CH 10

Shen Qi and Jiang Changshen had left early during the dinner party and couldn’t make it to the end. The kiss had been so intense that their lips were swollen and red, and everyone would know what had happened.

Jiang Changshen was better off, but the beauty of Shen Qi’s face had been magnified by drink. The wine had given him a red flush, his eyes were wet and looked like spring water, hooking you in.

Jiang Changshen went out for a walk and found a hat somewhere. He buckled it over his head and put a mask on that covered so much only his eyes could be seen.

Bright and full of enthusiasm, Shen Qi looked at him with wet eyes, his smile curved like a crescent moon.

Ahhh! Brother Jiang had kissed him!

What did that say about him, that he was not just wishfully dreaming? It meant that Brother Jiang had feelings for him too!

An unrequited love had turned into reciprocated one. What could be better than that?

More importantly! Ten points! That had been ten more points of happiness in one go!

“Don’t look at me like that.” Jiang Changshen covered his eyes. He’d already had a hard time holding back. “I’ll have Xiao Li take you to the car. You go greet your agent. Don’t worry about the crew there; I’ll cover up for you.”

He finally couldn’t resist and squeezed the back of Shen Qi’s neck, making him tilt his head up. He leaned down to kiss the young man between his eyebrows.

“Be good and wait for me in the car. In ten minutes at most, I’ll come over.”

Shen Qi was floating with joy now. Whatever Brother Jiang said was taken as pure truth. He gave a commanding wave, eyes unable to hide his excitement and happiness.

Jiang Changshen’s assistant, Xiao Li, was waiting outside the door of the cubicle. He’d come in at the same time as Jiang Changshen had returned.

He’d been surprised and troubled when the boss had asked him to help find a hat and a mask and ordered him to follow. When the door had opened and he had seen the posture of the two inside, he was even more shocked. It felt like his eyes were about to fall out.

My God, so the boss hadn’t been looking for a girlfriend for so many years because he liked men!

As an assistant, this was a moment when he felt deeply derelict in his duty. He hadn’t even known the sexual orientation of his own artist! What else would be a sign of a first-rate assistant? You might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.

Jiang Changshen felt helpless. He didn’t feel there was a need to tell everyone about his sexual orientation. Moreover, he hadn’t met anyone who struck his fancy until now so he was even less inclined to be promiscuous and finally, he was a public figure. He would rather not have difficulties. It was good enough that he knew his own heart, so why rush to tell others?

“Take Xiao Qi to the car and wait for me. I’ll come later.”

Only then did Xiao Li set his sights on Shen Qi. Shen Qi smiled and waved his hand at him in a wordless, ‘Hey.’

‘I’ll go, you old cow eating young grass! I didn’t know you were such a person, boss!’ cried Lee’s heart. A smile was tugging at his face.

“Go on.” Jiang Changshen pushed Shen Qi out.

Shen Qi winked back at him, sending out another flying kiss. Only after did he follow Xiao Li.

They took the elevator straight to the underground parking garage. Because the show was going to be an old historical drama, a large number of scenes needed to be shot at film and television locations, and to avoid the hassle of needless travel, the opening ceremony was chosen to be held before departure, having as guests the employees and some media reporters.

The owner of the hotel was a friend of the director’s and had closed down the venue for the sake of the crew. Everyone was off for a drink, so Xiao Li and Shen Qi didn’t meet anyone on the way down to the parking lot.

What Jiang Changshen drove in wasn’t a nanny car. It was a very ordinary four-seater coloured a basic black. Compared with the usual brand-name sports cars a celebrity would own, it was very low-key, although this brand of car was not cheap either.

Xiao Li, after the initial surprise, had quickly regained his professionalism. He didn’t ask too many questions and instead just maintained a conversation consisting of basic pleasantries so that Shen Qi didn’t feel neglected.

Shen Qi was excited, though, and wanted to hear more about Jiang Changshen from him. When he entered the car, his worries about being overheard disappeared and he grew bolder.

“… Is Brother Jiang really not a fan of carrots? Is it true what Encyclopedia said about him liking black? Does he prefer cats or dogs? Does he—”

Xiao Li wiped off sweat from his forehead, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

In fact, Shen Qi was probably just babbling out loud. It didn’t matter if Xiao Li didn’t answer. But this boy droning on and on made something dawn on Xiao Li.

It turned out that Shen Qi was a fan of his own boss ah, and also an iron powder fan.

His defensiveness was instantly broken as his mind classified Shen Qi as one of his own.

The smile in Shen Qi’s eyes deepened.

He wasn’t trying to use Jiang Changshen, but in this world, people came and went, and Jiang Changshen already had his own circle of friends.

If all he needed was Jiang Changshen’s goodwill, it wouldn’t matter what others thought, but what he wanted was to be happy with the man, so it was best if he could fit into his friend circle. Besides, Shen Qi’s motto was to do his best.

Moreover, getting along well with the people around Jiang Changshen would also be good for his mission to ‘capture’ Jiang Changshen. For example, it could give him access to information about the man’s family and childhood, enabling Shen Qi to find out what caused Jiang Changshen to have such a low happiness level.

He had a hunch that only by figuring this out would he find a way to make Jiang Changshen truly happy.

Jiang Changshen arrived quickly, in less than ten minutes. He was carrying something in his hand.

Shen Qi picked it up and looked at it. It was his jacket.

“Did you tell your agent?” Jiang Changshen sat down next to him, and turned toward Xiao Li. “Let’s go home first.”

Regardless of what he was thinking, Xiao Li obeyed and started the car.

“Ah! I forgot!”

Shen Qi picked up his cell phone in a hurry. He had been so excited that he had completely forgot about his agent. As it turned out, there were two missed calls. A look at the time revealed the calls had been ten minutes ago, and at that time, he was still in the bathroom.

Judging by Jiang Changshen’s expression, he’d seen it coming. “All right. I’ve already explained things to him. You’re coming with me, and I’ll send you back home tonight.”

Send him back?

Shen Qi’s excitement instantly died.

What the hell?! He thought he’d be able to do *that* tonight, yet Jiang Changshen was saying he’d send him home?

He didn’t hide his emotions. What he wanted was immediately visible on his face. His small eyes were especially sad.

Jiang Changshen raised his eyebrows and leaned near Shen Qi’s ear with a smile. “Don’t want to go back, huh?”

Hot breath sprinkled over Shen Qi’s ears, the warmth thrilling him. The charming moment in the toilet made him bold. Holding his breath, he glanced at the front of the car where Xiao Li was driving serious.

Full of unwillingness, Shen Qi provoked back: “Yeah, I don’t want to go back. Let me stay and warm your bed, okay?” The lowered tone of his voice was shakily seductive.

Jiang Changshen’s eyes darkened. He leaned in and bit him on the lips. Shen Qi was proving to be quite a handful.

Shen Qi was smiling like a cat that had caught a mouse.

There was another person present, so they didn’t dare to make too much noise.

Shen Qi had something on his mind. He’d been afraid to speak up in the bathroom for fear of being found out, but now he let go and asked directly:

“What was it that Ning Yuntian said earlier?”

Jiang Changshen quirked an eyebrow. “I was consulted when Director Chang cast the part that Ning Yuntian got. In the end, three were chosen. His acting was indeed better than the other two, and Director Zhang decided on him, but I didn’t object. The two people who were brushed off all had good connections, so I’m afraid Director Zhang did not find it easy to refuse them and used me as an excuse.”

So it was actually Ning Yuntian who had received the wrong message. And to think, Shen Qi had believed the young man had come to thank Jiang Changshen because he’d helped him.

Shen Qi was inwardly delighted, but his face didn’t show it.

“Which do you think is better, my acting or his?” He gave Jiang Changshen a sidelong glance. “When we were first filming that show together you promised you’d watch my movies and send me your thoughts. What happened?”

Shen Qi was the one who was doing the romantic pursuing, and he had not overdone things. He had only sent ten messages, and he was so happy if Brother Jiang was willing to give him one. He did not dare to ask more questions. Things were different now. He was no longer in a position of unrequited love, so he’d protect what he had and prevent their relationship from souring by not prying overly much.

Although Jiang Changshen had never been in a relationship, he had acted as a married man many times and knew to surrender immediately.

“I was wrong, it was my fault, but I saw the movie. I really watched it. Ask Xiao Li if you don’t believe me.” He pulled in Xiao Li as a witness. “Xiao Lee, remember that <The Distant Hills of the Past>? Xiao Qi acted in it, I remember you watched it that day too.”

Xiao Li immediately said, “I remember, I remember. We did watch it, with Brother Song. We watched it together that day.”

Shen Qi was satisfied. “What do you think of my performance?”

If it were anyone else, they’d be too nervous to ask for a review of the film emperor. But Shen Qi was so thick-skinned that he didn’t care about the quality of his acting in front of the film emperor.

Jiang Changshen saw his little look asking for praise and compliments. He paused for a moment, before saying:

“Not bad, for a newcomer. It was your first film, and you were qualified.”

It was the truth. He’d actually seen that movie Shen Qi was in. He just didn’t finish it at the time.

Shen Qi’s eyebrows rose and then his whole face lit up. “Don’t worry, I’ll try harder in the future!”

He’d try to be on the same level as Jiang Changshen!

He finished his previous train of thought: “How do I compare to Ning Yuntian? Am I a better actor or is he?”

Jiang Changshen was resolute. “You’re good.” He smiled at Shen Qi. “In my eyes, everything you do is good. “

Shen Qi’s who body heated up, burning him to a crisp. He couldn’t stop smiling and his heart felt like it was made of exploding fireworks.

Forced to listen to the whole thing, Xiao Li’s entire body shook.

Little did he know that Jiang Changshen himself felt stunned, pupils slightly dilated.

The man had never thought he would open his mouth to say something so natural, so smooth, as if he had practiced it a million times.

He looked at the boy with the radiant smile and suddenly realized something. Hiding the shock from his eyes, he hesitated for a moment and grasped Shen Qi’s hand of his own accord.

It turned out that he had already been tempted, as early as when the teenager had confessed his love with a passionate open heart.

He thought he was restrained, he thought he was aloof, but just a glance into the young man’s warm smile dissipated those thoughts.

Eventually, he lost control and kissed Shen Qi.

Jiang Changshen had given him the opportunity to refuse. He had shaved off his exterior to show him his true self, but Shen Qi had said nothing. Nothing had been asked, and the gaze was still warm, even burning more brightly.

At that moment, his heart was indescribably happy.

‘Give it a try,’ he thought to himself. After all these years, it was hard to find someone who made his heart flutter. ‘Just give it a try.’ He wasn’t his father. It was also long past the age of youthful impulsiveness, and he wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

He wouldn’t. Absolutely.