He Jing entered the parking lot, and the driver was waiting for him.
Throughout the journey, he had been on the phone with Ye Ting. Since it wasn’t too late, he planned to visit his parents’ house first. He said to the driver, “Go to the south of the city.”
The driver started the car, exited the parking lot, and entered the world of flashing neon lights.
He Jing looked at the bustling scene outside the window and asked Ye Ting in a low voice, “Are you still bothered now?”
Ye Ting was on set, and there was another scene to shoot in the evening—the meeting scene between the male second lead and the female lead.
The director was explaining the scene to the female lead, and it would be Ye Ting’s turn in ten minutes. He took advantage of the break to call He Jing.
“Yeah, quite bothered. I’ve always thought my acting skills are good, but we had to reshoot several times this afternoon,” Ye Ting said, sounding a bit disheartened.
It wasn’t that his acting skills were lacking; on the contrary, he portrayed the character very naturally. It was just that it was his first time performing in front of the camera, and he wasn’t quite sure how to express himself. The director, pursuing perfection, had him reshoot.
He Jing, after a few seconds of silence, responded. “You’ve always been great, Xiao Ting.”
A smile appeared on Ye Ting’s lips. Praise from his boyfriend was more effective than sweet words.
He held the phone tightly, shyly saying, “Jing-ge, don’t call me Xiao Ting anymore. Everyone calls me that… Can you change it to a different nickname, something that’s only yours?”
Accustomed to the young man’s leaps of thought, He Jing followed up, “What do you want me to call you?”
Ye Ting then suggested several names, ranging from Little Rose to Hydrangea to Blue Enchantress…
He Jing found it amusing, “Apart from flowers, what else do you want to be called?”
“Of course, it’s ‘wife’!” This time, Ye Ting didn’t hesitate.
He Jing fell silent for a moment and then spoke in a low, husky voice, “Wife.”
His voice was rough and deep. The usual gentle tone of a man, like a sharp sword, pierced straight into Ye Ting’s heart.
Ye Ting covered his chest.
His internal organs seemed to be burning, and he felt like he was going to die.
It was too overwhelming; not only did his chest feel numb, but his limbs also felt weak.
Dizzy and absent-minded, he mumbled, “The director is looking for me… I’ll hang up…” Even at this moment, he didn’t forget to softly warn beside He Jing, “Don’t pay attention to other men or women.”
He Jing chuckled softly and agreed.
Ye Ting’s heart received another stimulation, blushing, he said, “Goodbye, husband!”
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
He Jing heard him calling him “husband” with the unique vitality of a young man, and couldn’t help but smile slightly.
His face was reflected in the glass, and he looked at his lips, realizing that even his eyes were smiling.
Being with the young man seemed to always bring such joy.
After hanging up the phone, Ye Ting, covering his burning face, rolled on his seat.
The term “wife” from the older man was too charming; his chest was still tingling.
In reality, the director hadn’t come to find him at all. He hung up the phone hastily because he couldn’t handle it.
Biting his lip, he felt both sweet and melancholic, “Old man, why are you so charming?”
Next time they meet, he must successfully flirt back, preferably wearing the man’s T-shirt or even buying a uniform… he must make the man weak in the knees…
The more he thought about it, the more he blushed. Ye Ting hurried to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face to calm himself down.
Passing by the extras’ resting room, he overheard people gossiping about him.
“How did Ye Ting become the second male lead?”
“I heard someone saw the director slip a room key to him a few nights ago… who knows…”
“Tsk, it must be a transaction…”
“…”
Surprisingly, these people were students from the film academy.
Listening to their vulgar remarks, Ye Ting frowned slightly.
Then, a female voice spoke up, “Xiao Tīng is not that kind of person!”
It was Xu Xin. Being straightforward, she considered Ye Ting a friend and couldn’t stand such talk.
However, the male classmates didn’t agree with her, “If he didn’t sell himself, why would the director choose him?”
There was a loud bang from inside, like something hitting the ground, followed by Xu Xin’s angry voice, “You’re too disgusting! You all claim to like Xiao Tīng, how can you be so two-faced? It’s truly nauseating.”
After that, there were hurried footsteps, and she ran out.
Ye Ting pondered for a moment, and stepped back behind a pillar, choosing not to reveal himself.
Xu Xin was friends with those classmates, and if she knew he overheard their conversation, it would likely be awkward for her too.
Although he was pampered by his family, he was not ignorant of the ways of the world. On the contrary, none of the children from the Ye family lacked intelligence, they all had high emotional intelligence.
From childhood to adulthood, many people surrounded him, including former classmates who, knowing he was the young master of the Ye family, would indulge and cater to him.
However, he believed that making friends should be based on shared interests and similar values. He observed Xu Xin for a few days and found her to be quite nice. Since Xu Xin considered him a friend, he naturally reciprocated.
While the director was still instructing the leading actress, Ye Ting searched for Xu Xin and found her upset in the prop room.
He walked over and called her, “Xu Xin.”
Xu Xin turned around, still looking a bit unhappy, and said, “Xiao Ting, if… if there are unpleasant words, don’t take them to heart.”
Ye Ting sat down beside her, smiling, “Let me tell you a secret.”
Xu Xin looked at him, thinking that this boy was handsome, and he looked even more attractive when he smiled.
Of course, she wasn’t interested in Ye Ting romantically. She was older than him and preferred older men.
Ye Ting pointed at himself, “Hao Yunlong was blacklisted because he offended me.”
Initially, Xu Xin didn’t catch his meaning and looked at him suspiciously. Soon, she remembered the rumors that Hao Yunlong had offended the young master of the Ye family, leading to the termination of his career.
Ye Ting grinned, “Don’t worry. If Director Lu dares to undermine me, without my boyfriend doing anything, I’ll tear Director Lu apart and feed him to the fish in the sea.”
The eastern side of Haicheng was by the sea, a round trip of a few hours would handle it.
Xu Xin: “…”
The young master of the Ye family, who would dare to use underhanded means against him?
Initially annoyed by her classmates gossiping about a friend behind her back, she now felt excited. “Unexpectedly, Xiao Ting, your family is so powerful.”
Ye Ting: “I’m sorry for not telling you earlier.”
Xu Xin waved her hand, “I understand. You just want to keep a low profile.”
Ye Ting: “Hmm.”
Xu Xin patted his shoulder and said, “I think your acting skills are excellent. Even without the young master’s background, you would still become famous.”
Such praise made Ye Ting extremely happy. He smiled, his eyes forming a narrow slit. “Thank you. I also believe that I will surely become famous.”
Xu Xin: “…” Very well, this self-confidence proves that he is indeed from an influential family.
The director called Ye Ting for a scene, and as he stood up, he said, “I don’t want to reveal my identity. Please help me keep it a secret.”
Xu Xin made a gesture of zipping her mouth shut and said with a smile, “Rest assured, I’m excellent at keeping secrets.”
She really wanted to know how people in the crew would react once they found out about Ye Ting’s identity. As far as she knew, not only her classmates but also other actors were gossiping behind Ye Ting’s back. Some had seen Ye Ting with his boyfriend, and everyone was speculating about Ye Ting playing both sides. Even the lead actors were caught up in the gossip.
Once Ye Ting’s identity was exposed, everyone would be in for a surprise.
*
Back at his parents’ home, He Jing returned, and his parents were waiting for him. Worried that he might be hungry, his mother prepared a bowl of rice noodles for him.
He was from the South and didn’t like noodles; he preferred dishes made with rice.
As he leisurely enjoyed the rice noodles, his mother inquired about Ye Ting, “When are you planning to settle down?”
He Jing, eating at his own pace, replied, “No rush, let Xiao Ting grow a bit more.”
His mother nodded understandingly, “True. Xiao Ting hasn’t even started university yet.”
She was actually a bit worried. Ye Ting was too young, and with such a noble background, what if he abandoned her son in the future? However, if it was someone her son had chosen, she would keep her concerns to herself.
After finishing the bowl of rice noodles, He Jing said to his parents, “But I want to arrange a time for Xiao Ting to come to our house and formally meet you and Dad.”
The young man needed to feel secure, and he wanted Xiao Ting to know that his parents approved.
His mother had no objections and said, “Just let me know in advance, and I’ll personally go shopping and cook. Last time, Xiao Ting said he liked the boiled fish I made.”
He Jing nodded gently.
When he left his parents’ home, the night was deep, the evening breeze was soothing, and the starry sky was magnificent. The midnight wind finally had a hint of coolness, making it quite pleasant. He Jing looked up at the starry sky, feeling content, and then lowered his head to check his phone. Ye Ting’s last message mentioned that he had another scene to shoot and estimated it would be past 2 a.m.
He Jing sent an encouraging emoji.
He wasn’t fond of using WeChat, let alone emojis. However, since he started dating Ye Ting, he consistently received various expressions from him, finding them amusing, so he started collecting them.
Ye Ting was probably busy with the shoot and hadn’t replied.
He Jing walked slowly towards the open-air parking lot, recalling the words of the young man. He took out his phone and changed the young man’s WeChat nickname to “Wife.”
The author has something to say:
Thank you, my dear, for the dominating vote~=333=
Where the Prosperity and Revelry End threw a landmine on March 1, 2019, at 00:27:17.
