TSBDRA 8: How Did This Happen?

Maybe it was puppy instinct, but from the very first time he met Xu Xishuang, Chi Siyuan had a feeling that he wasn’t really as cold and distant as he seemed on the surface.

That feeling was confirmed when he realized Xu Xishuang actually watched goofy meme videos too. Chi Siyuan became convinced that Xu Xishuang must be a very warm and kind person deep down. Something—or someone—must’ve hurt him badly in the past, which led him to build a cold shell around himself, pretending to be untouchable.

Now, looking at the blood at the corner of Xu Xishuang’s mouth, the red stain on his white shirt, and then glancing at Yan Yushan’s unreadable expression behind him, Chi Siyuan quietly clenched his fists.

It had to be this—it could only be this—

Yan Yushan had hit Senior Xu!!

Chi Siyuan’s fists trembled with rage, eyes practically shooting flames.

He had just taken a shower and confirmed he didn’t smell like sweat. He was now a freshly scented little pup. He had planned to message Xu Xishuang while heading to his room, ready to run through lines as they’d agreed earlier, and maybe ask for a few acting pointers for tomorrow’s scenes.

Yet the moment he stepped out the door, he saw this scene—this brutal, heartless scene!

The director he feared and respected, the legendary Yan Yushan, the perfectionist mentor—had actually summoned his beloved Senior Xu to his room and used violence on him. He had hit him so hard he coughed up blood!!

Senior Xu’s health was already fragile. How could Yan Yushan go that far?! He’s not human at all!!!

Chi Siyuan desperately restrained his anger. Charging in to punch Yan Yushan right now was totally unrealistic. For one, he couldn’t beat him. For another, Yan Yushan had power, money, and influence. If he dared lay hands on Senior Xu, he must’ve already prepared to cover everything up. Going head-to-head recklessly would only backfire. He needed to bide his time, wait for the right moment, and strike when it counted. He absolutely couldn’t let Senior Xu suffer in silence like this!

Meanwhile, Xu Xishuang was watching Chi Siyuan’s face change expressions by the second, anxiety bubbling in his chest. Crap. Crap. Did the protagonist shou think he was secretly hooking up with the protagonist gong?

So unfair!

To stop things from spiraling further out of control, Xu Xishuang took the initiative. He quickly walked over, placed a hand on Chi Siyuan’s shoulder, and said, “Xiao Chi, weren’t we going to run lines together? Let’s go to my room now.”

Please, let’s not stand here another second. He did not want to be part of this emotional battleground!

What he didn’t see was that the moment he stepped toward Chi Siyuan, Yan Yushan’s expression darkened even further. When he heard Xu Xishuang invite Chi Siyuan into his room to practice lines, Yan Yushan’s gaze turned downright hostile.

Chi Siyuan, standing opposite Yan Yushan, caught that look and it only confirmed everything he believed.

Senior Xu, even now, was trying to protect him. Changing the subject, leading him away, refusing to say a word about the abuse he had suffered.

Chi Siyuan’s eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Senior Xu was too wronged!

Xu Xishuang dropped his hand from Chi Siyuan’s shoulder, and the two of them walked side by side down the hallway. He didn’t dare look back at Yan Yushan’s face and rushed into his room with Chi Siyuan.

Once inside, Chi Siyuan visibly relaxed. He sneaked a look around the room, then realized that was rude and quickly averted his gaze, gripping his script tightly.

Xu Xishuang found his own copy of the script tossed near the pillow, sat down next to Chi Siyuan, and said, “Let’s start.”

Xu Xishuang’s voice was cool and clear, but when he read Yu Xiang’s lines, he managed to sound timid, self-effacing, and painfully insecure. As Chi Siyuan responded with Xia Qinglang’s lines, portraying the bright, energetic new transfer student trying to reach out to Yu Xiang, he started to feel more and more miserable. His heart clenched.

He kept replaying what had happened earlier in his mind, filled with regret that he hadn’t stood up for Xu Xishuang. When he finally got to Xia Qinglang’s classic line, “I want to help you,” Chi Siyuan couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Senior…” he began.

At that moment, Xu Xishuang had just raised his hand to toss the blood-stained tissue into the trash. Caught off guard by Chi Siyuan’s voice, his hand slipped. The tissue bounced off the rim of the trash can and hit the floor.

Chi Siyuan’s voice was cut off. His eyes locked onto the crumpled paper on the ground with a shocking stain of red. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak.

Xu Xishuang’s scalp went numb.

“Ah, that…” He bent down and quickly picked up the tissue, shoving it into the bin. “You know I’m not in great health, right? I, uh… I’ve been eating too much spicy food lately. It gave me a nosebleed.”

Xu Xishuang silently apologized to Xiao Wang in his heart, then looked back at Chi Siyuan and added, “Don’t get the wrong idea. There’s really nothing going on between me and Director Yan.”

Chi Siyuan slowly curled his fingers into fists. Looking into Xu Xishuang’s nervous eyes, he swallowed everything he wanted to say and nodded. “Mm, I understand.”

Xu Xishuang quietly breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a gentle smile. “Let’s keep going.”

That night, Chi Siyuan stayed in Xu Xishuang’s room until 10:30 before heading back. As he walked down the hall, the door behind him silently opened. Yan Yushan stood inside, watching Chi Siyuan’s back. Seeing him leave and knowing he hadn’t stayed the night made Yan Yushan inexplicably relaxed.

The next morning on set, both Yan Yushan and Chi Siyuan looked haggard—unlike Xu Xishuang, who was perfectly fine. It was obvious they hadn’t slept well.

Xu Xishuang couldn’t help wondering, “Is this what they mean by husband and husband in sync?” Or… did something happen between them last night after I went to sleep? Something that kept them both up?

He glanced unconsciously at Chi Siyuan’s butt, but the way Chi Siyuan walked seemed completely normal—confident, even. There’s no signs of having been ravaged by Yan Yushan.

He stared a bit too long at Chi Siyuan’s waist and hips. Yan Yushan noticed and followed Xu Xishuang’s gaze, and his brow twitched. He snapped, “You ready? We’re starting now.”

Xu Xishuang blinked at the sudden voice, retracted his gaze, and stood up from his chair.

They were filming important scenes today—Xu Xishuang had lines with both Chi Siyuan and the veteran actor playing Yu Xiang’s father.

He pushed his bangs back, then let them fall again, covering half his face, and quickly dropped into character.

Today’s scene was the first time Yu Xiang met Xia Qinglang. When Yu Xiang encountered the handsome transfer student, he was immediately defensive. Having lived in the shadows for so long, he wasn’t used to the light. So when Xia Qinglang tried to talk to him, Yu Xiang reacted coldly and even harshly.

Xia Qinglang spotted the boy sitting near the trash can—his last unknown classmate. Just as he was about to approach, another student tugged his sleeve with a look of disgust. “That’s Yu Xiang. He’s trash… Just don’t talk to him.”

Despite that, Xia Qinglang still walked over, sat beside him, leaned in with a friendly smile, and said, “Hi, I’m Xia Qinglang. Your name—Yu Xiang—how’s it written?”

Unexpectedly, Yu Xiang jolted upright and shoved him away, then ran out of the classroom.

Xia Qinglang was stunned. He hadn’t even gotten a good look at Yu Xiang’s face. Rubbing his sore shoulder, he quietly returned to his seat.

“I told you,” the classmate muttered. “He’s a total freak. Disgusting.”

Xia Qinglang said nothing.

The scene wasn’t long, but Chi Siyuan NG’d over and over.

As Yan Yushan’s frown deepened, the crew grew more and more cautious. Eventually, the assistant director couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in. “Chi Siyuan, you’re playing Xia Qinglang. This is his first time meeting Yu Xiang. He doesn’t know Yu Xiang’s backstory. He has no desire to protect him, no personal feelings. To him, Yu Xiang is just a weird guy.”

“I get that you and Xiao Xu are close,” the assistant director sighed, “but right now, you’re Xia Qinglang. Got it?”

Chi Siyuan’s face flushed. “Y-yes. I understand.”

He really hadn’t been in character. Every time he saw Xu Xishuang as Yu Xiang, he remembered what had happened the night before and instinctively wanted to protect him, to get closer—forgetting it wasn’t in the script.

Xu Xishuang had already noticed that Chi Siyuan was a bit off. He wasn’t sure why the other boy felt so attached to him. Was it just because they ran lines together once?

Still, he couldn’t say any of that out loud—it would only make things awkward. Thankfully, the assistant director’s guidance helped, and Chi Siyuan finally locked back into the role, allowing filming to resume smoothly.

Yan Yushan’s expression still looked off. He watched Chi Siyuan’s every move like a hawk.

Xu Xishuang looked up at the sky helplessly. How on earth did things end up like this?