Gong Yue instructed the butler, Huo Ke, to arrange for a driver to take Xu Luoyang home, and then he carried Ye Shanshan back to the room.
Carefully bending down to lay him on the bed, Gong Yue was preparing to fetch a damp towel to wipe Ye Shanshan’s face when he suddenly woke up as he straightened up.
Ye Shanshan was momentarily disoriented, trying to figure out where he was, then nervously grabbed onto Gong Yue’s clothes.
“Brother, are you going to get married?” he asked anxiously.
Gong Yue looked at Ye Shanshan, who was staring at him eagerly, shook his head, and said, “I’m going to get you a towel to wipe your face.”
Ye Shanshan’s reaction was quicker than when he wasn’t drunk. He grabbed Gong Yue’s empty hand and placed it on his face.
“Feel it, clean and smooth,” he insisted.
When Gong Yue’s hand remained still, he insisted again, “Feel it.”
Gong Yue, unable to refuse, lightly touched his face with his fingertips a few times before quickly retracting his hand. “Yes, very clean.”
Ye Shanshan, whether drunk or sober, was easily placated. He felt that Gong Yue had assessed the cleanliness of his face, so he said, “It’s clean, no need to get a towel.”
“Alright.”
Satisfied, Ye Shanshan stared at Gong Yue for a while. Suddenly, he grabbed his palm with both hands, his tone serious.
“Your Majesty, don’t be afraid. I will protect you with my life. Even if you lose your memory, it’s okay. I won’t despise Your Majesty. I will protect you, and no one can bully you. If anyone dares to bully you, I’ll fight back.”
His words were somewhat muddled and his pronunciation unclear, but he tried hard to convey his meaning.
Gong Yue allowed him to hold his hand, responding softly, “Okay.”
Ye Shanshan continued to ramble, possibly feeling dizzy. He shook his head and, with a hint of pride in his tone, lowered his voice.
“Let me tell you, I used to have a little notebook where I detailed all the people who bullied you. Very detailed.”
“A little notebook?”
“Yeah, my virtual grudge notebook, it’s all in my head, no need for paper, saves forest resources, eco-friendly,” he said, sounding regretful, “but there hasn’t been any use for it. You always retaliate so quickly, I bet your grudge notebook is definitely bigger than mine, right?”
Gong Yue didn’t actually have a “grudge notebook” like that, but he decided to go along with the conversation. “Right.”
“So, can you not get married, please? Look, I’ll protect you, stand by your side, and I’ll treat you well,” he suddenly changed the topic, with no apparent connection. Ye Shanshan looked up at Gong Yue, stubbornly repeating four or five times, “So, can you not get married, please?”
Perhaps reaching a certain emotional threshold, Ye Shanshan felt his heart beating irregularly, finding it hard to breathe. He started rambling, “I shouldn’t think like this, it’s not good at all, but I’m really sad… Luoyang told me that one day in the future, you’ll marry someone else, and we’ll be separated… Every time I think about it, my heart feels so sad.”
He didn’t know what words to use to describe his emotions, so he just kept saying “so sad.” Eventually, he grabbed Gong Yue’s hand and placed it over his heart.
“This place is very uncomfortable. Can we not be separated? Don’t separate…” The aftereffects of the alcohol kicked in, and Ye Shanshan’s mind became increasingly blurry. All he knew was to repeat these last four words, as if they were his deepest obsession.
Gong Yue watched Ye Shanshan like this and felt his heart wrenching. He leaned down, kissed Ye Shanshan’s thin eyelids, and gently wiped away the tears that were about to overflow from the corners of his eyes. The taste was both salty and bitter, bitter all the way to his heart.
“Shanshan, don’t cry,” Gong Yue’s voice was as light as a feather, falling into Ye Shanshan’s heart. “Remember, we won’t be separated, never. You only have me, and I only have you.”
Nodding blankly, Ye Shanshan hiccuped twice in a row, blinked his eyes, and suddenly covered his mouth in panic.
“Brother, have I turned into a frog prince?” he said, hiccuping again, looking even more terrified.
“…,”
“Brother, quickly see if my eyes have become bigger! If I’ve turned into a frog prince, will you think I’m ugly?”
“…,” Gong Yue’s emotions were too complex to describe, but he still had to answer well. “I won’t think you’re ugly, no matter what you turn into.”
※※※
It was quite a challenge to calm Ye Shanshan down. Because he wouldn’t let go, Gong Yue had to carry him to the washroom, then place him on the sink and use a towel to wipe Ye Shanshan’s face.
After wiping, Ye Shanshan turned to look at himself in the mirror. Perhaps feeling that Gong Yue did a good job wiping his face, he extended three fingers to Gong Yue.
“As a reward for wiping my face so clean! I’ll hold your hand, but only with… um, three fingers, not more. I’m afraid you’ll get too proud.”
Because his vision was a bit blurry, he earnestly counted three times back and forth, and indeed, there were three fingers.
Gong Yue placed the towel aside and held onto the three fingers of Ye Shanshan. “Alright, that’s enough.”
After holding hands for a while, Ye Shanshan insisted on walking by himself, but he was swaying heavily, and he veered off course after just a few steps.
Gong Yue was about to assist him when he saw Ye Shanshan suddenly squat down and laugh foolishly at a cabinet.
“Brother, why did you shrink again? But you’re still handsome as ever!”
“…,”
This time, ignoring Ye Shanshan’s protests, Gong Yue quickly walked over and lifted him up, placing him back on the bed.
However, unexpectedly, after Ye Shanshan was on the bed, he stayed quiet for only five seconds before starting to yell, closing his eyes tightly and flailing his hands around in a panic.
“Brother, where are you? I can’t see! Am I blind?”
“…,”
Gong Yue felt that he couldn’t let Ye Shanshan drink alcohol anymore. When he drank, his acting passion reached its peak.
Rubbing his forehead, Gong Yue grabbed Ye Shanshan’s flailing hand. “I’m right here.”
Ye Shanshan instantly opened his eyes, looking brightly at Gong Yue. Just as Gong Yue thought he had finally calmed down, he heard Ye Shanshan cheerfully calling out to him,
“Brother, I want to see your abs!”
Indeed, thinking that he had calmed down was just an illusion.
Gong Yue remained silent for ten seconds, feeling that not showing them might lead to more commotion. So, with one hand, he undid the buttons of his collar. Hesitating for a moment under Ye Shanshan’s expectant gaze, he ultimately decided to unbutton them all.
Between the open shirt was a well-defined set of eight-pack abs, with a hormone level off the charts.
Ye Shanshan leaned in to take a closer look. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen my little eight-pack abs.”
Speaking with sorrow, Ye Shanshan felt like a life without abs had lost all its dreams. While filled with sadness, he quickly reached out his hand, not satisfied with just one touch, and touched it again and again.
Gong Yue endured without retreating, but his indulgence resulted in Ye Shanshan skillfully taking advantage of the situation. Perhaps not satisfied with just a few touches, he even leaned in closer.
Feeling the skin of his abdomen being licked by the moist tongue, it first felt warm, then cooled as the breath brushed over the wet spots.
Gong Yue stood frozen in place, before he could say anything, Ye Shanshan complained,
“Brother, your skin really secretes hormones! After I licked it, I felt my heart beating faster.” He even concluded, “You’re toxic, very toxic.”
He even extended his tongue like a cat, licked his own hand, and tasted it, “See, there’s no problem when I lick myself.”
Gong Yue remained silent in place for about half a minute, using all his self-control to restrain himself, then efficiently buttoned up his shirt, his voice hoarse, “Shanshan, go to sleep.”
The drowsy Ye Shanshan sensitively sensed that the Demon King’s mood didn’t seem very pleasant, so he consciously burrowed into the covers, not daring to cause trouble. He covered himself up high, with only his messy hair poking out, looking very aggrieved.
Unexpectedly, he fell asleep within a minute of closing his eyes.
Gong Yue sighed and pulled the covers down a bit for Ye Shanshan.
Looking at Ye Shanshan’s still slightly flushed face, he pursed his lips. In fact, he could probably now confirm that there hadn’t been any substantial relationship between him and Ye Shanshan before his memory loss.
Although he had lost his memory, he was still himself. If his past self had already made a will, there was a high probability that he wouldn’t have told Ye Shanshan his feelings.
However, now he was finding it difficult to suppress himself.
※※※
While Ye Shanshan slept, the “48-Hour Challenge” program on Starlight TV aired promptly at eight o’clock. Due to the previous “personnel changes” scandal, the program took advantage of the opportunity and generated hype. Yesterday’s ratings had already increased significantly compared to the previous episode, and today’s data was even better than yesterday’s.
Especially when showing scenes of Xu Luoyang and Ye Shanshan, the online viewership reached its peak, indicating that many people were tuning in for these two individuals, especially for Ye Shanshan.
The director was discussing the next issue with the creative team. After looking at the trend of online viewership data and discussion volume, he couldn’t help but admire, “Ye Shanshan is indeed a treasure. It’s a pity we can’t keep him as a regular guest.”
“Not to mention Yingshi Entertainment’s side, they’re really going all out to suppress Ye Shanshan’s momentum, right? I’ve noticed these past couple of days, Zhao Yaozu’s side is going crazy buying water army, saying all sorts of nasty things, fabricating scandals left and right, and even Xu Tian’s fans are joining in the fray.”
The director lit a cigarette. “I’ve been in this industry for so many years, I still have a keen eye for these things. Some people are destined to rise, and nothing can stop them.”
The assistant added, “But it’s strange with Yuli’s side, they’ve barely provided any resources to Ye Shanshan. I checked, and it’s almost nonexistent.”
“The kid’s naive, that’s what makes it dangerous,” the director blew out a smoke ring. “Such a talent, everyone can see his bright future. But obviously, he’s not being controlled by the company to make money, he’s doing it on his own terms. Isn’t that more terrifying than being overwhelmed with scripts? ”
Seeing the assistant nod, the director glanced again at the person smiling at the camera on the TV screen. “So, this Ye Shanshan, he’s got some deep background!”
Before the program even ended, a new wave of fans flooded Ye Shanshan’s Weibo. The previous topic “Ye Shanshan variety show” rose by two ranks.
After the program ended, someone initiated a trend of imitating the format of the “inner monologue” segment with the phrase “Let’s leave some nutritious comments.”
Under Ye Shanshan’s latest Weibo update, the comments started to line up neatly:
“- Vitamin B12 (everyone say one each, otherwise not enough to go around)”
“- Protein (line up, line up)”
“- Inorganic salt (Excited about the forum debate, heard there’s going to be a queue again, came specially)”
“- Maltose (Who dares to mess with my host! Xu Tian’s idiotic agent is stirring up trouble again? Count me in for the fight!)”
“- Glucose (Newcomer here, are the ladies feeling it? Suddenly feeling so mysterious! Please take me along as well.)”
“- Fat (After watching the next episode, I’m addicted to Master Ye, this person is truly bewitching! Watched yesterday’s episode five times! After the forum battle, going for the sixth binge!)”
“- Folic acid (Watching the host from start to finish, giggling all the way, I think I’m addicted, no cure… Add me to the battlefield)”
***
Ye Shanshan was awakened by the ringing of his phone. He answered groggily, “Hello?” while still pondering in his mind, Who am I? Where am I?
“Are you sleeping? I’ll call back later, or you can call me back when you’re awake.”
Zheng Dong wasn’t in a hurry originally. He checked the time, thinking he still had to make a phone call to Xu Luoyang, agreeing to meet at 9:30. It was already ten o’clock, and there was still no sign of anyone.
Dealing with these two artists who liked to sleep in really made him doubt his luck.
Ye Shanshan tried hard to open his eyes, but failed. He kept them closed and said, “It’s okay, Zheng ge, what’s up?”
“Yeah, the variety show on Starlight TV finished airing last night. You’re now occupying three trending topics, and it doesn’t seem like you’re going to be bumped off anytime soon. The heat is off the charts.”
He had been worried before that Ye Shanshan didn’t know how to handle participating in variety shows and what if he attracted negative attention. But he didn’t expect Ye Shanshan to handle it so well on his own. Indeed, after being with Ye Shanshan for so long, Zheng Dong himself had become calm in such situations.
After all, Ye Shanshan always gave him various surprises or scares. If he didn’t develop a strong heart, he would definitely die suddenly at work, either from a stroke or a heart attack.
“So, early this morning, three variety show production teams called to inquire about your schedule and invited you to participate. The director of ‘Challenge 48 Hours’ even called personally to thank you for saving the day and expressed interest in future collaborations.”
After hearing a response from Ye Shanshan on the other end, Zheng Dong continued, “Another director watched the segment where you she herself, thought you showed professionalism and style, and wants you to participate in their movie. But you’ll have to audition first. I looked at the character profile they sent over, Male Supporting Role No.4, it should be a type you’ll like.”
“Forget about the variety shows, I’ll feel awkward being with strangers.” He didn’t feel burdened earlier because Xu Luoyang was there.
Ye Shanshan’s mind was a mess, trying to think, “Regarding the role in the movie, did they mention when they need a response?”
“They said three days. I’ve already sent you the script and character profiles to your email. Take some time to look at them.”
After hanging up the phone, Ye Shanshan lay on the bed. His metabolism was fast, and after a night of drinking, the effects of the alcohol had mostly worn off, and he didn’t feel uncomfortable.
But when he organized his memories in chronological order, he froze.
What… what did I do last night?
At that moment, he felt like his world had lost its color.
Author’s Note: #Seeking the psychological shadow area of Gong Yue#
1TL: YSIAD “Hi! how’s everyone doing?, I’m currently busy with school works (I hate school so much😢) so pls expect slow updates. But I’m really trying to update on my free time!! I hope yall understand Happy reading everyone!
“You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️
