Chapter 58 – Jiang Fugui

Of course, you couldn’t expect a temporary motel to have the standards of a top-tier hotel; even a room with a large bed didn’t exceed ten square meters. The walls enclosed the space tightly on all four sides, no air could circulate, there was no television or air conditioning, just an old electric fan that creaked and groaned when turned on.

The visual effect of the space was extremely cramped and narrow, and in fact, it was just as confining.

A large bed was only slightly bigger than a regular single bed, and two grown men had to squeeze together to sleep.

The bathroom was right behind the door, separated by a semi-transparent glass window. The mirror faced the bed, and if some ghostly figure were to appear in the middle of the night, the person on the bed would certainly see it clearly.

This ghastly layout would make anyone who studied feng shui architecture die of frustration.

Shen Fubai sat at the foot of the bed, facing the electric fan, “There’s actually no air conditioning here, can I still see tomorrow’s sun?”

No, he would die of heat tonight.

Jiang Heng surveyed the surroundings – though there wasn’t much to survey, everything was visible at a glance, “The weather here is cooler than in Beijing, we should be fine for one night.”

“Alright.” Shen Fubai reluctantly accepted this, then pushed open the glass door to the bathroom.

Peeling paint on the walls revealed the tiles beneath, which were cracked. The shower and toilet were adjacent with no barrier, rust stains dotted the faucet, and when turned on, no hot water came out, only cold water flowed.

A spider had woven its web in the corner of the ceiling, Shen Fubai watched helplessly as it dangled in front of him, then crawled back along the cracks in the wall.

Dust had accumulated thickly on the cup by the sink, it was unclear how long it had been since anyone had taken care of it. The towels were folded neatly enough, appearing clean, but who knew what they had been used to wipe behind the scenes.

Shen Fubai stared blankly as he stepped out, collapsing onto the bed, “Am I here to film ‘Pear Blossoms’ or ‘Life Swap’…”

He could tolerate rudimentary conditions, but he couldn’t bear filth and disorder!

Instantly transitioning from a luxury hotel suite to a no-name motel vividly illustrated the concept of a drastic change overnight.

Jiang Heng entered the bathroom for a look, then exited in a second, rummaging through his suitcase for his own towel and cup, “We’ll make do for one night. We won’t stay here tomorrow.”

What he didn’t say was that they would be staying in the mountains tomorrow, where conditions might be even worse.

Jiang Heng’s words temporarily comforted Shen Fubai, who hadn’t thought that far ahead. He nodded with the determination of someone facing death, and with the courage of someone going to their execution, he took the towel and cup and went back in.

No matter how poor the environment, he couldn’t skip washing up, how could one not take a bath in summer? Shen Fubai would turn from Shen Fubai to Shen Fuhei if he didn’t bathe, he wouldn’t allow that.

The lack of hot water wasn’t a big deal anyway, he usually took cold showers in the summer.

Shen Fubai tried to convince himself, he washed quickly and emotionlessly throughout the process, never giving a single glance to the spider that made its home on the ceiling.

Things like milk baths and petal soaks didn’t exist for him now, he wanted to get over with it as soon as possible.

He dared not use the bath towels here, after taking a cold shower, he put on the “couple-style boxer briefs” he had bought with Heng Heng, slipped on a shirt, and hopped onto the bed, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket.

Jiang Heng saw the youth pull the white blanket around his body, revealing a finely chiseled face, and two long legs sitting cross-legged, with toes shimmering a lustrous pink, still adorned with droplets of water.

The worse the environment, the more beautiful the youth appeared. It seemed like a shame to let him stay here, someone like him should reside in a castle, a villa, a golden palace, in short, any magnificent mansion, that would befit him.

Jiang Heng pondered over his assets, castles, villas, and mansions in various countries were all within his possession. He was considering which one would be suitable for Shen Fubai to live in. One with an entire rose garden, or perhaps one surrounded by a sea of lavender, or maybe one by the seaside with a swimming pool…

Imagination served no purpose, they still had to spend a night in this dilapidated motel, then move to a possibly even more rundown place for another month.

They needed to shoot scenes in the mountains for a month.

Jiang Heng’s mind had gone through a string of high-end locations, then he stepped out wearing flip-flops, carrying a towel, and closed the glass door, which was covered in a thick layer of grime,

In the end, both of them sat in the blankets, contemplating life.

Jiang Heng: “Do you feel…”

Shen Fubai: “That receptionist…”

Jiang Heng: “Seems off?”

The two exchanged a glance, gradually reaching a consensus.

It wasn’t just the receptionist, something was amiss about the entire motel.

Firstly, the location was very remote, it couldn’t even be found on navigation systems. If it weren’t for its proximity to the airport and the crew’s exhaustive search for a place to stay, they might not have discovered this out-of-the-way spot.

They didn’t even need to register their identities, it was uncertain if they had a business license. And although this was a small motel, it could still be considered quite large as a whole, yet apart from the receptionist, they hadn’t seen anyone else.

Of course, it could be explained that at this time, all the other guests were in their rooms, leaving only the receptionist, which was understandable. The boss didn’t need to be present at all times. There were many illegal motels that didn’t require identification, often frequented by underage couples. The dirtiness and disorder… what did you expect for such a price?

The main issue was that Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai usually spent extravagantly, paying at least three thousand yuan per night for accommodations, they had no concept of a hundred-yuan motel. If they had a better understanding of basic prices, they would know that a motel like this only cost fifty to sixty yuan a night, a hundred or so was simply highway robbery, the blackest of black inns, no wonder nobody came.

They stayed in expensive hotels not out of luxury, but for privacy, and it was also their normal spending level. They could be down-to-earth in other aspects, but in some areas, they maintained a gap with ordinary people.

Of course, these were all just speculations. The most suspicious thing was the receptionist, when their large group walked in, the receptionist visibly panicked for a moment, then maintained composure afterward, as if experienced in handling such situations.

When asked about the departure time of the shuttle bus to Wu Shan, the receptionist seemed hesitant, as if not wanting outsiders to know.

The receptionist’s behavior was actually flawless, any ordinary person wouldn’t notice anything wrong. But they had encountered a group of actors, who were observant due to their experience in the entertainment industry.

Some were too carefree to think much of it, while others couldn’t help but be vigilant.

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai belonged to those who were carefree when nothing was amiss, but once a situation arose, their thoughts became as meticulous as anyone’s.

Shen Fubai said, “Don’t worry about what seems off, we’ll see in the morning.”

Jiang Heng nodded. Considering they had to wake up early the next day, the two didn’t chat further, silently turning off the lights and going to sleep.

Although this was called a large bed, it was actually smaller than the single beds in the Beijing hotel. Rolling around on it twice would land them on the floor… no, that wasn’t right, they couldn’t fall to the floor, the walls were on both sides.

It was truly too narrow.

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai didn’t hug each other. Because it was hot.

There wasn’t even air conditioning, the only electric fan seemed to have reduced efficiency due to aging, the noise it produced while whirring was rather loud.

Love made them want to embrace and sleep together, but the heat cruelly kept them apart.

The two lay on opposite ends of the bed, distinctly separate.

But because the bed was so small, their arms still touched. The annoying electric fan persisted in making noise, making the already stifling room even more oppressive.

Neither could fall asleep.

Unable to sleep, they decided to chat for a while.

What should they talk about?

Jiang Heng decided to ask the question he had been pondering earlier, “Fubai, what kind of house do you like?”

Shen Fubai was slightly surprised, “Why do you ask?”

Jiang Heng: “Just asking.” If you like it, I’ll give you that building if I have it, and we’ll live there in the future.

If I don’t have it, I’ll buy one.

—This was the thought process of the extravagantly wealthy Jiang Fugui, don’t imitate if you don’t have money. Buying a house might be a temporary pleasure, but repaying the loan brings tears.

Shen Fubai pondered, “Are there pictures to reference?”

Jiang Heng showed him the phone screen, “I can let you live in any style you like.”

Shen Fubai’s expression turned astonished, “Wake up, the Qing Dynasty is long gone.”

Jiang Heng looked at it, this was a set of four images, in sequence, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, and the Kremlin in Russia.

Add the White House in America and they’d have the five great palaces of the world.

“Oh… these were the images I showed Ye Ziran last time when teaching him geography, they were all found online.” Jiang Heng swiped past the images, “Here’s the one.”

Even if he lived on a diamond planet, he didn’t have the ability to treat those five world-class palaces as his personal homes…

Shen Fubai sighed in relief, “I thought you were some prince from somewhere.”

Jiang Heng felt a deep sadness. He also wished to have such a powerful background to provide a better life for Shen Fubai, but he didn’t. He was just an ordinary person with nothing but money.

Shen Fubai sensed the faint sorrow deeply hidden in Jiang Heng’s silence, and blinked to comfort him in the darkness, “It’s alright, even if you’re not a prince, you are my king.”

Jiang Heng replied, “No, I’m not.”

He turned his head away, “You are.”

You are my king.

Shen Fubai smiled, looking again at the pictures on the phone.

The first picture was a beachfront property. Golden sands, azure seas. A three-story blue cottage with a small balcony, every day you could open the windows and feel the sea breeze, listen to the ebb and flow of the tides. In summer, set up an umbrella on the beach, lie in a chair drinking coconut juice, how delightful. This kind of environment was probably favored by mermaids the most.

The second image was a wooden cabin in the forest. Wildflowers bloomed outside, and flowers adorned the windows. Vines and ivy adorned the walls, quiet and beautiful. This kind of woodland attic was suitable for fairies to dwell in.

The third image was a magnificent castle. It possessed an entire rose garden, a vintage and luxurious European building, oil paintings hung on the walls, even the carpets on the ground were valuable. Splendid and opulent, it even had a horse racing track. The one living here must be a young nobleman.

The fourth image was a classically styled Chinese building. Latticed windows, carved railings, every detail exuded ancient charm. Listening to the rain through the curtains, sipping tea, playing chess, none of these lost their charm. In this tranquil environment, there should be a refined young master living inside, as precious as the moon.

The four images had different styles, but they were all dreamlike structures people yearned for. Each place had ample atmosphere.

Shen Fubai: “These were also found online?”

Jiang Heng: “No, they are actual photos of properties under my name.”

Shen Fubai: “… Are you in real estate?”

Jiang Heng didn’t hide it from him, “Yes.”

Shen Fubai: “…” Oh, I remember now, the Jiang family that does real estate in the country.

That was the industry leader, right?

It wasn’t just billions, its market value was hundreds of billions! Hundreds of billions!!!

Never did he imagine that the wealth Heng Heng displayed in front of him was still a low-key representation of his true status.

Shen Fubai took a deep breath, “Let me catch my breath, I feel like I’ve hooked a sugar daddy.”

He used to think he and Heng Heng were well-matched. He was wrong, he didn’t even have a fraction of the other’s wealth.

Shen Fubai shed tears of poverty.

Shen Fubai spoke honestly, “I like all of these.”

Jiang Heng: “Then I’ll give them all to you, we’ll transfer the ownership when we return.” Giving him a few houses was really no different than an ordinary person giving flowers in a relationship.

“No, I can’t manage to live in all of them, really.” Shen Fubai said, “I don’t want a gold house or a silver house, of course, I don’t want a dog house either. I want…” Shen Fubai was trying to find a tactful way to decline, when something suddenly flashed through his mind.

“I want a candy house.”