The weather was oppressively gloomy, and the air felt thick with heat. A heavy downpour would have been a welcome relief, cooling off the stifling atmosphere.
Xiao Ming still couldn’t quite believe it. Reluctant to accept the situation, he asked, “What about a house, or a car… or something else?”
Chen Miao looked like he was racking his brain, hesitating for a long while before saying, “It seems… it seems my salary increased by 2,000 yuan…”
Before Xiao Ming could respond, Chen Miao had already sunk into quiet despair, as if those 2,000 yuan were all he’d earned for an entire month of hard work.
The two sat in awkward silence for a long time, Xiao Ming’s expression shifting several times as he struggled to understand how he had lost to someone like Chen Miao. Finally, something flickered in his eyes. He softened his voice as he leaned in slightly, showing what appeared to be genuine concern.
“You know Lu-ge, he can be forgetful when he’s busy… Maybe you could remind him subtly?” Xiao Ming’s gentle tone floated through the humid, stifling air.
Chen Miao looked embarrassed. “How… how would I even bring that up…”
“Just drop a hint… Mention it somehow. You don’t want all your hard work to be for nothing, right? And, besides, I know Lu-ge is quite something in bed. Isn’t that right?”
Chen Miao nodded, a hint of admiration in his gaze as he looked at Xiao Ming.
Even as a Beta, he felt exhausted from being tossed around by Lu Lianning. Xiao Ming was smaller and a soft Omega. Delicate Omegas needed extra care. This had always been Chen Miao’s belief.
But as Chen Miao nodded earnestly, Xiao Ming’s face began to look ugly. He slammed his juice cup on the table and abruptly stood up to leave.
Chen Miao hadn’t fully processed what just happened, but still called out a loud “Thank you!” after him.
Xiao Ming quickened his pace as if trying to shake off some sort of plague.
The coffee Chen Miao had bought had gone cold, so he asked the juice shop owner to reheat it for him.
When Chen Miao returned to the set, Lu Lianning wasn’t filming. He scanned the area but couldn’t spot him anywhere.
Yu Ren noticed him and pointed with the cigarette butt in his hand. “Gu Chen’s here. He’s with Young Master Lu in the dressing room.”
Chen Miao caught the mocking in the phrase “Young Master Lu,” but smiled, showing his white teeth, and nodded in thanks.
He made his way down the hallway and found Lu Lianning’s dressing room. The door was slightly ajar.
He could hear the two people talking inside.
“What’s going on between you and that Chen Miao? You’ve moved him into your place?” Gu Chen’s voice was serious, tinged with displeasure.
Lu Lianning sounded lazy and indifferent. Chen Miao could easily imagine him lounging on the maroon beanbag, probably with his legs crossed and phone in hand. The maroon color always made his pale skin seem even whiter.
That simple beanbag had been put together by Chen Miao himself.
“Sometimes he crashes over when it’s late. Isn’t it convenient? He has to get up early to make me breakfast anyway,” Lu Lianning replied.
“You know that’s not what I meant. When Xiao Ming was with you, I never saw you let him stay over.”
Lu Lianning’s patience started to wear thin. “Tsk, didn’t I already explain? Letting him stay over just makes mornings easier! Besides, Chen Miao’s a Beta—it’s safer and easier, isn’t it? No chance of pregnancy, no scandal of me bringing someone home. It’s a win-win, so why are you nagging like an old lady?”
Seeing Lu Lianning’s attitude, Gu Chen began to feel he might have overreacted. He confirmed, “So, that’s really all there is to it? I just feel like Chen Miao isn’t as simple as he seems.”
Lu Lianning seemed amused by this. There was the sound of him sitting up, followed by the dull thud of the script falling from his lap to the floor.
“Gu Chen, seriously? He’s just someone to satisfy my needs. Do you really think this is worth all the fuss? Or do you think it’d be better if I started bringing Omegas back like before?”
Gu Chen’s expression shifted, and he fell silent. Just as he was about to change the subject, he noticed a shadow cast by the light at the doorway.
“Who’s there!” Gu Chen asked sharply.
Chen Miao showed no signs of panic at being caught. Standing by the door, he cautiously pushed it open. “I saw you two were talking, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Lu Lianning frowned at the sight of him. “How long were you standing there?”
“I… I just got here. I didn’t hear anything. Haha, there were so many people buying coffee, I had to wait in line forever.” Chen Miao let out a few dry laughs.
Gu Chen didn’t linger on set much longer. After finishing his conversation with Lu Lianning, he went to find Yu Ren.
Later that afternoon, Lu Lianning wasn’t in top form. It took three takes to get a single scene right.
Yu Ren called it a day early, telling Lu Lianning to go home and regain his focus.
In big-screen productions, every detail is magnified, and Yu Ren was notorious for his unpredictability and peculiar obsessions with certain aspects. Satisfying him was always a challenge.
On the way back, Chen Miao drove while Lu Lianning sat in the front passenger seat.
The car felt more cramped than usual, with tension thick in the air.
Lu Lianning leaned his head against the backrest, arms crossed over his chest, occasionally casting sideways glances at Chen Miao, who was focused intently on the road.
As Lu Lianning watched, he noticed Chen Miao’s tight grip on the steering wheel, his fingertips pale from the pressure.
This made Lu Lianning frown, his face gloomy.
Chen Miao looked worried as well, his thoughts racing as he tried to find the right moment to speak up, and the right words to use…
He felt a bit downhearted. He could be cheap, but at 2,000 yuan per month, each session only cost about 66 yuan—a rather auspicious number…1The number 6 symbolizes good luck and success in Chinese culture.
Chen Miao appeared lost in thought, his expression deeply contemplative and unmistakably downcast.
Lu Lianning glanced back and forth between his clenched fingers and his tense, dark face three times before he finally couldn’t take it anymore and snapped, “If you’ve got something to say, just say it!”
Chen Miao was startled, his face flushing with embarrassment. He gritted his teeth. “I have nothing to say.”
The car fell into a bizarre silence once again.
It wasn’t until they were almost home that Lu Lianning seemed like he could no longer hold it in. His face flushed between shades of blue and purple.
“Just say whatever it is! Who’s that look supposed to be for? I… I said all that to Gu Chen on purpose… Who told you to eavesdrop?”
Lu Lianning tossed out a single line that sounded almost like an explanation, yet fell short—as if uttering it had cost him half his life. The moment the car stopped, he threw the door open and stepped out immediately.
