Gino gritted his teeth in pain as Tang Feng forcefully rubbed the places heâd been hit. âIs this how you should treat your savior?â
âArenât I the one who saved you in the end? Otherwise, youâd be a b.l.o.o.d.y mess by the time Charles is through with you.â
âWhy do you know a violent b.a.s.t.a.r.d like that? He doesnât suit you at all. Tang, you should keep your distance from people like that. Theyâre all heartless vampires whoâll suck you dry and then leave you to rot on the floor.â Gino stared at the other actor. Tang Fengâs lips were a bit swollen. It didnât take much for Gino to figure out how itâd happened.
Gino felt as if that G.o.dd.a.m.n Charles had kicked him in the chest along with the stomach, otherwise his chest wouldnât feel so heavy.
âI feel like I have internal injuries. My chest hurts a lot right now. G.o.dd.a.m.n it, Iâm going to sue him!â Not only did his chest hurt, Gino was having trouble breathing. He felt was if he were on the verge of dying.
âDonât be a child. If you sue him, the two of you will probably end up with the same sentence. Donât forget that you made the first move, Mr. Michael Gino.â Tang Feng was surprised by Ginoâs brashness. The latter had swung a fist at Charles without asking anything beforehand. Charles also liked to hold grudges; Ginoâs name was probably already on his blacklist. Tang Feng decided that he needs to give Charles a few good kicks after returning home.
Tang Feng glanced at Gino, the other actor was staring at him like a child whoâd been reprimanded for something he didnât do. As expected, the good-natured image Gino had projected when theyâd first met in China was something that Tang Feng had conjured up himself. The willful and demanding overgrown child that was sitting in front of him right now was the Gino that he once knew.
Gino had been born in a wealthy family and been given a top-cla.s.s education; a fortunate life indeed. Of course, that meant Gino had the terrible att.i.tude that was the result of all the pampering from his family and his manager.
âNext time, Iâm going to beat him into the ground!â Gino promised to himself.
Tang Feng chuckled. Charles didnât get his muscles by training in the gym, that was obvious from the way he had fought with Gino earlier.
Ginoâs punches had clearly been learned from a coach in a gym, with an emphasis on rules and a good form.
On the other hand, Charles fought like a gangster on the street. There were no rules or patterns in his way of fighting, but one look and Tang Feng knew that Charles had plenty of fighting experience; he was going for the kill with every punch and kick heâd landed on Gino.
As for good sportsmans.h.i.+p?
When it came to a fight with real knives and guns, who had the time to care about sportsmans.h.i.+p? In any case, they werenât compet.i.tors fighting a fair match in a compet.i.tion.
âŠ
Due to the fight, Gino had a difficult time filming his scenes during the afternoon. He ended up having a long chat with the director about his role and what he should portray. Tang Feng got to leave early as a result.
There was a violent bear named Charles waiting for him at home. Tang Feng had to sign an unfair contract with Charles during lunch in order to make the bear leave âcalmly.â
While Tang Feng was collecting his things and preparing to leave with his a.s.sistant, Lu Tian Chen drove over to pick him up.
âPresident Lu, arenât you busy?â Tang Feng sat beside Lu Tian Chen in the car. This routine of theirs had been occurring for a few days already. Lu Tian Chen would come pick him up whenever he had time. Though theoret
ically, Lu Tian Chen shouldnât have so much free time as the CEO of a large company.
âI only need to a.s.sign tasks for my employees to do and then wait for the money to roll into my bank account.â Lu Tian Chen slowly pulled the car out of the filming location. While turning the steering wheel, he glanced at Tang Feng. âIâm an investor, a businessman. Not a laborer, okay?â
âRight, of course, Iâm the laborer.â G.o.dd.a.m.n capitalists who only know how to exploit the working cla.s.s.
Lu Tian Chen smiled and said nothing in response. Tang Feng suddenly found that he was getting along more naturally and peacefully with both Lu Tian Chen and Charles. The initial conflicts and wariness that had existed between them were being eroded away by their daily conversations. This should count as a good thing.
Perhaps they could become good friends in the end, emphasis on âgood friends.â
âCharles came over to visit you today, right? He said he was going to give you a surprise,â Lu Tian Chen said.
âYes, a surprise. Though an unpleasant shock would be more accurate. Heâd beaten up Gino, even though Gino did make the first move. But it was all a misunderstanding in the end.â Tang Feng sighed as he glanced out the window. The temperature wouldnât go down until the evening. The wind that blew over his face brought the heat along with it. He quickly rolled up the window.
âCharles has a hard fist.â
Tang Feng smiled and looked at Lu Tian Chen. âIt sounds like youâve fought with him before?â
âThere are times when men have to compare their fists.â Lu Tian Chen smiled and seemed to be recalling a memory.
Tang Feng imagined Lu Tian Chen and Charles beating each other up. Out of curiosity, he asked, âWhere did you guys fight? In an arena? Who won?â
âWho do you want to win?â
âHmm⊠I bet it was a draw. Iâve never seen you fight before, but I remember you saying that youâre good at beating people up. As for Charles, I just had an opportunity to see him fight. Iâm guessing the two of you are around the same level,â Tang Feng a.n.a.lyzed with a furrowed brow.
Lu Tian Chen laughed, he seemed quite amused from the sound of his deep chuckle.
âYup, youâre right. Youâre not far off the mark.â
âTell me more about it?â Lu Tian Chen always stopped in the middle of a story. Tang Feng was curious to know more. As someone who was practicing martial arts at the moment, he was interested in anything having to do with fighting.
Despite being of Chinese descent in his past life, he only counted as half-Chinese at most. He had grown up in America, even though heâd delved into the Chinese language and culture, his education was still solidly rooted in American culture. His friends had also been American. As a result, he didnât have a deep understanding of Chinese culture or martial arts.
Charles was half-Chinese to begin with, so he was practically the same as Tang Feng. But Lu Tian Chen was different. From appearances, Lu Tian Chen was a full easterner.
âThen like Charles, am I supposed to obtain a promise from you in exchange?â Even though Lu Tian Chen had phrased it like a question, his tone of voice showed that he was serious. As a businessman, Lu Tian Chen didnât offer free services.
âYou rely on your power too much, you vampire-like capitalist.â
âThank you for the compliment.â Lu Tian Chenâs skin was getting to be as thick as the Great Wall of China. Tang Feng hated coming across thick-skinned people.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked, âWhat do you want in exchange?â He would decide whether to accept or not after hearing the conditions.
âArenât you free tomorrow morning? Why donât you make me breakfast,â Lu Tian Chen stated.
Tang Feng raised an eyebrow. Had he heard him correctly? Had Lu Tian Chen just asked him to make breakfast?
âAre you sure?â Tang Feng remembered mentioning that he couldnât cook, so he didnât how to make breakfast. He was inept at even the simple tasks of frying an egg and making toast.
Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. He had a lot of strengths, but cooking was definitely one of his weaknesses. But he didnât plan on jogging Lu Tian Chenâs memory about that. After all, a request like making breakfast was well within his capabilities.
âYes, is there a problem?â
âNo, of course not.â There wasnât a problem at all. He wouldnât be the one eating the breakfast he made.
âOnly for me,â Lu Tian Chen added after a long while.
âI know.â Tang Feng had no plans of poisoning someone else, though it didnât matter if it were Charles. If they could shove it down their throats, then he could make whatever they wanted to eat.
Staring out the window, Tang Feng chuckled to himself.
âŠ
When Lu Tian Chen and Tang Feng returned to their apartment, Charles was already sitting on the dark leather couch inside, waiting for them. A cigar was hanging from his mouth, the corner of which was still red, clearly a result of the fight with Gino. Rather than ruining the perverted bearâs looks, the wound added a rugged handsomeness to his appearance.
âYouâre hurting my heart, babe!â Charles started complaining the minute he saw the other two.
âIâm not your babe, Charles.â Tang Feng walked in and hung the black bag heâd been carrying on a hook beside the door. The bag held an a.s.sortment of vitamins, his phone, and eyedrops; they were all things that came in handy while he was onset.
âYou kissed an idiot this morning, then you let that idiot punch me during lunch. And now youâre standing in front of me with my best friend and acting like you two are married!â Charlesâ exaggerated tone made Tang Feng laugh. The perverted bear was letting his imagination run wild again. Like how Lu Tian Chen had developed a penchant for cracking dry jokes here and there, Charles was also getting better at his cringeworthy humor.
Tang Feng felt as if he were living with two lunatics.
âThatâs right.â Going along with Charlesâ words, Tang Feng smiled and wrapped an arm around Lu Tian Chenâs waist. He raised his chin and said, âI have a new favorite. Youâve been banished to the cold palace, Charles.â
Lu Tian Chen smiled and made no response. Charles glared at the other two. âYou two have hurt me deeply.â