“Your reputation is really bad,” Xiao Can said from the passenger seat, scrolling through his phone screen, “Being with an Alpha with such a bad reputation would surely damage my image, right?”
“Would it?” He Xingzhou said, “I’ve seen many people say, ‘If it were me, I would have agreed long ago.'”
He deliberately hoarsened his voice, sending shivers down Xiao Can’s spine.
Xiao Can glanced at him, “Who said you could go looking for someone else?”
He Xingzhou chuckled, “Jealous.”
Sensing Xiao Can glaring at him again, He Xingzhou changed the subject, “What did Tong Huazhen talk to you about?”
“He asked if I was interested in filming,” Xiao Can said excitedly, “I said of course, and he said we’ll discuss it further next time we meet.”
He Xingzhou nodded knowingly, “They’ve been preparing this for a while.”
Xiao Can clasped his hands together, “I hope it’s for an important role.”
“It should be,” He Xingzhou said, “He told me he thinks you have the protagonist aura, suitable for the big screen.”
Xiao Can covered his mouth and blinked, “But… it’s unlikely they’ll let me play the protagonist, right?”
“I can see you’re quite excited about it,” He Xingzhou said.
“Stop, I won’t talk anymore,” Xiao Can waved his hand, “I need to lower my expectations, otherwise I’ll be disappointed later. As long as it’s not a minor role, I’ll be happy.”
He Xingzhou glanced at him, just smiling without saying anything.
Xiao Can’s phone rang, and he looked down at it, pursing his lips lightly.
“What’s wrong?” He Xingzhou asked.
“My roommate, he said he might not come back today,” Xiao Can frowned.
“You didn’t tell him you’re not going back today either?” He Xingzhou asked.
“Forget it, let him feel ashamed,” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou obviously didn’t understand, “Why would he feel ashamed for not coming back?”
“He’s going on a date!” Xiao Can looked displeased, “I really don’t know what he sees in that Alpha…”
“Is the Alpha not good?” He Xingzhou asked.
“Although the conditions are decent, and he’s… somewhat good-looking, but…” Xiao Can said, “I just feel they’re not very compatible.”
“You seem to disapprove,” He Xingzhou became more puzzled.
Xiao Can couldn’t explain it, after a moment of silence, he answered, “Don’t you think Mu Nianwen is very cute, very likable? That Alpha is okay in all aspects, but it just feels like there’s something missing when they’re together.”
He Xingzhou thought for a moment, shaking his head, “I don’t have much of an impression.”
“I won’t tell you anymore,” Xiao Can grumbled.
He Xingzhou pondered for a moment, asking, “Does that friend of yours also dislike me?”
“Um…” Xiao Can hesitated for a moment, “He thinks you cook pretty well.”
He Xingzhou was surprised, “Just ‘pretty well’? His taste must be weird.”
“…” Xiao Can said irritably, “Stop being conceited. Do you know my fans don’t like you?”
“Who cares what they do?”
“Of course, we should care,” Xiao Can said, “I can’t just ignore them.”
He Xingzhou frowned.
Xiao Can added, “What I mean is… if we’re going to go public in the future, we should gradually ease them into it and let them have an acceptance process.”
“Don’t forget, you made a promise to me publicly.” He Xingzhou said.
“Huh?” Xiao Can looked puzzled.
“You said you wanted the stars in the sky,” He Xingzhou said, “If I manage to do that, it’s normal for you to promise something in return, after all, people have to keep their promises.”
Xiao Can frowned, turned to the side, looking skeptical.
During their conversation, the car had already entered the underground garage of He Xingzhou’s residential complex.
“What do you mean? You didn’t prepare another sur…surprise for me, did you?”
“Surprise, it’s called a surprise,” He Xingzhou emphasized, “Please use the correct terminology.”
Xiao Can thought to himself, I think my terminology was pretty accurate.
“Is it a toy? A craft?” Xiao Can tentatively asked, “You didn’t write a song again, did you?”
He Xingzhou visibly hesitated, avoiding eye contact, “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”
It seemed like he guessed it right.
As they got out of the car and entered the elevator, Xiao Can couldn’t help but guess again, “Did you train Charlie to perform tricks?”
Sometimes, knowing each other too well wasn’t a good thing.
He Xingzhou started to feel awkward, “I shouldn’t have told you in advance.”
Xiao Can lowered his head, shoulders shaking with laughter.
After getting out of the elevator, he teased He Xingzhou deliberately, “I’m against animal performances, you know.”
He Xingzhou pushed open the door, before he could say anything, a little bird with a red beak came running towards him, hopping and flapping, shouting, “Hello, welcome! Hello, welcome!”
“Alright, alright,” He Xingzhou shouted at Charlie, “I told you not to perform.”
Charlie completely ignored him, running straight towards Xiao Can, fluttering as if to climb onto him.
Xiao Can bent down to pick Charlie up, placing him on his shoulder, and told He Xingzhou, “But we should also respect the baby’s nature.”
He Xingzhou shook his head with a sigh.
After closing the door, they walked a few steps inside, Xiao Can looked around expectantly, “Where are my stars? Where did you hide them?”
He Xingzhou’s trump card had already been revealed, so he didn’t play coy anymore, gesturing inside, “In the living room.”
Xiao Can was already very familiar with this house, so he ran to the living room ahead of him. After taking a look around, he found nothing, “Are my stars really that small? Where are they?”
Suppressing his laughter, He Xingzhou walked to the window and pressed the button to close the curtains.
They hadn’t turned on the lights when they entered, and as the blackout curtains slowly moved, the entire room quickly plunged into darkness.
With a soft click, He Xingzhou seemed to have opened something.
A beam of light shone from the coffee table by the sofa, casting onto the ceiling.
Xiao Can subconsciously lifted his head and was momentarily taken aback by the twinkling starry sky filling the entire ceiling.
He asked, “Is it a star projector?”
“Yeah,” He Xingzhou asked, “Is it beautiful?”
Of course, it was beautiful. The starry sky before him was far more fantastical than what the naked eye could observe, enchanting anyone who looked at it.
But as a “surprise,” it was somewhat too ordinary.
Seeing him staring silently, He Xingzhou cleared his throat and whispered, “Charlie?”
Charlie remained quietly on Xiao Can’s shoulder, unresponsive.
He Xingzhou started to get a little anxious and shouted again, “Charlie!”
Still no response from Charlie, who seemed to be earnestly enjoying the beauty on the ceiling.
Xiao Can couldn’t help but laugh, “Is the show over?”
“Resisting animal performances,” He Xingzhou said helplessly, “Well done.”
“Let Charlie go,” Xiao Can said, looking at He Xingzhou in the dim light of the star lamp, “Shouldn’t there be something else?”
He had noticed it when he came in, a guitar sitting in the corner of the living room.
He Xingzhou sighed, “I shouldn’t have told you beforehand.”
Saying this, he turned around, walked to the corner, picked up the guitar, cradled it in his arms, and sat on the stool that had been prepared.
Xiao Can smiled as he watched quietly.
He Xingzhou’s fingertips brushed across the strings of the guitar, accompanied by the gentle sound of the strings vibrating, filling the air with a soft melody.
Suddenly, Xiao Can felt something in his heart.
These were all the tricks he had already guessed, with a few mistakes in between. But when He Xingzhou earnestly presented them one by one in front of him, he still felt joy, sweetness, and happiness, becoming even more eager.
Adjusting his posture, He Xingzhou cleared his throat again and officially plucked the strings of the guitar.
A melodious sound flowed out.
He sang:
“You are the stars in the night sky,
“I am the one who gazes at you in silence.”
Xiao Can chuckled.
He Xingzhou’s fingers on the guitar stopped for a moment, and he chuckled along.
He continued to sing, with Xiao Can standing in front of him, quietly listening.
He Xingzhou seemed to really have no talent for writing lyrics. But he said that he excelled in sincere emotions, which wasn’t overly self-confident.
Xiao Can felt like he was becoming more and more sensitive, especially easily moved, his heart beating faster with ease.
But there was nothing wrong with that.
In front of He Xingzhou, he was always happy.
“Would there be stars willing to fall for me?” He Xingzhou sang this line, deliberately pausing and looking at him, “Would you be willing to share a little love with me in this splendid light?”
Xiao Can silently nodded in his heart, Yes, yes.
I’m willing.
As the song ended, He Xingzhou took a deep breath and looked up.
Xiao Can quietly walked up to him and reached out his hand.
He Xingzhou instinctively held it.
Their eyes met, and it was a moment that naturally called for a kiss.
Just as Xiao Can leaned over, there was suddenly a sharp sound from his shoulder.
“Willing~ to fall for me~ share with me~ a little love~”
Charlie sang hoarsely, the lyrics scattered, but surprisingly, every note was on point.
“Not now!” He Xingzhou stood up, feeling extremely frustrated, “Your part is over, stop singing!”
Xiao Can laughed and hugged him tightly.
“It’s okay,” he told He Xingzhou, “It’s still good, I really like it.”
Charlie on his shoulder repeated enthusiastically, “Share with me~ a little love~”
He Xingzhou sighed in resignation, resting his chin on Xiao Can’s shoulder, “It was perfect during rehearsal. Charlie should have sung first, and then I would join in while you were captivated. It’s bad enough you guessed it early, now it’s all messed up.”
“It’s fine, it’s really good,” Xiao Can said.
“Are you satisfied?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Can nodded, “I love it!”
The starry sky above their heads continued to twinkle.
The old argument, the parrot on the shoulder still squabbling. In his embrace was the warmth of his beloved, and the wonderful melody still flowed in his heart.
What reason did he have not to like it?
“So…” He Xingzhou asked, “Can the wild man settle down?”
Xiao Can thought, when He Xingzhou’s song comes out, everyone will definitely think that if he is still not moved, he’s simply heartless and unreasonable.
He had no reason not to fall for He Xingzhou.
“It’s possible,” he said, “I think it’s possible.”
He Xingzhou also hugged him, nodded satisfactorily, “Good, it’s settled.”
—End of the main text—
