ITOTIABSAM | Entertainment Industry | 24
How things had developed to this point, Xie Ye couldn't quite recall.
Knowing that he liked cleanliness, Gu Cong tidied himself up before returning. Refreshed and smelling like an uncut lemon.
...He even tasted like one.
The dimly lit atmosphere, deliberately vague, was the most conducive to causing ambiguity. All the accumulated fatigue and irritability surged forth. Xie Ye was well aware of what he was doing, genuinely wanting to indulge for a change.
Unfortunately, just as he bit down on Gu Cong's shoulder, the black-haired youth's eyelids gently closed, falling asleep.
The grip on his own fingertips suddenly loosened. Half-kneeling beside the sofa, Gu Cong was caught off guard, his back hitting the coffee table with a resounding thud.
The T-shirt collar was in disarray, with a shallow, moist bite mark on his shoulder. Instinctively catching the limp young man falling into his arms, Gu Cong looked bewildered, "Teacher Xie?"
The response to him was the steady and rhythmic breath of the other.
Is my technique really that bad? Or am I not attractive enough? Or maybe it's just that filming has been too exhausting lately?
After sitting on the floor in contemplation of his life for a few minutes, Gu Cong raised his hand, gently touched the soft ends of Xie Ye's hair, resignedly adjusted his posture, and lifted him up.
A standard princess carry. If Xie Ye were awake, he would definitely be displeased. But now he was sound asleep, obediently leaning against Gu Cong's chest, allowing him to handle the situation.
While changing Xie Ye into sleepwear, no matter how much self-control Gu Cong had, he couldn't help stealing a few glances. After living together, they had shared plenty of kisses and hugs. Of course, he could feel that Xie Ye had lost weight. According to Zhou Ming, Xie Ye often had to apply a foundation one shade darker due to skin issues, and frequently reapply sunscreen while filming.
However, even so, there were still a few faint sunburns on the young man's body. More prominently, there were the fresh red marks from Gu Cong's fingers on Xie Ye's right wrist, around his waist.
Vivid red, contrasting with the snow-white skin.
Like a mark, satisfying his possessiveness but also causing Gu Cong a slight sense of remorse and guilt: Did he go a bit too far just now?
He just didn't want to see Xie Ye get sick again.
"I don't dislike you," buttoning the last button, Gu Cong securely tucked the young man into the blanket, "I like every version of Xie Ye."
"Just a little upset."
"I am upset at myself for not taking good care of you."
1101, almost thrown into the small black room, dared not make a sound.
Given the intense passion from before, it genuinely feared that Gu Cong might wake Xie Ye or do something inappropriate while the latter was asleep.
But now, it seemed like Gu Cong's feelings for the host were something even stronger than desire.
Like love, or perhaps cherish.
A dreamless night.
When he woke up again, Xie Ye was being held in someone's arms. The curtains were tightly drawn, making it impossible to tell the time outside. The arm around his waist was wrapped tightly, as if afraid he might run away. A slight movement caused the arm to tighten, pulling him back.
He felt the silky touch was from pajamas, but there was no discomfort. His black hair was a mess, and Xie Ye blinked slowly, finally remembering what happened before he "fainted."
A low, indistinct hum emanated from his throat. The young man lying behind him, half-dreaming and half-awake, nuzzled against Xie Ye's neck like a warm-nosed large dog and said, "Good morning."
Xie Ye suddenly felt a bit regretful.
Last night, he couldn't continue biting.
But in normal circumstances, he was quite a rule-abiding person. Without the right opportunity, that impulse quickly faded away.
His stomach, which had been sluggish for a few days, suddenly became more noticeable. Patting the hand that held him, Xie Ye turned over and opened his mouth, saying, "I'm hungry."
With half-closed eyes, Gu Cong kissed the young man's forehead and said, "Sure."
"I'll feed Teacher Xie to satisfaction."
The delayed lunch was, as usual, commanded by Xie Ye and executed by Gu Cong. The takeout from last night had gone cold, and unfortunately, along with a certain box of confiscated cigarettes, it ended up being reluctantly thrown into the trash.
Today was a cloudy day. After having their fill, Xie Ye, feeling content, couldn't resist someone's coaxing and found himself watering the plants on the balcony.
—If succulents could be considered plants.
Zhou Ming, who forced him into a video call, looked completely shocked.
Even though he had accompanied Gu Cong to another province these past few days, he had seen Xie Ye's appearance while filming. He was insomnia, sensitive, easily empathetic—qualities that satisfied both the director and the audience but often left him especially exhausted.
Seeing him now, calm and even with the energy to take care of plants, was beyond what he could have imagined.
"What magic does Gu Cong have?" Just yesterday, he had received a report from the personal assistant about the condition of Gu Cong. After some thought, Zhou Ming could only come up with this reason, "Like a cure-all, more effective than a doctor?"
With the watering can marked with measurements, accurately spraying the amount of water Gu Cong mentioned, Xie Ye changed to another pot of plants. "If you have anything to say, just say it."
Zhou Ming:...
This annoying personality deserves a beating..
"Your high school photos have been dug up." Remembering that Xie Ye had always been resistant to discussing the past, Zhou Ming cleared his throat and carefully chose his words, "You know how it is with the internet. No matter how much the company tries to suppress it, if someone wants to find traces of the past from alumni or forums, they can always do it."
As water droplets rolled down the petal-shaped tips, Xie Ye asked nonchalantly, "So what?"
Zhou Ming: So what?! Weren't you the one who insisted on suppressing who you were in the past?
Isn't it you, Xie Ye!
"Oh." Under the accusing gaze, Xie Ye finally recalled the incident with the original owner.
He didn't want sympathy, didn't want to be compared with the current Su Qingyue, and didn't want to confront the grievances and vulnerabilities that had long been suppressed in his heart. It was absurd to fantasize about whether he could have lived a life like the one he had, admired by others, if his parents were still alive.
Xie Ye could understand, and he could understand it completely, because the original owner was him. It was an emotion that could genuinely arise in a moment of coincidence, one that he himself had experienced.
When Xie Ye heard Zhou Ming mention these things again, those dim and damp emotions seemed to have drifted away from him. Putting down the watering can, Xie Ye stood up, saying, "Let them be."
Zhou Ming: ??
Leisurely stretching, Xie Ye added, "As long as the company doesn't actively portray me as a tragic figure."
"Even buying online armies costs money, okay? The PR department doesn't revolve around you alone," suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Zhou Ming reached out and forcefully poked the figure on the screen, "If it weren't for you being good-looking..."
Like Gu Cong, after being in the industry for a while, he had also developed some appreciation for attractive appearances.
Even with the bottom-view angle from just now, Xie Ye's face remained flawlessly beautiful. Otherwise, how could he have tried every means to lure the person to Shengxing upon hearing the news that he wanted to develop their career back in his home country?
Whether or not he had acting skills was another matter, but based solely on this face, even if he played the role of a mere vase, he would undoubtedly make money.
And Xie Ye's appearance did have an impact on the subsequent public opinion.
In the low-resolution group photo, the young man wearing the distinctive barrel-shaped school uniform of the Hua Country stood out. He was elegant and handsome, catching people's attention at a glance.
【Is this Xie Ye?】
【Must be his twin.】
【Oh my god, look at the background, it's A High School Affiliated to A University!】
【Probably photoshopped, how can someone who didn't even finish high school try to mix into the group of top students?】
Gradually, as the heat intensified, some netizens who had attended the same school as Xie Ye also emerged:
【I couldn't post this before... following the tradition, here's his graduation certificate. Xie Ye indeed went to our school, with excellent grades, always ranking first.】
【Same school +1, it's definitely the same person. These facial features are like they were carved from the same mold. It's just that his temperament has changed too much, and I didn't dare to believe it at first.】
【But I remember his family background was decent back then?】
【It seems he went abroad because of changes in his parents' work.】
【Make way, make way, I have a video from the 1xth school anniversary.】
Due to the changes in aesthetic styling, most celebrities' amateur photos are prone to disappoint fans. The efforts to dig up Xie Ye's past flaws didn't have the expected result. Instead of subjecting him to group mockery, fans generated positive publicity for him.
With such a good image and many points suitable for hype, some wondered if Shenxing Entertainment had gone crazy by continuously suppressing these messages.
The fans of Xue Minglang, who used to dislike any association with Xie Ye, experienced the quickest change. Previously, even if the main character mentioned it, they pretended not to hear it. Now, with the revelation that Xie Ye was a top student, they eagerly dug out the first episode of "Let’s Travel Together" and proudly shared it for their "brother."
【I only knew my brother graduated from the S Drama, didn't expect he was so excellent in high school.】
【That's right, low-key excellence is engraved in his bones.】
【How should I put it, being consistently outstanding is true excellence, unlike some people.】
【No matter how good your grades are, it's useless if you have a bad character.】
The fans of Xue Minglang, despite being skilled at criticizing, were always in the comment sections, even though this was Xie Ye's home ground.
Lately, Xue Minglang and Su Qingyue had been inseparable, and their close interactions were almost in a semi-official state. The fans dared not provoke the young master of Su Entertainment, so they directed their resentment towards Xie Ye.
However, due to the unusually active participation of Xue Minglang's fans, some netizens gradually sensed that something was amiss.
The elegant youth playing the piano in the school celebration video, with the same lighting, atmosphere, and demeanor, looked so familiar.
【Feels familiar.】
【It's right there on the tip of my tongue.】
【Came early, waiting for the case to be solved.】
【Waiting for the case to be solved +1.】
【Just a timid question... Maybe it's Su Qingyue? (links) (links)】
It was a video of Su Qingyue playing the piano at his birthday banquet last year. Since he was still filming at the time, the company didn't actively publicize it, only sharing it on his personal fan page.
The current Su Qingyue and Xie Ye each had their unique features, and their overall temperament was completely different. However, watching the two videos together for a while, one could notice that the young Xie Ye carried an inherent sense of refinement that subtly overlapped with Su Qingyue's mannerisms, expressions, and smiles.
... Or, one could say that Su Qingyue and Xie Ye overlapped.
Especially in these two videos, Xue Minglang's figure could be found in the audience.
Substitute?
White moonlight?
After a brief pause, the comment section welcomed new discussions.
【Ladies, there's something I'm not sure if I should say.】
【Who exactly does Xue Minglang like?】
1 Comments
Say it babes, say it!!
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