During the process of going upstairs, Xiao Can roughly understood the whole story.
According to He Xingzhou’s original plan, he would meet with these two guys tonight, have dinner together, and retrieve the car audio system from Teacher Xia.
They had arranged to meet at half past six in the evening, which was still several hours away.
Looking at it this way, it seemed a bit hypocritical for He Xingzhou to ask if Xiao Can wanted to be directly taken home after just picking him up.
He had already notified them beforehand that he had other things to do and couldn’t make it to the dinner.
Due to some other circumstances, the two men had met in advance. Teacher Xia had already brought the car audio system that was supposed to be given to He Xingzhou with him. It was convenient for him to bring it over since he lived nearby.
Teacher Xia’s message said he was at the door, but in fact, he had already entered the elevator. Xiao Can and He Xingzhou took their time, and when they finally listened to the message, they coincidentally met him.
“I heard you’re shooting a movie, have you finished already?” Teacher Xia chatted with Xiao Can with interest.
Chatting about something else might also help ease the embarrassment. Xiao Can responded enthusiastically, “Teacher Xia, you care about me so much? I just wrapped up filming yesterday.”
“Oh~ you finished filming and came to see him right away!” Teacher Xia said.
Xiao Can smiled awkwardly, while He Xingzhou, on the other hand, just made a noncommittal sound of agreement.
During the conversation, they had already entered the house. At this moment, they were sitting on the sofa in He Xingzhou’s living room.
Sitting opposite Xiao Can was the man who hadn’t participated much in the conversation but looked somewhat familiar. Judging from his appearance, he should be a Beta.
Xiao Can tried to start a conversation, “Who is this gentleman? Why hasn’t anyone introduced him to me?”
Before anyone else could speak, the man smiled and extended his hand, “My surname is Tong, I’m a… literary worker.”
He had gentle features and a refined demeanor, which naturally made people feel good about him.
Xiao Can immediately stood up, shook hands with him, and introduced himself, “I’m Xiao Can, and my dream is also to become a literary worker.”
The man nodded with a smile, “I know you.”
Xiao Can thought to himself, it’s probably because of He Xingzhou.
He sat back on the sofa, repeating the surname “Tong” in his mind. Suddenly, he remembered who the person in front of him was.
Teacher Xia spoke up at this time, “Xiao Can, don’t you know our Lao Tong?”
“Teacher Xia, you’re giving away my secret,” Xiao Can laughed, “I pretended not to know, but actually wanted to take the opportunity to get closer to Teacher Tong Huazhen.”
Having his full name revealed directly, Tong Huazhen just smiled faintly, without saying anything.
Xiao Can felt a bit nervous.
This seemingly simple-looking man had quite a background. As a film director, he had directed many classic works, particularly favoring the artistic genre, and had gained considerable reputation.
Compared to most high-scoring artistic films that struggled to attract audiences, his works managed to express beauty and artistry while also appealing to a broader audience, striking a balance between sophistication and populism, the kind that mainstream markets could appreciate.
However, despite being a renowned director, he kept a low profile, rarely appearing in front of the camera, and had a face lacking distinctive features, so Xiao Can couldn’t immediately recognize him.
Being able to have a face-to-face conversation with such a prominent director naturally made him feel tense, but outwardly, he remained calm and composed.
“I have to say, the personalities of you and He Xingzhou really complement each other,” Teacher Xia nodded.
Xiao Can felt speechless.
No matter how the topic veered, this guy could always bring the conversation back to the special relationship between Xiao Can and He Xingzhou.
Teacher Xia seemed particularly fond of teasing them and continued, “He Xingzhou, why are you so quiet today? Not saying a word.”
He Xingzhou was looking at his phone, and at the sound of Teacher Xia’s voice, he lifted his head with a puzzled expression, “Huh?”
“You seem absent-minded? Completely ignoring us,” Teacher Xia deliberately frowned at Xiao Can, “Xiao Can, you better manage him.”
Xiao Can thought, could you tone it down a bit?
“Teacher Xia, you should know his personality well,” Xiao Can said with a smile. He didn’t want to continue this topic. Before Teacher Xia could respond, he quickly changed the subject, “By the way, where’s Charlie? Teacher Xia just said he was screaming, but we’ve heard nothing since we came in.”
“Hiding probably,” He Xingzhou gestured with his chin towards Teacher Xia, “This bird doesn’t like him.”
“But I have a way to make him come out,” Teacher Xia said, “As long as I play with that claw machine, he’ll immediately rush out to attack me.”
“Go ahead,” He Xingzhou said, “If you’re so curious, I won’t stop it this time.”
Teacher Xia shrugged in frustration at his words and looked at Xiao Can, asking, “Can you get along with that screaming chicken?”
Xiao Can was about to speak when He Xingzhou preempted him, “Charlie really likes him.”
From his expression and tone, a hint of pride could be discerned.
“Every time he comes, Charlie sticks to him and ignores me,” He Xingzhou continued.
Teacher Xia exclaimed in surprise, “Really? This bird would actually favor someone else over you?”
Tong Huazhen, who had been quiet all along, spoke up, “Maybe the bird just doesn’t like you. It’s always been polite to me.”
“But he’s not friendly with you either!” He Xingzhou emphasized.
This was really embarrassing for Xiao Can.
“It shows that the little guy is smart. Like father, like son,” Tong Huazhen didn’t mind, smiling, “You didn’t spoil it for nothing.”
This remark clearly touched a chord in He Xingzhou’s heart, and he showed a contented smile.
As they were chatting, the doorbell rang, indicating that the ordered groceries had arrived.
He Xingzhou got up to open the door, leaving Xiao Can to continue chatting with the two.
“By the way,” Teacher Xia asked mysteriously, “I heard that in your drama, they changed your role midway, right?”
Xiao Can was surprised, unable to tell if Teacher Xia was unusually well-informed or if this matter had spread widely.
“Changed roles midway?” Tong Huazhen didn’t understand and repeated, “Midway?”
“Not exactly,” Xiao Can explained, “The role was changed before the formal contract was signed, so it doesn’t count as midway. Isn’t that quite normal?”
“The news I heard wasn’t exactly that,” Teacher Xia said, raising his eyebrows at Tong Huazhen, “Lao Tong, you know what I mean, right?”
Tong Huazhen tilted his head curiously and looked at Xiao Can.
“Who knows what blessings come from misfortune,” Xiao Can said, “The final role was actually quite suitable for me.”
“No wonder you can tolerate He Xingzhou,” Teacher Xia shook his head in amazement, “So accommodating, being bullied and still so honest.”
He Xingzhou’s voice came from outside the door, “Bullied? Who got bullied?” He walked into the living room, rolling up his sleeves and looked at Teacher Xia in confusion, “Who got bullied?”
“Xiao Can, we were talking about him being robbed of a role,” Teacher Xia said.
“…Robbed of a role?” He Xingzhou frowned as he walked to the sofa and looked at Xiao Can, “Is this true?”
“You didn’t know?” Teacher Xia was even more surprised, “He didn’t tell you?”
“It’s not a big deal,” Xiao Can smiled, “I didn’t take it to heart.”
“Not even telling him, you’re really magnanimous!” Teacher Xia exclaimed.
He Xingzhou’s expression shifted, “What’s going on? Who took your role? Who bullied you?”
“It’s none of your business. Go cook quickly,” Xiao Can pushed him, “It’s nothing, Teacher Xia is just exaggerating.”
But He Xingzhou didn’t listen, frowning and not saying a word, he looked at Xiao Can. Xiao Can had to gesture to him that they’ll talk later when they were alone.
Finally getting He Xingzhou to leave, Xiao Can breathed a sigh of relief and told Teacher Xia, “Don’t tell him about these things. He has a straightforward temper and will feel upset.”
Tong Huazhen chimed in, “But he might stand up for you.”
Xiao Can shook his head and said, “Whether the role is changed or not, it’s an opportunity for me. As long as I have a clear conscience.”
His seemingly carefree attitude in front of the two was actually a helpless pretense of aloofness.
Not telling He Xingzhou was simply because when he first learned about it, their relationship was still a bit tense, not yet at the stage it was now. Afterwards, it was already a done deal, and Xiao Can was worried that if He Xingzhou found out, it would lead to unnecessary complications. But to outsiders like Teacher Xia and Tong Huazhen, “not even telling the partner” was quite convincing.
“You’re really magnanimous,” Teacher Xia sighed again.
“Teacher Xia is exaggerating,” Xiao Can shook his head, “I would feel embarrassed if you keep saying that.”
“Xiao Can,” Tong Huazhen slowly pronounced his name, “Although I’m not sure of the exact reason… but from what I see, you’re either a really good person, or you’re truly a good actor.”
The meaning of his words was ambiguous, possibly implying that he still took the role change seriously, or perhaps suggesting that his earlier performance was merely acting.
Given the preceding mention of being a “good person,” the possibility of him acting seemed more plausible.
After hearing this, Xiao Can was stunned for a moment, but soon smiled, “In front of Teacher Tong, I hope to be the latter.”
Tong Huazhen widened his eyes slightly, his smile evident, about to speak when He Xingzhou’s voice came from the living room entrance.
“Are you two staying for dinner?”
“Oh,” Tong Huazhen pretended to be surprised, “Are we being kicked out?”
“We bought too little food, didn’t prepare for you two,” He Xingzhou said, “How about I make a couple more bowls of noodles for you guys?”
He was just talking nonsense.
Xiao Can was the one who added things to the shopping cart, randomly ordering a bunch, which the two of them couldn’t possibly finish.
“That’s fine too,” Tong Huazhen nodded, “with you cooking, we’re not picky.”
He Xingzhou crossed his arms, looking helpless, “Do I have to spell it out for you guys?”
Tong Huazhen and Teacher Xia sighed together, pretending to be sad and helpless as they stood up.
Xiao Can quickly got up too, but as he did, his sleeve accidentally caught on something in the pocket of his jacket, and he vaguely noticed something silver fall out.
He looked down and saw a silver chain with a pendant lying on the sofa.
“Oh,” Teacher Xia didn’t wait for him to pick it up, bending down to take a look, “Isn’t this the trendy couple pendant? You two are really close, huh?” He turned back, teasingly looking at He Xingzhou, “You guys are too lovey-dovey?”
