Chapter 63

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

‘Evernight’ is finally done, and they’re holding a celebration party.

Liu Yu’an is invited, and before he goes director He also kept trying to persuade him to bring Shao Yanxi along. He refused quite frankly though.

Shao Yanxi is busy with his own stuff. Besides, there’s also going to be journalists at the party. It’s quite clear what the director wants – additional popularity and attention.

Though it’s definitely not worth it for a movie.

There’s a limit to public exposure. That Shao Yanxi, an entrepreneur, is appearing almost bi-daily on entertainment news is already raising some eyebrows and there’s already some outspoken critics of such practices. If he really let Shao Yanxi indirectly market the drama, oh boy.

Also, that little money the show could earn is only small change to Shao Yanxi, anyway.

Thankfully the director probably also knows the chances are slim. After Liu Yu’an firmly rejects his suggestion, he just tells him to remember to go.

That night, Liu Yu’an calls Xiao-Zhang to pick him up. He expects alcohol in the proceedings, so he’ll need someone to drive him home.

Though it’s a celebration party, Liu Yu’an can’t help but feel it’s a bit more like a press release when he’s there, with more than the expected number of journalists present with many ‘ cannons and guns ‘ pointed their way.

Even though Liu Yu’an is only a supporting character of this arc of the Evernight story, but because of his recent popularity he’s the one with the most journalists about him, and they’re all asking about his romance situation.

For their paychecks, the journalists and paparazzi are also going all out, huh.

As they can’t even hope to interview Shao Yanxi anyway, they can only look towards Liu Yu’an, who, jeez, the absolute sloth of a celebrity has practically no publicly known schedule recently, except the fact that he will attend this celebration party for the completion of the drama. They must secure the opportunity to ask everything right here, right now.

An indirect effect is that the male and female protagonists of the drama can’t help but look rather upset over at the side, and Liu Yu’an also realises that soon enough.

Though he keeps insisting for the press present to ask questions related to ‘Evernight,’ but they keep asking about his relationship. After answering a few of them for courtesy’s sake, like replying “do you believe either Heng’an or Yanxi would need a marriage with benefits” when asked, “An-shao, is your marriage with Mr. Shao a commercially motivated marriage?”

It should be painfully obvious given Heng’an’s meteoric rise and its sole navigator, Shao Yanxi, that he wouldn’t need to sacrifice his marriage for any sort of benefits; then those sayings that the two only married because of non-romantic arrangements are only rumours.

But really, if they just wanted to know about the authenticity of their relationship then they only need look at Shao Yanxi’s years’ old alt, no?

Which paves the way for the next, much more regrettable, statement, “I believe you mean to say you truly love each other; however, An-shao, it is widely said that you used to like a certain other celebrity, and even personally created CP videos with that person.”

…

What an unexpected place for another of the original cannon fodder’s foolish acts to be put on the pedestal here. Liu Yu’an lies without so much as looking a bit like it, “I do not know how to create or edit videos, so naturally I cannot have made videos between me and any other person. That said, I do like the sound of it. If I have time in the future, I ought to take the time to learn about video editing to make videos between Yanxi and I.”

“…”

Burp. Damned dog food. As some of the press present are interviewing live, streaming online, the comment barrage of that is blowing up.

[OMG SO SWEET]

[im gonna believe in <3 again]

[An-ge is so manly and loving aaaah! I also want a husband like him!]

[an-ge you dont need to learn! ill do it! ill be ur exclusive CP video editor, free of charge, as soon as u send me ur lovey dovey videos together!!!!]

[ ↑ Shameless up there! I can also do it! I’ll get to learning right now!]

…

While the streaming site is all moonlight and roses right now, only Shao Yanxi is the one biting his lips, going ‘liar’ in his heart.

That said, he still can’t help but feel a bit happy inside.

So he decides to go pick him up.

He should have had work today, a meeting with an executive of a foreign company. Yet, it’s almost 20 minutes past their arranged time and the person is still not here yet; they haven’t even given him a call up to this point.

Assistant He did tell him that people of his country are more ‘siesta’ and typically arrive at least 30 minutes after the actual arranged time. Therefore, Shao Yanxi decides not to wait anymore.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Who cares how he does business in his country? Now that he’s here making deals with them instead, does he expect them to still follow his rules?

There’s literally other companies queueing up for a chance to work with Heng’an. How big of a face does he think he has? Being 20 minutes late without even a phone call? Then sorry, but it doesn’t seem like the company is giving enough importance to this matter. They would rather not proceed.

While being driven home, Xiao-Zhang has sent him a link to Liu Yu’an’s live interview. So he was watching, until it got to that answer.

Then, he scrolled down to the comments, to see all those ‘want to take him home,’ ‘hubby I love you,’ and he can’t help but want to pick him up tonight. To go home together.

Meanwhile, Liu Yu’an, having had enough, and noticing how unimpressed the other actors and actresses look standing outside the press circle, is no longer replying to any questions on his private life, only smiling when such questions are asked. Soon enough, the press can’t help but start having to spread out and poke others with private questions or to ask them about the movie itself.

After the rather lengthy press session is the proper meal time, finally. During which, inevitably, Liu Yu’an starts downing glass after glass. He might be a good drinker, but that doesn’t help him much when droves of actors, actresses, staff, extras, and anyone and everyone here is going ‘cheers’ with him.

He wants to leave already, and despite unsteady steps, he is at least conscious enough to make his excuses and still walk outside the venue. Feeling a bit dizzy, he leans on the wall and calls Xiao-Zhang.

Shao Yanxi is the one picking up the phone though. Liu Yu’an, half-drunk, doesn’t realise and just says, “I’m out now. Pick me up.”

Shao Yanxi ‘mm’s before hanging up.

Liu Yu’an then waits at the spot holding onto his head. He really must be drunk to think Xiao-Zhang sounded like Shao Yanxi just now.

At the same time, Hou Yueting, the female lead, happens to be exiting the venue as well. She greets him, “An-ge.”

Liu Yu’an also greets her in turn as he puts his phone back in his pocket.

Hou Yueting asks, “are you alright? You were calling someone here just now, right?”

Liu Yu’an nods.

Then Hou Yueting nods and leaves for the bathroom. At first, she also had a bit of faint goodwill towards Liu Yu’an, but that got completely quashed when Liu Yu’an and Shao Yanxi came out together as a couple. Now that Liu Yu’an seems to be alright on his own, she heads off herself.

Liu Yu’an, meanwhile, slowly walks towards the elevator himself. When the elevator arrives, Liu Yu’an thought it would be Xiao-Zhang, but he swears he can see Shao Yanxi in front of him.

“Yanxi?”

Liu Yu’an starts rubbing his eyes. Is he hallucinating?

Though the person opposite him then ‘mm’s and supports him. Liu Yu’an looks and sees Xiao-Zhang pop out from the elevator behind Shao Yanxi.

Liu Yu’an asks, “didn’t you say you were busy?”

“It finished early,” Shao Yanxi doesn’t say that because the other party was ‘fashionably late’ he doesn’t plan to go ahead with the deal anymore.

Xiao-Zhang can see that while Liu Yu’an’s steps are not exactly steady, but he doesn’t seem like he has trouble moving, so he stands quietly to the side and let Shao Yanxi support him alone as they head for the car.

Shao Yanxi’s own driver drove him here, so Shao Yanxi and Liu Yu’an could sit together in the back of Shao Yanxi’s car.

Then Shao Yanxi orders xiao-Zhang, “you drive his car.”

“Got it,” xiao-Zhang then boards Liu Yu’an’s car.

After Shao Yanxi and his bodyguards’ cars have all left, Xiao-Zhang starts up Liu Yu’an’s car and follows behind.

On the way, Shao Yanxi calls him to say, “you can drive his car back to your home today.”

Xiao-Zhang “?”

He looks around to see the familiar paparazzi’s rides following the car.

“…” Ok, great. Boss’ orders.

He then takes the car and the motorcade back to his home.

At the entrance to his neighbourhood, xiao-Zhang gives it some thought and decides to knock on the glass on one of the paparazzi’s windows, to remind them, “I was the only one in this car. An-ge and Shao Yanxi were in their own car today.”

“Huh?”

The paparazzi have been lying in wait but they didn’t see Shao Yanxi’s usual ride either.”

Suddenly, a paparazzi asks, “do you mean the cars that left in a group before you?”

Even the ‘worst’ car of that bunch was a Porsche Cayenne.

There’s neither license plates they recognise or anyone they recognise in the driver’s seats.

They thought it was some other bigshot maybe in some billionaire meeting or something, so they didn’t pay attention to it, but it was Shao Yanxi inside?

Then, he, and also Liu Yu’an, then, must have been in that Lincoln limousine… And his bodyguards were in the Cayennes?

Even bodyguards get to drive a Cayenne. The paparazzi sure can’t help but feel jealous.

They work blood, toil, tears and sweat only to be able to drive a Xiali or whatever.

Maybe they should consider switching jobs too; don’t underestimate the physical fitness of a hardworking paparazzi!

Xiao-Zhang, the taciturn poker-face that he is, only adds a “don’t go take photos of Mr. Shao or An-shao anymore” before driving the car inside and going home.

When xiao-Zhang was talking to them, a few of the paparazzi have looked inside the car. Liu Yu’an really isn’t inside.

So as xiao-Zhang enters his neighbourhood, the paparazzi all turned around and left.

Meanwhile, Liu Yu’an and Shao Yanxi are still on the road. Liu Yu’an asks Shao Yanxi, “why did you suddenly come to pick me up?”

“I came because my work was done early,” Shao Yanxi says, while trying his best to stop the drunkard here from smothering him, warning him, “stop moving.”

“I’m not moving,” he says, very distincting still moving.

“Tell me why you suddenly came to pick me up.”

“…” Shao Yanxi says, “I’ve already told you twice already.”

“You didn’t come when you were not busy before,” Liu Yu’an says.

While he is drunk, he is only drunk to the degree of acting a bit wilder; Liu Yu’an still knows very clearly what he is asking him about.

“Tell me, why?” Liu Yu’an asks again, patting Shao Yanxi’s face with his palm.

“…”

Shao Yanxi doesn’t know Liu Yu’an isn’t actually so drunk he can’t control himself, and assumes the opposite. Being flirtatiously teased, he can’t really do anything but make a mental note that when Liu Yu’an is awake he must warn him never to touch alcohol again.

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