Wen Xia quickly retorted, “What if I do want a divorce?”
Lin Fengqi was stumped by this question, staying silent for a while before finally responding, “That’s not allowed.”
“Why not?”
“…I have to take responsibility.”
Wen Xia said, “But I don’t want that. Isn’t this just you insisting on taking responsibility without my consent? And didn’t you say that whatever I wanted, you’d do it? Now I’m saying I want a divorce, so why aren’t you listening?”
“…”
Lin Fengqi was at a loss for words. He fell silent, his face growing stern as he firmly declared, “Anything but that.”
He needed to be firm and keep Wen Xia by his side—divorce was not an option.
If they divorced, there would be nothing left between them. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Wen Xia go off with that Fang Huai—no way. He had to find a way to shift Wen Xia’s attention away from Fang Huai and onto himself.
Isn’t it said that the best way to get over someone is to start a new relationship?
Then he needed to pursue Wen Xia.
…But he felt like he’d been pursuing Wen Xia for ages, yet Wen Xia still seemed hung up on that Fang Huai.
Emotions fluctuating like a rollercoaster, Lin Fengqi’s heart was a whirlwind of complexity. Softening his tone, he emphasized again, “Anything but ‘divorce.’ Anything else is fine.”
Wen Xia shrugged, “Alright then.”
Lin Fengqi was caught off guard by his quick agreement.
He had been preparing his arguments, ready to fight back against Wen Xia’s divorce request.
But it seemed that wasn’t necessary.
Wen Xia was in a good mood; Lin Fengqi’s resolute attitude had pleased him. “Stop spacing out and finish your food. I don’t like being late.”
With their minds preoccupied by different thoughts, the two finished their breakfast and returned to the hotel lobby, where most of the group had already gathered. Lin Fengqi, once again, became the center of attention, though he remained unfazed, sticking close to Wen Xia’s side. Wherever Wen Xia moved, he followed, his gaze mostly fixed on Wen Xia.
…He was like a big, loyal dog.
Several people couldn’t help but think.
Yesterday, they had visited a botanical garden, the primary location for the shoot. Today, they only had a few scenes left at two locations: the old-fashioned street where Wen Xia and Gui Qu Lai had gone before, and a futuristic set built in a studio.
Initially, the plan was to film the final scenes at Fenghang’s headquarters, given that this promotional video was a collaboration with Fenghang. All the equipment used for the shoot came from Fenghang, so in a way, it was a soft advertisement for the brand.
After yesterday’s experience, everyone had gained some insights into the filming process, making today’s shoot go as smoothly as if they had taken a dose of chewing gum.
Wen Xia was wearing an outfit he had picked himself. During breaks, he stood with Lin Fengqi, and their matching styles made them look like they were wearing couple outfits. Lin Fengqi also noticed this and subtly moved closer to Wen Xia.
Lin Fengqi’s usual style was quite different from Wen Xia’s, but the outfit Wen Xia had picked didn’t look out of place on him at all. In fact, it made him look like a cool, edgy college student rather than the mature and steady figure he usually presented.
On Wen Xia, the same style gave off a more casual, sunny vibe.
Standing together, they attracted a lot of attention. During the shoot, whenever Wen Xia glanced in Lin Fengqi’s direction, he noticed people, especially young women, striking up conversations with him.
Men, too.
Tch.
So, when Lin Fengqi came over to stick close to him during breaks, Wen Xia found it very satisfying.
However, what he expected happened during the lunch break.
Though his fever was gone, Wen Xia started coughing, his voice noticeably hoarse. As he ate, a tickle in his throat made him turn away and stifle a couple of coughs, only to hear another cough overlap with his own.
He turned to see Lin Fengqi unscrewing a water bottle and taking a sip before clearing his throat.
Wen Xia asked, “You’ve caught a cold?”
Lin Fengqi suppressed another cough and replied in a raspy voice, “No.”
Wen Xia concluded, “You’ve caught a cold.”
Lin Fengqi: “…”
It was obvious that Wen Xia had passed his cold on to Lin Fengqi.
Feeling guilty, Wen Xia suggested, “Maybe you should go back to the hotel, take some medicine, and get some rest.”
Lin Fengqi insisted, “No need.”
At times like this, Lin Fengqi suddenly became very stubborn. No matter how much Wen Xia tried to persuade him—even arguing that with two sick people around, the cold might just keep spreading—Lin Fengqi remained firm. He did, however, buy a mask and refused to go back to the hotel, his determination evident.
And with that black mask covering half his face, standing by the roadside, he looked even cooler.
By 3:30 in the afternoon, the shoot was finally completed.
Nana had made a reservation, and the group went out for a meal to celebrate the wrap-up of the shoot. Back at the hotel, Nana sent a message in the group chat, asking everyone to choose one product from Fenghang’s lineup. She would compile their requests and forward them to the relevant person at Fenghang, and the items would be shipped to their provided addresses.
Wen Xia received the message while overseeing Lin Fengqi taking his cold medicine.
After reading it, Wen Xia showed the message to Lin Fengqi. “Do I even need to go through this process? Fenghang’s CEO is sitting right here. Why go through a third party?”
Lin Fengqi glanced at the message and asked, “What do you want?”
Wen Xia didn’t really need anything, but after thinking for a bit, he decided on one of Fenghang’s new smart speakers released earlier this year.
Lin Fengqi nodded, “Alright.”
Wen Xia privately messaged Nana to let her know, and she replied with an “OK” emoji, not asking any further questions, only making a playful comment: [I thought you didn’t want to show your face back then, but it turns out you were just trying to avoid suspicions]
That wasn’t it at all.
Back then, Wen Xia had no idea what Lin Fengqi was planning. He was only trying to keep their interactions to a minimum outside of their contract, to avoid history repeating itself.
Wen Yi Xia: [It wasn’t that. We were in the middle of a cold war.]
Nana: [Ah, that makes sense.]
Wen Yi Xia: [?]
Nana: [Fenghang sent our list back several times. It only went through when you were added.]
Wen Xia paused.
Wen Yi Xia: [Nana, when you submitted the list, did it include our real names?]
Nana: [When it was first submitted? No, the real names were only added when we prepared the contracts.]
Wen Xia realized he had overlooked this detail.
Of course, the contracts had to be signed with their real names, so it was inevitable that Lin Fengqi would find out.
But still, something felt off…
Wen Xia looked up to find Lin Fengqi already sitting at the coffee table, working on his laptop. His luggage had arrived at the hotel that morning and had been kept at the front desk until they retrieved it when they returned.
Sensing Wen Xia’s gaze, Lin Fengqi paused his work and looked up with a questioning glance.
Wen Xia asked, “I’m curious—when did you find out I was one of the streamers coming to this shoot?”
From the moment they met yesterday until now, Wen Xia hadn’t brought up this question. Lin Fengqi had been nervous at first but then became focused on Wen Xia’s illness, and hadn’t brought it up himself.
Now that Wen Xia had asked, Lin Fengqi hesitated for a second before replying with a prepared answer, “When you guys signed the contract.”
Wen Xia scrutinized him, using his recent experience to gauge if Lin Fengqi was lying.
But his behavior didn’t seem deceitful. Lin Fengqi wasn’t good at lying; he was easy to read when he wasn’t being truthful.
Maybe he was overthinking it?
Unable to piece it together, Wen Xia let it go for now.
But he had another question, “So, after you found out… did you ever watch any of my streams?”
Wen Xia had streamed a few times between signing the contract and coming to the shoot. The most recent was the day before coming to Ancheng, where he talked with his viewers about The Flower at the End of the Road and even discussed with the mysterious “Big Boss” about curbing the CP (couple pairing) discussions.
He wondered if Lin Fengqi had watched that stream from his room…
Even if he hadn’t, he could have easily found past recordings on Wen Xia’s Qun Whale profile.
“…No.”
His gaze wavered slightly, his tone a bit unsteady.
Good, so he had watched it.
Wen Xia didn’t call him out, feeling both nervous and relieved. He was anxious about whether Lin Fengqi had seen the CP discussions but glad he had nipped that issue in the bud before it got out of hand.
With their thoughts running in different directions, the topic was left aside for the moment.
They both had return flights booked for the 4th, but since they hadn’t coordinated earlier, their flight times didn’t match, and it was too late to change them now.
Wen Xia, planning to head straight back to the studio after getting home, had booked a morning flight, intending to rest up for a productive afternoon at work. But Lin Fengqi’s flight was even earlier; he planned to go directly to the office after landing.
As the night went on, Lin Fengqi’s cold symptoms became more apparent and severe. Wen Xia had him take his temperature again when they got back, but thankfully, it was normal—no sign of a fever.
It seemed that people’s immune systems really couldn’t be compared.
Wen Xia, having slacked off on his workouts after moving, had left himself vulnerable to this cold.
After all, the gym he used to go to was now much farther away, and he couldn’t be bothered to make the trip. Plus, he didn’t like the idea of becoming a muscle-bound guy, nor did he want to be one. Maintaining his current physique was enough—he didn’t need to work out too frequently.
In this regard, Lin Fengqi’s build hit Wen Xia’s aesthetic sweet spot.
Wen Xia took a shower and went to bed first. Lin Fengqi finished his work before grabbing his clothes from his luggage and heading to the bathroom.
Lying in bed, Wen Xia found himself thinking about how Lin Fengqi had spent the entire day wearing his clothes. A slight sense of disappointment crept in. He now understood why his college roommates had been so excited about “boyfriend shirts.”
The thin fabric, imbued with his own warmth and scent, now draped over the person he liked…
Who wouldn’t love that?
Wen Xia certainly did. He couldn’t help but wish Lin Fengqi would always wear his clothes, flaunting his mark as if it were permanently etched onto him.
Lost in these thoughts, he didn’t notice Lin Fengqi finishing his shower.
This time, Lin Fengqi hesitated only briefly before slipping into bed, bringing with him the warmth and fragrance of a fresh shower.
Their feet brushed together under the covers.
Since Wen Xia had gone to bed right after his shower, his feet hadn’t had a chance to get cold, and the same was true for Lin Fengqi. Both of their feet were comfortably warm.
Lin Fengqi paused, a slight sense of disappointment washing over him, before turning off the lights and lying down.
There didn’t seem to be any need to warm Wen Xia’s feet tonight.
Neither of them spoke, but after a moment, Lin Fengqi shifted slightly, and as if by accident, his left foot brushed against Wen Xia’s right one again.
They simply stayed there, touching, without further movement.
“Cold?” Lin Fengqi suddenly asked, despite knowing the answer.
“No,” Wen Xia replied.
A brief silence.
“…But in a little while, it might get cold,” Wen Xia added. “Once the warmth from the shower wears off, it’ll get chilly.”
So Lin Fengqi turned over, hooking Wen Xia’s feet with his, just like the night before.
This time, the movement was more decisive, yet still careful.
Wen Xia felt that something was different about Lin Fengqi tonight.
But before he could ponder what it was, sleepiness took over.
Strangely enough, he had slept soundly through the night before, without any dreams. Was it because he hadn’t slept well the night before and had been sick?
Only one night of adjusting to a new bed—remarkable progress. He was really impressed with himself.
Drowsily, Wen Xia’s thoughts drifted to a sudden realization that popped into his increasingly muddled mind—could it be because Lin Fengqi was there with him?
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