It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 26

 

ITOTIABSAM | Entertainment Industry | 26

In what should have been a mutual support between protagonists, an internal conflict erupted. The world's consciousness, too busy with the antagonist “instigating”  in the middle, didn't have time to interfere. 

After all, according to big data calculations, even if Xie Ye were to die on the spot, the rift between Xue Minglang and Su Qingyue wouldn't be repaired. Instead, it might even push Xie Ye further into the position of the tragic unrequited lover.

This kind of operation, resembling a card bug, left 1101 in shock. In hindsight, it asked, "Those photos... was it intentional?"

【How can you call it intentional? Xue Minglang couldn't explain it himself.】

Lying lazily on the bed, Xie Ye said slowly, "It's the first time I've used such a gentle approach."

Gentle?

1101 felt that there might be a slight deviation in the understanding of the term "gentle" between itself and the host. In the past few worlds, even if there were endings where the protagonist's relationship turned bitter, lacking the stimulation of a villain, they were still well-organized and passionate. A fallout like Xue Minglang and Su Qingyue, tearing apart their faces, was a first.

As they spoke, Gu Cong, who had been watching Xie Ye until the early morning, also woke up. Tightening his arm, he buried his chin in the young man's neck and nuzzled, "Xie Ye."

Clingy.

While Xie Ye might have thought about it, he didn't push away the big heater beside him. There was still a scene to shoot in the afternoon, so he stayed lying with someone for five more minutes before getting up.

...And then one of his legs went soft, almost making him kneel at the edge of the bed.

1101 unable to hold back:”Pfft.”

Gu Cong, who was also startled, jumped up instantly and nervously lifted Xie Ye.

For the many years between awakening and now, Xie Ye had endured various injuries, but this kind of sensation, so soft and numb, was completely different from pain. It was extremely unfamiliar, leaving him momentarily unable to cope.

Closing his eyes, he asked, "Where did you learn this?"

Gu Cong whispered a website.

"But I only looked, it was just a bunch of moving chunks of meat, I had no reaction at all," he quickly raised his hand to swear, and Gu Cong kissed the slightly red tip of the young man's ear. "I just want Gege to feel more comfortable."

Here it comes again.

Every time he acted cute, he had to call Gege, just like a guilty Husky clinging around its owner after demolishing the house.

As the process became more comfortable, Xie Ye didn't have any particular preferences when it came to certain aspects, but Gu Cong took it as his own indulgence. In the following days, he was particularly excited, and even his work had an extra burst of enthusiasm. This made Zhou Ming specially call to ask if he had given someone a love potion.

Xie Ye, who had been focused on filming recently, claimed innocence.

As the film progressed, Xie Ye became busier, and after returning home, he would just fall asleep holding Gu Cong. 

The confidentiality work of the film crew was excellent, and with Zhou Ming being an old hand at dealing with such matters, Xie Ye wasn't successfully besieged by reporters until Xue Minglang and the Su family officially terminated the contract. 

If it weren't for the overwhelming reports, he might not even have known that the protagonists had completely broken up.

Having been pampered by his family since childhood, Su Qingyue grew up in the palms of their hands and didn't show much young master temperament. 

However, deep down, he was quite proud. Regardless of how well Xue Minglang explained things, as long as he hadn't resolved his own emotional knots, the name "Xie Ye" would always be a thorn stuck between them.

Moreover, Xue Minglang missed the best opportunity to explain himself. He had always prided himself on being high-minded, but after several attempts to visit the Su family were rebuffed. 

With rumors swirling around the company that he still harbored feelings for Xie Ye and coveted the young master's influence, he, in a fit of anger, terminated the contract and established his own studio.

This was indeed a plot point from the original work, but the development was entirely different. In the original, Xue Minglang peacefully terminated the contract with the company to demonstrate his strength and sincerity to the Su family. He even gave most of his shares to Su Qingyue, and their studio became a witness to their beautiful love story.

Since Xie Ye's awakening, the entire novel had seen subtle deviations. It was these seemingly insignificant discrepancies that led the plot to its current irreparable state.

The person causing all this was completely oblivious, or rather, from start to finish, Xie Ye never really cared about Xue Minglang and Su Qingyue. When the filming wrapped up, he had lost a significant amount of weight, but his skin didn't darken much, leaving the other actors, especially the actresses, envious.

As is customary, he attended the wrap-up banquet. Out of gratitude for the director who had chosen him despite the pressure, Xie Ye, despite not having a particular fondness for alcohol, still accompanied the director for a few drinks.

The director, now sporting another bald spot on his head, was extremely happy. He patted Xie Ye's shoulder with force, "Thank goodness it's you, thank goodness it's you!"

If he had chosen Xue Minglang back then due to concerns about the Su family, they might have had to switch the male lead halfway through the filming.

The middle-aged screenwriter beside him chuckled, "Director Li, don’t you only focus on the actors abilities?"

"Of course!" Raising his eyebrows, Director Li raised his glass and drank, glaring, "Come on, can't I have some entanglements in my heart?"

After three rounds of drinks, the private room felt a bit stuffy. The door and windows were opened a crack. When Xie Ye received a message from Zhou Ming that he was downstairs, Xie Ye turned off the screen, stood up, and excused himself.

Director Li, who hadn't finished chatting, was puzzled, "In such a hurry? Do you have work?"

"Do I look like I'm in a hurry?"

Shaking off his thoughts, Xie Ye lowered his eyes and replied, "Someone is waiting for me at home."

There was a burst of good-natured laughter all around the room at his response.

"Oh—"

"It's Xiao Gu, right?"

In the past few months of filming, Xie Ye hadn't made many new friends. However, Gu Cong, who often visited the set, became quite familiar with everyone. Same-sex couples were not uncommon in this circle, and neither Gu Cong nor Xie Ye made any effort to hide their relationship. Eventually, the former secured a stable position as a family member.

Lately, Xie Ye often heard teasing remarks, but he had become immune to them. Calmly, he opened the door amidst laughter. In the corridor, unexpectedly, Xue Minglang stood outside the private room.

Xie Ye was tall and casually left the door mostly closed, and the others inside didn't notice anything unusual. Soon, they happily switched to new topics.

Holding a glass of wine, Xue Minglang seemed to have heard quite a bit of the conversation just now. His face appeared somewhat flushed, and his fingertips were forcefully pinching until they turned white.

After leaving the Su family, the studio's operation didn't go smoothly for Xue Minglang. Many script endorsements required him to fight for them multiple times.

If possible, he certainly wouldn't want to meet Xie Ye in this situation. However, the next role he wanted to pursue happened to be related to the head director, who was closest to Xie Ye in the production of "Battle Surge."

After hesitating at the door for a long time, Xue Minglang still bumped into Xie Ye. The teasing words from Director Li lingered in his ears. Xue Minglang wanted to leave in a huff, but he forced himself to restrain his impulse.

Seemingly wanting to assert himself in front of the young man and emphasize the difference between them, he opened his mouth without a clear purpose:

"I just don't want to submit to the Su family."

"Oh." Xie Ye calmly responded, looking up. Slowly and deliberately, he echoed Xue Minglang's words back to him: "After all, what happened earlier was your fault. Find some time to apologize to Qingyue. He has a good temper; it's just that his brother is a bit protective. Apologize, and the Su family won't target you again."

Word for word, even the tone was remarkably similar.

As if slapped in the face, Xue Minglang's face burned. His lips moved, but he couldn't squeeze out a sound.

"Or maybe you want to hear me say another sentence?" With a slight smirk, Xie Ye recalled a phrase from their past conversations:

"Xue Minglang, you really disappoint me."

—Xie Ye, you really disappoint me.

The same words were spoken by Xue Minglang when he explained to the young man after he got drunk and followed him downstairs. Now, however, they landed on him like a heavy hammer, ruthlessly pounding on his heart.

He raised his head nonchalantly, with furrowed eyebrows and cold eyes, Xie Ye's acting was vivid and lifelike. Only now did Xue Minglang realize how harsh his expression was at that moment, and how disgustingly he spoke.

"Tsk." Without waiting for any more reaction, Xie Ye gave a strong push, lifted his foot, and walked away, paying no attention to Xue Minglang stumbling behind him.

Just as he turned the corner to go downstairs, a familiar figure pounced on him: "Surprise!"

Appearing forceful but carefully protecting his waist with his hands, he lightly raised his hand to return the hug. Xie Ye gestured for him to stand upright, "Finished recording the song?"

"Of course." The sales of the new EP far exceeded expectations. Zhou Ming was determined to capitalize on this success, pressuring Gu Cong to the point of turning around in circles. Like presenting a treasure, he proudly took out a small notebook from his coat pocket, "Ta-da! Tonight, I'm driving. From now on, I'm a mature man with a driver's license."

Inspecting him from head to toe in a hoodie and jeans, Xie Ye raised an eyebrow, "Mature man?"

"Being the exclusive driver for Gege suits me, right?" Playfully wrinkling his nose, Gu Cong leaned closer to Xie Ye, "Did you smoke? Let me see."

Most of the restaurants near the film and television base were highly confidential, and being frequented by the crew of "Battle Surge" made them even more special. The two exchanged a light and brief kiss.

"So good."

Only at times like these did Gu Cong take advantage, magically shaking a small wrapped ball from his sleeve, "Reward for you, a candy to eat."

The refreshing mint flavor dispersed the lingering smell of alcohol. Xie Ye wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but he had slowly gotten used to being fed by Gu Cong. His right cheek puffed up cutely as he accepted the candy.

Facing away from the stairs, Xie Ye couldn't naturally see Xue Minglang around the corner. However, Gu Cong could clearly see him. Staring at him for two seconds, Gu Cong withdrew his gaze and boldly took the young man's hand, "Shall we go home?"

Xie Ye, still crunching on the candy, nodded, "Mm."

A surreal dizziness came over Xue Minglang as he watched the two of them leave side by side. In a trance, he always felt like he had lost a lot of things that shouldn't have been lost, but he couldn't find any explanation.

In the night, the low-key and comfortable business car made a turn into the neon lights. It was the first time Gu Cong was driving with someone he liked, and he drove very slowly. By the time they reached the parking lot, the young man in the passenger seat was already half-asleep with squinted eyes.

The belated surge of alcohol hit, and Xie Ye felt someone helping him with his seatbelt. He opened his eyes, using the drunkenness as a cover, and held onto the person's left wrist, "You like me."

Always considering himself as fragile as a canary, afraid that revealing his true feelings would get him kicked out, Gu Cong was momentarily stunned by this statement. However, he didn't avoid it. Instead, he nodded seriously, "Yes."

As expected, the situation he had anticipated unfolded.

The next moment, almost coldly, Xie Ye asked, "What if I don't like you."

—The cold-hearted antagonist, perhaps, could never reciprocate an equal love.

Now, even the always biased towards Xie Ye, 1101, felt that Xie Ye was a bit too much.

But Gu Cong remained far calmer than it had anticipated.

"It's okay." Without hesitation, he clasped the young man's hand, solemn and sincere, and kissed the small mole, "I will always like you, and love you."

"Until Gege falls in love with me."

Never feeling discouraged, and never giving up.

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