Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Zhou Erhe paced back and forth in her room. In the end, she removed Ying Jin's WeChat and phone number from her blocklist.

Almost at the same time, an incoming call from Ying Jin appeared on her screen.

He's calling again so soon?

Has he been calling non-stop these days?

Zhou Erhe's hand tightened around her phone, and finally, she answered the call.

Ying Jin sat on the rooftop, surrounded by several empty bottles, constantly dialing a single number, always greeted by an automated female voice on the other end.

Tossing another empty bottle on the ground, Ying Jin looked down at the bustling road below, quickly hung up the call to silence the automated voice, and dialed again.

After two rings on the phone, it suddenly connected.

It's connected...

Ying Jin's hand trembled, nearly dropping the phone. In that moment, numerous questions raced through his mind.

"Ahe, where are you now? Why did you suddenly disappear that day, and why did you block me?"

But in the end, he only asked one question.

"Are you okay now?"

A bitter feeling welled up in his eyes. Zhou Erhe tried to blink back tears and softly replied, "Yeah."

But no matter how hard he tried to hide it, Ying Jin could still detect the nasal tone in his voice and immediately grew concerned.

"Hey, don't cry. What happened in the office that day was my fault. I shouldn't have confronted that girl..."

"It's not your fault." Zhou Erhe couldn't help it, tears streaming down, sniffling as he asked, "Why did you disappear that morning?"

"I went to get some anti-inflammatory medicine; you seemed a bit swollen." Ying Jin explained in a muted voice.

Awkwardness and silence replaced the emotion. Zhou Erhe held his breath, unsure of what to say.

After a while, it was Ying Jin who broke the silence.

"Ahe, I've missed you."

Zhou Erhe was taken aback, his expression softened, and he whispered, "I've missed you too."

"I'm in Rome now," Zhou Erhe glanced at the darkening sky outside, "I'll come back to find you tomorrow."

……

Ning Yuyi had a restful sleep and woke up naturally. He shuffled in the blanket, then sat up with tousled hair.

From the small kitchen outside the room, there were occasional sounds. After a quick wash, Ning Yuyi opened the door to find Fan Zhongchuan busy cooking. He approached and hugged him from behind.

"Awake?" Fan Zhongchuan set down the ingredients and turned, gently touching Ning Yuyi's head with his clean hand, "You fell asleep last night with wet hair."

"It's okay, no headache," Ning Yuyi shook his head, more curious about something else.

He looked at the dumplings Fan Zhongchuan was preparing, "You can cook?"

"Just a bit." Fan Zhongchuan, having studied abroad, learned to make simple breakfasts to avoid sharing his living space. For lunch and dinner, he usually ate out.

"Doesn't the hotel serve breakfast?" In some ways, Ning Yuyi was quite straightforward.

Fan Zhongchuan paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and gave Ning Yuyi a gentle peck on the corner of his mouth.

"The hotel only serves Western breakfast. Don't you prefer Chinese food?"

I made it because you like it.

Ning Yuyi paused, then broke into a smile, snuggling into Fan Zhongchuan's embrace.

"Fan Zhongchuan, I really like you."

After breakfast, Lin Yiyuan dragged Xie Lou to browse the duty-free shops, leaving the younger ones to play in the hotel.

Xie Yinan chose a great movie and played it on the wall. Ning Yuyi leaned on Fan Zhongchuan's shoulder, munching on sunflower seeds while watching the screen.

Xie Yezhou's phone rang, and he stood up to take the call on the balcony.

Ning Yuyi faintly heard the names Xu Yingzhe and He Xiaoxiao, probably regarding the past incident.

Not long after, Xie Yezhou hung up, took a moment outside to smoke a cigarette, then came back in.

"Did you find out anything?" Ning Yuyi looked up at Xie Yezhou, inquiring.

"Yeah." Xie Yezhou settled back onto the sofa, "Xu Yingzhe has been seeing others, but they're typically long-term liaisons from within the industry. He offers them perks to stay quiet."

"Xu Yingzhe?" Xie Yinan, distracted from the movie, queried, "Isn't his wife Ruan Xiaohui?"

"Yes, and she's more than eight months pregnant. Almost due."

A heavy silence followed Xie Yezhou's words.

Anxiel, unfamiliar with the background, appeared the most puzzled. Realizing he was out of the loop, he returned his focus to the movie.

"Ruan Lezhi had someone look into Xu Yingzhe recently," Xie Yezhou continued, "But he hasn’t told Ruan Xiaohui, fearing she might miscarry."

Ning Yuyi frowned, "So he's going to keep her in the dark for another month?"

"It's a tough situation," Xie Yinan pondered for a moment, "Ruan Lezhi should have a plan. It's not our place to intervene in the Ruan family matters."

Xie Yinan's gaze hardened, a stark contrast to his usual gentleness, "We need to deal with He Xiaoxiao."

Throughout the discussion, Fan Zhongchuan merely held Ning Yuyi's hand, occasionally squeezing it, only lifting his gaze when He Xiaoxiao's name was mentioned.

"We should recast the 'Zhouyang Emperor' series," Fan Zhongchuan suggested.

"I was thinking the same," Xie Yezhou nodded in agreement.

Yet, despite the plans, He Xiaoxiao remained in the cast.

Ning Yuyi held his phone, the screen displaying the Weibo platform. Upon closer inspection, several trending topics were visible.

Official Announcement of "Zhouyang Emperor"

Ning Yuyi and Xie Yezhou brothers reunite in the same series.

Ning Yuyi and He Xiaoxiao collaborate again after "Hello, Actor."

Xie Yinan and Fan Zhongchuan were on the phone with the production team, questioning the sudden official announcement without any prior notification.

"We can't recast now after the official announcement," Xie Yezhou said with a deep frown, staring intently at the phone screen.

Xie Yinan ended his call first, "He Xiaoxiao met with the director privately after going back."

Xie Yezhou remarked, "I always said that director was unreliable."

Xie Yinan countered, "But he's the best in the industry when it comes to historical palace dramas."

Xie Yezhou quipped, "So, choosing him made things easier for you?"

Xie Yinan, not wishing to prolong the conversation with Yezhou, turned to Fan Zhongchuan who had just entered, "What's the verdict?"

Fan Zhongchuan shook his head, "It's complicated. He Xiaoxiao has photos of the director."

Xie Yinan inquired, "What's your take on this?"

Fan Zhongchuan proposed his solution, "Handle Xu Yingzhe first, expose He Xiaoxiao, and be ready to delete the director's photos across the internet."

Xie Yinan nodded approvingly, "That's what I was thinking too."

The two sat down to strategize. Ning Yuyi, feeling out of the loop, glanced left and right, finally shifting slightly towards Anxiel, who appeared untroubled.

Anxiel's eyes brightened when he noticed Ning Yuyi's movement, appreciating the company.

However, Ning Yuyi suddenly felt a stern gaze from Fan Zhongchuan, prompting him to shift back to his original position.

Meeting Anxiel's pleading eyes, Ning Yuyi could only offer a helpless shrug.

Finally, with a sigh reminiscent of someone far older, Ning Yuyi thought to himself how challenging life can be.

Ning Yuyi started messaging Zhou Erhe. The day after arriving in Rome, Zhou Erhe hurriedly returned to Haimarket. Xie Yinan, seizing the opportunity, granted him and Ying Jin a few days off to sort things out.

Zhou Erhe: "I saw the trending topic. Has there been any official announcement from the director and the company?"

Ning Yuyi: "No, big brother and Mr. Fan are discussing how to handle it."

Zhou Erhe: "What's their stance?"

Ning Yuyi: "They don't want He Xiaoxiao in the cast."

Zhou Erhe: "Of course not. If she joins, who knows what she might pull."

Ning Yuyi: "Let's drop that for now. After rushing back, did you clear up the misunderstanding with Ying Jin?"

Zhou Erhe: "...Can we not talk about that?"

Ning Yuyi: "Got it. So, you really misunderstood?"

Zhou Erhe: "Goodbye ? (jg)"

Ning Yuyi: "Was Ying Jin mad when you got back?"

Zhou Erhe: "...Yes, he was."

Ning Yuyi: "Can you give me some advice on how you placated him? If Fan Zhongchuan ever gets mad, I'll have some pointers. It's just brotherly sharing."

Zhou Erhe - Best approach: Self-soothing

Ning Yuyi - Physical...?

Zhou Erhe - Yes, exactly what you're thinking 🙂