TSBDRA 51: A Strategic Request

No matter how many times it happened, Yan Yushan didn’t think he would ever get used to Xu Xishuang’s sudden bluntness.

It wasn’t like no one had ever asked him what kind of guy or girl he liked. In his early years after debuting, his stunning looks made him the constant subject of gossip, especially about love affairs. Reporters would ask questions like that all the time but after he refused to answer and even sued several people spreading rumors, no one dared bring it up again.

Now, faced with Xu Xishuang, the words “I like you” were right on the tip of Yan Yushan’s tongue. But remembering what Xu Xishuang had just said—that he wasn’t planning on falling in love—he felt his heart sink. He couldn’t figure out what Xu Xishuang’s sudden question meant, and in the end, he swallowed the words back down.

When Yan Yushan didn’t respond right away, Xu Xishuang tilted his head in confusion and looked at him.

Xu Xishuang hadn’t asked that question on a whim. While emotions did play a role, he didn’t want to keep avoiding the issue.

Yan Yushan’s attentive care, his constant favoritism, even how he had stepped in just now to deal with someone hitting on him—those could all be explained as concern for the baby he was carrying, and not necessarily for him personally. Xu Xishuang had a hunch, a subtle feeling, that Yan Yushan might have crossed a line.

Xu Xishuang understood that maintaining a close relationship for a long time could create the illusion of romantic feelings between two people. Now, he wanted to know if Yan Yushan had fallen into that illusion.

Yan Yushan exhaled.

He looked into Xu Xishuang’s eerily calm eyes and gave the carefully considered, universally applicable answer, “I don’t have a specific type. It’s just a matter of meeting the right person…”

A car coming from the opposite direction suddenly turned on its high beams for no apparent reason, the glaring light sweeping across both their faces, making it impossible to see each other’s expressions.

The nanny van driver, apparently startled by the road ahead, made a sharp, panicked turn. Xu Xishuang lost his balance and tumbled straight into Yan Yushan’s arms.

Even though Xu Xishuang had gained weight from pregnancy and nutrition supplements, he still felt light. Yan Yushan easily caught him, holding him securely in his arms.

But the thornless white rose pinned to Yan Yushan’s chest pocket got jostled by the spin and bounce. Just before Xu Xishuang fell into his arms, the rose slipped out and landed between them.

As Yan Yushan caught Xu Xishuang, the rose got crushed between their legs, rubbed and squeezed into a crumpled mess.

Xu Xishuang’s hand landed on Yan Yushan’s broad chest. He felt the warmth of Yan Yushan’s breath on his neck, and the strong, steady beat of his heart beneath his palm. His fingertips twitched slightly.

The high beams disappeared, and darkness returned inside the car.

After driving a bit further and entering a stretch of road illuminated by streetlights, the vehicle finally resumed its usual smooth pace. The driver kept apologizing from the front, while the two people in the backseat had already returned to their seats, keeping a person-sized gap between them.

They didn’t speak again, nor did they revisit the topic from before.

…

Yan Yao couldn’t hold it in anymore.

She plopped down next to Xu Xishuang, watching him bury half his face in his puffer jacket, completely lost in thought. She snapped him out of it, “Xishuang, Xu Xishuang!”

Xu Xishuang slowly mumbled, “Mm.”

“Did Yan-ge do something to upset you lately?” Yan Yao asked. “You two have been acting so weird. Like one of those married couples who’ve grown apart and are about to get divorced—but haven’t filed yet.”

Xu Xishuang: …

What kind of weird metaphor was that? He and Yan Yushan had never even been together—where did “growing apart” come from?

In Yan Yao’s mind, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan had already gotten married and had two kids. Before, they were in the sweet, lovey-dovey honeymoon phase. Even if they occasionally argued, they would make up quickly. Yet things now had suddenly cooled down. She was worried that her ship was about to crash and burn, so she hurried over to check.

Xu Xishuang buried his face deeper into his jacket and shifted his gaze away from the set, where Yan Yushan was acting. He replied to Yan Yao, “No.”

His voice was soft and quickly swept away by the wind. Yan Yao, seeing she wouldn’t get anything out of him, dropped the topic and switched gears, “Isn’t the premiere of Bitter Summer happening soon?”

Xu Xishuang nodded. “Yeah.”

Yan Yao sighed regretfully, “Ah, I was invited to go too, but I’ve got a shoot that day for a jewelry endorsement. The photographer they hired is super high-maintenance. They said if I didn’t show, he wouldn’t shoot…”

The premiere of Bitter Summer was set for tomorrow night. Besides the main cast and crew, Yan Yushan had invited several well-known celebrities, along with journalists and professional film critics.

It was a form of publicity—generating buzz before the official release.

In other words, Yan Yushan and Chi Siyuan will see each other tomorrow.

Xu Xishuang hadn’t planned to wear anything too formal but last night, Yan Yushan came to his room with a tailored suit, saying he had gotten it for him.

Xu Xishuang initially didn’t want it, but Yan Yushan said it was just something friends did—he was simply helping a friend out.

Yan Yushan had sounded so sincere and looked so innocent that if Xu Xishuang refused, it would’ve felt like he was the one being weird.

So in the end, Xu Xishuang accepted the custom-made suit. He tried it on this morning. It fit perfectly, and didn’t reveal any signs of his condition.

Xu Xishuang was a little confused. He remembered clearly that he was the one who asked that question first. Yet after that night, Yan Yushan seemed to retreat to a boundary that left him feeling awkward and uncertain.

They still did all the same intimate things, interacted just like before, but every time Xu Xishuang looked his way, Yan Yushan would firmly frame their relationship as “just friends,” giving him no room for doubt.

On the set, Cheng Tianwen called for a break. Xu Xishuang watched as Yan Yushan picked up his water cup and started walking their way. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he saw Yan Yushan suddenly veer off in another direction, as if on a phone call.

Xu Xishuang sat back down quietly.

Yan Yao was now completely convinced something was going on between them.

On the other end, Yan Yushan answered Liang Feng’s call. “Feng-ge.”

Liang Feng laughed cheerfully. “So? Did my advice work?”

“Yeah,” Yan Yushan replied. “He’s not pushing me away anymore.”

Liang Feng slapped his thigh in excitement. “Told you! That move is called a strategic retreat for a stronger advance. You pretend to fall back into the friend zone, but in reality, you’re still caring for him, still chasing him. Now he’s the one stuck, he’s the one sweating. Just wait for the right moment and you’ll win him over in one shot!”

Yan Yushan chuckled. “Thanks, Feng-ge. After the premiere tomorrow, dinner’s on me.”

“No need for tomorrow—I’ll wait for your wedding banquet,” Liang Feng sighed. “Back when we met, everyone in the band had girlfriends. We wanted to set you up, but you refused every time. Who would have thought you’d end up falling for someone like this?”

Yan Yushan chatted with Liang Feng a bit longer before hanging up and returning to the set to finish his scenes. At this pace, filming would wrap in a few days.

The next day, Bitter Summer’s premiere was held in the city center. Both Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang got the day off from Cheng Tianwen to attend.

Yan Yushan wore a black suit, exuding a steady presence. Xu Xishuang’s white suit was crisp and elegant. During the car ride, he kept fiddling with his golden cufflinks, feeling a nervousness he couldn’t quite explain.

After getting out of the car, Yan Yushan, as the director, went to greet the guests he had invited. Xu Xishuang didn’t know any of them, nor did he care to, and quietly headed to the temporary lounge.

He sat there alone for a while, not even finishing a pet compilation video on his phone before the door opened again. He thought it might be Yan Yushan returning but when he looked up, he saw Chi Siyuan in a gray suit.

It had been a while since they had seen each other. Chi Siyuan cheered happily and plopped down on the small couch beside him. “Senior!”

“Mm,” Xu Xishuang turned off his phone and asked, “How’s your shoot going?”

“Great!” Chi Siyuan nodded eagerly. “Our screenwriter is amazing! One of our actors is afraid of heights and couldn’t do a major scene, but Song Yao—the screenwriter—rewrote it on the spot. It still fits perfectly with the rest of the story, it even ties into a later plot twist!”

Chi Siyuan added, “Song Yao is so kind and gentle! I don’t get a lot of stuff in the script, but he never makes me feel dumb. He helps me like you used to. We often stay up late discussing the script together in his room!”

Xu Xishuang listened as Chi Siyuan gushed about Song Yao for three full minutes. Just as he was about to interrupt, the door knocked again and gently opened.

Xu Xishuang looked up and locked eyes with a man with long hair standing outside.

Chi Siyuan turned too and exclaimed happily, “Song Yao!”

Song Yao nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze briefly sweeping over Xu Xishuang, as if confirming something. Whatever faint hostility had been in his eyes vanished.

Xu Xishuang: ?

Song Yao smiled gently at the two of them. “The interviews out front are about to begin. You should come out now.”

Chi Siyuan and Xu Xishuang walked out of the lounge together and headed to the front for the press.

When it came time to line up for photos, Xu Xishuang noticed Chi Siyuan standing beside Yan Yushan. He hesitated, planning to stand next to Chi Siyuan but then Chi Siyuan suddenly stepped aside, giving him space.

Faced with the cameras, Xu Xishuang had no choice but to keep moving forward and stand on Yan Yushan’s other side, leaving him in the center spot.

Because this was the premiere of Bitter Summer, and all the media present had been invited by Yan Yushan, the questions were relatively mild. No one tried to stir up drama by digging into the personal lives of the two leads.

Yan Yushan spoke fluently in front of the camera about what inspired him to make the film and the ideas behind it. He didn’t mention that it was based on his brother’s personal experience because he would never expose his brother’s pain to the public. He simply said, “It’s a story I once heard.”

Xu Xishuang and Chi Siyuan each shared their own thoughts on the characters they played, as well as some interesting moments from the shoot. After Xu Xishuang finished saying, “I think Yu Xiang is a very strong person,” he finally met the gaze that had been fixed on him all along.

The man looked somewhat like Yan Yushan. His gaze held no malice, only a quiet depth, as if he were looking through Xu Xishuang and remembering someone else.

Xu Xishuang had a vague idea of who he was.