Author: hoeniely (Page 8 of 14)

Chapter 73 – Jinchen beat people when drunk

Thank you so much for the ko-fis, impatientlywaiting! ♡♡♡

•·················•·················•
 
An Xumo stood by the wall not far behind the bed in a trance and even created an illusion.
 
It seems that he himself was the one who was drunk.
 
When he just heard Zhou Jinchen say “his attitude has changed”, An Xumo was already somewhat at a loss. He has received a lot of teasing from others in the crew these days and he has been very cooperative with Zhou Jinchen’s plan. But listening to the other party’s tone……it seems like he’s still not satisfied with his actions.
 
Before An Xumo had time to think about it carefully, he heard the phrase “he doesn’t look at me.”
 
…… What does this mean?
 
He really felt dumbfounded for a moment.
 
Sitting on the sofa not far away, Zhou Jinchen’s complexion remained unchanged, making it impossible to see his emotions at this time. If not for the performance just now, An Xumo would even think that the man was still awake and watertight¹lit. not one drop of water can leak outas usual.
 
But as soon as the other party opened his mouth, the illusion was exposed.
 
“Why aren’t you sure?” Zhou Jinchen frowned, “He threw up when he saw me on the set before and when he shot the last few scenes, he was just looking at the child. There is also today’s finale banquet,²lit. killing banquet: means actors who finished filming their own scenes. I might have forgotten to add this on the previous chapters, sorry~ I saw Lin Rui looked at me more.”
 
On the side, An Xumo’s heart thumped for a moment.
 
He did not think that his actions would be seen by his brother nor did he expect…… himself to have made so many careless mistakes.
 
An Xumo was wholeheartedly adjusting his mentality to give his brother a helping hand but he didn’t expect that it was the adjusted mentality that made his actions appear such obvious flaws.
 
Did he…… delay his brother’s plans?
 
The usual delighted and furious Zhou Jinchen at this time used a tone that can clearly hear his displeasure. “En.”
 
“I don’t know how much I drank.”
 
Except for Zhou Jinchen’s voice, there was no other movement in the room. An Xumo faintly heard some keywords such as ‘hotel’, ‘tomorrow’, and ‘rest’, then Zhou Jinchen hung up the phone.
 
He put his phone away and picked up the bathrobe on the sofa. An Xumo watched from the bed and saw the man stood up on his own and walk in the direction of the bathroom.
 
Zhou Jinchen was halfway there when he saw An Xumo standing at the side. The moment he perceives the presence of a person, his eyes suddenly changed, his entire body turned into a stern, imposing manner. He spoke in a cold voice ——
 
“Who are you?”
 
The air pressure in the room was inadvertently lowered. Hearing these words, An Xumo’s nape was also reflexively ached. He dared not hesitate before the other party started; he rushed immediately, “I am An Xumo.”
 
Zhou Jinchen looked at him, his expression was still gloomy.
 
An Xumo repeated tentatively, “Also……Zhou Xumo.”
 
The man stared at him again for a while before withdrawing his eyes. He also did not say anything more; he turned around and went directly into the bathroom.
 
After the door closed softly with a ‘click’, An Xumo who was pressed down on his chest finally breathed a sigh of relief.
 
How could the feeling my brother gives feels more frightening when he is drunk than when he is sober?
 
An Xumo looked around. It was a room for two. All kinds of configurations are also for two people. Two beds separated by a nightstand, river water do not interfere with well water.³does not interfere with one another; minding your own business
 
If there was only one twin bed, An Xumo would have left directly but since it’s sleeping on a separate bed……
 
He hesitated for a moment and remembered what his brother had just mentioned on the phone.
 
Although the crew already has an equivocal and tacit understanding of the relationship between Zhou Jinchen and An Xumo, the latter was clear that Zhou Jinchen’s real purpose was to clear up the relationship with Lin Rui during the publicity period. And in front of the film emperor Lin…… recalling Lin Rui’s expression during the celebration, An Xumo always felt that he, a newcomer with little acting experience, seems to be easily seen through at a glance in the eyes of the film emperor.
 
He has made more mistakes. If he gets up tomorrow morning, the crew will find that his brother is the only one left in the hotel. No one can guarantee that no one will come up with other ideas.
 
After weighing things, An Xumo still decided to stay in the hotel. He glanced at the bathroom where the sound of water was coming from and felt his head hurt a little.

I just don’t know if my brother will be able to sleep peacefully after getting drunk. An Xumo thought helplessly that he really didn’t seem to have any experience in taking care of drunk people.
 
While An Xumo was worried, in S City which is hundreds of kilometers away, Xin Zimai who answered the phone almost jumped out directly from the office.
 
What’s going on, what’s all this?! Why did Zhou Jinchen get drunk? Why did he call after he got drunk and said in a tone of being abandoned —— An Xumo was not looking at him anymore?!
 
After the filming of 《Different Roads》 was finished, it was already close to the Lunar New Year. This is especially true since the Chinese New Year is later than in previous years. For the 《Different Roads》 which was already scheduled for the summer prime time, the time left for their publicity is even more pressing.
 
And all the publicity information related to Zhou Jinchen was all personally checked by the team brought by Xin Zimai. The team had already guessed Lin Rui’s plan in advance and it was a busy time now. They must be on guard against the signs of being tied up by the other party’s publicity team and greet⁴to inform; to take care of the media in advance. Therefore, after Zhou Jinchen finished the movie, it was time for Xin Zimai and his team to be the busiest.
 
In addition to the approaching New Year, invitations and parties at the end of the year emerge endlessly, and all kinds of blessings also need to be prepared in advance. This is the reason why Xin Zimai was so busy that he did not go to the final banquet with Zhou Jinchen.
 
Unexpectedly, it just happened that he didn’t go this time, and Zhou Jinchen got drunk.
 
This big brother’s alcoholic taste is really hard to compliment. When Xin Zimai remembered Zhou Jinchen’s performance, his head became twice bigger,⁵he has encountered a very troublesome thing and which was originally a head is about to explode and became bigger. he hurriedly sorted out the work at hand in a panic, and it was too late to add the evening shift. He left an emergency phone number to his staff and planned to rush to H City where the production crew is located.
 
The car and the driver followed Zhou Jinchen, it’s not realistic to have someone come back overnight. Xin Zimai originally wanted to buy a high-speed train ticket but when he opened the software, he remembered —— how can there be any tickets left at the end of the year?
 
Due to Xin Zimai’s motion sickness on a train, he usually chooses a four-seater car for daily travel. Even a nanny’s car with a large space will be uncomfortable for a long time, and it would be better if it is driven by himself. He planned to take a taxi to go there but he was worried that it would be inconvenient for outsiders around to be on the phone with the team on the road.
 
While Xin Zimai was hesitantly thinking about whether he could still find an idle car and driver, a new message popped up on his phone. The message was from Li Qiucheng, the one message a day, and it was unchanging. Xin Zimai just wanted to cross out the top prompt but he caught a glimpse of the four most crucial keywords ——
 
Tomorrow’s shift is off.
 
He hesitated for a moment and failed to cross out the message. As a result, he got into a car that was willing to take him across two cities in the middle of the night on a cold winter night.
 
Before Li Qiucheng drove over, he didn’t even ask Xin Zimai what happened at all. His attitude was so straightforward that it was Xin Zimai who gave birth to some embarrassment,
 
“Jinchen just called, he went to attend the finale banquet of the crew.” The quiet atmosphere in the car was slightly uncomfortable. Xin Zimai tugged at his seat belt and took the initiative to explain, “He seems to be drunk and also took the initiative to mention the matter with Xiao An…… I think something is not quite right so I thought I would go over and have a look.”
 
Li Qiucheng’s right hand rested on the steering wheel and a wrist with distinct joints is slightly exposed between the cuffs. He carelessly glanced at the navigation screen, his tone didn’t fluctuate.
 
“Going so far to look?”
 
From S City, taking into account the traffic jams at the end of the year, it will take at least four hours all the way.
 
Xin Zimai didn’t notice the difference in Li Qiucheng. “You don’t know. Jinchen hasn’t been drunk for a long time.”
 
“He can drink quite well and doesn’t get drunk usually so it doesn’t matter if he socializes normally. I didn’t specifically remind him.” Xin Zimai slapped his thigh. “Who would have thought I didn’t go this time, he was unexpectedly drunk?”
 
Li Qiucheng asked, “Is this an important occasion?”
 
“Finale banquet is rather special,” Xin Zimai said, “but it is not too rare. I suspect that he has been drinking mixed wine; otherwise, Jinchen will have a heavy amount of alcohol. Blowing a bottle of liquor may not necessarily be able to knock him down.”
 
Li Qiucheng tapped the leather-wrapped steering wheel with his fingertips. “Drunk and can’t wake up after a nap?”
 
“He can wake up from a nap but the problem is,” Xin Zimai’s expression was a bit pained, “I’m worried about what happened before he fell asleep.”
 
“En?”
 
“Jinchen is particularly vigilant when he’s drunk; he’s fine in open spaces. Once he gets to a room or a car or other places, he’s completely incapable of accepting the presence of a second person around him.”
 
Xin Zimai remembered something and couldn’t help but rubbing his temples.
 
“When he first started out, he kept a low profile and didn’t show the background of the Zhou family. As a result, there was once a dinner with an investor-producer, a boss took a fancy to him and couldn’t help but have a hand on him.”
 
“At that time, neither of us had any status, and I was not allowed to attend. No one in the room wanted to provoke the boss, they watched him get drunk and then be taken upstairs.”
 
Xin Zimai couldn’t bear to look back, “As a result, when I got the news and rushed over, there was a whole circle of three layers surrounded outside the room, and all the surrounding rooms were all alarmed so I watched the hustle and bustle inside. The boss is also a dignified figure, and the result may be that he took off his clothes too quickly after going in, leaving only flowery underpants all over his body into view. Jinchen used the person’s belt to tie him up directly and he started splitting the head and covering the face⁶[*fig. pelting: attack (someone) by repeatedly hurling things at them.up on the wall.”
 
Li Qiucheng: “……”
 
Xin Zimai continued, “Jinchen learned a little kung fu with my master before. He has a good understanding and he can barely fight to a draw with my shixiong⁷senior male fellow student and I, not to mention ordinary people. He was drunk and didn’t keep his hand, the boss screamed so miserably that he beckoned the people from the hotel.”

“At first, the people brought by the boss still wanted to stop him, saying that their boss was just playing tricks so don’t interrupt the good things if you’re sensible. As a result, later on, they listened to the sound that was too tragic that if they didn’t go in they would be killed. The door of the room was opened.”
 
He sighed, “The man brought by the boss jumped to his feet and said that he would ban Jinchen. I didn’t stop that man at once. Jinchen directly brought the belt over and drew a bloody edge on the man’s face.”
 
“After the beating, the people present were dumbfounded, and no one dared to mess with him again. Jinchen took the man’s hair and threw the boss out who was badly battered without a piece of good flesh out of the door in full view of everyone, and then slammed the door and went back to sleep.”
 
Xin Zimai said with lingering fears, “The people in the hotel were also scared. No one dared to open the door and look for him again. Fortunately, Jinchen woke up after a deep sleep and sobered up, and returned to normal.”
 
Li Qiucheng raised an eyebrow, “That man didn’t continue to look for him afterwards?”
 
“No,” Xin Zimai shook his head. “The matter was settled overnight by the Zhou family. Even with so many people on the scene that day, not to mention the boss himself, some knew the boss and some also recognized Jinchen. As a result, when I got up the next morning, there was no movement at all.”
 
“In addition to Zhou Jinchen sobering up, he doesn’t remember anything when he woke up. Apart from the Zhou family who rushed over, it was as if it had never happened.”
 
“Later, Jinchen’s status slowly rose, coupled with the Zhou family’s escort, we never encountered this kind of situation again. When he occasionally got drunk a few times, they didn’t wait for a second more and quickly sent him to a room, and they have to leave swiftly.”
 
Xin Zimai recalled for a moment and said, “In fact, I suspect that this reaction is also the aftermath of the accident that Jinchen had back then.”
 
Li Qiucheng asked, “Why do you say that?”
 
“When Jinchen gets drunk and arrives at a resting place, he will go through every hidden corner to see if there are any bugs or other dangerous things.” Xin Zimai said, “How would an ordinary drunken person behave like this? He clearly distrusts everyone around him so he must confirm the safety surrounding him and does not let anyone near him.”
 
Thinking of the situation this time, Xin Zimai’s brow wrinkled again. “But this time, I didn’t follow. The assistant beside Jinchen is also a newcomer and have never met him when he was drunk. When I called, the assistant only said that everyone in the crew is staying at the hotel and had not heard any news for the time being. However, it is not clear who is in the same room with Jinchen and what the specific situation is.”
 
“I don’t dare find someone to go over and look for fear that as soon as they go in, it will stimulate Jinchan once again. That’s why I thought of going through the night to see if something really happened and also to help him deal with it in advance.”
 
Li Qiucheng glanced at the person with locked eyebrows in the rearview mirror. He raised his hand and pressed on the passenger’s recliner adjustment switch.
 
Xin Zimai was feeling anxious and suddenly he was struck backwards to his chair. “Ai?!”
 
“Since there is something to deal with, take a rest first.” Li Qiucheng looked at the road in front of him and did not turn his head.
 
The night is silent in the cold winter, and the north wind is whistling outside the car. While in the spacious and warm carriage, the man unwittingly spread warmth outside bit by bit.
 
His tone is particularly mellow which sounds inexplicably reassuring.
 
“Sleep ba. I will call you when we get there.”⁸T/N: *me wishing to have a LQ in my life, haha…
 
—
 
Upon arriving at the hotel where the crew was located, it was already the middle of the night. Xin Zimai had a full night’s sleep, his body was fine but his spirit seemed a little nervous.
 
He entered the hotel with Li Qiucheng and went straight to the front desk to ask about the guests. The receptionist was stunned at first by the two handsome men in front and behind and then was shocked by the other’s question.
 
“Was there any sign of fighting in any of the rooms?”
 
“Yes,” Xin Zimai nodded while holding his phone and waiting for the assistant to answer the call. He didn’t know where Zhou Jinchen was staying now so he still had to ask the assistant.
 
He knew that this question sounded odd but he was so worried that he really had no time to beat around the bush, therefore, Xin Zimai asked directly.
 
As a result, before he had time to give a more detailed explanation, he saw the receptionist look over with a suspicious expression. “Indeed. How did you know?”
 
Xin Zimai’s hand shook and almost dropped the phone that hasn’t been connected.

Jinchen really did it again after getting drunk?!!
 
•·················•·················•

E/N: Fight in bed *wink* *wink*

Jie Jie: Lol. I wish they would. Jinchen sounded like an abandoned child. I can’t-

Chapter 72 – An Xumo doesn’t look at me anymore

Ma Lao often speaks amazingly and the people present were already used to it. An Xumo also dared not think too much about it and carefully held the little boy in his arms a little more stable as he continues to listen to Ma Lao’s instructions silently.

Although he is thin, his strength is not too small because he has practiced dancing for a long time; holding a four-year-old boy may feel a little heavy but it is acceptable.

Since it’s currently winter, the child is dressed thickly and the script’s setting is set in late winter and will soon be spring. Filming outdoor scenes now, the child is wrapped into a round little dumpling. An Xumo who was holding him made it a little difficult.

However, the little boy in An Xumo’s arms took the initiative to speak. He turned his head and whispered to An Xumo, “Gege, put me down first~”¹Xiaoxiao’s use of some words are in a cute way which sounds soft and pleasant so I italicized them~

Ma Lao was still talking not far away, the little boy dared not to say it out loud. An Xumo bent down to put the little dumpling down and took the small hands that finally came out from the round down jacket.

In the end, he heard Ma Lao again, “It’s this kind of look and it has appeared again. What’s wrong with you, do you have any opinions about Zhao Xiaotong?”

The little boy was named and timidly hid behind An Xumo.

Zhou Jinchen finally took his eyes back from An Xumo’s side and said to Ma Lao, “I will adjust as soon as possible.”

Only when Ma Lao heard his assurance, did he finally cooled down a little.

“Start over, everyone back to the original position. All departments ready, clapperboard!”

After Zhou Jinchen adjusted his state, the filming quickly progressed smoothly. The difficulty of this scene was originally not in Zhou Jinchen, but An Xumo whose temperament is too young. Fortunately, with Ma Lao’s repeated training and guidance, the scene finally passed Ma Lao’s requirements after five re-takes.

After hearing the approval, An Xumo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Xiaotong who was held by him also sighed like a small adult and smilingly said to An Xumo, “Gege, we’re done filming la~”

An Xumo didn’t have much contact with children before but he and Zhao Xiaotong get along pretty well. The little boy is a child star, his parents are simple people, and he was chosen by Ma Lao because he looks good and clever.

An Xumo was amused by his tone of voice. He picked up the little boy carefully and walked out of the way of the camera. “Yes. The filming is over, Xiao Xiao is so happy?”

“Happy~” Xiao Xiao is Zhao Xiaotong’s nickname. He was held in An Xumo’s arms, “Both me and gege can have a rest la!”

“Yes,” An Xumo said with a smile. “Xiao Xiao is so good. Wait for brother to take you to eat lollipops later, okay?”

In order to get along with the little actor, after discussing with Tang Tang, An Xumo also prepared a bag of candy. However, Zhao Xiaotong is very sensible and he grew fond of An Xumo in their first meeting. The relationship between the two has been harmonious so the candies are not used.

Zhao Xiaotong only has this scene to shoot so he can leave the group only after two or three days. An Xumo then thought to let the prepared candy for the small child to take as well.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaotong shook his head and said in a milky voice, “Xiao Xiao doesn’t eat candy.”

“Huh?” An Xumo was a little surprised. He thought that most children would like candy. “Xiao Xiao doesn’t like to eat candy?”

“I like it~ but Mama said eating candy will cause tooth decay and if you eat too much you will not be attractive.” Zhao Xiaotong’s articulation is very clear, and you can hear that he has experienced a very good education early. “So I only eat sweets once a week and I have already eaten it this week.”

An Xumo was amazed again. He did not expect that such a small child would be so sensible.

And it seems that the little boy has no intention of complaining about his parents’ demands. From his childish but serious voice, one could clearly hear his attachment to his parents.

Although Zhao Xiaotong can only eat sweets once a week, there is no doubt that he is a small child who grew up in a honey pot.²noble or richer life and those born under these conditions are relatively happy; that person is happy and everything is more satisfactory

After taking the little boy out of the camera, the crew also wrapped up and prepared to change locations. Zhao Xiaotong’s mother was also on the set. She quickly picked up the little boy and led the child to say thank you to An Xumo.

Madam Zhao is a beautiful young mother and Zhao Xiaotong’s facial features obviously follow after her. After An Xumo had a brief conversation between them, Madam Zhao led the little dumpling to leave. He watched one big and one small slowly walk away. While the two were talking, the little boy raised his face and looked at his mother; he smiled making his eyes curved.

Some places in An Xumo’s heart were suddenly touched.

This is probably……a normal family’s mother and child relationship.

An Xumo has lost a lot of things that he should have, to the point that he is now burdened and struggling to walk. But what he didn’t have in the past does not mean he won’t have in the future.

Before……he seemed to be too immersed in the wrong emotions.

It’s like coming from a parents’ affection which An Xumo had not experienced since he was a child. He never thought before that one day, he could actually adopt a small child and raise the other little by little.

To make up for it…… isn’t it instinctual love too?

An Xumo thought, suddenly feeling some sense of enlightenment.

The heaviness of the past left such a deep shadow to the point that An Xumo closed his emotions early for fear of suffering the pain that follows. The same is true for Zhou Jinchen, An Xumo is aware of his emotions, and he still sees his brother as his whole motivation. His brother wants to help him get rid of unwanted trouble but one day, this pretend relationship will end.

A large part of his previous trepidation and anxiety also stemmed from this —— once the two lost this connection, they might go back to their previous frozen relationship.

But now, An Xumo found that he has the right to choose, the future is in his own hands.

An Xumo raised his head and looked at Zhou Jinchen in the crowd from afar.

It’s a very sad thing to be taken advantage of by his brother but if he was given the choice, An Xumo will certainly try his best to help his brother.

Perhaps he can change his previous thoughts.

Just think of this matter as lending a helping hand to his brother. As long as An Xumo doesn’t get caught up in it, Zhou Jinchen can get what he wants because of his efforts, and An Xumo will be happy because of it.

He took what his brother gave him as motivation and when An Xumo gave his brother help, what he got…… isn’t it also motivation?

Therefore, there is really no need for him to be upset about this kind of thing.

It’s good to be able to help his brother; he can still get motivation from him. When he couln’t help, An Xumo will leave on his own will and go back to the distance and position he once was.

This was originally An Xumo’s greatest fear, and he never thought that once he faced up to this ending, everything would become so easy.

Tang Tang who walked over to give hot water looked at An Xumo who was standing in a quiet place and was slightly surprised.

“Xiao Mo……” Her voice was slightly hesitant.

An Xumo looked back at her, “What’s wrong?”

Tang Tang sized him up again and said curiously, “Why do I feel that your spirit has suddenly become much better?”

An Xumo smiled, “Maybe it’s because the most important scene is finished.”

He did look a lot more relaxed and Tang Tang did not doubt it. She went along with the topic and continued, “This scene was indeed not easy, thanks to Ma Lao’s teachings. In this way, it seems that the movie resources of the great director are very useful. Among other things, the big director can really dig out the best from the actors.”

“En.” An Xumo nodded. “But…… my acting is probably still not good enough.”

Tang Tang asked, “What’s the matter?”

An Xumo said, “It’s just that it feels strenuous to act. Unlike the seniors who acted at once in whatever state they were in.”

“That’s for sure,” Tang Tang said. “You’ve only just acted in one play and you didn’t have a professional background before so it’s normal to have a gap with others.”

“Just accumulate slowly and it will be good. You are still so young; there are many opportunities in the future.”

An Xumo listened and smiled. “Okay.”

“Speaking of which, Xiao Mo, I really think you have changed a lot during this movie.” Tang Tang said. “It should be fine to pick up scripts again in the future. It was hard for you to take acting classes before you filmed Different Roads. I thought you would not want to take the actor’s path in the future.”

At that time, An Xumo was always worried that he would not perform well in front of his brother and that he was struggling.

An Xumo laughed, “There will certainly be no problems in the future.”

Moreover, now, he has accepted that he is going to leave and had completely adjusted his mind-set.

—

Shortly after Bai Qingchi’s scene ended, the filming of 《Different Roads》 was also coming to an end. After the last shot of Ling Sihang, the hundred-day-long filming finally ended. The crew also looked at the celebration feast with great enthusiasm.

An Xumo’s gastritis is still recuperating but after he figured it out on his own, the pressure was much smaller and he is now gradually starting to resume his daily diet.

However, he still needs to be careful to avoid eating certain foods in the end. So in the final feast, An Xumo has always had water instead of wine.

Although An Xumo did not drink, the others were basically drunk. Except for Ma Lao who needed to leave the table early and rest, even Ma Zechi who was left behind was filled with a round (of drinks), not to mention the two protagonists.

During the time, some people once wanted to encourage An Xumo to drink a little. After all, he was a junior and could not refuse strongly. But before the person who spoke could raise his voice, the glass was picked up by Zhou Jinchen.

All the people present in the room drank a lot and seeing Zhou Jinchen’s action, many people finally began to entice.

Thinking about his brother’s plan, even though it was still somewhat unnatural, An Xumo still dutifully cooperated with his brother to act this scene.

The wine was drunk in one go and amidst the loud cheers around him, An Xumo sighed in his heart and looked at Lin Rui who was sitting not far away.

Lin Rui also drank the wine, holding the glass with an unknown look, his eyes darkened.

After the feast was over, because of too much drinking, a group of people stayed in a room that had been rented in advance. An Xumo did not drink, he wanted to go back with Tang Tang but he was directly stuffed with keys and asked him to help bring Zhou Jinchen back to his room.

The rooms here are different from the previous set’s hotel which is set up for two people. There were too many eyes around, An Xumo hesitated for a moment but he still received the key.

This is the first time An Xumo has seen Zhou Jinchen drink so much but compared with other people who are drunk at first glance, Zhou Jinchen’s situation seems to be much better. The man’s face did not have any change, not even a hint of flush as if he didn’t drink at all.

The appearance was so deceptive that An Xumo always thought that Zhou Jinchen was sober and just didn’t want to talk. It was only when he didn’t get a response when he called him so many times that he reacted —— his brother seemed to be drunk.

Although the reaction was much slower, fortunately, Zhou Jinchen’s behavior was not affected. He could still walk normally and the two of them returned to the room smoothly.

An Xumo originally wanted to wait for a while after the crew had settled down before leaving, but as soon as they entered the room, Zhou Jinchen suddenly locked the door from the inside and surveyed every corner of the room.

His movements were so decisive and agile that An Xumo doubted whether the other party was drunk or not.

After checking in several hidden places, Zhou Jinchen looked around the room again. It seemed that only then did he discovered An Xumo in the room. He took a few steps across and reached out to pinch the back of An Xumo’s neck.

“……?!”

An Xumo himself was ticklish and was frightened by his actions, he almost jumped like a cat with exploded fur.

He was so close that he restrained himself. He saw the man approaching and looked at him carefully.

Despite having adjusted his mentality towards his brother, An Xumo still felt overwhelmed by the oppression of his looks at such close range. He tried to call out twice, “Brother……brother? What’s wrong with you?”

Zhou Jinchen did not answer, only looking at him steadily as if to confirm something.

After a long time, An Xumo didn’t see him speak until he opened his mouth.

“Who are you?”

The man’s magnetic voice was slightly hoarse and in an extremely close distance, it was like a pleasant lingering effect of a plucked string. An Xumo felt the hand on the back of his neck tighten. “I am An Xumo.”

“An Xumo?” Zhou Jinchen repeated.

An Xumo nodded with difficulty.

Zhou Jinchen frowned; the strength in his hand did not relax.

“Isn’t in Zhou Xumo?”

An Xumo froze for a moment.

He hadn’t heard that name in a long time.

But soon, the pressure coming from the back of his neck brought him back to his consciousness. An Xumo who was pinched coughed and said with difficulty, “That too, is my name……”

Zhou Jinchen stared at him again for a long time with a kind of gaze that makes people shudder, before loosening the grip from his right hand.

An Xumo who was finally released gingerly breathed a sigh of relief. He stiffly moved his neck, feeling numb from the back of his neck to his spine.

After Zhou Jinchen confirmed it, he turned around and went to one side of the sofa. He sat on it and took out his phone with a straight face. An Xumo looked at him across the bed, wondering what else the other party wanted to do.

Zhou Jinchen looked at his phone for a long time and in An Xumo’s perception, he seemed to be looking for a number. But this matter seemed a little difficult for Zhou Jinchen. After an unknown period of time, it wasn’t until An Xumo went over to give him a hand did Zhou Jinchen finally dialed the number and raised the phone to his ear.

It didn’t take long for the call to be connected. The phone was answered with a ‘hello’ and Zhou Jinchen directly said to the other side, “His attitude has really changed.”

He frowned, seemingly a little impatient, “Who else can it be, An Xumo.”

(T/N: Oh look, even ZJ is also impatient like us lol)

An Xumo who was suddenly named was startled.

Zhou Jinchen didn’t seem to remember that An Xumo was still in the room at all. When he opened his mouth to speak, he had no intention of hiding at all.

“En, I’ve confirmed it.”

“It’s not what you and Li Qiucheng said,” Zhou Jinchen said with an expressionless face, “it’s that he doesn’t look at me anymore.”

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Get to know the drunken straightforward ball brother.

Chapter 71 – His wife cheated and gave birth to a son

Xin Zimai has no objection to Li Qiucheng’s proposal. After all, even if Li Qiucheng does not say it, according to the current plan, Zhou Jinchen would continue to interact with An Xumo for a long time.

But he was considering another thing. “Then, tell Jinchen’s condition……to Xiao An?”

Li Qiucheng asked, “He didn’t know about it, right?”

Xin Zimai nodded.

“My advice is that it’s best not to explain it.” Li Qiucheng said, “First, because Jinchen doesn’t want his condition to be known by too many people. Currently, only my mentor and I in the group know the patient’s identity. Second, if An Xumo learned about this, his attitude towards Jinchen will probably change. If this affects the two of them getting along, it will outweigh the losses.”

Xin Zimai nodded and asked, “Then…… there is no need to have any special precautions? Is it fine as long as the two of them get along more often?”

“Yes.” Li Qiucheng said, “Jinchen’s current state has stabilized and he will no longer have any destructive or self-destructive tendencies anymore. For Jinchen, the ‘repair’ link has been more or less completed, and there is no need to be too hasty after the treatment. On the contrary, it is a more effective and safer way to exert unnoticeable influence by getting along with each other for a long time.”

He changed his tone and warned, “However, this kind of relationship may need to be maintained for quite a long time to work better. Therefore, the group suggested that it would be best to create a long-term stable environment for the two of them to get along.”

Xin Zimai thought about it for a moment, “The two of them are currently filming with the same crew and there will probably be about a month left. After that, the promotion period before the release of the film, they will definitely be together. Counting it intermittently, there should be two or three months, is that okay?”

Li Qiucheng shook his head, “Not enough.”

“Ah?” This is not enough? Xin Zimai was taken aback. “But Jinchen is so busy with work and he can’t work with Xiao An on every show, so how……”

“It doesn’t have to be during working hours.” Li Qiucheng said. “Where does Jinchen live when he’s not filming?”

Xin Zimai pondered. “The most frequent place he went to in the last year should be the small high-rise that Jin Dian assigned to him……”

Li Qiucheng asked, “Does he have other roommates?”

Xin Zimai shook his head.

He didn’t react after he answered, “You……you mean, let them live together?”

Li Qiucheng said, “If the room is big enough, it should be fine.”

Zhou Jinchen has now shown a willingness to care for An Xumo which is already a remarkable breakthrough for AS patients, especially for Zhou Jinchen who used to have severe autistic tendencies. It has been quite a long time since Li Qiucheng had been receiving Zhou Jinchen’s tests. This was the first time he had noticed such an obvious change in Zhou Jinchen.

That’s why Li Qiucheng actively suggested to Xin Zimai to have more contact between the two people. He could anticipate that this was a very critical node and for Zhou Jinchen this could likely be an opportunity to cure him completely.

“But this kind of thing needs to be maintained by both sides.” Li Qiucheng said, “So you need to discuss this matter with An Xumo in advance.”

This is also the reason why he would say that he would use the resources of the entertainment industry in exchange for An Xumo’s consent. As long as there are interests at stake, a lot of things will be handled easily.

Xin Zimai hesitated for a moment, “Then…… I’ll go back and discuss it with Jinchen.”

“Good.” Li Qiucheng nodded and added, “By the way, don’t tell Jinchen about my previous speculation.”

Xin Zimai thought back for a moment, “You mean the matter that Xiao An might have been present at that time?”

“Yes.” Li Qiucheng said, “Instead of interfering with him from other’s speculation, let Jinchen judge for himself whether An Xumo is the one he needs or not.”

Xin Zimai nodded and felt a little troubled in his heart.

“If, as you say, let the two of them spend a long time together, then suppose, Jinchen really decided that Xiao An is the one he needs……will he recover completely from his condition?”

When he remembered that Li Qiucheng just said that Asperger’s syndrome has not been cured in a real sense, he put it in another way, “It’s not really a recovery, and that is, he will become a little more like a normal person?”

“Actually, at present, if they can receive appropriate behavior modification, all adult AS patients can become like normal people,” Li Qiucheng said, “but they themselves may not like the change and they may not be able to experience real emotions of normal people.”

“We have done all these things before to make Jinchen become like a normal person. But it is very likely that An Xumo is the doctor who can make Jinchen become normal.”

Xin Zimai froze and hope was instantly ignited.

“Nonetheless, this is just a guess.” Li Qiucheng made the person a little calmer, “Asperger’s syndrome is a congenital mental illness, and the patient has a defect from birth. Until now, there have been no specific, convincing cases of real recovery and we can only hope that the best can be achieved.”

“If there is such a possibility,” Xin Zimai remained optimistic as he clapped his hands, “this getting along matter, it’s up to me.”

Seize the opportunity to take advantage of all opportunities and create opportunities even if there are no opportunities.

–

After the two days of sick leave in a short period of time, even though Bai Qingchi’s scenes aren’t much recently, An Xumo felt that his performance was really bad.

After that retching, he went back to living a life of clear soup and water. But this time, An Xumo finally found an excuse; he found an opportunity to bring it up to Zhou Jinchen. Because of the retching, he already had some obscurities on the previous porridge shop. In addition, Zhou Jinchen’s character is one of the two most demanding roles in the crew. After the meal, An Xumo drank the soup brought by the crew three times a day as he wished.

Although the nutrition and taste are not as good as the carefully prepared fancy porridge, for An Xumo, his mental pressure has been reduced a lot. Although hunger still follows him, he had slowly begun to adapt to the feeling like before.

At this time, An Xumo remembered that he had actually handled this before, and hunger was nothing special to him. During the period after his debut, he spent more and more time with his brother and lived a contented life for a while. This time, it was just a matter of going back to his original life.

Except to endure the difficult gap from luxury to frugality, the candy that smells good in front of him, cannot be touched.

Moreover, amongst the cast of 《Different Roads》, the most important part of the film has also entered the filming stage. After careful design and preparation, various complex scenes were gradually put into use. Compared to the previous stage which was shot only in classrooms and cramped rental houses ten years ago, the shots on the main plot of the movie were obviously much more impressive.

Accordingly, all kinds of work took more time and the shooting schedule became more and more intense.

The pressure at work has relieved An Xumo’s emotions a little. During this time, it’s no longer uncommon for the crew to stay up all night from being busy with their eyes opened until dark. Even Ma Lao who is not in an excellent physical condition is present all the time, and the pressure of others will naturally not be much easier. In this case, all kinds of gossip and ambiguous rumors had no time to spread and An Xumo has finally lived a busy life that seemed a little peaceful.

The biggest problem he faced recently was the interpretation of Bai Qingchi ten years later. An Xumo is too young in appearance and temperament, and he looks more and more tender when put on the big screen. The difference between him and the character image who gave up his ballet dream and lived with his adopted son was a little too great and his acting skills are not enough to make up for it.

Yet who would have thought that in the end, he still acted in his original character and helped An Xumo get past this hurdle.

The various events that happened during this period of time caused An Xumo to feel subconsciously distant from Zhou Jinchen compared to his original self. Moreover, it just so happens that the script needed this exact feeling ——

“The biggest damage suffered by Bai Qingchi is in fact came from the person he loves the most, which is Ling Sihang.” Ma Lao took the script to tell An Xumo the scene, “Until the last time, he also has a very complex emotion towards Ling Sihang. He wants to save him but he also didn’t want to let himself fall back into that nightmare again. Therefore, when he faced Ling Sihang, it was a kind of disguised detachment and unperturbed emotions.”

This happens to be too similar to An Xumo’s current feelings for Zhou Jinchen.

The setting for revealing the ending of the film is neither in the bloody police station nor in a solemn and serious courtroom. On the contrary, Mr. Tao and Ma Lao chose the location in an ordinary scene. Ling Sihang who was released on bail meets Bai Qingchi who led his adopted son on the street.

The only person who could provide the evidence that pointed directly to Ye Qisheng’s crime was Bai Qingchi, who happened to be entangled by Zhao Jiujiu at that time. So as soon as the turn-around happened, Ling Sihang thought of this person who had been ignored by him and Ye Qisheng for a long time. At this time, Ling Sihang is in the complex emotion of being framed and jailed by his beloved person so that when he really saw Bai Qingchi, he failed to react, whether he was angry or grateful.

Bai Qingchi’s emotions were much more direct.

He did not deny Ling Sihang’s questioning nor did he intend to dwell on it with the other party. He just gave the person a detached look, looking precisely like the ballet teenager who was as high and proud as a swan.

“I want to retaliate against Ye Qisheng but not to save you.” He stood in the street in a remote alley, surrounded by narrow, gray walls. The surrounding environment was so cramped, but it can’t hide the light on Bai Qingchi’s body.

“You lost the one you love, and he has sinned. I gave back what both of you gave me.”

“Mr. Ling, the earth is so big. I sincerely hope that we will never meet again.”

With that, Bai Qingchi turned and left. He took the little hand of the boy waiting for him at the alley’s entrance. After walking far away, he never looked back.

Outside the alley, people are coming and going in the street. In the bustling street, the little boy being led suddenly gave a milky cry.

“Pull out, hand hurts.”

Bai Qingchi reacted sharply and found out that he unknowingly exerted too much effort and unexpectedly hurt the boy’s hand.

—— This is also the last scene An Xumo had to shoot.

It was hard to let An Xumo who seems to be in love, find that sense of alienation. Ma Lao looked at the monitor screen but frowned again.

He turned on the loudspeaker in his hand and shouted “Cut!”

In front of the camera, the two people who were staring at each other in the street looked over and the crowd of extras on the street stopped.

Ma Lao finally walked over and didn’t use his loudspeaker to make a noise on the set.

However, when he came in front of Zhou Jinchen, his words actually did not leave much mercy.

“The current Ling Sihang is desperate to catch up with Bai Qingchi and ask him if he has handed over the evidence to send Ye Qisheng to jail.”

Ma Lao pointed to An Xumo, “He didn’t go out for a long time and came back to find out that he had been cheated on by his wife and secretly gave birth to a son. Why are you always staring at the little boy he’s holding?”

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

The filming will be finished soon, and the beginning of the promotional period in the scene……and the following ‘long-term relationship’……En, it’s cohabitation.

Chapter 70 – No Main CP Direct Appearance

The filming of 《Different Roads》 is about to be finalized. Xin Zimai who has been working overtime for more than two months finally sees the dawn of victory.

Zhou Jinchen entered the group’s filming and Xin Zimai’s job as an agent was correspondingly less, but these reduced weights are filled by the new company’s tasks. In the end, he is even busier than before.

Zhou Jinchen does not have his own power to use and does not want the Zhou family to be aware of his movements; counting it down, there are naturally very few people that can be trusted. During his several months in the group of《Different Roads》, except for some need to determine the general direction, the company’s day-to-day affairs are handled by Xin Zimai. In addition to the departure of Li Xiuqing, the position of Jin Dian also needs to have a common border, and the degree of Xin Zimai’s busyness can be imagined.

Fortunately, when Zhou Jinchen comes back, most of the tasks can be handed back to this workaholic. Xin Zimai just wanted to count the number of days needed to film the movie when he received a call from Li Qiucheng.

The two of them are still in a bit of an awkward dilemma. Xin Zimai has been working overtime lately so it’s only logical to find an excuse not to meet. Li Qiucheng still sends messages on time and Xin Zimai ignores these things most of the time but hasn’t encountered many things like today’s direct phone call.

Xin Zimai hesitated for a moment but still picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

This time, when Li Qiucheng called, it really wasn’t because of the two of them. Zhou Jinchen’s new examination report had already come out and he himself was unable to leave the set, that’s why Li Qiucheng came to Xin Zimai and suggested that they meet face-to-face.

“…… Okay.”

Xin Zimai hung up the phone and threw himself into the sofa, sadly kicked his right leg which was hanging out the sofa.

He finally managed to find some time to rest in his busy schedule and now it was going to be ruined again.

When Xin Zimai arrived, Li Qiucheng had already got off work. He changed into his casual clothes and hadn’t put on his coat yet. The brown sweater was loosely pulled at the cuffs, revealing a dark gray watch on his wrist.

Without looking at the environment, Li Qiucheng felt more like a successful business elite. Even when wrapped in a soft sweater, the aggressiveness of his body can’t be underestimated.

After such a long time, Xin Zimai will inevitably feel uncomfortable to see this marriage partner who has been married early. But with a task today, Xin Zimai quickly ignores the awkwardness in his heart and sits across the desk.

He opened the door and saw the mountain,¹lit. to open the door and see the mountain; fig. to get right to the point [idiom] “How is Jinchen’s situation?”

“Judging from the examination report, everything is normal.” Li Qiucheng took the test results out of the folder and placed them on the desk, pushing them to Xin Zimai.

Xin Zimai took it and briefly flipped through it. He did not have any in-depth understanding of the medical field and could only understand a few key data. But these data were enough; he could confirm that Zhou Jinchen did not show any abnormalities.

Therefore, counting since his debut, Zhou Jinchen’s recovery trend is obviously much better than expected. In the past two years, he has been almost no different from a normal person. It seems that Mr. Old Yu’s suggestion was indeed golden.²golden mouth and jade teeth (idiom): words of Heaven (Emperor); means that what is said, cannot be changedThe method of using acting to imitate other’s emotions is truly effective on Zhou Jinchen.

Xin Zimai obviously breathed a sigh of relief. He placed the test results back into the folder and knocked away the folder on the table. “There’s nothing unusual anymore, is there?”

He could not help holding on to greater hope. “After some time, won’t Jinchen’s illness be almost considered healed?”

Li Qiucheng corrected him, “In a precise sense, there is no truly defined cure for mental illness like Asperger’s syndrome. If the patient is young, their behavior can still get some training and teaching, while for adult patients, it is more difficult to change. It is better to use the word ‘restraint’ more accurately than treatment.”

Xin Zimai froze for a moment. “But, Jinchen has indeed changed a lot. In the beginning, he didn’t even talk to anyone else for a year……”

“Jinhen’s situation is a little more complicated.” Li Qiucheng said, “Although the average AS patients are not interested in socializing and coexistence, they do not resist this either. The severe autistic tendencies of Jinchen back then should be related to the injury he suffered when he was twelve.”

“However, Jinchen have forgotten exactly what he went through at that time.” Xin Zimai scratched his hair in distress, the slightly curly ends of his hair sticking up between his fingers. “When Master took him to the mountains to recuperate, he thought about asking him about it but at that time, Jinchen no longer remembered it. It’s been ten years since then……the chances of him remembering are unlikely to be much.”

Li Qiucheng naturally also knew about this.

However, he opened his mouth and said, “What Jinchen can’t remember, maybe someone else remembers.”

Xin Zimai was stunned. “Who ……?”

Why didn’t he know that there were other people present in this matter ten years ago?

“It’s just a speculation,” Li Qiucheng slowly said, “An Xumo…… Have you ever thought about this name?”

“Xiao An?!” Xin Zimai asked incredulously.

Li Qiucheng nodded.

“How is that possible…… when Jinchen was only twelve years old, Xiao An was even younger, six or seven years old at most,” Xin Zimai doubted. “Moreover, if Xiao An had been there, the Zhou family would have asked him at that time. How could no one had thought of it after so many years?”

“That’s why I said it was just a speculation.” Li Qiucheng said, “A process derived from the results.”

Xin Zimai asked, “What result?”

“When Jinchen came over for his latest medical checkup, he asked me something.” Li Qiucheng said, “He wanted me to recommend a gastroenterologist to check on someone.”

Xin Zimai quickly responded, “Xiao An?”

“Correct.” Li Qiucheng said, “And this is also the same person whom I treated when Jinchen called me to help a few months ago.”

Xin Zimai was puzzled. “What does this mean?”

Li Qiucheng explained, “Similar to autism, AS patients are often closed and isolated when it comes to interpersonal interactions. The patient themselves will lack the skills and tendency to interact with people, even if Asperger’s syndrome is less symptomatic than autism.”

“Jinchen’s case is even more obvious. Although his symptoms before the age of twelve were consistent with AS, he did not show any obvious resistance to communication. It was not until that accident that he became this restrained and refuses to communicate his emotions with people deeply.”

Li Qiucheng looked at Xin Zimai. “However, have you noticed that he expressed his willingness to take the initiative to care for An Xumo.”

Xin Zimai paused. “This……”

Li Qiucheng said, “Think about it carefully. Based on Jinchen’s actions, does he regard An Xumo as the most special person?”

Yes.

Xin Zimai can answer this question without thinking.

He saved the person from the family banquet, found a top variety resource for him, specially asked Xin Zimai to give the person a team whose members were of good character, and helped find the most brilliant supporting role for An Xumo to act among the big director’s movies.

Even to the relatives of the Zhou family, Zhou Jinchen did not take such care of them, even before he knew the truth.

Zhou Yunlin and his wife are married in business. They have no emotional foundation and usually play in their own ways. The relationship between Zhou Yunlin and Zhou Jinchen is more like business partners than father and son. Zhou Jinchen is responsible for making a name for himself in the industry, while Zhou Yunlin and the Zhou family are responsible for obtaining funds and contracts.

Even Old Zhou who appreciates his grandson the most, the relationship between the two will not be as close and natural as the grandfather and grandson of ordinary families.

“That is why I’m guessing if An Xumo was also present when the accident happened back then.” Li Qiucheng said, “Perhaps he gave a helping hand to Jinchen which what made Jinchen retain a good impression for An Xumo deep inside his heart despite his closed memory.”

“It’s because of this that Jinchen showed a special tendency to care for him.”

Xin Zimai froze for a moment.

He hadn’t really thought about this possibility.

“But……Jinchen mentioned to me about Xiao An,” Xin Zimai frowned. “The reason he took such care for Xiao An is to let him pretend to be his partner and block those rotten peach blossoms that were attracted to him.”

“You know, he hasn’t been able to understand other people’s feelings towards him. A distant group like fans are fine, while those around him who takes the initiative to express their love can only be a burden to Jinchen. He doesn’t know how to respond and doesn’t want to respond to these people, that’s why he has this plan.”

After hearing this, Li Qiucheng did not show any sudden emotions. Instead, he gave Xin Zimai a deep look.

Xin Zimai did not understand his gaze. “…… What’s wrong?”

“The use to achieve the purpose is not the same as genuine concern.” Li Qiucheng said, “This may be difficult to discern among ordinary people but for AS patients, the difference is very obvious.”

“Has Jinchen ever cared about other people’s illness or exhaustion before?”

Xin Zimai thought for a moment. “…… No.”

Not really. Xin Zimai and Zhou Jinchen had known each other for ten years and his Master was the one who treated Zhou Jinchen back then. Up to now, Zhou Jinchen’s most important matters will only be entrusted to Xin Zimai. There is no need to say much about the relationship between the two, but Zhou Jinchen has never asked Xin Zimai about his physical condition.

Not only that, if Xin Zimai doesn’t say he’s tired, Zhou Jinchen will continue to ask the former to work overtime together according to his own standards. After several times, Xin Zimai finally learned his lesson and reported to Zhou Jinchen early that some people really can’t afford to stay up all night for five days in a row, and giving more overtime pay won’t work.

“So I think,” Li Qiucheng said, “this An Xumo is probably the breakthrough in Zhou Jinchen’s emotional treatment.”

Xin Zimai was still a little uncertain; he looked around and asked, “Is there any surveillance in your office?”

Li Qiucheng gave him a look, “None.”

That’s good. Xin Zimai hesitated but still said, “Could it be some other reason? As far as I know, Jinchen previously misunderstood that Xiao An’s biological father was his murderer so the two had no contact for a long time. It was not until they found out that this person had long jumped off a building and died that Jinchen began to change his attitude towards Xiao An. I think he probably also has a compensating guilty mentality in taking care of Xiao An, right?”

AS patients are inherently less affected by emotions than normal people and Li Qiucheng has reservations about Xin Zimai’s statement. However, in this point of view, this guilty psychology should be the key to Zhou Jinchen’s change of attitude towards An Xumo, and getting along with An Xumo is an important breakthrough for Zhou Jinchen to get better.

“This may also be one of the reasons.” Li Qiucheng said, “But in any case, it will definitely be beneficial for Jinchen to spend more time with An Xumo.”

“After I consulted it with my mentor, the group made a suggestion.”

He adjusted his glasses and his sharp gaze could not even conceal from the lenses for a few moments.

“You can use the entertainment industry’s resources or other benefits to keep An Xumo by Jinchen’s side and let him help Jinchen with his recovery.”

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Dr. Li is one of the more rational people; he only loves Mai-zi.

Chapter 69 – About Zhou Jinchen’s illness
 
The situation changed so quickly that everyone present was momentarily stunned.
 
It wasn’t until Tang Tang rushed up to hold An Xumo that someone gradually reacted and came over to help move the chair and get tissues. The scene was suddenly very busy.
 
Although the boy deliberately found a remote corner and turned his back towards the crowd, but it was just the bent slender back and violent trembling that made people aware of the bad situation.
 
An Xumo still had porridge at noon and there was a full scene in the afternoon. He was so busy that he hasn’t even had time to drink a few more mouthfuls of water, and the rice porridge had already been digested and disappeared. So after bending and retching for a long time, he wasn’t able to vomit anything out.
 
If you feel nauseous because of not eating well, you can feel better after vomiting. However, An Xumo is far from being so lucky. He has no food in his stomach, he couldn’t puke anything. Finally, he felt so nauseous that he vomited out grayish-white gastric juice.
 
The people on the sidelines felt shocked, not to mention how he himself felt.
 
An Xumo was able to hold on to the wall at first but then he was tortured to the point where he couldn’t stand up. Even if he is thin, his height is still there. Tang Tang as a girl certainly won’t be able to support him.
 
Before Tang Tang could open her mouth to call assistant Xiao Zhang, someone reached over and took the boy she was holding.
 
An Xumo was trembling badly and his face was pale to the extreme as if he would faint in the next second. Zhou Jinchen half-hugged him, almost holding most of his weight but despite this, the weight in his arms was still light, as though a gust of wind can blow it away.
 
The crew was attracted by the movement of many people but Ma Zechi who was alarmed, stepped in to let everyone go to eat and prepare for the next work, leaving only a few of them and the doctor in the group here. After vomiting gastric juice, An Xumo finally stopped retching. Tang Tang carefully gave him some warm water and found the emergency pills under the doctor’s reminder and watched the boy reluctantly drink them.
 
An Xumo vomited so much that he lost his strength and relied on Zhou Jinchen to hold him steady throughout. Even when he sat on the chair they brought, it looked like he would fall down at any moment.
 
But in this way, he seems to be trying to say something to the man beside him.
 
At first, Zhou Jinchen thought that the boy wanted something but he waited patiently for a long time for the broken three words.
 
“I-I’m…….s-sorry……”
 
“Don’t talk.” Zhou Jinchen directly interrupted him and raised the cup of water in his hand to the lips of the person. “Drink some water.”
 
An Xumo seems to be trying to take the cup but Zhou Jinchen did not let the boy try to be brave and directly helped the person drink a little. His movements are not too skilled but his attitude is very careful.
 
When the boy drank a little, Zhou Jinchen first moved the cup away to let the person swallow the water. However, An Xumo’s face suddenly changed, he stretched out his hand to push Zhou Jinchen away with the last bit of strength.
 
He failed to push the man but it doesn’t matter anymore. An Xumo once again bent over and the tears from retching made his eyes sore, the unbearable tears slid down his eyes, making his already pale and uncomfortable face even worse.
 
The boy vomited again, spewing out the water and pills he just drank.
 
Zhou Jinchen watched from a distance, half a step away and the unbearable pain clearly passed on. ‘Empathy’ is the most difficult and useless word for him. However, when he saw the boy’s thin back bent into a fragile arc and the slight spasm from his emaciated body from time to time, he had a brand-new experience of this word.
 
Like a little white cat so thin that you can see the bones, and so weak to even make a purr. Zhou Jinchen had never had special feelings for pets before but now he has the impulse to reach out and want to touch the little white cat’s cold, shivering, and thin body.
 
Even if it warms him up a little.
 
The doctor on duty today is not the same Dr. Hao. He doesn’t know much about An Xumo’s condition. Seeing the person’s current condition, he suggested sending the person to the hospital for an examination.
 
There was no night scene for Bai Qingchi so Tang Tang and Xiao Zhang accompanied An Xumo to the nearest hospital. Zhou Jinchen wasn’t able to get away; he had to continue filming the night scenes.
 
Although the impact was intentionally reduced, the fact that An Xumo was sent to the hospital because of retching during mealtime was still known to most of the people working on the evening set. They looked at Zhou Jinchen with some caution, knowing that the film emperor must be in a very bad mood right now, and even the movement at work was much smaller.
 
In the end, Ma Lao frowned and shouted twice to start over and the crowd on the set resumed to the normal level.
 
But even so, the indoor scenes shot at night were still affected. Tonight, they were going to film Ling Sihang’s interrogation scene in the police station. Two police officers, an old man, and a young man were responsible for the questioning. The two supporting roles acting against Zhou Jinchen were a little bit involuntarily affected. The older actor was fine and quickly adjusted, but the remaining actor playing as a young police officer was completely suppressed by Zhou Jinchen in terms of momentum. When the lines by the opposite party came out, he did not look like a police officer asking questions at all, but rather as if he were giving an explanation of the crime.
 
The night scene also has a shot of Lin Rui. He stood beside Ma Zechi, watching Zhou Jinchen who was expressionless sitting on the iron chair, and his heart vaguely gave birth to some confusions.
 
The director in charge of the night scene is Liu Longfei so Ma Zechi appears to be a little leisure now. He also noticed Zhou Jinchen’s emotions, when he was rubbing his chin and thinking, he heard Lin Rui’s voice beside him.
 
“…… Do you feel that Zhou Jinchen’s emotions are not quite right?”
 
Ma Zechi looked at Zhou Jinchen in front of the camera and raised an eyebrow, “His current emotions are definitely wrong ah, isn’t it obvious.”
 
Lin Rui frowned, “Obvious?”
 
Ma Zechi looked at him suspiciously and then thought of Lin Rui’s feelings for Zhou Jinchen. He coughed lightly and did not mention An Xumo’s name. “Maybe it’s because of the accident during the meal.”
 
Lin Rui thought differently from Ma Zechi.
 
Zhou Jinchen did not have any special thoughts about An Xumo, which Lin Rui can be sure of. At best, he is only acting out another script, his voice full of emotion and touching but no matter what was said the script can’t become a reality.
 
But An Xumo has already left, why would Zhou Jinchen still behave this way?
 
Lin Rui looked at Zhou Jinchen in the bright light, and the other party’s face was illuminated by sufficient light but Lin Rui felt for the first time that he had not read Zhou Jinchen’s emotions correctly. 
 
If Zhou Jinchen wants to leave the image of a good boyfriend who is worried about his lover to everyone, and does not want people to doubt that he is indifferent because An Xumo is sick, then Zhou Jinchen can just act and stop as soon as it’s good. But now, Ma Lao has obviously become a real fire.¹angry After criticizing the actor who played the young police officer twice without any effect, he took aim at the extremely imposing Zhou Jinchen.
 
But after Zhou Jinchen was bombarded once, he still did not adjust his state.
 
So much so that after six re-takes, Ma Lao was still very dissatisfied and the filming at the scene was completely stopped, leaving a few minutes for the actors to adjust.
 
This is not common on the set of 《Different Roads》, especially when this obvious mistake unexpectedly happened to Zhou Jinchen who had always been very quick to get into his role. The atmosphere on the set became depressing and only Ma Lao who had lost his temper could be heard adjusting his own lethal weapon, the loudspeaker.
 
Because of personal emotions, the filming progress of the crew was affected. Before tonight, Lin Rui would never believe that this will happen to Zhou Jinchen.
 
This man is extremely self-disciplined, rational, and calm, and he calculates the impact of everything he does in advance. Lin Rui certainly understands that this kind of person who is almost cold is not suitable for being a lover, but he still felt uncontrollable and could not go out again.
 
Lin Rui is well aware of Zhou Jinchen’s extreme calmness, so he also knows that ‘being unable to properly film because he is worried about his lover’ this kind of thing can never be executed by Zhou Jinchen’s rational judgment in advance.
 
But now, this thing is actually happening.
 
Why……?
 
Lin Rui was so puzzled that he subconsciously ignored the most obvious reason —— Ma Zechi and even everyone settled with that.
 
How could that be?
 
It can’t be.
 
Lin Rui decisively rejected this answer and finally put it as one of Zhou Jinchen’s long-term plans for the time being, thinking that the man should have other plans before he chose to do so.
 
The evening filming was set back by about half an hour and it was hard to do it by hand. Zhou Jinchen, whose face has not been very good, did not go back to the hotel with the crew but went alone to call Tang Tang.
 
An Xumo has returned to the hotel, he vomited twice in the hospital and got a little better after taking a bottle of an IV drip. After returning to the hotel, tossing and turning for a long time, he finally fell asleep.
 
At this time, going to the boy to see him will inevitably disturb him. After he hung up, Zhou Jinchen was silent for a while, and he finally went back to the hotel alone, to his own room.
 
Early the next morning, Xin Zimai arranged the car early and waited downstairs. Zhou Jinchen made another call to Tang Tang. As a result, Xiao Zhang said that there was nothing unusual about An Xumo but he was still sleeping and did not get up.
 
The time is indeed a bit early. In order not to disturb the boy’s rest, Zhou Jinchen did not go over.
 
Today is the examination date once every three months, and the crew transferred the relevant parts early and have Zhou Jinchen a half-day off. As the main character of the film, he only had half a day and it was difficult to reschedule again if he missed it. Therefore, Zhou Jinchen did not delay and went to the hospital as originally planned.
 
The examination is still carried out by Li Qiucheng. After all kinds of long-winded psychological test questions and boring simulated behavior like before, Zhou Jinchen went to measure the level of secretion of various neurohormones in the body. This is a routine activity and when the examination is done, the whole morning has passed.
 
The results would still come out in a few days. After greeting Zhou Jinchen who had finished the examination, Li Qiucheng thought that the other party would leave directly like before. Unexpectedly, the man followed him to his office and asked if he had a good gastroenterologist to recommend.
 
The Zhou family’s medical resources were far richer than those that Li Qiucheng has access to, but the subject was An Xumo, and Zhou Jinchen couldn’t possibly use the family’s resources again.
 
Although Li Qiucheng was a little surprised, he still agreed. Next time, let the patient come directly, he would take someone to see him.
 
After learning the identity of the patient in Zhou Jinchen’s mouth, Li Qiucheng quickly remembered that the other party was the boy who ate seafood after having an injury that he (Li Quicheng) had treated himself. He thoughtfully looked at Zhou Jinchen two more times before sending the person out of the office.
 
After Zhou Jinchen left, Li Qiucheng thought for a while, then got up and went to a room not far from next door.
 
His mentor happened to be in his office. Li Qiucheng walked to the table and rubbed his fingers against the smooth wooden table.
 
He pondered and opened his mouth to ask, “Teacher, do you remember the case of Asperger’s syndrome in our group?”
 
“Does the tendency of AS patients to get better involve caring for other individuals?”
 
•·················•·················•
The author has something to say:
 
AS is the abbreviation of Asperger Syndrome. Yes, this is the brother’s illness.
 
【【Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder characterized by social difficulties accompanied by narrow interests and repetition of specific behaviors, but still retains a relatively high level of language and cognitive development compared to other general autistic disorders.】】 —Taken from Baidu Baike.
 
However, the brother’s situation is different from that of ordinary AS patients because he had a serious illness at the age of twelve due to an accident. The specific difference will be explained later~
 
•·················•·················•
Additional info:
 
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): is a neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in childhood and lasts throughout a person’s life. It affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns. It includes what used to be known as Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorders. Link

Chapter 68 – Can you eat enough

Tang Tang was so scared by the man’s words that she even forgot what she wanted to say. “There is…… poison?”

“No poison.” Zhou Jinchen repeated with a straight face.

“……”

There was a moment of eerie silence around.

Looking at Tang Tang who was in a circle, An Xumo reached out to take the lunchbox from her arms. When he wanted to take the second one, Tang Tang subconsciously tightened her fingers and didn’t let An Xumo take away the lunchbox Zhou Jinchen brought.

Her body was a beat faster than her brain. Only when An Xumo who let go of his hand, showed a puzzled expression did Tang Tang react.

She hurriedly explained, “No, Xiao Mo can’t eat this now.”

An Xumo was just about to speak when he heard Zhou Jinchen ask, “Why?”

This is a separate dinner prepared when ordering. It tastes good with low calories, less oil, and less flavor. It’s packed in a small insulated box which enjoys special treatment. However, this specially prepared dinner was not appreciated. Tang Tang directly said, “Xiao Mo has gastritis. Recently, he can only eat porridge or egg custard, and others are difficult to digest.”

An Xumo held the lunchbox with egg custard in his hand and felt his brother’s line of sight without looking up.

The man’s voice was still magnetic with a faint low voice, “This happened after the last fever?”

An Xumo hesitated and nodded.

Tang Tang looked around and saw that no one noticed their side before continuing to explain, “The doctor said that there is no quick treatment for chronic gastritis, he can only slowly recuperate. Xiao Mo is taking medicine now and he can gradually resume a normal diet in another week, but not now.”

She handed the lunch box back to Zhou Jinchen. “Thank you for your care Brother Zhou, you better take this dinner back first ba.”

An Xumo also said thank you but his eyes were still glued to the lunch box in Tang Tang’s hand and failed to successfully retrieve it.

Zhou Jinchen glanced at the eager boy and asked Tang Tang, “Can’t touch it at all?”

Tang Tang apologized, “It’s probably not possible now.”

Zhou Jinchen raised his hand and took back the lunchbox. He looked at the insulated box An Xumo was holding which was so small that one hand could cover most of it, and then said to Tang Tang, “What did the doctor say he could eat now? Send me the recipe.”

Tang Tang blanked for a moment but when she thought of the fact that Zhou Jinchen was An Xumo’s brother, she quickly reacted and nodded. “Okay.”

Since the diagnosis of gastritis, An Xumo’s meals were taken care of by Tang Tang. She discussed it with Sister Liu and canceled An Xumo’s boxed meals and brought them back from the outside three times a day.

An Xumo felt a little sorry and was evaded by Tang Tang with “If you post more Weibo, I’ll send you a year’s worth of meals”. An Xumo knew that Tang Tang really cared about him so even after drinking rice porridge and egg custard for more than a week, he didn’t complain about anything but just silently endured the hunger that followed him.

However, after Zhou Jinchen took the list of food prescribed by the doctor from Tang Tang’s hand, the latter’s takeaway business was taken away.

Zhou Jinchen paid a month’s money in advance at a long-established porridge shop two or three kilometers away from the Film and Television City and asked them to deliver the customized stomach-nourishing meals on time, for three times a day.

This porridge shop is known for its medicinal food. The ingredients are really not mentioned, but the price is also very good. In addition, the insulated porridge bowls sent every time are exquisite and exceptional; the shape of the bowl also matches the color of the porridge ingredients. Their intentions can be seen just from the object.

Not to mention, these porridge aren’t cooked in a big pot but in accordance with the information provided by Zhou Jinchen, a specially designed personal recipe for An Xumo who has chronic gastritis. Three meals a day were delivered for seven days in a row, without repeating for a whole week.

From the time the first meal was delivered, An Xumo felt a little sorry. He didn’t want to trouble his brother and he doesn’t want to let himself fall deeper into the past. But after he plucked up the courage to explain to Zhou Jinchen, the man did not agree to his proposal, only saying that he should get well quickly.

The actors in the cast are basically eating together. An Xumo originally ate with them, it’s a bit too deliberate if he avoids them now. But in this way, within two days, everyone around knew that he had a stomach problem and had to drink porridge.

Some actors were attracted by the aroma of the porridge and came to ask the shop selling the porridge and its price. An Xumo didn’t know anything when asked¹lit. to reply “don’t know” whatever the question (idiom); fig. absolutely no idea of what’s going on; complete ignorance. so the next time the staff of the porridge shop came to deliver the food, someone was curious and asked the employee a few more questions.

The result was predictable.

An Xumo was not the only one who was surprised by the price of the porridge. Soon, the story of Zhou Jinchen specially ordering meals for the sick An Xumo almost spread throughout the crew.

The brand of the porridge shop cannot be faked and there is a never shortage of porridge delivered three meals a day. This is really obvious to all and it’s more impactful than the kissing scene where only long-term staffs were present at that time.

Although there is still no sense of directly mentioning this matter in front of Zhou Jinchen, the crew’s eyes are clearly different from the two people. When An Xumo helped to get the props, he also heard Ma Zechi ask Zhou Jinchen if he was serious. Zhou Jinchen who always disliked emotional rumors did not deny it, and he seemed to consent to it.

But Lin Rui who was standing beside the two first saw An Xumo passing by and greeted him with a smile.

An Xumo pretended to run away calmly but his heart became more and more clear about what the film emperor Lin had said before.

This kind of thing can fool others but not those who really like Zhou Jinchen.

Within a few days, almost everyone in the crew was aware of Zhou Jinchen’s special treatment towards An Xumo. If the object had not been Zhou Jinchen, I’m afraid everyone would have already made a fuss. However, most people dare not to joke with Zhou Jinchen but not with An Xumo who is easy to get along with. In less than a week, many people in the cast and crew from top to bottom were teasing An Xumo in public and in private.

Everyone has a gossipy heart and curiosity about this kind of thing that is difficult to be suppressed. Coupled with the fact that these two obviously don’t have any cheating and messy dog blood drama, they are in a sweet normal love. Everyone thinks that as long as they don’t expose it to the media, looking at Zhou Jinchen’s current attitude, it doesn’t matter if they openly talk about it.

The majority of the crew has a good impression of An Xumo, when they talk about gossip, they will not mix too much malice. There are even people who have mentioned a few things to An Xumo, saying that they were envious of Zhou Jinchen.

In most people’s eyes, the act of remembering to send porridge when you’re sick is more loving than sending roses on holidays.

An Xumo knows the truth but he could only hide it with a smile.

The more people around him take this as truth, the more smoothly Zhou Jinchen’s plans will be. Although An Xumo did not dare to pick up the candy from his brother, he would never refuse to help his brother.

An Xumo understood the reason why his brother chose him to act is that they have a brotherly relationship in which his brother thinks he will not like him. The fake act will not come true and it also avoids the trouble caused to his brother who loathes the feelings of others.

If he wants to continue to help Zhou Jinchen, he must hide his feelings.

An Xumo had already thought about this matter as early as when he had a high fever so he dutifully played the role of a lucky man who was admired in everyone’s eyes. Even if he was teased kindly over and over again, An Xumo never revealed anything.

But there is only one thing that An Xumo has no control over.

—— The porridge which was carefully prepared, privately ordered, and delivered on time, made him find it harder to swallow every time.

As time went by, many people met the staff of the porridge shop that came over to deliver. They looked at An Xumo with curious and ambiguous eyes, reminding An Xumo all the time of the real reason why the porridge was delivered.

An Xumo is not really stupid. Zhou Jinchen had long ago identified those fake things, how can he not understand that these porridges are such good props.

Sleeping in the same room, explaining the script, real kissing scene, plus one more, attentive after getting sick.

Who would not find them sweet after listening to it?

An Xumo understands all of this so he must continue to cooperate. The off-cam acting is no less stressful than the pressure on-cam, and there is no chance for NG to start over. As long as there is an outsider present, An Xumo must be acting.

He learned to ignore other people’s eyes a long time ago but now he is forced not to miss each and every gaze that are thrown at him.

As time went on, An Xumo even began to miss the porridge that Tang Tang brought to him at the start.

After the one-week time limit was up, An Xumo began to take new stomach medication according to the doctor’s instructions. He was finally able to end his days of eating porridge and slowly began to return to a light, normal diet.

An Xumo easily finished the last bowl of porridge delivered by the porridge shop and waited eagerly to eat the crew’s lunch box again. Even if Tang Tang stared at him and carefully picked out the meat slices, he was no longer surrounded by people saying those roundabout or straightforward compliments and envy.

It’s just that after the crew finished work, Tang Tang didn’t let An Xumo who finished filming, receive the lunch box. She said that the crew’s meal still has a heavy taste which is not quite suitable for An Xumo who was in the recovery stage.

“Xia Mo, you haven’t reached the stage where you can eat casually so be careful for a while more.”

An Xumo was a little confused, “Didn’t you say I’m not drinking porridge?”

“Not drinking, not drinking.” Tang Tang hurriedly said, “I can’t even stand it anymore.”

Even if it’s done in different ways, drinking porridge for more than two weeks in a row is hard to accept, Xiao Mo has been able to persist enough. Seeing An Xumo get increasingly harder for him to swallow as he drank porridge, Tang Tang also felt unbearable.

She did not know that An Xumo was having a hard time drinking it, not just because of the porridge itself.

Tang Tang said, “There is a new recipe today which had been arranged in advance. You do not need to worry.”

An Xumo breathed a sigh of relief, he thought Tang Tang brought him another meal. He was still wondering that the other party seemed to have been present and did not leave; perhaps Xiao Zhang had gone to help get it?

While he was thinking about it, he heard Tang Tang smash her palm with her fist.

“Come!”

An Xumo followed her line of sight and look over, he froze directly in place.

The one who came over with the lunch box was no longer the already familiar porridge shop employee but it wasn’t the Xiao Zhang he had imagined either. The man’s height of nearly one point nine meters and excellent proportions make him the focus of attention no matter where he goes. Zhou Jinchen walked towards their side and brought the eyes of other people in the crew who were ready to eat.

“Brother Zhou asked for the recipe in advance and the doctor suggested that you can eat this……”

Tang Tang’s voice became farther and farther away in his ears. An Xumo looked at the lunch box in Zhou Jinchen’s hand. After several days he was on guard and let him not be the same as before, directly ignoring the eyes cast around him.

Those curious, envious, and ambiguous lines of sight.

Zhou Jinchen who was holding the lunch box was about to open his mouth when he saw the boy in front of him swayed. He was about to reach out to help him but he saw the boy suddenly turn his back and stride towards the wall two meters away.

“Xiao Mo……?”

Tang Tang who doesn’t know the reason why, called out but she did not get a response from the boy.

The people who noticed this were not few and they all witnessed An Xumo’s sudden change on his face and left. The scene immediately quieted down. However, before Zhou Jinchen who had not been able to help him take back his hand, An Xumo who walked a few steps on the wall, suddenly bent down, leaning against the side of the wall, and retched violently.

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Chronic gastritis can cause nausea and retching. In severe cases, vomiting on an empty stomach and gastric juice will come out…

If there are no accidents, the brother’s illness will be revealed in two chapters!

Chapter 67 – It’s something my brother gave

An Xumo turned his head and tried to say goodbye to the figure that appeared in his dream earlier. Yet he walked in the opposite direction for a long time and dragged his tired legs to scuttle in fear, but he still did not shake off the hazy light and the figure in the light.

Something even came up from behind and pressed against his temple —

An Xumo suddenly trembled, he opened his eyes with a sharp gasp.

The bedside lamp used to illuminate at night has been turned on and the man standing by the bed looked down at him. A slender and strong hand was pressed against the side of An Xumo’s face. It was this touch that pulled An Xumo out of his dream.

Zhou Jinchen originally wanted to test whether An Xumo’s fever subsided but he didn’t expect that just as he touched the other party, the boy would suddenly violently shudder and open his eyes in horror.

The light brown pupils were filled with water, but the fear inside was undeniable.

Zhou Jinchen’s movements could not help but pause.

Unlike last time when the boy was unconscious, he mistakenly thought that his dream was peaceful. An Xumo’s chest fluctuated sharply this time but he also woke up because of this violent movement. He even subconsciously used his hands to support his body as if to move himself a little further to the other side. But he doesn’t have the strength to support himself now and his arms went limp as soon as his upper body was raised.

—— If Zhou Jinchen hadn’t reached out and put his hand on the back of his neck, he’s afraid An Xumo would have fallen back directly.

The cold temperature from behind his neck was like a cold wind in winter. An Xumo couldn’t help but shiver again. Even when he was put back on the bed, he was so flustered that he forgot to say ‘thank you’.

Zhou Jinchen frowned. He did not notice the difference in An Xumo’s expression but judging from the temperature touched by his palm, the other party’s condition was not really good.

“The fever hasn’t gone down yet?”

“It doesn’t burn much anymore…”

The voice was so rough that it directly weakened the credibility of what An Xumo said. Zhou Jinchen reached out again to probe the temperature of An Xumo’s forehead but the boy on the bed looked like he was afraid of the cold and his body was still slightly shaking.

“Have you taken the medicine?”

Just as An Xumo wanted to speak, he was directly stopped. “Don’t speak, nod or shake your head.”

An Xumo nodded as he was told.

“Do you have a scene tomorrow?”

Still nodded.

“I will ask for leave with the crew and try to move it back, you get well first.”

Zhou Jinchen’s voice was tinged with a little haze in the room with the night light on, like a candy wrapped in cellophane.

“Go back to sleep.”

The wall switch made a light ‘pa’ sound and the familiar figure slowly moved away in the dark. After a ‘click’, the door closed and the room quieted down again.

An Xumo shrunk himself under the covers.

His consciousness is still not clear but his mind is already working on its own. An Xumo thought that if he could give up his unrealistic fantasies and still look at his brother with the same gaze as he did at the start, it seems that the situation could become a little better.

Just like at the very beginning, when looking at his brother’s picture, he can feel that food has become much better.

What would it take to get back to the way it was at the beginning?

An Xumo envisioned in his head drowsily. First of all, he must ignore his brother’s attitude towards him because if his brother takes care of him more, his emotions would be affected. Just like now, when his brother said he would help him to ask for leave, that unsettling voice deep inside would scream and want to break out of bounds.

Not to mention the thoughtful concern, the mint-flavored kisses……

He would have to bury those cakes and sweets and not to touch them again.

And then, An Xumo thought, he’s going to start gaining energy again the way he did in the first place, just by taking a look.

Perhaps, he can find something else to replace it, his job, for example. An Xumo vaguely remembered those little girls who came to visit the set before, they smiled shyly and brightly which made him find another meaning of this job.

Work hard in the initial direction and then replace it with something else, so that’s fine. He was not only able to pull himself back to safety but also be able to help his brother and solve the trouble for the other party.

An Xumo’s thoughts clearly listed one, two, three, and also added goals and meanings from the beginning to the end. But as if the hidden virus still hadn’t given up, he just finished sorting himself out when an unspeakable emotion suddenly came over him.

Why can’t I eat the candy given by my brother?

Even when he initially counted the hundreds of days without seeing his brother, An Xumo could still comfort himself with his brother from ten years ago. At that time, everyone disliked him and only his brother would give him milk. An Xumo was relying on this little sweet taste to survive the ten long years.

But now, he has to bury what his brother gave him with his own hands, not even daring to touch it anymore.

The saddest thing is that this is all caused by An Xumo himself.

If he hadn’t crossed the line and hadn’t been greedy and delusional, he could still be the same An Xumo who could happily hold the candy from ten years ago.

Let’s start tomorrow and allow ourselves to be sad for one more night, An Xumo thought, closing his wet eyes in the darkness.

No one has taught An Xumo normal feelings so he doesn’t know that secret love is the most difficult to resist to the provocation of the one they love. The beautiful fantasy and the loss of reality are the most frequent emotional twists and turn in the process of unrequited love but An Xumo regarded all of these as his own fault.

He hurt himself to death to correct these mistakes he had made alone.

–

After two days off from work due to illness, An Xumo finally returned to the set.

Because of the temporary delay in filming, he felt that he had caused a lot of trouble for the crew. Taking the initiative to apologize seemed too deliberate so An Xumo would rush over in time whenever they needed help and the number of NGs during filming was gradually decreasing.

Ma Lao’s attitude towards the newcomer was of course would have been more relaxed and he was even more satisfied with this kind of An Xumo.

After filming the scenes from ten years ago, the crew fixed the actors’ makeup, reworked their costumes, and gave the props a major change. It wasn’t long before the filming of the third murder case ten years later begin. The two protagonists’ emotions are much more complex and restrained than they were ten years ago. This is precisely Zhou Jinchen and Lin Rui’s strength. After not having to deliberately imitate the teenager’s posture to act as a student, their interpretation of a young man with a secret was more comfortable.

The atmosphere in front of the camera was getting more and more depressing by the day but the overall atmosphere on the set is a lot lighter. The progress of the scene is developing smoothly, even in the hands of Ma Lao who had always been picky, there have only been two or three shots taken.

An Xumo’s observational experience is accumulating day by day. Unlike the two lead actors, the Bai Qingchi ten years later is a more difficult test for him. He deliberately changed his old makeup and can see the immaturity of his words and deeds. Therefore, the improvement in acting skills during this time becomes more important.

Memorize the process of shooting on the set as detailed as possible during the day and repeat the scene on the script over and over again at night. Although there are no scenes for the time being, An Xumo was no more relaxed than the rest of the actors in the crew. But this is good, busy work is actually a very effective way to share the psychological pressure.

If it wasn’t for Zhou Jinchen who would occasionally come over at night to find someone to review the script, An Xumo might have been a little more relaxed.

But Bai Qingchi and Ling Sihang’s most intimate scenes have already been taken and the present situation is much better than before. Although Zhou Jinchen still takes the initiative to come over, he would only come to correct a pair of scripts or to spend some time in the gym with someone. For An Xumo who set his goal early, it wasn’t too hard.

In addition, An Xumo also took the initiative to find Tang Tang and talk about some matters. His previous Weibo posting is once a week, after entering the group in order to feel at ease filming, Tang Tang did not continue to urge him, and An Xumo also forgot about this matter. Now that he has taken the initiative, Tang Tang naturally raised her hands in approval.

An Xumo found four pictures and sent them out, two of which had himself on them which was incredible for him who often posted on Weibo and forgot to bring pictures along. The fans breathe in a piece of fresh Mo were happy as if it was Chinese New Year and the number of reposts and comments skyrocketed.

Within half an hour ‘An Xumo the missing person’ and ‘four photos at once’ were on the top of the hot search keywords. When Tang Tang showed An Xumo the screenshots of the hot search, she also found a few Weibo posts forwarded by fans to draw lottery. An Xumo did not expect that his Weibo post can make fans happy to the point of celebrating the lottery. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but a little warmth also vaguely gushed inside his heart.

Everything is moving in a good direction, except for one thing that is not quite as one would like.

An Xumo’s hunger has not been alleviated but it has become more and more serious with the passage of time.

After Xiao Zhang learned about gastrointestinal inflammation, An Xumo had just recovered from the fever and was pressured by Tang Tang to go to the hospital. Gastroscopy is a very torturous test and the final result was not very optimistic — An Xumo indeed has chronic gastritis.¹Chronic gastritis occurs when your stomach lining becomes inflamed. Bacteria, consuming too much alcohol, certain medications, chronic stress, or other immune system problems can lead to inflammation. This is where your stomach feels full after eating just a few bites of food. read more

After the diagnosis, Tang Tang who once hid six lunchboxes inside her coat changed into a delicate girl who wanted to haggle over²to haggle over every ounce; (fig.) to fuss over minor matters; to split hairs every grain of rice. Don’t eat too many sweets — it will stimulate his gastric acid, cold ones will be out of the question, not to mention stimulating spicy and greasy food, let alone eat two spoonfuls of rice congee, she will nervously stare at An Xumo for a long time.

Under Tang Tang’s supervision, An Xumo did not have a stomach ache again. But correspondingly, that kind of hunger has obviously invaded more and more, making it increasingly difficult to ignore.

It didn’t take long for Qian Lingyuan who played the role of Zhao Jiujiu was killed and completed the scene. The crew could not find time to send him alone so they had a small gathering on the set. The usual lunch box was replaced by a specially ordered delivery and actors who didn’t have any night scenes broke their ring³something they stopped doing but did so in the end; ex. fasting, smoking, etc,. and went to a convenience store nearby to carry two cases of dark beer.

The delivery was paid for by Zhou Jinchen which is asking the crew to improve their meals together. The van sent by the hotel carried one insulated box after another. When the lid was opened, the hot air and aroma inside poured out together and the whole set was filled with an enticing fragrance.

The crowd gathered around in succession but the hungriest boy did not move. Tang Tang went to get his dinner. An Xumo could not help but take a few deep breaths, then tried to pretend not to care and continued to chat with Qian Lingyuan for a while. (T/N: Oh the torture, I can relate on a spiritual level lol.)

When they finished talking, the sumptuous dinner arranged one by one has begun. Qian Lingyuan called him to go over to eat, An Xumo could only excuse that he had to find something else first and stayed away from the temptation area for the time being.

But he didn’t go there by himself, the aroma of food followed closely behind his heel.

An Xumo was stunned to see a transparent box with a faintly hot lunch box in front of him.

Zhou Jinchen handed it over and looked at him with downcast eyes.

An Xumo hesitantly said, “This is……”

“A serving that is not too high in calories.” Zhou Jinchen said, “A recipe that even dancers can eat.”

“Thank you…” An Xumo bit the tip of his tongue. He was just about to take the lunch box when a cold wind blew around him, and then the weight in his hand was gone.

“No, no, no, you can’t eat it!”

Tang Tang who rushed over with her eyes and hand stepped between the two and took away Zhou Jinchen’s lunchbox. She gasped and said, “Inside there is, there is……”

Zhou Jinchen: “……”

Zhou Jinchen: “No poison.”

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Xiao Mo basically finished his explanation and he decided to refuse to accept his brother’s closeness to him……

Maintain a fixed distance from his brother. Later, when his brother takes the initiative, he will, um.

Then these two chapters will explain the brother’s illness~

Chapter 66 – Dare not dream about his brother again

The next day on the filming set, An Xumo still didn’t show up.

Although An Xumo is still a complete newcomer in the film industry and many of his behaviors reveal his unfamiliarity and ignorance, the boy’s attitude is obvious to everyone and his personality is very likable. After such a period of time, most people in the crew have a good impression of him.

In addition, almost everyone knows that he insists on coming to the set every day to watch the filming and learn about acting. His absence on this day attracted the attention of many people.

After the morning scene was finished, the crew packed up and changed locations. A group of people chatted while they were busy and the matter of An Xumo was mentioned.

“Hey, how come I didn’t see Xiao An come over today?”

“Yeah, I didn’t see him when we sent out breakfast in the morning. Aunt Zheng who was helping even mentioned it, asking why the thin child who was very good-looking didn’t come to get his meal.”

Someone muttered, “There’s no scene for him today, right? That’s why he didn’t come.”

The person next to him immediately said, “Before, the person never leaves a day behind. Every time he stands not far from the camera to watch, he can see how to choose the angle of the camera without blocking the way. It can be seen from this small matter that this child will definitely go quite far in the future.”

Another person guessed, “Is it…… is it because of the incident yesterday?”

“What happened yesterday?”

Someone reacted, “Oh, that swollen mouth thing? But didn’t Xiao An take a day off yesterday, he’s still not well today?”

“Who lives with Xiao An? Does anyone know about his situation?”

“Didn’t he join the group ahead of time? The room he lived in was rented by himself which seemed to be a single room and it wasn’t next to the crew’s room.”

An Xumo’s agent did not show up for several days. As a result, they couldn’t find anyone who could accurately understand An Xumo’s situation.

When they were chatting, Liu Longfei also heard these scattered conversations. He thought of Zhou Jinchen’s words yesterday and he couldn’t help but frown.

If at first Liu Longfei’s concern for An Xumo was because of Zhang Zhiwei, after so many days together, more reasons became his appreciation for An Xumo. After so many years in the industry, Liu Longfei has met all kinds of people, from a temporary worker who moved props to becoming a member of Ma Lao’s team. Therefore, when he sees such a hard-working junior, he thinks of helping him as much as he can.

However, An Xumo’s temperament rarely gives people trouble. Apart from the reminders during the audition, after entering the group, he gave a hand to Liu Longfei several times and helped a lot. This time, An Xumo suddenly didn’t come over. Although this is not a big deal, Liu Longfei’s heart has been thinking about this child. Finally, when no one was paying attention, he stepped aside and called An Xumo.

In fact, the person Liu Longfei wanted to find more is Zhou Jinchen. After yesterday morning’s filming of the kissing scene, he noticed the faint relationship between the two men. But Zhou Jinchen went out early this morning with the person in charge of the props to see the props to be used by the protagonist and he hasn’t come back yet.

The call prompt sounded for a long time but no one answered. Liu Longfei’s brows furrowed more and more until the cold mechanical female voice sounded, did he took down the phone and looked at the screen anxiously.

Why isn’t anyone answering?

Liu Longfei hung up the phone and dialed again. He thought that if no one answered again this time, he would have to consider looking for An Xumo’s agent to ask what was going on.

Fortunately, after the prompt sounded for a while, the screen finally showed the call time started.

“Hello, Xiao An?” Liu Longfei called out and heard a voice so hoarse that no one could help but frown.

“Assistant Director Liu……?”

An Xumo’s voice was so hoarse that one could barely hear what he was saying. Liu Longfei hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong, Xiao An? Have you caught a cold?”

The other side coughed twice which sounded weak but he was still holding on to raise his spirit and said, “Maybe a little. Did you call for something?”

“It’s nothing. It was just that you didn’t come today. I don’t know what happened.” Liu Longfei remembered that he was sent to the hospital before and he couldn’t help but give birth to some uneasiness. “Where are you now? Have you got a fever?”

“I’m still in the room.” An Xumo’s voice was light. “There should be no fever; I can’t feel it……”

“……”

The more Liu Longfei listens, the more wrong he felt. “Have you got up yet? Can you still get out of the bed?”

“Haven’t got up yet……” An Xumo’s voice was getting weaker and weaker, it sounded like he was about to fall asleep.

“Forget it, don’t move around yet.” Liu Longfei raised his eyes and looked around. After finding his target, he walked over there.

As he walked, he said, “Xiao An, listen to me. Don’t sleep yet. Call the front desk now and say that someone is coming to your room later. Ask them to help open the door. I’ll let the crew’s doctor go there directly.”

There was a vague answer on the phone. Liu Longfei did not know if he heard clearly, he could only try to speed up his pace.

The crew’s logistics work of 《Different Roads》 was excellent. Once Liu Longfei told the logistics director about the matter, the other party found the crew’s doctor in the group. Liu Longfei was still required to be present in the next scene. He could not leave his post without permission so he had to explain An Xumo’s situation as clearly as possible and let the doctor hurry over.

The doctor also had some impression of An Xumo. After listening to Liu Longfei’s explanation, he took his medical kit and went to the hotel. Fortunately, today’s shooting location is not far from the hotel. In less than fifteen minutes, the doctor entered An Xumo’s room with the help of the front desk.

Surprisingly, An Xumo was already dressed. But his condition is worse than just wearing only his pajamas — because he fell down from the hanger and barely sat on the ground with his back against the bed, and even never managed to stand up.

The hotel uses air-conditioning to control the temperature; there was no room heating system so the floor was cold and hard. The doctor rushed over to the little brother with the receptionist and helped lift the person from the ground.

But as soon as he touched An Xumo’s arm, the doctor frowned.

The high temperature from his body passed through his thin clothes.

He sent off the receptionist and closed the door. The doctor quickly sterilized the electronic thermometer and put it on his temple to detect his temperature while making a phone call to Liu Longfei.

When the phone was connected, the electronic thermometer made a “click” sound showing the measured person’s body temperature.

The doctor’s heart sank.

39.5°.¹103.1° F

After hearing An Xumo’s high temperature, Liu Longfei’s voice also became anxious. He immediately asked someone to come and send An Xumo to the hospital. The doctor was listening but the boy on the bed moved a bit.

He borrowed the phone from the doctor and tried to suppress the hoarseness in his voice and barely said, “Assistant Director Liu, no need to trouble you. My assistant is here. Just have him pick me up.”

“Okay, okay.” Liu Longfei asked again, “Where is he? If he is on the set, let him drive the crew’s car to directly pick you up.”

“He’s at the hotel. We’ll just take a taxi.” An Xumo took a breath and said, “Assistant Director, there is another thing to trouble you.”

Liu Longfei asked, “What is it? Go on.”

“My situation is not very serious. Please don’t tell the crew about the fever first.” An Xumo swallowed hard, his throat was like being torn with continuous pain. “I was fine before I came back yesterday, it shouldn’t have infected everyone. I’ll explain to everyone when I’m good to go back.”

It seems that he did not expect him to say this, but the phone paused for a moment before an echo came, “Okay. I understand.”

“Forget about it, you go to the hospital first with Dr. Hao and your assistant for a check-up and come back after your fever has gone down. When I’m done here in the evening, I will go over to see you.”

An Xumo actually didn’t want to bother Liu Longfei to come over. He has a thorough understanding of how intense the work of the crew these days with the group. But Liu Longfei had already made a decision and An Xumo’s throat was so sore that he couldn’t say much. He had to let him hung up the phone.

The hotel is not too far from the hospital but it’s a little troublesome when going out in disguise. Fortunately, there are two helpers, Xiao Zhang and Dr. Hao. An Xumo wore a black-rimmed glasses and a mask and he made it all the way to the hospital smoothly.

However, what happened next was not quite as one would expect.

An Xumo didn’t just have a fever, his tonsils were inflamed, and his back was bruised because he fell down while getting out of bed and dressing up.

The most serious thing is that he had gastrointestinal problems.

After asking, Dr. Hao learned that An Xumo ate takeout for four servings after ten o’clock in the evening, and not long after dawn, he passed out because of discomfort. This way of eating, even a strong, muscular man will not be able to digest, let alone An Xumo who’s been controlling his diet because he has to film as a dancer in the scenes.

Because he ate too much, his voice was also affected. In this way, even a fever may have something to do with the sudden overeating last night.

A full set of gastrointestinal examination requires a gastroscopy²an examination of the upper digestive tract or fluoroscopy³a continuous X-ray image on a monitorbut An Xumo still has a fever and is too weak to do these tests. After discussing with the hospital, Dr. Hao ended up giving An Xumo a fever-inducing injection first but reduced most of the irritating medication.

The next afternoon, there was a scene of Bai Qingchi, and with his status, it was not very convenient to continue to stay. An Xumo finally convinced Dr. Hao not to stay in the hospital for observation. The hospital gave some medicine to protect the stomach and intestines. When Xiao Zhang took the medicine, he took another box of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui⁴a liquid herbal formula used in Traditional Chinese medicine to “induce diaphoresis and clear away summer-heat, to resolve damp and regulate the function of the spleen and stomach” It tastes bitter and pungent. Wikipedia when he received the medicine, and the three people went back to the hotel.

After tossing around, it was already evening when they returned. After sending off Dr. Hao, An Xumo made another phone call to Liu Longfei. In fact, his thoughts are still groggy and he only relies on holding by a breath. After explaining it to Liu Longfei, Xiao Zhang helped An Xumo to take his medicine. Xiao Zhang wanted to stay and take care of him but An Xumo felt it was unnecessary so he let the man go first.

An Xumo lay alone in bed with no lights turned on in the room. The curtains were drawn tightly and the darkness was similar to that of last night when he returned, weighing heavily on every inch of his body.

He buried himself in the blanket and sighed slowly.

So hungry…

Patients with a fever can’t eat food that can’t be well-digested nor is it suitable for spicy or greasy food, not to mention that he still has gastrointestinal problems. After the check-up during the day, he only drank a bowl of porridge, and Dr. Hao also gave Xiao Zhang a list of portions to be eaten by An Xumo in the next few days.

Before he left, Dr. Hao made repeated orders and took An Xumo to educate him for a long time. He said, even if you’re under a lot of pressure as an actor, do not use overeating to vent.

But he didn’t want to vent, An Xumo thought. He was just very hungry.

People with fever have a little appetite but An Xumo is different. He can clearly feel the emptiness in his body; his hunger is like four trailing vines, surrounding the wall of his stomach little by little, still constantly tightening.

Want to eat……anything is fine, not cake, even just the most common steamed bun rice, as long as you can eat enough.

But he can’t eat at all now.

An Xumo was so hungry that he had to try to get himself to sleep. His head was still dizzy and there is a scene to be filmed tomorrow so he must recover early in order to complete the task.

In the darkness and hunger, An Xumo tried for a long time and finally drifted off to sleep.

An Xumo didn’t sleep soundly and walked for a long time in a dream of constant floating and weightlessness. Somewhere in the misty haze, there seems to be some noise around. Even after walking far away in a dream, one would be tired. The noise attracted An Xumo’s attention so he simply stopped.

There was a little light shining through which was not blinding. The light appeared in front of a figure, slender, and extremely good-looking.

An Xumo sniffed and felt his eyes were a little sore.

He wanted to look at the person more but didn’t dare to be too obvious. After hesitating for a while, An Xumo simply took two steps backwards and turned his head away.

It can’t be like this, An Xumo thought, trying to move the figure away from his heart a little.

He just figured it out yesterday and now……he dare not dream about his brother again anymore.

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

There is one thing to say. For the author, there is no such thing as deliberately abusing anyone but the logic of the article is here. After Xiao Mo was wounded, he withdrew, and then it will be difficult for him to open his guarded heart which will require his brother’s constant efforts. This section is the main content of the second half of this text. It certainly won’t be said that after the brother recognized his own thoughts, as soon as he found Xiao Mo to confess, Xiao Mo agreed.

Chapter 65 – His brother won’t like him

Thank you for the ko-fis impatientlywaiting! ♡♡♡

Btw, this chapter really broke my heart. I had to pause when I read the raws back then. Even our editor’s heart broke lol. So, ready your heart everyone~

•·················•·················•

“Why are you here?”

The first person to break the silence was Zhou Jinchen. The space in the bathroom wasn’t quite enough, and the muffled echo of the question could be heard faintly which highlighted his originally low magnetic voice deeper and deeper.

An Xumo’s complexion didn’t look very good rather, it should be said that it is awfully bad, but he still quickly opened his mouth to answer the question.

“Brother told me to come back here…… I just asked the assistant for the room card and came over.”

“I know that,” Zhou Jinchen said looking at An Xumo who was obviously in a trance. His eyes darkened slightly. “I was asking why you were in the bathroom.”

An Xumo reacted half a beat late, looking down at the sink. “I came to wash my hands here……”

He explained again, “When I wanted to go out, I heard Teacher Lin speaking and felt that it wasn’t proper, so I didn’t go out.”

Zhou Jinchen looked at the boy for a while until the atmosphere around him quieted down again. He turned his head and gestured.

“Come out.”

There was nothing unusual in the bedroom, even the bottle of mineral water on the sofa table was taken away by Lin Rui. When he took it, he said that this is also considered as something Zhou Jinchen gave him. The latter did not understand the meaning of Lin Rui’s action and he was not interested in knowing it.

The two men sat back on the sofa and the scene reverted to the way it was when he was talking to Lin Rui. The difference was that An Xumo seemed even more nervous than Lin Rui who was sitting here before, causing Zhou Jinchen to look at him for a while before finally opening his mouth.

“What’s wrong with you?”

An Xumo’s face seemed to turn a little paler because of his question and he hesitantly said, “……me?”

“En.”

An Xumo naturally knows himself. The great panic was like a bottomless abyss, blowing out cold wind and he is hanging above the abyss. Even if he tightly held on to the rope, he could still fall in minutes and seconds.

But this won’t work, An Xumo thought. He must act natural. He can’t let his brother find out his thoughts……

“I just heard Teacher Lin’s voice and felt a little surprised……”

The knuckles were pale from the excessive force with numbing pain on his palm. An Xumo finally found an explanation, only to see the man on the opposite side frown.

“What Lin Rui said is the truth.”

At that moment, An Xumo could not even feel the pain that came around his whole body. (E/N: my heart also fell hnggg)

“The truth……?”

Even the voice was like a rough sound made from grinding sandpaper, it was difficult to hear to the extent that it was unbearable. The only fortunate thing was that his physical skills were still functioning and he could still hear Zhou Jinchen’s voice in his ears.

What the other party said was, “The publicity plan of 《Different Roads》 will indeed focus on my relationship with him.”

An Xumo froze for a moment.

He thought that the fact that his brother refers to was Lin Rui’s last words but he didn’t expect the other party to turn to the movie again.

“This is not something I can decide,” Zhou Jinchen said. “The crew’s publicity originally had to maximize the benefits in the most effective way.”

“En……en.” An Xumo nodded, trying to disguise himself as normal with his movements. “I understand.”

His current thought was already chaotic, so much to the extent that he didn’t even think about the reason why Zhou Jinchen brought up the matter of the movie. He could only do so until the other party said a word and react along with it.

Until Zhou Jinchen completely revealed the reason.

“But Lin Rui is already emotionally involved; I don’t want to have an affair with him.” Zhou Jinchen said.

An Xumo felt that the abyss not far below his feet seemed to stop emitting cold wind.

Zhou Jinchen said, “Filming with you and calling you here today is to discuss this matter with you.”

“The most effective way to prevent other people from pairing me with Lin Rui without affecting the film’s publicity is to separate the film from reality. In the film, I have the deepest involvement with his character but outside the film, I have another preferred choice.”

The dark bottomless abyss was sealed, and a hard ground made of lime and cement solidified on top.

But An Xumo could not understand why, the throbbing feeling tightly clenching his heart still did not disappear.

He heard himself saying, “Therefore…….it’s to use me and brother’s gossip to avoid the gossip between brother and Lin Rui, right?”

However, An Xumo could no longer hear Zhou Jinchen’s voice.

He could only see the other party’s rational and calm expression and the mouth’s shape that pronounced the verdict.

—— Correct.

Zhou Jinchen also added a word, An Xumo heard it intermittently, but this did not affect the pain of that word, like a sharp blade cutting on the tender flesh of the heart.

He said, like Lin Rui, other people did not know about the relationship between the two so these fake rumors could be spread as if they were real.

Fake.

Zhou Jinchen is not a man of many words; he only briefly explained a few sentences to explain the word ‘fake’. But those details have been revealed from Zhou Jinchen’s words, uncovering the original peaceful disguise and showing the truest face.

An Xumo couldn’t really hear it, his ears were full of buzzing tinnitus which was very annoying. Even so, he still understood Zhou Jinchen’s meaning and picked up the dusty beads that had been scattered everywhere and strung them into a string of gloomy, unsightly chain of beads.

He deliberately came to talk about the script to An Xumo to avoid staying in the room and being found by Lin Rui to be alone; took the initiative to tell Ma Lao and Mr. Tao to revise the kissing scene and change the actor in order to pave the way for the subsequent rumors; agreed to sleep with An Xumo in the same room to let the other people in the crew misunderstand the relationship between the two. It was the same when filming the kissing scene in the classroom, repeatedly made exceptions and shown affection but it’s also merely an act in front of everyone.

And when the film is promoted in the later stage, these kinds of news will burst out among the public with a hundred times stronger effect than in the crew, and those people present are prepared in advance. If you pull one out randomly, the truest news will explode.

It was only then that An Xumo realized how outrageously wrong he was. ¹E/N: Sh—t that hurts. T/N: I know *heartbreaking

He thought that the only thing he was worried about was that his brother would find out his unseen feelings but when Zhou Jinchen really didn’t find out about his feelings, and bluntly and frankly said that he wanted the two of them to act together, An Xumo realized that he was still in severe pain, and the tears were streaming with blood from the bowl-sized hole in his chest.

The abyss was filled but he was still slammed into the rough, hard ground, leaving a trace of lingering breath. Because the rope hanging from him is Zhou Jinchen’s attitude towards him, it is that bowl of tonkatsu ramen and that mint flavored-kiss that happened in front of the seat of the classroom.

Now the rope disappeared and An Xumo was violently thrown down from a height.

How he got back to his room from Zhou Jinchen’s room, An Xumo himself didn’t know. He stepped on the sharp tip of the knife that once again pierced the soles of his feet with every step, pretending to normally brush open the door of his room.

Open, close, lock.

That was all that was left. Even the strength to insert the room card in the wall switch was no longer there.

With his back pressed against the cold door, the emptied An Xumo slowly slid down and fell for a long time before he touched the floor.

He sat on the wooden floor behind the door, surrounded by terrible and safe darkness.

After such a long and tumultuous day, at last in the evening, An Xumo discovered his true thoughts.

He was far more ridiculous and despicable than he had ever imagined.

From a long time ago, An Xumo knew that he was different and that no matter what he did, he would not be liked by his family. But at that time, he still held that ridiculous wishful thinking again and again, trying to be well-behaved and obedient to achieve all tasks perfectly in exchange for easing the attitude of the people around him.

But it didn’t.

Not even once.

That’s why An Xumo locked up his bloody heart early on, didn’t look at the surrounding eyes regardless of other people’s judgment on him. He thought that he would certainly not make the same mistakes again. Even if he stumbled, he could see the road ahead and could go on.

But now, An Xumo once again made the same mistakes that are no different in nature.

He thought that as long as he could look at his brother, he would have strength and hope. Yet he didn’t realize that he stepped out of the warning line that he had drawn himself before he knew it.

So when Zhou Jinchen said that all those things were deliberately planned, An Xumo bled and got hurt.

Why can’t he honestly stay where he should be and why does he think that he can touch the sun?

An Xumo extremely detests this kind of him.

He only had one light source but he almost locked himself in the dark wooden box without a key forever.

It can’t be like this……he thought, fortunately……fortunately, he did not commit any mistake in front of his brother just now.

There is still room for turning things around.

An Xumo stretched out his hand and tried to touch around, but it was dark and empty in front of him. He couldn’t touch anything. He could only withdraw his hand and hold his ankle.

The feeling of having something real in his hands finally calmed down An Xumo a bit. He slowly stood up holding the door, his back leaning on the solid wooden board, his chest heaving violently and his legs were filled with soreness.

But at least he stood up.

An Xumo fumbled for the switch on the wall and pressed it twice only to find that it did not light up. The room card was not inserted. He bent down and searched the floor little by little for a long time.

With a soft ‘click’ the power was finally turned on in the room. The blinding light came on and he subconsciously raised his hand to block his eyes.

The light was like a lifetime ago.

An Xumo walked into the bathroom holding the wall. He propped himself up in front of the sink, turned on the faucet, and splashed the cold water on his face.

The sound of water lasted for a long time before he gradually calmed down. He turned off the switch and looked at the bright mirror in front of him.

The boy’s face in the mirror was full of water drops but it hid a bit of his frightening paleness. His lips are still red, like an iron-faced and selfless judge,²impartial and incorruptible; described someone who is relentless in his purpose in the execution of his duties according to law or regulations. always reminding him of his previous mistakes.

It won’t happen again…… An Xumo thought, he would never, ever do it again.

As long as he can look at his brother, this is the only habit that he had engraved into his instincts for seventeen years so there is no way to change it. Along with all other thoughts, An Xumo would completely cut off.

He will never allow himself to think that his brother will respond to his feelings.

Never again.

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Xiao Mo’s thoughts are also explained clearly la. He thought he just had to look at his brother, and as a result, he crossed the line. After the pain this time, he would honestly stay in the circle he drew and never come out again.

Xiao Mo’s pain is over……it’s time for another one.

•·················•·················•

Sees the line Never again:

mochimùwú: My heart hurts

Editor (because she didn’t want to have any name lol): 🙁

Chapter 64 – I don’t think you love him

Thank you for the ko-fis impatientlywaiting! ♡♡♡

•·················•·················•

To be able to ask such a question, even Lin Rui also took a lot of effort.

However, his efforts are still fruitless.

Zhou Jinchen’s attitude was very decent and his answer was also straightforward.

“Sorry.”

Lin Rui smiled. His usual expression at this time was less than his usual disguise and only the paleness hid his embarrassment.

The room was quiet for a moment.

The clock displayed in LED mode did not even tick and the surrounding area was frighteningly quiet. Zhou Jinchen is not a person who will take the initiative to ease the atmosphere. After a long time, Lin Rui opened his mouth again to break the silence.

He was talking about another seemingly irrelevant topic.

“Jinchen,” Lin Rui’s voice has returned to its normal mood. “Have you heard of this sentence?”

“In matters of this world, there are 80% or 90% of them which do not happen according to one’s wishes. Since this is the case, you should not force me to do anything.” [Note 1]¹It’s actually available in Novel Updates and I used their translation on this passage. I forgot which chapter it was lol. Apologies. NU Link. Direct Link

Zhou Jinchen raised his eyes to look at him and saw Lin Rui pick up the water bottle on the table and held it in his hand. He shrugged his shoulders and laughed, “I think this sentence makes sense.”

Lin Rui did not give any additional explanation for this limitless sentence. Once the words were finished, he went back to talking about the movie.

“Ma Xiao approached me before filming 《The Scarecrow》. I happened to have little idle funds at that time so I was dragged into it by him.”

“I was also pulled by friends to cast a few films before but that was a few years ago. As you know, the market has changed so much in recent years that in the film industry, there is no longer a saying that fragrant wine fears no dark alley.”²fragrant wine fears no dark ally (idiom): quality goods need no advertising

Zhou Jinchen listened silently.

“After the filming of 《The Scarecrow》, I happened to have a vacation so I followed Ma Xiao for two days. He happened to be discussing the follow-up publicity with the team at that time and I listened to it several times which was also very beneficial.”

Lin Rui said, “They have studied the publicity methods of all the movies that have made big success at the box office since three years ago and found one thing in common.”

Zhou Jinchen’s expression looked unmoved, “What is it?”

Lin Rui smiled and spoke unhurriedly, “I’m not an internal member. I’m only a spectator at best so what I know is only a general concept.”

“Generally speaking, before and during the screening of these films, in addition to a complete publicity program, they will also identify a very powerful main point of attack.”

“For example, comedy films will pick the right time for holidays and festivals, and military films will be associated with current affairs. These are all very general examples. Let’s talk about The Scarecrow as an example. When the film was released, it caused a flurry of discussion about the damage caused by the family of origin. All kinds of discussion were extremely hot, which in turn worked on the box office.”

Lin Rui said, “But when the issue was first launched, it was a plan arranged by the team.”

“Someone buried the seed in the right place and it sprouted with such good results.”

Zhou Jinchen listened in silence but he knew very well in his heart that Lin Rui’s purpose was never as simple as talking to him about work.

Sure enough, Lin Rui quickly changed his words.

He looked at Zhou Jinchen and said, “Jinchen, do you know what the seeds of 《Different Roads》 will be?”

Zhou Jinchen narrowed his eyes slightly.

Lin Rui smiled and pointed his chest with his index finger and turned his wrist and fingertips to Zhou Jinchen on the opposite side.

He whispered, “It’s us.”

Lin Rui’s sentence sounded a little too taken for granted, but Zhou Jinchen knew that what he said was indeed the truth.

It has been only two months since the end of the Wutong Awards and Zhou Jinchen’s Film Emperor Title is still hot. However, the film 《Different Roads》 which is being filmed doesn’t require much complex post-production special effects. For the sake of high box office on holidays and catching up with the awards, 《Different Roads》 schedule will certainly not be too far away.

Not to mention the pre-screening publicity, even when 《Different Roads》 officially announced the actors, the most eye-catching topic was the second cooperation between Zhou Jinchen and Lin Rui.

This is not because Zhou Jinchen wants to distance himself from Lin Rui, he can refuse it according to his wishes.

The two of them have always maintained a good relationship in public. As early as during the filming and roadshow of 《The Scarecrow》, Lin Rui expressed his admiration for Zhou Jinchen several times. At that time, Zhou Jinchen had not yet won the Wutong Awards and his status could not be compared to now. Lin Rui is definitely Zhou Jinchen’s senior in the film industry and his attitude can be considered as an unreserved promotion.

If 《The Scarecrow》 was just a personal relationship between the actors, then here in 《Different Roads》 the two of them are definitely double fated inside and outside the film.

In any case, Ling Sihang’s secret love for Ye Qicheng is a fact that cannot be changed. How can this excellent material with its own topic be ignored by the public and be spared by the production?

Zhou Jinchen never thought about accepting Lin Rui’s feelings but he knew very well that after the movie is released, the crew, the media, and the audience would surely spare no effort to link their names together.

He can’t reject this matter as much as he can reject confession. Lin Rui is right. This is something that must be done during the official promotion because it can draw more people to the cinema.

Moreover, as one of the biggest investors behind 《Different Roads》, Zhou Jinchen’s box office income of the movie is more closely related to him than ordinary actors. Therefore, it is even more impossible for him to willfully reverse the most favorable publicity plan because of his own personal wishes.

What’s more, the current Zhou Jinchen needs the money more than ever. He desperately needs to get out of the Zhou family’s grasp and if the box office of 《Different Roads》 is not satisfactory, he will have to accept the Zhou family’s intervention again. The possibility of pulling himself out will become increasingly slim.

After Lin Rui finished his words, the room once again fell into silence. Only this time, Lin Rui became the more relaxed one.

He left enough time for Zhou Jinchen to think about the matter and this is Lin Rui’s confidence that his invitation tonight will not be rejected.

But the development of things seems to deviate from his expectations in subtle ways.

For example, Lin Rui previously thought that Zhou Jinchen would not allow him to enter his room so he offered to go to his room to talk. And now, for example, he originally thought that Zhou Jinchen would have a change of expression after hearing his words but the other party was still the same cold expression, and he couldn’t even see much fluctuation in his eyes.

Lin Rui boasts that he has been in the industry for many years and has thoroughly studied acting. Even off cam, all kinds of subtle changes in the facial expression cannot escape his eyes.

However, Zhou Jinchen is always the one who makes him feel like going back with a feather.³return in low spirits following a defeat or failure to achieve one’s ambitions [idiom]

Perhaps the other party has always been accustomed to their expressionless face like this. Lin Rui can only comfort himself for this reason. He knows the weight of the chips he holds and so far, Zhou Jinchen also did not express his opposition as he had previously refused his confession.

This night talk is not easy for both sides and the final win or loss can only be confirmed in their hearts. Before leaving, Lin Rui stopped in the hallway not far from the door and on the right-hand side was the bathroom that reduced the space to the hallway.

He looked at Zhou Jinchen who followed him and finally couldn’t resist saying another remaining sentence.

“In matters of this world, there are 80% or 90% of them that do not happen according to one’s wishes. Since this is the case, you should not force me to do anything.” Lin Rui repeated this sentence. He looked into Zhou Jinchen’s pure black eyes and asked the other party, “Do you know what the next sentence is?”

Zhou Jinchen shook his head.

Lin Rui smiled.

He also has outstanding looks, and his acting skills are basically not limited by his appearance. The orange light above his head made his expression look more and more radiant.

Lin Rui said, “The next sentence is ‘I want to force you.’” [Note 1]

Zhou Jinchen remembered Lin Rui’s previous statement “I think this sentence makes sense” and couldn’t help but frown. However, before he could say anything, Lin Rui said, “I know what you want to say to me — you have someone better in mind, don’t you?”

They were standing in the hallway with the closed bathroom door less than a person’s distance away on their right. Zhou Jinchen did not answer the question at first and Lin Rui had already continued to pick up the conversation.

“My initial thought was the same as Ma Xiao’s. I thought you finally found that special person but after you finished filming on the set this morning, I changed my mind.”

Lin Rui said, “You and Xiao An did not film a borrowed position in the kissing scene, and acted it completely for more than a dozen times. In order to relax his emotions, you also blocked Xiao An with your body and directly kissed him on the set. Every single act was a choice that the old you wouldn’t have made before and you have broken so many exceptions for him.”

Lin Rui’s voice softened and looked at Zhou Jinchen with his usual smile on his lips.

“But I don’t think you love him.” 

Zhou Jinchen’s eyes darkened slightly and asked rhetorically, “You think?”

Lin Rui was not influenced by his aura. He graciously admitted, “Yes, I think so.”

“You know, Jinchen, everything you do when facing Xiao An is like the perfect boyfriend in a perfect script. Every move is the most appropriate choice that everyone envies.”

“However, these perfections are not real feelings outside the camera.”

Zhou Jinchen’s brows twisted more and more severely.

“If a person really moved his heart, no matter how tough and indestructible he was before, he will certainly suffer from gains and losses, and he will be nervous and helpless. He will feel that he is not doing well enough when facing the object of his heart.”

Lin Rui looked at Zhou Jinchen’s expression and smiled lightly, “But you’re not, you are too calm and collected. You are still the same person who habitually plans everything well, and every action has its own purpose.”

“Although I still don’t know what your intention is,” Lin Rui raised his eyebrows, “but I can tell that you are completely unaffected by this kind of emotion.”

Zhou Jinchen slowly said in a low voice, “Your judgment is too subjective.”

“Perhaps,” Lin Rui shrugged, the smile on his face was still indifferent, “but Zhou Jinchen, you should know that you can deceive others in matters like feelings but you can never deceive someone who likes you.”

He settled his chest a little.

“My heart can feel it.”

Zhou Jinhcen’s expression is obviously a little unpleasant. Lin Rui looked at the person who had just been quiet on such a big matter as the publicity program but he showed such a look at this time. There was an inevitable faint uneasiness that emerged in his heart.

But he quickly suppressed these emotions and said the last words to Zhou Jinchen.

“Maybe you have a reason for your attitude towards Xiao An or maybe you have other plans. No matter what, I won’t stand in your way. But there is one fact that is enough for me to know.”

Lin Rui smiled and raised his hand to hold the doorknob.

“Right now, Xiao An and I are still on the same starting line.”

After Lin Rui left, the room was quiet again.

Zhou Jinchen glanced at the door then quickly turned around and walked towards the bathroom that was only a few steps away.

He opened the bathroom door and at a glance, he saw An Xumo standing next to the sink, neatly dressed.

The boy’s lips were still of brilliant color but his face was ghastly white. Under the snow-white light in the bathroom, his entire body was so pale that it was almost transparent as if he would dissipate in the air if touched.

Zhou Jinchen frowned.

He heard it all.

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Note 1: 【In matters of this world, there are 80% or 90% of them do not happen according to one’s wishes. Since this is the case, you should not force me to do anything —I want to force you. 】 from Jin Yong’s 《Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre》

Because this text is fiction, I didn’t put the Old Master’s name directly into the main text. I just felt that this passage fits Lin Rui’s attitude so I put it in. It had nothing to do with gender ha and it doesn’t correspond to the characters in the text!

Now, the elder brother is still skeptical of Lin Rui’s words. He doesn’t know that one day, he will not be able to accurately calculate everything with reason and won’t certainly imagine that he will become a vinegar jar……_(:3」∠)_