Chapter 78 – Building Sand Castles

Previously, everyone had been quite casual, but once they started discussing business, they adopted a professional attitude. As Shen Fubai’s boyfriend and future business partner, as well as the studio owner, Jiang Heng earnestly discussed various matters with Director Chapman in English.

…Of course, they were the only serious ones. Antonia took out her eyeshadow palette again to apply another layer of intense color, while Shen Fubai was whispering to Xavier.

Shen Fubai whispered, “Is she usually like this?” An eyeshadow killer, he thought it was just a persona. How could there really be a woman who could appreciate such eyeshadow? That would be terrifying.

“Of course not,” Xavier covered his mouth, whispering even quieter so as not to be heard by Antonia, “She’s ten thousand times scarier than today on a regular basis.”

Antonia snapped shut her eyeshadow palette. “I heard that.”

Xavier immediately hid behind Shen Fubai in a cowardly manner.

After spending a day at Universal Studios Hollywood, Shen Fubai didn’t get to go to the Harry Potter theme park, but he did have an unexpected gain.

A monumental gain.

He got the role of the Eastern merman in “Paradise.”

Chapman and Jiang Heng didn’t discuss it for long before settling the matter. Chapman merely asked, “Can he swim?” And Jiang Heng replied, “Yes,” and that was how the deal was happily sealed.

During their discussion, the bored Xavier and Shen Fubai secretly slipped away to play. They didn’t dare to venture far, as Xavier’s face was too recognizable.

They wandered around the area and exchanged contact information. Shen Fubai lamented, “I originally wanted to visit the Harry Potter theme park today. Now my plans are all messed up.”

Xavier expressed deep regret.

“It’s fine,” Shen Fubai patted his shoulder, “Thank you for giving me this opportunity. If it weren’t for you, I might not have gotten this chance.”

Xavier’s bright blue eyes were gentle as water. “I didn’t expect you to also be an actor. Are you very popular in your country? I think you should be, you’re so good-looking.”

“Average,” Shen Fubai smiled, “Escaping every day is a bit more exhausting than what you do.”

Xavier also laughed heartily.

The sun was perfect, and the two young men seemed to reconcile their differences in this laughter.

Then Shen Fubai said with a smile, “There doesn’t seem to be anyone else here.”

Xavier also smiled, “Yeah, no need to worry about being discovered.”

Shen Fubai casually took out a miniature knife and smiled, “Now I can kill you.”

Xavier: “…”

Xavier’s smile gradually faded.

Xavier’s expression gradually turned to horror.

Xavier’s body slowly retreated. “Don’t come over!”

Shen Fubai’s expression was icy cold. “You dropped my ring.”

Xavier: “Sorry! Spare me!”

Shen Fubai was unmoved. “Your fans dirtied one of my new clothes.”

Xavier whined, “I can buy you ten!”

Shen Fubai curled the corner of his lips in mockery. “And the loss of that ice cream cone, this grudge shall never be reconciled!”

He pressed Xavier against the wall and raised the model knife as if to scare him, when Xavier reflexively covered his face and shouted, “Slytherin forever!”

Shen Fubai paused in his motion, his expression quickly turning from stormy to sunny, reverting to the image of a cheerful young man.

He put the knife away and happily gave Xavier a high-five. “Brother, I hereby declare, you are my good friend!”

They shared a brotherly hug.

When Jiang Heng and Chapman finished their discussion and came out, this was the scene they saw.

The beautiful Eastern youth had the blonde-haired, blue-eyed handsome youth pressed against the wall, and they were tightly embracing each other. From their angle, it looked almost as if they were kissing.

They couldn’t see the knife Shen Fubai was hiding or the sweat dripping down Xavier’s face.

Jiang Heng and Chapman both darkened their expressions.

While they were diligently discussing business, these two were happily courting each other?

Xavier was dragged away by Chapman, calling out to Shen Fubai as he was taken, “Fubai, we’re going to Malibu Beach for surfing tomorrow!”

In the next moment, he disappeared from Shen Fubai’s sight.

Shen Fubai blinked. “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“What okay?” Jiang Heng turned his head, his voice low, “You two are going to hit the waves at Malibu Beach tomorrow?”

Shen Fubai corrected, “Surfing.”

“Going together?” Shen Fubai hooked his arm around Jiang Heng’s shoulder, “We still have 14 days left in America. We must visit the beaches in Los Angeles, and the Harry Potter theme park.” He still hadn’t forgotten the Harry Potter theme park, something to make up for later when they had time.

“Of course we’ll go together,” Jiang Heng glanced at him, “Or did you plan to go with someone else?”

Shen Fubai matter-of-factly, “With Xavier, of course.”

Jiang Heng coldly announced, “From now on, I hate Xavier.”

Poor Xavier, having just made peace with Shen Fubai, yet earning Jiang Heng’s dislike.

Xavier, who was taken back to bed by Chapman, suddenly sneezed.

“There must be someone thinking about me,” Xavier murmured.

“You should rather worry about yourself,” the handsome silver-haired director held his wrist, lowering his body, his English with a French accent was elegant and pleasant, “You’ve agreed to surf with that Eastern merman? Aren’t you afraid of being chased by tourists screaming?”

Xavier whispered, “We can go to your private beach.”

Chapman raised an eyebrow. “You want to bring the green field to my house?”

“Xavier called his name, “Joshua, Fubai is my friend.”

“I know, I’m just looking for an excuse to get you into bed. Little mermaid, spread your tail a little wider.”

Xavier kept his legs together, his blue eyes stubborn. “Mermaids’ tails can’t be separated!”

Chapman calmly said, “Oh, then spread your legs a little wider.”

Xavier: “…”

The next day, at Malibu Beach.

“Hey, Xavier, what’s wrong?” Shen Fubai, holding his floatie and surfboard, noticed that Xavier’s gait seemed a bit off.

“Hmm, I accidentally tripped on the stairs when I went back yesterday,” Xavier lamented, “I’m sorry, I won’t be able to surf with you.”

“No problem,” Jiang Heng said, “I can accompany him.”

Chapman smiled. “That’s best.”

The two tall and handsome men exchanged glances, each reading the unspoken message of “keep your man in check” from the other.

This wasn’t hard to guess. It was clear that Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng were lovers. And it was obvious that Xavier and Chapman were not simply an actor and director in a casual relationship.

…Of course, it was not a quid pro quo relationship either. They had been dating for a long time, at least two years. They were currently busy with their careers and planned to hold their wedding after the release of “Paradise.”

On the other side, Shen Fubai immediately tossed aside his floatie and surfboard. “Oh, it’s okay. Xavier, I can still build sandcastles with you on the beach!”

Xavier hugged him, deeply moved. “Fubai, you’re truly my good friend!”

Jiang Heng: “…”

Chapman: “…”

They were like brainless Patrick Stars, using all their tricks to break up two very close SpongeBobs.

Los Angeles received a large number of tourists each year, and its beaches were often crowded with people. Malibu Beach was no exception. Chapman owned a private beach in Los Angeles, but it was too deserted to be fun. They were now on a stretch of beach far from the crowd, yet not so far away that they couldn’t see people.

Shen Fubai and Xavier squatted on the sand, building sandcastles. Xavier was skilled and creative, constructing a round palace.

“This is the White House.”

Shen Fubai quickly piled up a Chinese-style ancient building.

“This is the Forbidden City.”

Xavier demolished and rebuilt. “This is Times Square.”

Shen Fubai flattened it and started again. “This is Tiananmen Gate.”

Xavier built a bridge. “This is the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Shen Fubai also built a bridge. “This is Zhaozhou Bridge.”

Xavier: “This is the Statue of Liberty.”

Shen Fubai: “This is the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang.”

“This is the Empire State Building.”

“This is the Great Wall.”

“…”

Lying on beach chairs, shielded from the sun by umbrellas, Chapman watched the two childish people squatting on the ground competing and took a sip of coconut juice. “They’re about to start a sandcastle battle.”

Similarly lounging on a beach chair, Jiang Heng sipped watermelon juice. “It’s a sand sculpture competition.”

“What?” Chapman didn’t understand this particular Chinese term.

Jiang Heng explained, “A sand sculpture, abbreviated as sand carving.”

Chapman found it strange, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.

At the sand sculpture competition site, the battle had reached a white-hot intensity.

Xavier built a piano.

“Haha, I’m going to win!” Xavier clapped his hands, “The piano is the king of musical instruments, you can’t beat me in instrumental music!”

Shen Fubai smiled slightly and unhurriedly built a wind instrument.

“What’s this? A flute? Looks pretty rudimentary,” Xavier was curious.

How could a flute surpass a piano? A flute only had a few holes, while a piano had eighty-eight keys. In terms of complexity, he was the winner.

“This is called a bone flute, the earliest musical instrument. First discovered within the territory of Huaxia,” Shen Fubai said, “Eight thousand eight hundred years ago.”

Xavier wore a stunned expression. “Eight thousand eight hundred years?” Good God, America was only three hundred years old.

“Yes, dear Xavier, do you think your eighty-eight keys won, or did my eight thousand eight hundred years of history win?” Shen Fubai pitifully pinched his cheek.

Besides, the piano wasn’t invented in America.

Xavier dejectedly knocked over his own piano. “You win.”

In terms of depth, young America still couldn’t match the long history of Huaxia. They weren’t just competing in building sand sculptures; they were comparing the cultures of their respective countries.

But Xavier soon perked up. “China sounds amazing. I’ll go to China to play someday, can you be my tour guide then?”

Shen Fubai laughed. “Of course.”

This friendly cultural exchange between China and America ended here.

Jiang Heng proudly declared, “Our Fubai won.”

“Xavier wasn’t bad either,” Chapman was protective of his own.

Shen Fubai and Xavier had been squatting on the ground for half a day and felt soreness in their waists when they stood up, and they broke out in a sweat.

Shen Fubai walked over to Jiang Heng and naturally took the half-drunk watermelon juice from Jiang Heng’s hand, finishing it in one gulp and casually tossing it into the trash can.

“Heng Heng, did you see that? I won,” Shen Fubai leaned in and said triumphantly.

Jiang Heng sat up and kissed Shen Fubai’s forehead. “Great job, I was watching the whole time.”

Xavier asked him, “Hey! Fubai, let’s go swimming?” The weather was so hot, and they had broken a sweat; they had to go for a dip in the sea to cool off.

Shen Fubai turned around. “Didn’t you trip?”

Xavier: “Swimming is no problem!” In fact, he and Joshua often coughed and spluttered in the water…

Jiang Heng raised an eyebrow, giving Chapman a meaningful look.

Quite the variety of activities.

Jiang Heng, unable to have a drink, was depressed.

Chapman gloated in his own right.

“We’re going swimming then,” Shen Fubai said to Jiang Heng.

Jiang Heng nodded. “Be careful.”

Shen Fubai took off his shirt, wearing only a pair of beach shorts, and beckoned Xavier to run on the sand. They left a trail of footprints, then darted into the water like two mermaids.

Neither of them used floaties in the shallow water. To be cast as mermaids in “Paradise,” they were both good swimmers.

Under the sunlight, the skin of the two youths shone blindingly white. One had golden hair and blue eyes like a god of beauty in Greek mythology, and the other had black hair and was as enchanting as a flower demon in ancient Chinese paintings.

They floated on the surface and dove underwater, chasing and playing with each other, continuously scooping up water to splash each other. Water droplets dripped down, their faces as bewitching as sea monsters.

On a distant, crowded beach, a four- or five-year-old girl faintly saw two stunning figures flash past in the distance, sinking underwater. She rubbed her eyes and tugged on the adult’s sleeve. “Mommy, look, mermaids!”

The mother looked into the distance, where the sea was calm.

“You must have seen wrong,” the mother rubbed her daughter’s head, “I’ll tell you a fairy tale when we get back, it’s called ‘The Mermaid.'”

The little girl, upon hearing that she could listen to a story, was instantly distracted.

As she was led away by her mother, she kept looking back at the tranquil sea, thinking to herself.

But those two mermaids, they were big brothers.

Were they sons of the sea?