amusing. “Don’t stand there, come over and eat breakfast.”

Wen Chi sat across from Jiang Siheng, watching the man take out minced meat soup noodles, soy milk, milk from the plastic bag… The coffee table was almost covered with food.

“You bought too much.” Wen Chi glanced around, holding his chopsticks, unsure of what to eat first.

“Drink some milk first, it’s warm.” Jiang Siheng handed the milk to Wen Chi.

“Oh.”

Wen Chi obediently held the milk and took a few sips. Jiang Siheng noticed that there was nothing on his slender wrist. He turned to look at the nightstand, and the black box was still there.

Jiang Siheng’s brow gradually furrowed.

Wen Chi, focused on slurping his soup noodles, didn’t notice the change in Jiang Siheng’s expression. The noodles probably had some vinegar in them, as it tasted sour.

“Xiao Chi.”

“Hmm?”

“Have you opened the box and looked inside?”

Wen Chi broke a piece of noodle with his teeth, glanced back and then turned back again, nodding. “I’ve looked.”

“Don’t like it?”

“Huh?” Wen Chi shook his head. “No, it’s very nice.”

Jiang Siheng responded with an oh.

Wen Chi slurped a mouthful of soup noodles, then looked up at him, thought for a moment, and said, “I can’t wear this watch to the set, can I? I’ll have to take it off once I get to the crew, which is such a hassle.”

Jiang Siheng raised an eyebrow. “Why can’t you?”

“I’ll wear it later.” Wen Chi picked up a small dumpling and placed it into Jiang Siheng’s bowl. “Eat your noodles, no talking.”

Especially fierce.

After a while, Wen Chi suddenly remembered something. He widened his eyes and stared at Jiang Siheng. “Did anyone see you when you came to my room?”

Jiang Siheng: “No.”

Jiang Siheng wouldn’t lie to him about things like this, so Wen Chi relaxed. “That’s good then.”

Jiang Siheng looked at Wen Chi, suddenly curious. “What if someone saw me?”

Wen Chi didn’t look at him. “I don’t know, you figure it out yourself.”

Jiang Siheng: “…”

After finishing breakfast, they headed to the film set, and Wen Chi was surprised to find that he and Jiang Siheng were the earliest to arrive. Director Xu was sitting on a small stool. When he saw them, he shouted for them to come over. Only when they were in front of him did he say, “Today’s your scenes together. You two better take it easy.”

Wen Chi didn’t quite understand what Director Xu meant. “Huh?”

Director Xu gave him an expression that said, “How can you not understand.” He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before continuing, “I said, you both should already know what today’s scenes are about, right? ‘Wen Weiyang’ and ‘Xie Suiyu’ are now bitter enemies who have turned against each other. Don’t look at him like he’s your lover.”

Director Xu pointed at Jiang Siheng.

Wen Chi: “…Oh.”

“And you, the look in your eyes when you look at ‘Wen Weiyang’ is one of guilt. But also, don’t give him that look like you’re looking at your boyfriend… Here, here, here, this kind of look. Don’t give me a performance like that later, or else I’ll slap you both.”

What kind of look? Wen Chi quietly glanced at Jiang Siheng, but didn’t expect that the latter was also looking at him.

“…” Director Xu stared at Wen Chi in disbelief. Was he blushing just from a glance? Young people nowadays really have thin skin when it comes to love.

Today’s shooting was also going to be an outdoor scene. Once everyone was done with their makeup, Director Xu hurried them into the vehicle like they were ducks being chased. Wen Chi instinctively followed behind Chen Li, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed. Turning around, Jiang Siheng was looking at him. “Where are you going?”

Wen Chi was persistent. “Getting in the vehicle. Didn’t Director Xu tell us to get in the vehicle?”

“We’re taking a different car.” Jiang Siheng pulled him back by the collar of his shirt.

“This doesn’t seem too good…” Wen Chi fidgeted, but when he saw the other car Jiang Siheng mentioned, his attitude immediately changed. “Actually, I don’t think it’s that bad.”

Jiang Siheng was both amused and exasperated.

Chen Li was about to look for his car buddy, but when he turned around, he saw his buddy eagerly following Film Emperor Jiang and getting into a black business car.

Had he been abandoned? QAQ

Wen Chi had no idea that Chen Li was looking for him. With Jiang Siheng sitting next to him, he turned and looked at him, noticing they were both wearing makeup. For some reason, it struck his funny bone.

“Hahahahaha!”

Jiang Siheng glanced at his phone, then looked up at Wen Chi when he heard the laughter. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.” Wen Chi shook his head. “Just found something a bit funny for no reason.”

“Who?”

“You.”

Jiang Siheng raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

The driver, Xiao Pang, and the person sitting in the passenger seat, Sang Sang, both wore blank expressions. Clearly, they didn’t quite understand the humor between this couple.

The outer garment was put on only after arriving at the destination. Wen Chi finished changing, stood up, and spread his arms, allowing the costume designer and makeup artist to adjust him. He caught a glance at the man standing nearby.

Jiang Siheng’s expression was indifferent, seemingly carrying a hint of weariness. He followed whatever movements the costume designer instructed without a word.

Before shooting began, Wen Chi was reviewing his lines and notes from the script. Jiang Siheng walked over and, noticing the serious expression on Wen Chi’s face, chose not to interrupt. His gaze fell on the script, which was filled with scribbles and notes.

To be honest, Wen Chi was still a bit nervous and lacked confidence about the upcoming scenes. The emotions he needed to convey as ‘Wen Weiyang’ were quite complicated. ‘Wen Weiyang’ hated ‘Xie Suiyu’ for inadvertently killing his family, but at the same time, Wen Chi had to portray the internal conflict of knowing that he and ‘Xie Suiyu’ had once been good friends. He had to show this contradictory state in the performance.

The props teacher handed the weapon to Wen Chi. He was already familiar with the sword in his hand and even tried to see if he could do a spin with it. Of course, every time he attempted a spin, Jiang Siheng would stop him.

The man was afraid that Wen Chi would hurt his hand again.

…

It was a year later that Wen Weiyang was seen again. The once vibrant and spirited young man no longer had a smile on his face. He seemed to have become a completely different person, his gaze cold and menacing as he looked at Xie Suiyu. He curled his lips into a sneer, the tip of his sword pointed at Xie Suiyu’s chest. “Unless you’re dead, we’ll never be friends again.”

Zhou Mian looked at his former friend, his fist clenching tightly. “A-Yang, do we really have to become like this?”

Wen Weiyang turned his head, casting a cold glance at him. “I have no intention of targeting you all. If you still consider me a friend, leave here now.”

Wu Congyan waved his hand and angrily shouted, “If you still consider us friends, you shouldn’t point your sword at us!”

Wen Weiyang stared at Wu Congyan for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter didn’t reach his eyes. “Friends? I would never consider someone who killed my family a friend.”

Xie Suiyu lowered his eyelashes, remaining silent.

“But that wasn’t A-Yu’s fault! He didn’t do it on purpose, he was controlled by the evil spirit at the time!”

“And what about my family?! Just a careless excuse of being controlled by the evil spirit, and I’m supposed to forgive him?!” Wen Weiyang’s voice grew louder, his eyes reddening. As he spoke again, his voice trembled. “I have no family left…”

Xie Suiyu closed his eyes and then opened them again. He took a few steps forward, and the tip of Wen Weiyang’s sword was only a finger’s distance from his chest. 

“I’m sorry, kill me or dismember me, it’s up to you.”

…

“Clack…” Director Xu stood up and walked over. Wen Chi thought he had done something wrong, but to his surprise, Director Xu stopped in front of Jiang Siheng, rolled up the script, and tapped a few times on Jiang Siheng’s shoulder. “Your expression was off for a moment, did you know?”

Jiang Siheng pondered for a moment, “Really?”

“Yes, Teacher Jiang, I noticed it too,” said Xu Zhouwei.

Wen Chi looked at Xu Zhouwei, then at Jiang Siheng, and fell into deep thought. What was that?

Director Xu said, “You had a moment of hesitation just now, but that expression shouldn’t be on ‘Xie Suiyu’s’ face.”

Chen Li quietly walked over to Wen Chi, placed a hand on his shoulder, leaned in, and whispered, “I never thought I would see Jiang Ge being educated by the director one day.”

Wen Chi replied, “He’s not a god.”

Chen Li said, “True. By the way, aren’t you wrapping up the shoot the day after tomorrow?”

“Probably. If they schedule the scene where I die for the day after tomorrow, then I guess I really will wrap up.”

Chen Li made a sound of reluctance, his expression showing unwillingness. “I’m not wrapping up that soon. After you leave, I won’t have anyone to eat with.”

Wen Chi said, “You won’t miss me. You can find someone else.”

Chen Li shook his head. “I think it’s just more comfortable eating with you.”

Director Xu didn’t press Jiang Siheng too much. He knew the man would figure it out on his own. He returned to his small stool, picked up the megaphone, and called out, “Everyone, get ready!”

Wen Chi thought something had happened to Jiang Siheng, and he looked at him with concern. “Teacher Jiang, are you okay?”

Jiang Siheng gave Wen Chi a puzzled look. Although he didn’t understand why his boyfriend was asking him that, he still replied, “I’m fine.”

Wen Chi’s current obedient appearance was completely different from the cold, fragile, and hateful expression he had shown earlier in the scene. Jiang Siheng stared at Wen Chi for a while, then reached up and patted his head. “Not bad.”

Wen Chi: …

Because of Jiang Siheng’s pat, Wen Chi ended up covering his head and rushing to find his stylist, yelling, “Wan Jie, help me fix my hair!”

So cute. Sister Wan smiled behind her hand, then raised her hand to fix his hair.

Around 11 PM, they wrapped up. Wen Chi yawned and was starting to feel drowsy in the car. Jiang Siheng, sitting next to him, offered his shoulder for him to lean on.

Suddenly, the car came to a sudden stop. Wen Chi’s body lurched forward, but fortunately, Jiang Siheng was quick enough to pull him back. Otherwise, Wen Chi would have had a bruise on his forehead tomorrow.

The phone fell to the ground, but no one bothered to pick it up. Jiang Siheng looked at the boy in his arms. “Did you get hurt anywhere?”

“No.” Wen Chi was still a bit dazed, the sleepiness in his eyes not yet gone. “What happened?”

Jiang Siheng looked toward Xiao Pang. His voice sounded a bit cold in the night. “What’s going on?”

Xiao Pang cursed under his breath, then glanced at Jiang Siheng and said, “Jiang Ge, I wasn’t talking about you. Damn it, someone suddenly jumped out to block us. What a psycho!”

“Who was it?”

Curious, Wen Chi pressed the car window and leaned his head out to look. The car’s soundproofing was excellent, and only when the window came down could he hear the noise outside.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to block you. Our car broke down on the road, and we couldn’t contact anyone else at the moment. Could you please give us a ride?” The bold person who stopped the car was a woman. Her hair was slightly messy, and her expression was flustered and helpless.

Sang Sang recognized the woman and turned to Wen Chi and said, “It’s Xu Zhouwei’s assistant.”

Wen Chi raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Pang looked at the delicate-looking woman, his expression complex. How could anyone send a woman out to do something as dangerous as blocking a car?

“Jiang Ge?” Xiao Pang turned to ask Jiang Siheng for his opinion. Jiang Siheng gave him a string of numbers. After working with Jiang Siheng for many years, Xiao Pang immediately understood. He turned and recited the string of numbers to the woman.

The woman: “…Huh?”

“This is the tow truck’s phone number. If you call them, they will come to handle it.”

After Xiao Pang finished speaking, he pressed the gas pedal and drove off, leaving quickly.

Xiao Pang glanced at the left rearview mirror and happened to see the woman walking around to the backseat right door of the car, as if she was saying something to someone inside. He snorted, “Such small tricks. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve encountered this.”

While waiting for the traffic light, Xiao Pang turned back to Wen Chi and said in a very servile manner, “Teacher Wen, don’t worry, with me here, I will definitely not let those little flirtations get within five steps of Jiang Ge.”

Wen Chi glanced at Jiang Siheng with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile and said, “So you’re saying that your Jiang Ge is quite the ladies’ man?”

Xiao Pang: “…”

Sangsang bit her lip, holding back a laugh, and reached out to pat Xiao Pang on the arm, “You talk too much.”

Jiang Siheng, facing his boyfriend’s scrutiny, remained unbothered and said nonchalantly, “What can I do, It’s not my fault your boyfriend is so handsome, the kind that makes people jealous.”

Wen Chi was just joking, but when he heard Jiang Siheng’s words, he was immediately speechless and nodded perfunctorily, “Mm, mm, okay.”

Jiang Siheng noticed the indifference in Wen Chi’s tone. Leaning forward, he pinned Wen Chi against the car door, so close they could hear each other’s breath. “You don’t agree with what I said?”

Wen Chi leaned back, his heart racing as the handsome face of the man was so close it made him blush. “Stay away from me…”

Upon realizing that he was just a part of their little couple play, Xiao Pang pressed a button expressionlessly. The partition between the front and back seats slowly rose.

With no one else “present,” Jiang Siheng directly reached out and pinched Wen Chi’s cheek, causing the latter’s lips to involuntarily pucker, making it easier for the man to leave a mark there.