When Wen Congyan appeared, the entire film set fell silent for a moment.
He was wearing business attire with a white shirt and suit pants, not in a working mood, so his shirt sleeves were slightly rolled up to the elbows, revealing his toned forearms. The open collar revealed the graceful curve that extended from his jawline down to his collarbone, partially concealed by the collar. With one hand casually tucked into his pants pocket and a suit jacket hanging from his wrist, he appeared relaxed. Most people rarely had the chance to see Wen Congyan like this.
With a straight back, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist, his presence was unparalleled. One couldn’t help but admit that he was incredibly handsome.
Those who had seen Wen Yan probably guessed that the Wen family had good genes. While Wen Yan was a bit, well, unusual, he was indeed a charming and handsome second-generation rich heir. However, compared to Wen Congyan, there was a world of difference.
Several women at the scene couldn’t help but sneak glances at Wen Congyan.
Wen Congyan was accompanied by another man, someone everyone knew. He was the boyfriend of the screenwriter for this series, and also a fairly famous second-generation wealthy heir named Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen noticed Wen Congyan’s gaze swept across the set and then focused on Xu Yin.
The scenes were shot out of sequence. Yesterday, they had just finished shooting the scene where Mu Yunyi turned dark. Today, they were working on the final meeting between Muy Yunyi and Lingzhu in the first half of the series.
Tayun Villa had been attacked, Mu Yunyi was severely injured, and Lingzhu, almost in tears, hurriedly brought him back to the Yunyue Palace.
With that, a few of them temporarily stayed in the Yunyue Palace.
Lingzhu sat by Mu Yunyi’s bedside every day, caring for him as he lay unconscious. Time flew by as the leaves in the courtyard turned yellow overnight, and the wind scattered them with a single gust.
When it was bright again, Lingzhu heard the chirping of birds and woke up in a daze.
The person in the bed was gone.
Lingzhu suddenly woke up and turned around in a panic. Her movements abruptly halted as she saw a familiar figure standing by the window.
“A-Yi Ge…” Lingzhu called out softly, her voice slightly hoarse.
The person moved slightly and turned to face her.
The autumn morning didn’t bring light as swiftly, and it remained somewhat dim. The man who stood by the window, always radiant and elegant, now appeared somewhat shadowed under this subdued light.
He curled his lips, his eyes arched, his voice warm, “Lingzhu.”
Lingzhu quivered slightly.
Although it was a familiar face, a familiar smile, and a familiar voice, she inexplicably felt a chill.
“What’s wrong with being kind?”
If the man standing in front of her right now were to answer this question once again, what kind of answer would she hear?
Suddenly, this question surged in Lingzhu’s mind.
“Cut!”
Yu Fei shouted, and Xu Yin’s gaze turned towards Wen Congyan, as he had been intently staring at Xu Yin all along, as he always has.
Xu Yin, “…”
He…moved his eyes.
Jiang Chen chuckled, “Hey, what’s the deal between you two?”
Why is he avoiding eye contact now?
As a friend of Wen Congyan, Jiang Chen found it utterly amusing to see Wen Congyan show interest in a minor celebrity from the entertainment industry. This was an unprecedented moment, and he couldn’t believe that Wen Congyan was displaying such one-sided enthusiasm.
Wen Congyan’s expression was rather serious.
Jiang Chen’s girlfriend rushed over and threw herself into his arms. Jiang Chen accepted her affectionately, and the people around them were left choking on a large amount of dog food!
Meanwhile, Wen Congyan took the initiative and walked over to Xu Yin. He stood in front of him.
Xu Yin looked up at him, and Wen Congyan, gazing down at him, spoke in a low voice, “Long time no see.”
Xu Yin took a sip of water and asked in resignation, “Why did you come here?”
“I just happened to be on a business trip here with Jiang Chen.” Wen Congyan noticed Bai Hao who had been staring at them, then narrowed his eyes slightly.
His eyes went back to Xu Yin and said, “Let’s have dinner later, with Jiang Chen and his girlfriend.”
Xu Yin hesitated for a moment.
Yu Fei just happened to pass by and overheard. He said, “Go ahead, it’s fine. Afterward, you’ll have two days off.” After that, they would mainly film scenes with Xue Ling and Bai Hao, so Xu Yin’s scenes were temporarily on hold.
Wen Congyan heard Yu Fei’s words and looked even more serious when he gazed at Xu Yin. This made Xu Yin sigh. It seemed there was no need to be so discreet about this. Of course, when this thought arose, his standpoint became debatable.
Xu Yin smiled helplessly and said, “Alright.”
*
Even though they were shooting a morning scene earlier, the actual time had already reached the evening, which was about the right time for dinner. Xu Yin changed clothes and removed his makeup, then followed into Jiang Chen’s car.
In the drama, Mu Yunyi was portrayed as handsome and elegant. However, in reality, Xu Yin himself was so good-looking that even Jiang Chen couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances. This drew a cold glare from Wen Congyan.
Jiang Chen: “…”
What happened to their brotherly camaraderie?
The screenwriter, An Ning, usually stayed in the hotel, working on script details based on Yu Fei’s guidance. She had some interactions with Xu Yin’s group but not many.
Xu Yin had always thought that An Ning was a relatively introverted person, but it turned out she could chat quite a bit. She hadn’t stopped talking since they got into the car, which was fortunate as it prevented any awkward silence in the car.
An Ning enthusiastically exclaimed, “Xu Yin is amazing, especially in the fight scenes, you look so good!”
Wen Congyan pondered for a moment and then nodded, “En.”
Xu Yin couldn’t help but look at him.
An Ning continued, “I saw that trending topic yesterday. Xu Yin, did you really develop your martial arts skills like that? Hahaha!”
Wen Congyan again responded with a simple “En.”
Xu Yin: “…”
An Ning was asking him, wasn’t she?
An Ning asked further, “Congyan, was it really you who replied with ‘very cute’ yesterday?” And Wen Congyan replied with another “En.”
Xu Yin’s ears started to feel hot.
He gently nudged the man beside him with his elbow. Wen Congyan looked at him, and Xu Yin shot him a glare. Xu Yin rarely glared at people, and Wen Congyan had enjoyed the privilege of being on the receiving end of this treatment.
The man then looked at Xu Yin…
An Ning: “Hey, how exactly did you and Xu Yin meet?”
The car remained silent.
An Ning: “????”
Xu Yin took a deep breath and nudged Wen Congyan once more. Wen Congyan, giving Xu Yin a puzzled look, obediently replied, “We met during his night run.”
“Ah? You met while he was night running? That’s so amazing…” An Ning continued with her barrage of questions.
Xu Yin covered his face.
018 teased: “There’s no man in this world you can’t charm!”
Xu Yin retorted: “Why do you make it sound like I’ve charmed numerous men…?”
Clearly, he had never been in a romantic relationship, and he felt quite unjustly accused.
The car stopped at a restaurant, and the four of them entered a private room and ordered food.
This restaurant had good privacy and served delicious dishes, which was a rare treat for Xu Yin, who was used to eating takeout every day.
As they ate, Wen Congyan became even quieter. Xu Yin wasn’t much of a talker to begin with, so most of the conversation happened between Jiang Chen and An Ning, the couple. Xu Yin wondered if he and Wen Congyan acting as third wheels was a bad idea.
He took a sip of his drink, put down his chopsticks, and glanced at the shrimp dumplings a bit far from him.
The next moment, a pair of chopsticks moved the shrimp dumplings into his bowl.
The hands holding the chopsticks were long and the joints well-defined.
Xu Yin paused.
Jiang Chen and An Ning were engrossed in their conversation, paying no attention to the activity on Xu Yin and Wen Congyan’s side.
Xu Yin stared at the shrimp dumplings for a while, then picked up his chopsticks and ate them.
He went on to enjoy the chicken feet, pork belly, roasted duck, and more, with a steady stream of food making its way into his bowl as if someone were carefully watching his eating pace. Whenever he finished one bite, the next dish would be precisely placed in his bowl.
As he ate, Xu Yin couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing.
He raised his head and said, “I’m full, no need.”
Wen Congyan’s movements stopped, and he obediently set down his shared chopsticks. There was a hint of regret in his eyes.
Xu Yin lowered his gaze and took a final bite of roasted duck. In a corner unnoticed by anyone, a subtle smile played at the corners of his lips.
What was this? What was going on…? He sighed lightly.
018: “You’re clearly happy! Am I about to witness a gay subplot unfolding? Ahhh!”
Although Steel Straight Guy 018 had said that the host’s sexual orientation didn’t matter, what was crucial was becoming a strong, real man, he couldn’t help but get flustered in the end.
Xu Yin: “No, there’s no need to panic so soon.”
Honestly, Xu Yin had serious doubts about whether Wen Congyan himself had thought through the meaning of his actions.
Among his gay friends in his previous life, some had gone through similar experiences, and as for the outcomes…
They varied.
*
After dinner, Jiang Chen went to get the car, and An Ning followed him. Xu Yin and Wen Congyan waited at the restaurant’s entrance.
Xu Yin had consumed a bit of alcohol in the end, considering he had no scenes to shoot the next day and could relax. Of course, he didn’t drink much, as his tolerance was quite low.
If you had to describe it, he was feeling pleasantly tipsy.
He took a deep breath of the slightly cool evening breeze and, when he opened his eyes, he noticed a small tree near the restaurant entrance covered in vibrant pink flowers. It was already early autumn, yet these pink blossoms were still flourishing.
Xu Yin gazed up at the tree with his head tilted back and heard the man behind him suddenly say, “Xu Yin.”
“Hmm?” Xu Yin lazily responded.
The man’s voice was low and slow as he asked, “Do you want to become famous?”
Xu Yin pondered for a moment.
In the beginning, he wanted to leave the entertainment industry because he found dealing with Wen Yan and Nan Ye somewhat annoying, and he had no real interest in the entertainment world. However, driven by the stage-specific missions, he had taken on the job, which, to be honest, didn’t feel that bad. As for Wen Yan and Nan Ye, he could just ignore them.
But when it came to wanting or not wanting to continue his career in the entertainment industry, to become famous or not…
Xu Yin closed his eyes and said, “Well… I don’t really care. My contract is for five years, and I don’t plan to continue afterward. By the time the contract ends, I might choose to go back to studying.”
It was quite strange. This was the first time Xu Yin had seriously thought about his future.
In his previous life, although he enjoyed drawing, he had gone through the standard process: graduating from high school, getting into an art school, majoring in design. It felt like he had simply followed life’s steps, nothing more.
Yet this was the first time he had considered. Acting felt good, but it wasn’t as interesting as drawing. If he couldn’t terminate the contract early, then when it ended, maybe he could enroll in an art school in this world? He might choose design again, continuing the unfinished education from his past life.
As for resurrection, Xu Yin felt he wouldn’t accumulate the required 50,000 points solely in this mission world.
Wen Congyan heard Xu Yin’s response and furrowed his brows slightly. “Do you want to terminate your contract?”
Xu Yin was taken aback, turned to look at him.
This man was quite perceptive, indeed.
He was about to respond when a gust of evening wind interrupted their conversation. The leaves above them rustled, and a flower suddenly detached from its branch and gently descended.
Xu Yin instinctively reached out his hand, and the flower landed softly in his palm.
Wen Congyan looked at the flower for a moment, then walked over and stood in front of Xu Yin.
“Why didn’t you go night running on that Street again?” Wen Congyan asked in a low voice, shifting the conversation abruptly.
Caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, Xu Yin was momentarily at a loss for words. When he regained his composure, he opened his mouth but remained speechless for a moment. Wen Congyan’s face turned a bit solemn.
Adorably flustered by the question, Xu Yin smiled and then finally responded, “Wen Congyan.”
The young man’s voice was gentle and always conveyed a sense of warmth and tenderness when he spoke.
Wen Congyan’s Adam’s apple rolled.
“Why did you come to the film set with your friend?”
Wen Congyan was stunned.
“Why do you care where I go at night running? The city is vast, and I could run on any Street. In the future, I might even move to another city. I could run on any street in that city.”
Wen Congyan’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Why are you frowning again?” Xu Yin continued with a smile. “Maybe when you figure out the answers to these questions, you won’t need to ask me the one you just did.”
Suddenly, Xu Yin’s wrist was held firmly. He fell silent.
Wen Congyan gripped his wrist, his expression stern. “Can’t you just tell me directly?”
Xu Yin playfully responded, “Well… no, I can’t.”
Of course not. He couldn’t possibly give Wen Congyan the answers to these questions. He wasn’t about to teach straight men about such things. Let Mr. Curious think about the answers himself.
President Wen looked displeased.
Xu Yin chuckled.
Seeing his smile, Wen Congyan’s grip on his wrist loosened slightly.
He took a step closer once again and softly asked, “Could you give me this flower, then?”
Xu Yin’s laughter stopped abruptly.
The man gently said, “I want it. Just this flower.”
Xu Yin looked up at him.
Under the night sky, the man stared at him in silence with an intense focus.
It was devastating.
*
On the way back, Jiang Chen glanced at the rearview mirror several times and used eye signals to communicate with his girlfriend.
What’s the matter? Did those two get drunk with just a little bit of alcohol? Why is there no sound at all?
In the back seat, Xu Yin quietly rested his chin on his hand, looking out of the window, pondering life. Meanwhile, Mr. CEO kept switching between studying the small pink flower in his palm, stealing glances at the young man beside him, and furrowing his brows as he contemplated.
When they were almost approaching the film and television city, Xu Yin said, “Stop here for a moment. I’ll check on the set.”
It felt unusual for him to return to the hotel this early.
“I’ll go with you,” Wen Congyan said.
Jiang Chen: “???” What are you going to do there?
Of course, Jiang Chen was accustomed to his friend’s occasional strange behavior, so he simply dropped both of them off at the set.
Inside the set, they were filming a martial arts scene, and everyone was busy. No one noticed Xu Yin and Wen Congyan for a moment.
Xu Yin watched seriously, and Wen Congyan asked, “Can you also perform in this kind of scene?”
“Sure, quite a few,” Xu Yin raised an eyebrow and playfully said, “After all, I have a good foundation in martial arts.”
Wen Congyan was momentarily surprised but then smiled.
Xu Yin: “…”
This seemed to be the first time he had seen Wen Congyan smile.
Why did it happen so suddenly, and his sense of humor was so peculiar?
Xu Yin stared at the corner of Wen Congyan’s lips, and Wen Congyan sensed it. Although he was puzzled, he raised the corner of his mouth even more, deepening his smile. He turned to the side, opened his mouth, and whispered, “Yin…”
“Hey, who are you?” A voice suddenly interrupted, cutting off Wen Congyan’s words.
Xu Yin turned to look and, surprisingly, found Nan Ye standing a couple of steps away from him.
Despite the late hour, Nan Ye wore a mask and used a piece of black fabric to cover his head, tying it under his chin. He seemed rather furtive, and it was unclear how he had managed to sneak in here.
Nan Ye stared at Xu Yin with a disgruntled expression.
Xu Yin smiled.
What’s the point?
A few days ago, Nan Ye had also come to this film and television city to shoot a series right next door. To be honest, he had been quite distracted because of his recent fallout with Wen Yan. The main culprit, Xu Yin, was right next door. How could Nan Ye concentrate with him around? His mind wandered aimlessly, and he had even been scolded by the director a few times.
After mustering his willpower with great difficulty and telling himself, ‘Wen Yan is a big idiot! Why should I put in so much effort for him!?’
Nan Ye had confidently embraced his professional actor’s routine. However, he had stumbled upon a Weibo trend last night that left him feeling bitter.
Today, he heard that Congyan Ge went to the neighboring set!
A bolt from the blue!
Truth be told, Nan Ye’s gaydar had sensed that something was amiss during that dinner with the Wen brothers. However, he had refused to believe it. How could Wen Congyan and Xu Yin get together? It was beyond his comprehension.
He felt jealous, envious, and resentful. When he realized there was no scene for him tonight, he couldn’t resist sneaking over.
Seeing Wen Congyan and Xu Yin facing each other, the sourness in Nan Ye reached an all-time high. His entire being felt corroded.
He couldn’t accept this! He absolutely couldn’t. He was determined to ruin their rendezvous.
Wasn’t Xu Yin supposed to like Wen Yan? Starting today, he would become the matchmaker for Xu Yin and Wen Yan, and his lifelong goal would be to bring them together. Xu Yin should never even think about falling into the arms of Wen Congyan in his presence!
Nan Ye’s inner scream had just begun when, from the fervent fighting scene nearby, a sword suddenly flew out, heading straight for his direction.
Nan Ye, “Ah!”
At the same time, the task panel in front of Xu Yin displayed the closest and highest probability random task since he joined the group.
Task Panel: [Please rescue the pitiful little young gay who is about to be hit by a flying sword right where you are. Reward: 4 points.]
Xu Yin: “Ah.”
At the crucial moment, cries of shock erupted from the film set, and Nan Ye was left stunned in his spot.
Suddenly, a dark shadow streaked by, and the young man in front of Nan Ye swiftly raised his hand. Just when the tip of the sword was a fist’s distance from hitting Nan Ye’s skull, Xu Yin securely gripped the sword’s hilt.
The flying sword came to a halt, and the remaining sword energy rushed forward, heading straight for Nan Ye’s face!
Nan Ye widened his eyes.
This sword energy blew off the black cloth on his head, tousled his hair, cleared his vision, and dispersed the stardust.
The entire set fell into complete silence.
Xu Yin steadied the sword, let out a sigh of relief, glanced at Nan Ye, and soothingly said, “It’s okay.”
Nan Ye remained breathless, frozen like a statue.
He stared blankly at Xu Yin.
His eyes turned red.
Then his face turned red.
His ears and neck also turned red.
And, just regaining his senses, Wen Cong Yan, “?”
This development seemed a bit unusual.
He took the prop sword from Xu Yin’s hand and asked, “Is your hand okay?”
Xu Yin replied, “Yes, it’s fine.”
Wen Cong Yan nodded and then held Xu Yin’s hand.
Xu Yin hesitated for a moment, then was pulled by the man behind him.
Wen Cong Yan kept his eyes on Nan Ye, looking quite alert.
