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Sorry for the late update! My lab was having a mega-clean, so I had to participate…
The atmosphere in the car was quiet for a moment.
The silence seemed to stretch forever. However, Shen Xingsui wasn’t inwardly calm; it’s more like a huge stone that has stirred a still-water lake, causing ripples that turned into waves.
Shen Xingsui looked into Fu Jinxiao’s eyes, which was illuminated under the car’s dim yellow lighting. His expression looked calm and serious, full of patience, quietly waiting for a reply.
Shen Xingsui’s chest was tight, as if being pulled by something.
“Why…” Shen Xingsui mumbled, then he actually asked the same question as before, “Have you considered the consequences of making it public? It may affect your career and development.”
Fu Jinxiao raised his eyebrows, “What consequences?”
Shen Xingsui couldn’t say it out loud, he could only vaguely say, “In all aspects…”
The car fell into a moment of silence, which was broken by Fu Jinxiao’s short chuckle.
When Shen Xingsui tipped his head to meet Fu Jinxiao’s gaze, he saw the actor laid back, and answered in an elegant, unhurried voice, “Teacher Shen.”
Shen Xingsui was a little nervous.
“If it’s made public, so what if I’m affected?” Fu Jinxiao said slowly, with a smile on his face, “I don’t care, what are you afraid of?”
There was a pause.
Fu Jinxiao raised his eyebrow, “Though, if it’s your career, then…”
Shen Xingsui felt wronged after hearing this. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
Obviously he was thinking about the actor, but this man still tried to talk him out of it.
Of course he knew that Fu Jinxiao was much much more popular than him. If he wanted to get to the bottom of it, his career wouldn’t be affected much, because he’s basically a newcomer without a baseline – he didn’t have a big fanbase he must cater to. But it iwa precisely because of this that he had to think about Fu Jinxiao’s career.
How could he not be afraid?
He was scared to death.
Fu Jinxiao was his idol and his boyfriend. He didn’t want to be the reason for his career’s downfall.
Shen Xingsui took a deep breath before he said, “Of course I hope I can make it public. Who wouldn’t want their relationship to be blessed by others?”
“But…” Shen Xingsui’s voice was soft, with a bit of sadness that he didn’t want to be noticed.
Fu Jinxiao’s eyes darkened, and he whispered, “So?”
Shen Xingsui was taken aback.
Fu Jinxiao seemed a little displeased. The man sitting next to him, his pursed lips and sharp jaw made him look a little gloomy. He seemed angry not because of the bad repercussions that would be brought about by the disclosure itself, but because of Shen Xingsui’s reasoning.
Shen Xingsui took another deep breath to steel his heart. “So I think, let’s not make it public for now. I must work hard in the days to come to make myself more popular and better, so that if we make it public one day, I won’t make you lose your face too much. So the negative impact on you will be much lower.”
Fu Jinxiao’s eyes flickered with surprise.
The eyes of the young man in front of him were burning. It seemed that it took him a lot of effort to say these words with determination. It was not an easy undertaking.
Shen Xingsui still hesitated and asked him. “Is that okay?”
Gradually, Fu Jinxiao’s stinky expression turned into a smile..
“Yes,” Fu Jinxiao nodded. He would always give in to Shen Xingsui’s comfort. However, this old fox  would never let himself suffer, “Since I promised you, don’t you also have to…”
Shen Xingsui looked at him suspiciously.
Fu Jinxiao pursed his lips, and said slowly, “Give me some compensation?”
Shen Xingsui: “…?”
He still didn’t understand what the actor meant by “compensation”. As the car just started to pass a corner, his body leaned forward because of inertia, making him crash into Fu Jinxiao’s arms.
Fu Jinxiao hugged him, lowered his head, and kissed the corner of Shen Xingsui’s lips softly before Shen Xingsui came back to his senses. As their mouths got closer and their breaths mixed, the temperature began to rise gradually. The distance between them was approaching a negative distance.
Suddenly—
“Ring ring ring.”
Of course they would be interrupted by the phone.
Shen Xingsui froze all over, and suddenly pushed Fu Jinxiao away, picked up the phone in a panic, and hurriedly answered. “Hello?”
Shen Minglang’s voice was on the other end of the phone, “Suisui, where are you?”
When he registered it as his eldest brother, he immediately corrected his sitting posture, and he quickly replied, “Dage, I just got off the plane, and then Teacher Fu sent me home.”
“Well, didn’t you see the text message I sent you?”
“What text message? Ah… my phone was in airplane mode just now, and I was busy on my way after getting off the plane, so I didn’t see it.”
Shen Minglang was not angry. He only said, “Where are you? Mom and I will pick you up.”
Shen Xingsui reported his location.
Shen Minglang replied, “It’s very close, you ask Teacher Fu to pull over the car, and we’ll be there in two minutes.”
Shen Xingsui agreed easily. After all, his family took the time to pick him up, so of course he had to reciprocate. After hanging up the call, he looked at Fu Jinxiao in hesitation, and said, “Uhm… Dage said he came to pick me up.”
Fu Jinxiao nodded. “Yes, I heard it.”
When Shen Xingsui looked at his face, he suddenly felt reluctant in his heart. The reason why they could see each other tomorrow was because they were filming the same show. Once they were separated, their jobs might not align for days and months. That is to say, after today, it’s going to be a long time until they can meet in person.
In the past, Shen Xingsui felt that those sticky couples who were with each other 24/7 were unrealistic. Now that he had a boyfriend, he understood how reluctant he was to part with Fu Jinxiao.
Fu Jinxiao looked sideways at the driver in front and said, “Stop by the shopping mall at the corner.”
The driver: “Yes, sir.”
The instructions to the driver were straightforward, and there were not many other emotions visible from the man’s calm face. Shen Xingsui felt that he was still too young, and still couldn’t be more mature like Teacher Fu.
“Then I…” Shen Xingsui saw his family’s car approaching not far away, and tried to push the door, “Then I’ll go first.”
Before he put his hand on the handle, someone grabbed his arm.
The calm-looking Actor Fu hugged Shen Xingsui from behind, his tall body leaned down, his face was buried on Shen Xingsui’s nape. His voice gave away his teasing, “My compensation hasn’t been paid yet.”
Shen Xingsui couldn’t laugh or cry.
It seemed that it was only recently that he slowly came into contact with another side of Fu Jinxiao. Behind the mature and calm demeanor, the actor was actually quite childish at times. He found it very cute.
Shen Xingsui gently shook his hand, “My mother and my brother are here, it will be bad if they find out.”
Fu Jinxiao snorted like a child throwing a tantrum. “Let them know. I’m also not going to hide the fact that the two of us have a legitimate engagement relationship. It’s not some shady secret affair.”
He was very dissatisfied.
Shen Xingsui quickly placated him. “I’m looking for a suitable opportunity to talk about it. It’s too sudden now. I haven’t thought it through yet. You have to let me… get ready.”
Fu Jinxiao was still a bit irritated, but he reluctantly accepted the appeasement.
Fu Jinxiao really never dreamed that one day he would fall into this situation – he used to be the dream lover who was chased by everyone, and he rejected them all.
Just how many people wanted to take advantage of his popularity to make their debut, or wished to use his name to go out and walk horizontally in the entertainment circle.
But now the situation has turned around – he was the clingy lover, who was sulking because his boyfriend didn’t want to make their relationship public, as if it was a secret affair.
The lights of a car not far away flickered.
Shen Minglang got out of the car. Shen Xingsui saw his elder brother coming, and hurriedly said, “I’m leaving, I’m leaving.”
Only then did Fu Jinxiao reluctantly let go.
Shen Xingsui got out of the car, and the cold wind at night shrank his neck. He walked up to Shen Minglang with small steps, and called obediently, “Dage.”
Seeing Shen Xingsui’s flushed face, Shen Minglang asked, “Is Fu Jinxiao’s car very hot?”
Shen Xingsui subconsciously replied, “It’s not hot.”
After realizing Shen Minglang’s gaze on him, he quickly made up an excuse. “Ah, I mean, it is quite hot, but not that sweltering.”
Shen Minglang took a deep breath and said, “Go back first.”
Shen Xingsui nodded obediently.
Shen Minglang continued, “Go back to the car first, and I’ll go say hello to Teacher Fu.”
“Okay.”
Shen Xingsui looked at his eldest brother walking towards Fu Jinxiao, and suddenly felt guilty for no reason. He softly called out, “Dage!”
Shen Minglang paused, and the thin and handsome man in a neat suit turned around. The gold-rimmed glasses he was wearing were also very clear in the night. He quietly turned his head to look at his youngest brother. “What’s the matter?”
Shen Xingsui thought again because he really didn’t have anything to say. He could only lower his head and say, “Nothing, I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Looking at his well-behaved brother, Shen Minglang sighed in his heart, and finally nodded.
Shen Xingsui trotted back into the car.
Xu Enzhen was sitting in the back row of the car, and waved after seeing him. “Suisui.”
Shen Xingsui saw his mother’s smiling face, making him miss her very much. He could only greet her back with, “Mom.”
Xu Enzhen put down the things in her hands, embraced Shen Xingsui, and said with some excitement, “You’re back.”
Shen Xingsui nodded.
“I also bought souvenirs for you, Dad, and my brothers,” Shen Xingsui smiled and said, “It’s all in the suitcase, and I’ll show it to you when I get home.”
Xu Enzhen smiled and said, “What did you buy?”
Shen Xingsui began to list it out, “Well, there are traditional silver ornaments, wooden plaques for blessing, and special snacks…”
While sitting in the car, he slowly described his experience in the village. Xu Enzhen would sometimes interject to comment or ask, such as “Are you tired during the filming?” “Did you get along with other guests?” or “What did you eat there?”
Shen Xingsui’s speech was very fragmentary, as he wasn’t used to recounting something this long. Sometimes he would say something impromptu, and his words were clumsily put together. But Xu Enzhen didn’t feel impatient at all, she just listened quietly and smiled.
The warm air was turned on in the car, but the warmth he felt in his heart didn’t come from that.
Shen Xingsui’s heart was stable, he didn’t feel that being asked this much was annoying. On the contrary, when he was asked about the trivial matters of his life, he was pleased to sit down and start to talk about the small things. If anything, this feeling was like sitting in the back seat of your parents car when they came to pick you up after school during childhood. They asked what fun you had on the school day, and you would excitedly blab it.
Xu Enzhen said softly after listening, “So in the end, Teacher Fu lend you his points.”
Shen Xingsui nodded.
“You have to thank him well,” Xu Enzhen said with a fond-looking gaze, “Jinxiao is really a good kid, and he is reliable and capable. It’s just that he has to be more disciplined when he gets along with others. He is the eldest son of the Fu family, and he has to maintain his image. As for you, don’t forget to respect him as a senior. Although he takes good care of you, you have to pay back his kindness. In the future, when you are free, treat him to a meal…”
Shen Xingsui pursed his lips and smiled, “Don’t worry. I know that he’s a very nice person.”
When Xu Enzhen told him about Fu Jinxiao, Shen Xingsui always looked respectful and calm. But this time it was different. He was smiling, as if when she praised Fu Jinxiao, she also praised Shen Xingsui.
Xu Enzhen noticed this. Her expression changed as she sensed something was changing.
Shen Minglang returned to the car at this time and said, “Let’s go.”
The driver then restarted the car.
Shen Minglang was not idle along the way. He taught Shen Xingsui how to protect himself in the circle, and stay away from gold-diggers or people with malicious intentions. The core points were summed up in one sentence: “Xingsui, you’re still young, so don’t hang out with dubious people.”
Shen Xingsui nodded frightenedly in response.
He thought about his mother’s opinion on how Fu Jinxiao was a dignified and excellent person.
‘Teacher Fu is definitely not a dubious person. So there’s no problem with me having a romantic relationship with him. With this… shouldn’t this count as Dage agreeing on him being my boyfriend? If I round it up, it should be.’
Shen Xingsui nodded to himself.
‘Mhm. I’m so smart sometimes, hehe.’