Chapter 51 – Celebration

It wasn’t his first time undressing in front of Jiang Heng, so Shen Fubai didn’t hesitate, casually removing his shirt. His body was smooth and delicate, like fine white jade, but he wasn’t some frail pretty boy. Shen Fubai had well-defined lines that spoke of inner strength.

Jiang Heng had seen it all before, but now his attention was solely on the red marks marring Shen Fubai’s skin.

Shen Fubai’s fair complexion made the marks stand out even more. Jiang Heng gently traced a finger over a red streak. “Does it hurt?”

Shen Fubai told the truth. “No, they’ll fade soon.”

It was due to his constitution. If it were someone with a muscular build and tanned skin, Fu Hengcheng’s hits wouldn’t have left any trace at all.

Jiang Heng knew Shen Fubai wasn’t lying; he was also an actor after all. This really wasn’t serious, not even to the point where medication was necessary.

He was just worried.

In the past, even when Shen Fubai caught a cold, Jiang Heng would panic upon hearing the news. Today, seeing the scene play out in front of him, it was a miracle Jiang Heng hadn’t shouted for a stop.

Shen Fubai spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. “This level doesn’t require medicine. I’m not that delicate. When I practiced dance, I’d get hurt much worse each time. Like the first time I tried the cloud bridge—basically a front flip—I didn’t do it right and ended up fracturing something. I spent half a month in the hospital…you, you don’t need to look at me like that.”

Seeing Jiang Heng staring at him speechlessly, Shen Fubai smiled faintly. “I’m not trying to make you feel sorry for me. I’m just saying, this isn’t a big deal.”

“And the sense of accomplishment when I finally got it right was huge,” Shen Fubai added. “Acting is the same. As long as the end result is good, the process doesn’t matter. Many old veterans filmed without safety measures back in the day. What I went through is nothing compared to that.”

Jiang Heng simply looked at him.

He once thought the youth’s face was beautiful, but the deeper he delved, the more he realized that the youth’s beauty went beyond mere appearance. There was something far more captivating about Shen Fubai.

Shen Fubai was a beautiful, vibrant flower, but not one nurtured in a greenhouse. He could withstand wind and rain, endure frost and snow, and outshine the flowers of spring and autumn moons.

Fubai was a flower of wealth and splendor, a divine wine from the heavens. Pouring down to earth, allowing Jiang Heng the fortunate chance to taste its nectar.

How lucky he was.

Jiang Heng picked up the ointment bottle again. “Turn around. Let me apply the medicine.”

Shen Fubai: “…So, how much of what I just said did you actually hear? I really am quite tough.”

“I heard everything. So what?” Jiang Heng’s expression was nonchalant, but his tone was earnest. “You can be strong, and I can still worry about you. Where’s the conflict in that?”

Shen Fubai was left speechless.

He was being charmed to bits by Heng Heng—

Shen Fubai lay on the couch, obediently letting Jiang Heng apply the ointment. Acting was indeed a high-risk profession. They didn’t know how many times they had applied medicine during the filming of this drama.

Of course, every profession had its own hardships. Their field might be high risk, but those who made it to the top also earned high salaries. No wonder so many people fought tooth and nail to enter the industry.

Jiang Heng meticulously applied the ointment on Shen Fubai, his movements gentle. He was applying the medicine methodically over the marks. Suddenly, Shen Fubai recalled a month ago when Jiang Heng had also given him medicine and drew hearts.

He assumed that was just how Jiang Heng applied medicine, but it seemed that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Unable to resist, he asked his lingering question. “Heng Heng, I remember you gave me medicine once before. Why did you… draw nine heart shapes on me then?”

He felt a little embarrassed asking this. Maybe Heng Heng had just been in the mood, but he had taken it seriously enough to remember until now. The implication was clear.

If not for affection and concern, who would remember such a trivial detail from so long ago?

To Shen Fubai’s surprise, Jiang Heng’s answer was straightforward.

Jiang Heng said, “Because I love you.”

“I want to be with you forever.”—

…

Shen Fubai couldn’t handle the sweetness.

Some people were timid as mice before confessing, but once they became boyfriends, they transformed into dragons.

With Jiang Heng’s sudden change in style, Shen Fubai felt elated. What was this? “Waking up every day to hear my idol confess to me,”—posting that on Weibo would earn him a chorus of “When Love Awakens.”

But he knew it was genuine.

Shen Fubai loved sweetness. He adored sugary milk tea, strawberry ice cream, freshly made mousse cakes, and especially the reddest scoop from the center of a watermelon.

But under Jiang Heng’s unadorned yet sincere declarations of love, all these paled in comparison.

Heng Heng was the sweetest.

His favorite—

“Heng Heng.” He twisted his head toward Jiang Heng on the couch. “Kiss me.”

Jiang Heng glanced at him. “Why?”

Shen Fubai lifted his head. “Do I need a reason to kiss you?”

They were in the honeymoon phase. After years of longing, now that they were officially together, no amount of kissing could satisfy them.

“There’s no need for one.” Jiang Heng leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Shen Fubai had a wound on his left cheek, so Jiang Heng didn’t dare press too hard. Shen Fubai was bolder, propping himself up and wrapping his arms around Jiang Heng’s neck for a kiss.

The couch was a bit cramped for two, so Jiang Heng lifted Shen Fubai onto his lap and looked down at him. “Fubai…I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. You’re adorable.”

Shen Fubai lifted his head and smiled. “You said that yesterday. You could use a different adjective to compliment me.”

Jiang Heng inwardly thought that no other word fit better.

There were many adjectives to describe Shen Fubai. Handsome, good-looking, beautiful, radiant. Online, they praised his stunning beauty, hyping him up as if there was no one else like him in heaven or on earth. But Jiang Heng pondered and decided that “adorable” was the most fitting term.

You’re just…too lovable.

Sitting astride Jiang Heng’s lap, Shen Fubai turned sideways and watched Jiang Heng struggle for words. “You’re running out of compliments for me, aren’t you?”

Jiang Heng explained, “No…”

Shen Fubai interrupted. “Don’t talk. Kiss me.”

Back when he roamed online, he really wished he could throw that sentence in sticker form into Jiang Heng’s Weibo chat box, but he didn’t dare.

He was just an unknown little fan, carefully considering every word he typed when messaging his idol, hoping to send cute emoticons, flowers, and flying kisses. Those silly stickers were meant for bickering with Xiao Lin, not for Jiang Heng to see.

Never in a million years did he expect to one day say those words to Jiang Heng in person. And he never imagined that after saying them, Jiang Heng would actually kiss him.

So, dreams should always be pursued. Who knows, they might come true?

—a bowl of inspirational chicken soup from Mr. Shen, a fan who successfully chased his idol.

Actually, this chicken soup wasn’t very inspiring. For ordinary fans, the distance between them and their idols was like that between mortals on earth and stars in the sky, unattainable and only to be admired from afar.

But Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng were stars hanging in the same sky, striving to shine brightly to catch each other’s light. Yet fate seemed like the Milky Way, separating them like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, distant and apart.

Now, these two stars that had missed each other for so long had finally…

Jiang Heng kissed Shen Fubai.

Finally met—

“Ah!” Ye Ziran pushed the door open and immediately covered his eyes.

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai quickly separated. Shen Fubai checked himself, picked up the clothes on the couch to put on, and sat aside.

Ye Ziran peeked through his fingers, saw Shen Fubai properly dressed, and lowered his hand, his expression solemn. “I didn’t see anything.”

Shen Fubai buttoned up his shirt and narrowed his eyes. “Little Yezi, knock before entering.” He didn’t mind being seen half-naked by a child, but having their kiss interrupted was a bit of a shock.

Fortunately, it was Ye Ziran. A few reminders and he probably wouldn’t spill the beans.

If a staff member had barged in, it would have been headline news.

“I didn’t think…there won’t be a next time. Actually, there won’t be a next time.” Ye Ziran said, “I’ve wrapped up filming.”

Young Yu Tang’s scenes weren’t many, and today, after shooting the last bit, Ye Ziran’s work was done. During his time on set, he even managed to finish his summer homework under Jiang Heng’s supervision and guidance.

“Wow, congratulations. Little Yezi has wrapped up, we should celebrate.” Shen Fubai nudged Jiang Heng. “Where are we eating tonight?”

Ye Ziran: “…Isn’t the focus here eating?”

Jiang Heng thought for a moment. “Let’s go to the Everlasting Love restaurant. Didn’t you think the food there was good? Plus, since Ye Lin opened it, we can get a free meal celebrating his brother’s wrap-up.”

Ye Ziran: “…Thoroughly utilized and perfectly arranged.”

Ye Ziran looked at Shen Fubai, then at Jiang Heng. Curiosity getting the best of him, he couldn’t help but ask, “You guys…were rehearsing a scene just now, right?”

In “Pear Blossoms,” Chu Yu and Young Yu Tang had several kissing scenes, and Ye Ziran wasn’t sure what had just happened.

Jiang Heng said, “Yes.”

They couldn’t go public yet, at least not before “Pear Blossoms” aired.

Most idol fans were girlfriend fans. Without a representative work, idols relied on their personas to attract fans. When idols started dating, they were basically halfway to obscurity.

Announcing their relationship now would do Shen Fubai more harm than good. Jiang Heng didn’t need to guess what Shen Fubai’s Weibo would look like if they announced it now—a massive scene of fans leaving. His own fans would also reject Shen Fubai, and bystanders would think Shen Fubai was unworthy.

These pressures from public opinion, and potential cyberbullying, were things Jiang Heng didn’t want Shen Fubai to face.

Only actors known for their talent wouldn’t have their relationships affected by their fans. Once “Pear Blossoms” aired, Shen Fubai’s acting skills would undoubtedly impress everyone, shedding the label of a pretty face and laying the foundation for his acting career. The love story between Yu Tang and Chu Yu in the drama would create a wave of fans for the couple.

That would be the best time to go public. Public resistance wouldn’t be as strong, and the impact on Shen Fubai would be minimized.

Until then, they would have to wait.

Even if Jiang Heng couldn’t wait to announce to the world that Shen Fubai was his boyfriend, he had to consider Shen Fubai’s situation.

Shen Fubai understood the situation, and the two reached a tacit agreement.

He didn’t want to ruin Jiang Heng’s reputation because of him. Jiang Heng was such an outstanding person; his boyfriend should also be outstanding, not someone others would only associate with a pretty face—

Ye Ziran scratched his head. “Rehearsal needs…to take off clothes?”

Shen Fubai calmly replied, “He was applying medicine for me.”

Ye Ziran nodded in deep agreement. “True, your scene this morning was truly tragic. I felt the pain watching.”

He sighed, his young face serious. “Yu Tang is really pitiful. Playing his childhood self, ten scenes either involved getting beaten or scolded. Once it airs, he’ll definitely be one of the top ten most tragic and sorrowful TV characters of the year.”

Ye Ziran’s acting had been observed by both Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai. The kid had a natural gift; in reality, he had a personality that couldn’t sit still, yet he portrayed the pitiful character in the drama convincingly. He was a naturally talented actor.

The biggest surprise was that there were some scenes in the drama featuring Young Yu Tang practicing basic skills, and Ye Ziran handled them well. Despite being only eleven years old, he could easily perform various martial arts moves, capable of taking down an average adult without breaking a sweat.

Out of curiosity, Shen Fubai asked about it, and Ye Ziran said he learned from Jiang Heng.

Shen Fubai remembered the evenly matched battle between Jiang Heng and the martial arts instructor Mu Yao, and asked Jiang Heng about it. Jiang Heng said he practiced martial arts for self-defense.

Rich kids often faced kidnapping risks, and Shen Fubai imagined the scenario, finding the self-defense explanation plausible. It was just that Jiang Heng’s self-defense training was too impressive, turning him into a martial arts master.

Anyway, Heng Heng excelled at everything.

Back to the main topic—free meals…no, celebrating Ye Ziran’s wrap-up.

Since it was a celebration, they had to have a group dinner.

That afternoon, Jiang Heng, Shen Fubai, and Ye Ziran appeared at the “Eternal Love, Happily Ever After” couples restaurant.

Ye Lin showed extreme disapproval at their arrival. “Get out of my fairyland.”

“C’mon, buddy.” Jiang Heng said, “I’m here to boost your popularity.”

Ye Lin’s lips trembled. “You already got a lifetime free card from the neighboring Everlasting Hotel. You’re coming here for a free meal too? Where’s your conscience?”

Jiang Heng: “Isn’t there your brother?”

Ye Lin: “Who? I don’t know him.”

Whether in the Jiang family or the Ye family, the brothers’ dynamic of hurting each other was the same.

Jiang Heng stepped forward and whispered to Ye Lin, “I brought my boyfriend. Aren’t you going to give me some face?”

Good news like this, he couldn’t tell others but must show off to trusted brothers.

Ye Lin lowered his voice. “Last time, didn’t you refuse to admit he was your boyfriend?”

Jiang Heng whispered back. “He is now.”

Ye Lin: “…Take my blessings and get lost.” What did he do to deserve this kind of treatment?

Despite his brother’s single status, Ye Lin still saved face and treated them as guests. Coincidentally, he hadn’t eaten dinner yet, so he joined them.

Room 529, as the boss had personally designated it, prepared the dishes quickly. Cold dishes and rice were already laid out, awaiting the arrival of steaming hot dishes.

As soon as Shen Fubai took off his mask, Ye Lin was startled. “Brother, what happened to your face?”

Shen Fubai had such a handsome face, and now, with a cut on it—not deep, but still painful to look at.

“It happened during filming.” Shen Fubai said.

Ye Lin commented, “Actors are hardworking too.”

Ye Ziran interjected, “Brother, I’m also hardworking. Why don’t you care about me? In the crew this month, I couldn’t eat or sleep, suffering under harsh conditions.”

Ye Lin: “You couldn’t eat a damn thing, yet you ate three bowls of rice.”