AAMIBBSBY 17

Xia Zhi still maintained the posture of leaning on Shen Shixiao’s shoulder. He lowered his beautiful eyelids with a calm expression, but his heart was already surging with turbulent waves.

Hmm, as everyone knows, “dote” is a verb. 

How could he answer, wuwu.

At the dining table, quite a few people cast curious glances over. Shen Shixiao slightly tilted his head, his calm and profound gaze carrying a rare expectation, but it only lasted for a few seconds, fleeting in an instant.

Louis picked up his red wine glass and added fuel to the fire. 

“I think Xia Zhi must be a model of doting on a boyfriend. Teach us a bit, and let us broaden our horizons too.”

“Yeah, let us learn.”

With a room full of jeering sounds, even if Xia Zhi’s skin was thick, he still faintly showed embarrassment. After a long time, he hemmed and hawed, saying, “Husband and husband’s intimate matters can only be doted on at home.”

Not knowing who blew a whistle, Xia Zhi’s face was burning hot, but he remained stubborn. “This kind of thing is the essence. It can only be sensed, not explained in words.”

“Envious, envious, you two are truly affectionate.”

The corners of his mouth hooked into a faint smile. Shen Shixiao gently gathered Xia Zhi’s shoulders. “Okay, we will go home and dote.”

For the second half of the meal, Xia Zhi was much more well-behaved, no longer calling “gege, gege,” just secretly peeling a few shrimp for Shen Shixiao. 

However, he didn’t lose out; a few shrimp exchanged for a plate of peeled crab roe. 

Worth it!

Before parting, Enzo gave Shen Shixiao a piece of jade. 

Their family ran an international jade and jewelry company. The quality of this jade was absolutely top-tier. Wearing it long-term could nourish the five internal organs and clear the blood vessels, suitable for Shen Shixiao, who had a heavy workload.

Seeing this, the other friends clamored one after another that they were eating vinegar.¹The literal translation is “eating vinegar,” which is the universal Chinese phrase for being jealous (usually romantically, but here the friends are just playfully jealous of the fancy gift).

One must know that although Enzo’s family ran a jade business, cutting out this kind of sky-high priced jade also required rare luck.

In the car on the way back, Shen Shixiao took it out and gave it to Xia Zhi. “You wear it.”

Xia Zhi lifted his eyes in astonishment, then smiled. “No need, no need. Your friend gave it to you so how could I take it?”

Shen Shixiao didn’t speak, but instead unfastened the chain string, leaning sideways toward Xia Zhi. Xia Zhi leaned against the car window, retreating backwards for a moment at a loss for what to do. 

Suddenly, his slender neck sank slightly.

“Being a celebrity often means day and night are reversed—staying up late filming, this is more useful for you.”

Xia Zhi looked at Shen Shixiao. The pads of his fingers rubbed the jade for a long time, gently lowering his head. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

After returning home, Xia Zhi took a shower and lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The weight on his neck constantly reminded him of everything that happened today. 

Shen Shixiao towards him was really quite good. 

No, very good.

Ever since his mother passed away, it had been a long time since anyone had taken care of him like this, and given him warmth. 

Even though this warmth came from an agreement.

His biological father’s abandonment, friends’ cold-shouldering, the bullying from shady production crews—when encountering these, Xia Zhi didn’t cry. 

People he didn’t care about couldn’t hurt him at all. 

Yet at this moment, traces of sourness were unexpectedly spreading from the bottom of his heart.

In the quiet night, Xia Zhi couldn’t help but think of Shen Shixiao’s bai yueguang again. What kind of person was that? Why did he cruelly abandon Shen Shixiao back then?

That night the two of them drank, he eventually fell asleep. Regarding Shen Shixiao’s bai yueguang, he only remembered a little bit. 

It was probably just that the bai yueguang suddenly left without saying goodbye.

Clutching the jade on his neck, Xia Zhi’s state of mind became even more chaotic.

Ugh! Why did Shen Shixiao give him such a precious thing for no reason! 

This makes things very difficult for him, wa! 

However, the jade is so comfortable to wear, wuwu. 

Useless!

—

Going downstairs with dark circles under his eyes, Xia Zhi only then found out that Shen Shixiao was going on a business trip today. Dazedly following him to the courtyard, Shen Shixiao instructed him, “Go back. Take good care of yourself. I will be back in four days.”

Xia Zhi nodded, having many words in his heart, but in the end only said one sentence: “Take care, have a safe trip.”

The shadow of the car became smaller and smaller, and Xia Zhi gradually withdrew his gaze. 

His heart suddenly felt empty.

—

The recording of “Best Actor” was still continuing. Xia Zhi came to the film and television city today as usual. 

The driver noticed that Xia Zhi was unusually silent today and asked curiously, but Xia Zhi just smiled and didn’t say anything.

Today was the anniversary of his mother’s death.

However, he kept comforting himself that on this special day today, his mother in heaven must also be constantly watching over him. 

Seeing him be so great, so hardworking, she would be very happy, right. 

Thinking this way, Xia Zhi’s mood improved a bit.

Just after getting out of the car, Xia Zhi unexpectedly received rising and falling screams. 

Many fans were holding up banners and light signs with Xia Zhi’s name, revealing excited smiles. There were even many fans carrying DSLR cameras on their shoulders, kindly shouting Xia Zhi’s name.

The haze in his heart was swept away a lot. Xia Zhi pursed the corners of his lips and smiled, jogging to the entrance of the film and television city to greet them, and told everyone the weather was cold so they should go home early.

Walking into the film and television city, he reluctantly looked back at everyone again.

Those were his fans!

Holding his mobile phone, Xia Zhi took a picture towards the crowded crowd, the lens focusing on the two words “Xia Zhi” on the light sign. 

Not knowing why, at this very moment, he only wanted to share it with Shen Shixiao alone.

Hesitating for a long time, he quickly opened WeChat.

Xia Zhi: My fans!

However, after waiting for a while, there was no movement from Shen Shixiao’s side.

It should be the time difference. 

Xia Zhi secretly calculated. It should be afternoon over there. 

Why not reply to his message then? 

Is he busy? 

He must be.

Today’s episode of the variety show continued filming the unit “Court,” which was also the last episode of this unit. 

In the plot, treacherous ministers and rebellious subjects staged a rebellion. The emperor was terminally ill. 

The male consort played by Xia Zhi remained unruffled. He dispatched his brother in advance to mobilize troops and horses, pulling a move of taking away the firewood from under the cauldron to catch all the rebellious plotters in one net.

The big villain of this episode was a new character, randomly drawn from the mentor group, taken on by Xia Mingxuan.

The live broadcast started. Xia Zhi’s starlight value was far ahead, and Li Yiyao, who played his brother, saw his popularity soar, ranking third.

[Being able to watch Zhizhizi every Saturday is my greatest happiness!]

[Finished reading today’s script in advance, really looking forward to Zhizhi’s performance today.]

[Mingxuan’s ancient costume looks so good! When can he satisfy us visual fans and film a historical drama?]

[Today’s main character should be Mingxuan, right. Can a certain someone’s water army stop being so shameless?]

In the bullet screen , an argument broke out over who was the first male lead, and the live camera slowly zoomed in.

Today, Xia Zhi and Xia Mingxuan’s screen time was indeed neck-and-neck. After Xia Mingxuan found out, he specially invited the most professional makeup and hair team for historical costumes to do his makeup. 

This week, he had been polishing his acting skills for this segment, inviting two professors from an art academy to specifically guide him. 

He had been holding a breath of resentment in his heart.

The live broadcast began, and hundreds of extras took their places. Soldiers wearing grey armor tightly surrounded the main hall, and the rebellious generals led by Fang Jin, played by Xia Mingxuan, blocked Xia Zhi inside the hall, forcing him to hand over the imperial seal and the tiger tally .

Xia Zhi was dressed in a black robe. Even though there was no one standing behind him in the main hall, his eyes were still resolute, firmly protecting the emperor’s only bloodline.

Facing the formerly fiercely loyal general, he carried a hint of mockery, looking down at him from above. “General Fang, is this how you show loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness?”

Xia Mingxuan’s eyes were ice-cold, pulling out his long sword and pointing it straight at Xia Zhi. “Loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness? This empire was conquered by this general! Why should your Li family sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor!”

The scene’s conflict was on the verge of breaking out. The actors’ lines pierced through the main hall, falling onto the recording equipment, exhilarating the audience’s hearts.

[To tell the truth, Xia Mingxuan’s acting has improved a lot.]

[The Water Emperor’s momentum in this scene is indeed not bad, looks like he still has some acting skills.]

[Mingxuan’s acting has always been very good. It’s just that he was secretly suppressed by the production team early on to praise newcomers, creating such an illusion for everyone.]

In today’s bullet screen, Xia Mingxuan’s fans were unusually numerous, even gradually taking control of the direction of public opinion.

The set was frighteningly quiet. Xia Mingxuan, holding a long sword, slowly approached Xia Zhi. Finally, narrowing his eyes slightly, his feet, hidden by his robe, firmly stepped on Xia Zhi’s costume.

Xia Zhi was not afraid in the slightest, suddenly sneering coldly. “Don’t you regret it then!”

In a flash, the chanting of soldiers came from outside the hall. The army responsible for guarding outside turned pale with fright. Fang Jin’s lieutenant rushed in to report. “General, we are surrounded!”

Xia Mingxuan hadn’t fully turned around yet, and his footing was unsteady. Opposite him, Xia Zhi revealed an air of absolute certainty, swung his right hand forcefully, and walked straight toward the throne. 

Before the lines in his mouth could be spoken, there was a sudden heavy pull from behind.

By the time he turned his head back, Xia Mingxuan behind him had already been tripped and was lunging fiercely forward. This accident caught everyone off guard; Xia Mingxuan’s neck smashed viciously against the stairs, and he broke into a cold sweat from the pain.

The scene instantly fell into a panic. The directing team immediately called an ambulance, and the live broadcast was forced to pause.

Xia Zhi also didn’t know exactly what happened to Xia Mingxuan. He looked at him being carried away with a helpless face, his brows locked tightly.

The accident in the live broadcast room spread very quickly. That video clip was cut out and widely circulated, and in a short time, Xia Zhi’s Weibo welcomed verbal abuse from all sides.

During the performance, the camera angle was given to the upper body , and the audience didn’t know what happened at their feet. What their perspective could see was that Xia Zhi jerked something, causing Xia Mingxuan to have an accident.

The curses and verbal abuse in the comment section were as ugly as could be. There were even quite a few netizens being secretly led by someone, digging up Xia Zhi’s background. 

However, this digging was no small matter—netizens found out that Xia Mingxuan was unexpectedly Xia Zhi’s half-brother!

[Half-brothers? Xia Mingxuan’s family is a wealthy and powerful, and Mrs. Xia is also his biological mother—could it be that Xia Zhi is an illegitimate child?]

[If he’s an illegitimate child, then Xia Zhi’s behavior today has a traceable motive. He’s holding a grudge.]

The internet easily praises a person, and destroying a person is also quite easy.

This melon²Chinese internet slang. “Eating a melon” (吃瓜) refers to watching a drama unfold or gossiping. Here, “this melon” means “this piece of drama/scandal.” instantly topped the hot search at number one. With that video as evidence, Xia Mingxuan’s public image immediately turned into a pitiful, delicate white flower³A trope in Chinese fiction. It refers to someone who appears perfectly innocent, pure, fragile, and constantly victimized, but is often hypocritical or manipulative behind the scenes (similar to the “Green Tea” trope but leaning more into playing the absolute victim). persecuted by his brother, and Xia Zhi was that vicious brother.

The trainees and mentors of the program team also just learned about their relationship, and while removing makeup, many staff members deliberately distanced themselves from Xia Zhi.

Xia Zhi opened his phone and tapped open the chat history with Shen Shixiao, and the other party still had not replied to him.

Before leaving, he asked Yan Wenqing for the recordings of all camera angles from today’s filming, wanting to take them home to look again. 

This originally did not comply with the rules, but Yan Wenqing agreed.

In the evening, Shen Shixiao returned to the country early. When he arrived home travel-worn and weary, he unexpectedly did not see Xia Zhi’s figure. Only after asking the driver did he know Xia Zhi said he had matters today and wanted to return home alone.

He just wanted to call Xia Zhi, but received a notification from his assistant. Listening to the whole story of the live broadcast incident, his complexion became increasingly gloomy. 

Casually draping on a coat, he hurriedly drove to look for Xia Zhi.

While driving, the phone dialed out for a long time, with no response from the other side. 

Shen Shixiao gripped the steering wheel, looking anxious, his brows furrowed tightly. 

Suddenly, he glanced at today’s date. 

He knew where Xia Zhi was.

The car made a U-turn and rushed towards the city’s cemetery.

The cemetery at night was terrifyingly quiet. Xia Zhi squatted alone in front of the tomb, rubbing his frozen hands, chattering and bragging to his mother.

Your son is very great now, very rich!

I’m living very well—eating and drinking well, so you rest assured!

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from a distance. Xia Zhi’s heart tightened, holding a flashlight and trembling as he stood up. 

The dark shadow got closer and closer, but stopped after seeing Xia Zhi.

“Xia Zhi.”

“Mm.”

After answering subconsciously, he did realize that this voice sounded very familiar. 

Shen Shixiao?

Without waiting for his reaction, the tall figure opposite him had already walked over quickly.

“I… I was just bored, so I came here to see my mom,” Xia Zhi softly said. His head lowered more and more, and he secretly rubbed the corners of his eyes.

Suddenly, he was pulled into a warm and urgent embrace.

“You scared me to death.”

The surroundings were very quiet, Shen Shixiao’s chest was very warm. 

Xia Zhi greedily sniffled, stretching out his frozen red hands, loosely wrapping them around Shen Shixiao’s waist. 

He told Shen Shixiao what happened today.

Afraid that Shen Shixiao would blame him for being reckless, he finally defended himself in a low voice, “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Who knew that after Shen Shixiao heard it, he did not blame him, but said in a low voice, “Even if it was on purpose, Zhizhi shouldn’t be afraid, I’ll go do PR⁴In the Chinese entertainment context, doing “PR” means actively stepping in to suppress bad trending topics, spin the narrative, buy water armies (bots) to defend the person, or release official statements to clear their name. for you. You can bully others, but others cannot bully you.”

• 1
  The literal translation is “eating vinegar,” which is the universal Chinese phrase for being jealous (usually romantically, but here the friends are just playfully jealous of the fancy gift).
• 2
  Chinese internet slang. “Eating a melon” (吃瓜) refers to watching a drama unfold or gossiping. Here, “this melon” means “this piece of drama/scandal.”
• 3
  A trope in Chinese fiction. It refers to someone who appears perfectly innocent, pure, fragile, and constantly victimized, but is often hypocritical or manipulative behind the scenes (similar to the “Green Tea” trope but leaning more into playing the absolute victim).
• 4
  In the Chinese entertainment context, doing “PR” means actively stepping in to suppress bad trending topics, spin the narrative, buy water armies (bots) to defend the person, or release official statements to clear their name.