Shen Qiâs sleep habits werenât exactly respectful. He had never felt bad about it, so unless a special circumstance were to come up, he wouldnât force himself to change this little bad habit. He was a human being, so it was normal that he wasnât flawless.
Why, it could even be helpful to his mission!
A noise outside the window made him open his eyes. In front of him was a wall. No, he was wrong. It wasnât a wall; it was a manâs chest.
Shen Qi was curled up in the manâs arms. His legs were restrained, as if to prevent him from moving.
Shen Qiâs breath hitched. His senses were surrounded by this manâs presence, be it smell, hearing or sight.
Someone was breathing on his head.
The moment he realized it, his scalp felt as if it had been electrified, and an indescribable itch quickly ran through his body.
He couldnât believe he⊠He couldnât believe he was being held in the arms of his idol!
His face instantly became flushed.
Shen Qi hesitated for a few seconds, tilting his head back gently to see if Jiang Changshen was awake or asleep, but the movement betrayed him.
The long arm around the waist pulled him closer.
âBe good, stop it.â The voice was husky from sleep.
Shen Qi was rigid. Only the sound of a rattling fan could be heard.
He opened his mouth: âBro-Brother JiangâŠâ His stutter caused the heat of his face to rise by another two degrees.
Jiang Changshen had woken up and was still half-dreaming. His hum trailed over, going from a flat response to an upbeat question.
He opened his eyes and took two seconds to figure out the situation at hand. He released Shen Qi, rubbing his brow wearily.
âNo-no, Iâm the one whoâs sorry. I tend to grab when I sleep.â Shen Qi backpedalled and tried to sit up. âI forgot to⊠Ow!â His lower body got stuck.
His legs were completely numb and because he had moved, he was now feeling a painful cramp.
Shen Qi hissed repeatedly, too stiff to move and his body in an awkward pose.
Jiang Changshen had been rubbing his temples. At the sight of Shen Qiâs ruffled appearance, he giggled. He hooked his legs around Shen Qiâs and moved them back into a more comfortable position.
âYouâre young, why are you getting cramps? Donât move, Iâll give you a massage to help.â
Shen Qi was flattered. âNo, donât bother, Iâll do it myselfâŠâ
Jiang Changshen was gentle, his movements undeniable. He was skilful, as if heâd studied this. He was very good and quickly made the pain ease up.
Shen Qi retracted his legs hurriedly, âI can, canâŠâ
He was afraid of something happening if Jiang Changshen kept touching him. It wasnât not him who risked being in trouble, it was Jiang Changshen. Shen Qi was afraid that he might not have the self-control to avoid doing something to Jiang Changshen.
Why was it that this close to his idol, he couldnât help feeling even more excited?!
âDonât move.â Jiang Changshen liked to finish what he started. He grabbed Shen Qi by the ankle and yanked him back. âItâs just for a little bit. If you move again, you might get another cramp.â
Shen Qi couldnât resist, so he had to take deep breaths to restrain himself. He could not make a fool of himself.
As Jiang Changshen pressed on a knot, the curtain serving as a door was lifted and Xie Jun walked in. The man was stunned at the sight of the situation on the bed, but he quickly came back to his senses and smiled.
âYo, whatâs the deal with you guys? Did I come at a bad time?â
His expression was normal. There was no malice in the tone of his voice, just harmless teasing.
Jiang Changshen was very frank. âXiao Qi has leg cramps. Iâm pressing on tension knots.â
Xie Jun and Jiang Changshen had known each other for years.
Although they were not close friends, they understood each other. When Xie Jun saw Jiang Changshen like this, he nodded his head and stretched his back towards the bathroom.
âItâs getting late. You guys get up and wash up. The director said the new guest is almost an hour away.â
âHmm.â Jiang Changshen gave Shen Qiâs leg two more squeezes before letting go. âDo you know whoâs coming?â
He was asking Shen Qi, not Xie Jun who had already gone into the bathroom and closed the door.
Jiang Changshenâs tone was not curious. He obviously knew who it was and was just curious to see if Shen Qi knew.
Of course Shen Qi knew. He nodded.
âItâs Ning Yuntian. Weâre from the same company. My agent and his explained it to me before I came.â
Two pieces of fresh meat from the same company on the same show. He didnât know who came up with the idea, but it had received a unanimous approval.
Shen Qi thought he could interrupt Ning Yuntian and Jiang Changshenâs first encounter with his own involvement, but what was supposed to happen would still happen.
In his past missions involving backstabbing, important plot twists would happen in some way no matter how they had been modified. Even if the process leading up to them had been changed beyond recognition, those plot points would still happen.
That was why he had given up on the idea of trying to use his human identity to get rid of Ning Yuntian directly.
âIs Brother Jiang familiar with Ning Yuntian?â
He had done a probe. Right now, Ning Yuntian was as popular as he was. They were both newcomers who had only just emerged. Jiang Changshen had no reason to know about Ning Yuntian, since he had no impression of Shen Qi.
But who could have guessed that Jiang Changshen would say:
âIâve seen him in a TV show, and heâs a good actor.â
Had Jiang Changshen had a crush on Ning Yuntian from the start? Was Ning Yuntianâs appearance just the right type for him?
Was he so impressed with the boy in just three days that he recommended him for a big production featuring a male pairing? And then theyâd settle down after in a three-month shoot?
After filtering through the outline of what she knew, Shen Qi had made quite a few guesses. His expression did not look so good.
Shen Qi had always been a proud man. He had the willingness to restrain himself in front of Jiang Changshen. But why had Brother Jiang seen Ning Yuntian first, when he had made his debut at the same time?
âWhat about me? Has Brother Jiang seen the TV show Iâm in?â
Jiang Changshen got out of bed and looked back at him, surprised. âDoesnât your TV show air in half a month?â
Shen Qi was stuck. He did not regret making a movie before a TV series, but he was still indignant.
âWhat about the movie? Have you seen the movie I debuted in?â
He briskly trampled over to the edge of the bed and almost jumped on Jiang Changshen. He pulled at Jiang Changshenâs arm as if afraid the man would run away.
Perhaps because of the previous conversation or because the two had just slept in the same bed, he felt much closer to Jiang Changshen. If it hadnât been for that, he wouldnât have dared show such intimacy.
To make it easier for him to talk, he set his legs down on either side of Jiang Changshen. He was holding Jiang Changshen. The man was standing right between his legs, creating an extremely ambiguous stance.
Jiang Changshenâs unmoving gaze zeroed on the teenager. He didnât move.
Shen Qi tilted his head up, his eyes carefully expectant. âThe movie is called <The Distant Hills of the Past>, directed by Yu Hongyu. The main supporting actors are all new, and I played the second male lead.â
Helpless, Jiang Changshen could only say, âSorry.â Actually, he could have just said something perfunctory. But faced with the teenagerâs eyes, somehow, the truth came out.
Seeing those eyes dim, he reached out and brushed his fingers against the young manâs cheekbones.
âI didnât know before, but now I know. So Iâll watch it when I get back, okay?â He laughed. âDo you want me to give you a review after I watched it?â
Shen Qiâs mood, which had been low, instantly soared.
âReally? Iâm taking Brother Jiangâs word for it. No backtracking! No, I have to find something to write this down onâwhat if you deny it?â
As he was speaking, he left the bed. But heâd forgotten that he was still holding Jiang Changshenâs arm. Jiang Changshen was standing right in front of him. They crashed into each other.
Shen Qi recoiled in shock, twisting out of the way. But he forgot the bed at his back. He backed up too fast and fell backwards. Luckily the bed was there, so he didnât need to be scared. However, he hadnât let go of Jiang Changshenâs arm and with this fellâŠ
Jiang Changshen fell down with him.
This series of actions happened so quickly that by the time he realized what was going on, Shen Qi was already lying on the bed with Jiang Changshen is on top of him.
This was the kind of dramatic scene that only happened in TV dramas. He couldnât believe it had happened to him. Instead of being happy, Shen Qi cried a little.
Did Brother Jiang think he was doing it on purpose? Did he think Shen Qi was going too far? It was hard enough getting close to Brother Jiang. Shen Qi would be annoyed if he made a bad impression because of this!
Jiang Changshen did have a moment of doubt. In only two days, Shen Qi had given him one surprise after another. He could tell that Shen Qi liked him, not just a fansâ fondness for their idol. It was a manâs love for a man, and he showed it so clearly that if he couldnât avoid noticing it.
Young, beautiful, cheerful⊠whether the passion for him was real or not, whether it was as simple as it appeared or there were ulterior motives, Shen Qi had caught his attention.
Mostly it was because he wasnât annoying.
Maybe it was worth giving it a try.
Love affairs within the entertainment circle came and went, dividing and conquering. Besides, they wouldnât even be able to expose this kind of relationship. It wouldnât be taken seriously.
Having seen so much of the comings and goings around him, he had only one requirement for a relationship: That both sides had to be faithful while together. Before the relationship he could care less, once broken up even less, but while together, the focus had to be just him.
With a sudden sigh, he looked at the green-eyed teenager beneath him. âLittle fresh meatââthat was a good word for the media to use. It was indeed fresh and fleshy, and tickled the heart.
Shen Qi took in the distracted air and knew what to expect.
With the sound of flushing water, the bathroom door opened. Xie Jun was startled. âWhat are you guys up to again?â
Shen Qi was shocked and pushed Jiang Changshen away. âI was the one who didnât stand still and caused Brother Jiang to fall.â
Jiang Changshen rose and pulled him up.
Xie Jun was not as easy to fool this time as before. He stroked his chin and aimed banter at the two.
âWhy does this lord think there must be something wrong with this? What do you think, Director Liang?â
He looked towards the door and there was Liang Yu, who had come over at some point.
He had been sticking a head in, staying by the bamboo curtain as if he were a thief. Seeing that he has been discovered, he lifted the curtain and came in with a smile.
âReporting back to your lordship, this little one just came in and didnât see anything. What did you see?â
Liang Yu had been best friends with Jiang Changshen for years, and was much closer to him than Xie Jun. So the man looked natural, not caring about what heâd seen.
âOkay. I think the new guests were coming, so letâs all hurry up and pack up so we can start shooting.â
Shen Qi knew he was at a disadvantage, so he did not dare say much.
Xie Jun and Liang Yu exchanged a glance. A few quick quips were enough to reveal the incident.
Everyone took a shower and changed their clothes. Once theyâd wrapped up, the crew got ready to continue shooting.
Soon enough, stepping into the evening lightâŠ
Ning Yuntian appeared, pulling his suitcase along.