TOW 15

Liang Xuan really did win the award.

He stood on stage and accepted the Huatou Award trophy. Because he was so tall, he had to bend down, lowering his head to speak into the mic. “Thank you to Director Ruan Zhenghui for giving me this opportunity.” He lifted his eyes. There were faint lines on his forehead, but he still looked outrageously handsome. “Also, thank you to every member of the Aerial Rescue team. Without your support, I wouldn’t be holding this award.” He raised the trophy. “And to my mom and dad, thank you. Looks like I’ve taken another step toward my dream.” He straightened up and walked off the stage amid the crowd’s cheers.

Cai Jiajun watched and said, “What a presence.”

The three of them clinked their glasses.
Then he asked Xu Fei, “Are you still in touch with Liang Xuan?”

Fu Zichuan glanced at Xu Fei from the corner of his eye. He had always thought something wasn’t right between Xu Fei and Liang Xuan. Xu Fei shrugged. “Not really.”

Cai Jiajun gave his arm a light pat.
“Come on, it’s good to send a message every now and then during the holidays or something. Back on set, you two looked like you got along really well.”

Xu Fei stayed silent. Cai Jiajun let out a sigh and said, “Well, yeah. Look at who he is, and look at who we are.”

They watched the Huatu Awards for a bit longer, then suddenly Cai Jiajun perked up, and raised his glass. “But we’re doing pretty damn well too. Free and easy, right?”

Fu Zichuan chuckled. “Is that sour grapes talking?”

Both Xu Fei and Cai Jiajun laughed.

“I mean it,” Cai Jiajun said. “Everyone’s got their own way of living. I think mine’s not bad. That’s enough for me.”

Xu Fei raised his drink. “Cheers.” He tilted his head back and finished the last drop of beer, then slammed the empty glass on the table and said, “I’m gonna sing.”

Fu Zichuan and Cai Jiajun immediately burst into applause. Xu Fei strode over to the corner of the bar, grabbed the guitar that was sitting there, sat on the high stool, and strummed a chord. The sharp sound made him suddenly think of the summer of 2010, the muggy heat in Ceylon and the terrible drinks. Back then, Liang Xuan sat in the crowd, watching him like he was something worth worshipping.

Xu Fei started to sing.

“I once kept asking..”

Liang Xuan’s face flickered for a second, then vanished into the dim lights. On the TV, static buzzed as the host announced, “Next, please welcome the renowned director…”

Xu Fei closed his eyes.

“When will you go with me.”

He could hear the guitar trembling under his fingers. The strings vibrated with a dull hum, as if they could cut into the pads of his fingertips.

“But you always laughed at me, for having nothing.”

“I want to give you my dreams
And all my freedom”

“But you always laughed at me, for having nothing”

“Oh… when will you go with me?”

“Oh… when will you go with me?”

He stood up, leaning into the mic, and let out a raw scream. The entire bar froze. People stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him, then erupted in cheers. Fu Zichuan and Cai Jiajun jumped up, screaming the lyrics with him like maniacs. Xu Fei turned his head to look at them, fingers still pressing down on the strings, and burst out laughing.

By the time he returned to the hotel, he was still relatively sober. He barely managed a shower before his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the bed. Fireworks were going off wildly outside the window. As the year came to an end, even the quietest corners of the city felt alive. Xu Fei tilted his head and looked at the brilliant lights through the curtain. His mind was a tangled mess, and suddenly, he thought of Liang Xuan again.

“Xu Fei.” Liang Xuan’s voice was hoarse. “Lift your hips.”

Xu Fei bit down on his lower lip. After a moment, he told himself, just treat it as a New Year’s gift. His hand moved downward, slipping into his pajama pants and wrapping around his cock.

Liang Xuan crawled over, pressing down on him. “Xu Fei.”

He reached out gently, brushing Xu Fei’s face, his fingers resting softly against Xu Fei’s lips.

Xu Fei parted his mouth slightly and drew two of his own fingers in, sucking them slowly.

His right hand moved fast over his cock, fist clenched tight as his hips thrust upward. The two fingers in his mouth pressed deep into his throat. After a moment, he pulled them out. His tongue slid across the tips, and he tasted the faint bitterness of leftover beer.

Liang Xuan.

He called the name quietly in his head, soft like he was afraid someone might hear.

Liang Xuan.

Liang Xuan lowered his head and kissed him. He bit his lips, his chin, his neck, and the tattoo on his shoulder. He squirmed from the sensation, wanting to push Liang Xuan away, but he held him down and gently pressed his leg between Xu Fei’s thighs. His knee bumped against the tight entrance behind him.

Xu Fei let out a sharp gasp. He pulled his fingers from his mouth, dragging them wet down his chest and lower abdomen, then reached behind and pushed them into his ass. His fingers were immediately gripped by the tight heat of his inner walls. He panted hard, his upper body arched, legs spread wide, hips pushing back to take his fingers in deeper.

When his index finger slid in completely, Xu Fei let out a soft cry from deep in his throat.
“Liang Xuan!”

He finally called the name out loud, because in this cramped little room, he was the only one there. No one could hear him. Not even Liang Xuan.

“Xu Fei…”

“Xu Fei…” Liang Xuan’s fingers thrust in and out of his ass. The index finger went in first, then the middle, then the ring finger. All three pushed in together, stretching his hole wide, filling him completely. Xu Fei bit down hard on Liang Xuan’s imaginary shoulder, overwhelmed by the heat and pressure inside him. It ached and swelled, painful one second and thrilling the next. The pleasure and pain lashed through him like a whip, leaving him lost and unable to breathe.

“Relax. Relax.” Liang Xuan coaxed him. His fingers slid out, and just as Xu Fei blinked up at him in a daze, he shoved them all back in at once. Xu Fei choked out a sob, his whole body jolting on the bed. He grabbed onto the headboard and cursed,
“You fucking…”

Liang Xuan bent down and kissed him. His tongue licked over his hard nipples, teeth biting down on the wings tattooed across his chest. Xu Fei lay there, strung up by desire, cock rock hard, three fingers buried deep in his ass.

“Fuck me. Fuck me.

His voice was weak, legs trembling as he kicked at Liang Xuan. “Fuck you, dragging it out like this. Hurry up and fuck me already….”

Xu Fei’s fingers dug deeper into his ass. His right hand pumped his cock roughly, moving fast until he came hard.

Cum spurted across his lower abdomen, drop after drop, some of it sticking to his fingertips. He slowly pulled his fingers out, his body going limp. He lay there on the bed for a long time before coming back to himself, then grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and wiped up the mess. His phone buzzed beside him.

A message from the set assistant popped up, reminding him that the first scene had been rescheduled to eight thirty.

Xu Fei tossed the phone aside, pulled the blanket over himself, and lay back down. Outside the window, the fireworks were still crackling in the sky.

“Congratulations, Liang Xuan,” he said.

By February, Xu Fei had wrapped most of his scenes and was just in time to head home for the New Year. After resting through March, Li Shanyi called and asked him to come to Xinjing to reshoot two scenes.

“There’s the Xinjing Entertainment Expo in mid-March,” Li Shanyi said. “New Line wants to use the chance to do a Southbound five-year reunion. Just show your face along with the others.

Xu Fei was confused. “What for?”

“Old Pang has the schedule. Go ask him,” Li Shanyi said. “Just get here as soon as you can.”

Xu Fei had no choice but to get the schedule from Old Pang.

The Xinjing Entertainment Expo was essentially a massive fan and media event, where every airing production showed up to promote, gain exposure, and chase traffic. They’d answer the dumbest questions imaginable.

“Southbound is on the 18th, three to four in the afternoon. Area C.”

Old Pang pointed to the schedule laid out for him. “You’re basically just going to make an appearance. Everyone’s showing up for Liang Xuan anyway.”

Xu Fei paused. “Liang Xuan’s going too?”

“Of course,” Old Pang said. “Li Shanyi gave the word himself.”

Xu Fei didn’t ask anything else. He messaged Cai Jiajun and a few others, arranging a small get-together once they arrived in Xinjing.

By noon on the 18th, staff came to escort them to the venue’s backstage area and do a few quick interviews. But Liang Xuan hadn’t shown up yet, so everyone was clearly uninterested. The questions were half-hearted, and most of them quickly turned away to grab drinks or snacks.

Xu Fei sat in a corner, texting Wang Mian, who had arrived in Xinjing a few days ago for work, to set up a dinner. He exchanged a few more words with Cai Jiajun. He had just picked up a bottle of water when someone said, “Liang Xuan’s here.”

The reporters backstage all swarmed toward the entrance. A few men dressed like bodyguards stepped in to part the crowd, and there was Liang Xuan, looking a little tired. His hair was cropped short again. Thick eyebrows arched slightly. His eyes were lowered. He raised a hand and gently rubbed his face.

“Liang Xuan!” one of the reporters called out, already impatient. “You’re working with Feng Zijun again after all these years. Is there any chance the two of you will get back together?”

Liang Xuan didn’t respond. He lifted his head and looked through the crowd toward Xu Fei.

Xu Fei’s heart jumped. He quickly looked away. Cai Jiajun, sitting next to him, stood up and waved. “Over here!”

Liang Xuan gave him a small nod, then turned to the reporters. “Today I’ll only be answering questions related to Southbound.”

He strode straight toward them. Xu Fei took a sip of water and stood up, watching as Liang Xuan hugged Cai Jiajun.

When Liang Xuan looked his way, Xu Fei smiled and reached out, giving his arm a light punch. “Long time no see.”

Seventeen months.

Liang Xuan flinched slightly, as if the punch had landed a little too hard. “Long time no see,” he echoed with a quiet laugh, his eyes drifting away from Xu Fei’s face.

A staff member guided the reporters over. Since Liang Xuan had set the tone, they didn’t push their luck and stuck to safe questions like “How does it feel to reunite with the cast?” and “Have you watched Southbound together recently?”

Xu Fei didn’t feel like talking, and Liang Xuan wasn’t saying much either. It was mostly Cai Jiajun and a few other cast members chatting away, rambling in all directions.

Every now and then, Xu Fei took a sip of water and turned his head, catching a glimpse of Liang Xuan’s profile. He was listening intently to Cai Jiajun, lips pressed together, expression serious, like a court clerk taking notes.

Xu Fei let out a quiet laugh. It wasn’t loud, but Cai Jiajun heard it and turned around, “Am I wrong? Everyone in the crew knew about the instructor and his pistol polished so shiny you could see your face in it.”

“No, no,” Xu Fei quickly waved his hands. “I wasn’t laughing at you.”

Cai Jiajun raised an eyebrow.”Xu Fei,” he said deliberately, “Did you just think of something… inappropriate?”

The men around the round table all froze for a beat, then burst into knowing, lewd laughter. Xu Fei crossed his arms and asked with exaggerated patience, “Are we still in the middle of an interview?”

He looked like a disappointed teacher, but then raised his right hand and made a finger-gun gesture at Cai Jiajun.

That only made everyone laugh harder.

Even Liang Xuan was laughing. His lips curved up, eyes gleaming. Xu Fei couldn’t help looking at him. Their eyes met, and the smile slowly faded from Liang Xuan’s face.

Xu Fei turned his head away.

The fan event didn’t offer anything new. Most of the questions were openly directed at Liang Xuan, with a few thrown to Li Shanyi.

But to Xu Fei’s surprise, there were clearly still plenty of people interested in him too. A few girls asked what he was working on these days, some mentioned Verdant Green and told him how much they loved his performance. Others said they often attended his stage plays.

Toward the end, a girl stepped forward and asked, “Will you ever act with Liang Xuan again?”

Xu Fei smiled. “That’s not really something I get to decide.”

“But if you had the chance?”

Xu Fei glanced at Liang Xuan. Li Shanyi, who was sitting between them, pretended to lean back dramatically, clearing a space between the two. The audience burst into laughter.

“Of course,” Xu Fei said. “I’d be happy to.”

Liang Xuan leaned in toward the mic as well. “So would I.”

The room erupted with cheers and whistles. Xu Fei lowered his head with a smile, took a sip of water, and didn’t look in Liang Xuan’s direction again.

After the fan event ended, the group filed offstage and headed backstage to rest. Li Shanyi said, “Don’t leave yet. Let’s all grab dinner together later.” He looked straight at Liang Xuan. “You free tonight? I heard you bought a new place here in Xinjing. How about inviting some old friends over to check it out?”

Everyone started teasing and cheering. Liang Xuan gave a helpless smile. “You’re really putting me on the spot.”

But in the end, he agreed and invited everyone to his new home.

Xu Fei hesitated. After a moment, he said,
“I have plans tonight.”

Li Shanyi shot him a look. “Who is it?”

Liang Xuan also turned to look.

Xu Fei scratched his head. “Uh, you’ve met him. He visited the set once… He’s here in Xinjing too.”

Li Shanyi waved a hand. “Then just bring him along. The more, the merrier.”

“I don’t want to impose,” Xu Fei said. “It’s Liang Xuan’s place, after all…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when Liang Xuan said, “I don’t mind.”

He looked perfectly gracious, the image of a generous host. If Xu Fei insisted on refusing now, it would just make him seem petty.

“Alright then,” he nodded. “I’ll let him know. Thanks.”

Liang Xuan gave a faint smile. “You’re welcome.”

Xu Fei couldn’t quite tell what he really meant by it.