Chapter 46: Going Home

Chapter 46: Going Home

Chen Bai's hat was snatched away. He turned around but couldn't see who had taken his hat, nor could he find his hat; all he saw were several pairs of bright eyes still looking inside.

Everyone looked like good people, and with no hat in sight, there was no way to tell who had taken his hat.

"..."

The onlookers paused, the hat was nowhere to be found, so he decided to leave the scene as quickly as possible.

Stepping back, finally reaching the outer edge, someone asked him curiously, "Dude, what's going on inside?"

Finally breaking free from the crowd, Chen Moubai, with his messy hair, turned his head slightly and answered quickly, "It doesn't seem too good."

He answered quickly, and his glance was just as swift.

The sea breeze blew at night, lifting his fine, short hair to one side, revealing highly distinctive light gray pupils reflecting the street lamp's light, clear and clean.

Those who looked over were stunned, not reacting even when nudged by the surrounding crowd.

Chen Moubai quickly left, sending a message to his good neighbor halfway through, deciding to return to the hotel first.

His good neighbor replied with an affirmative, saying he would return to the hotel later.

A walk that twisted and turned a thousand times led them back to the hotel, where curious citizen Mr. Chen and the high school student catching up on homework sat side by side, both with dull eyes wide open.

The high school student held a pen, mechanically flipping to the next page of his homework, then turned to ask, "Isn't Second Brother Bai waiting for my brother to come back together?"

Second Brother Bai closed his eyes, "Something happened along these lines."

The high school student didn't quite understand how it had happened in such a manner, and continued writing his homework while holding the pen.

His good neighbor returned later.

"Click—"

A faint sound, the door opened, and when his good neighbor entered the living room, he saw the two people sitting side by side on the sofa.

As soon as he saw him, Chen Moubai's broad noodle tears suddenly welled up.

"..."

His good neighbor paused while removing his mask, asking, "What's wrong?"

Seeing the sudden broad noodle tears, his voice was softer than usual.

Chen Moubai pointed to his head, saying, "My hat was snatched."

He spoke briefly, selectively ignoring the fact that he had been nosing around.

That was a hat that had been with him for half a year. It wasn't sentimental attachment, mainly because this thing cost 29.9 yuan, enough to buy several notebooks.

—And then something heavy landed on his head.

Lifting his eyes, he saw the black brim of the hat right above him.

Taking off the hat on his head and bending down to place it on someone else's head, Xu Sinian patted it, saying, "Wear this one for now."

Chen Moubai's broad noodle tears stopped instantly.

After a moment of reaction, he then slightly lifted the brim of the hat and asked, "What about you?"

His good neighbor said he had another one.

The high school student turned to look at them, his dull eyes revealing a hint of confusion.

He felt something was strange but couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he chose to ask, "Why did you come back so late, brother?"

His brother said he was recognized while on the phone, which delayed him a bit.

On the side, Chen Moubai, wearing his new hat, glanced over, "Oh, snap."

So the high school student looked at him again and said, "Is there anything wrong with Second Brother Bai?"

Second Brother Bai waved his hand, "How could I be recognized so easily?"

He was truly confident in his obscurity.

It seemed there was indeed nothing to worry about, so Xu Lang continued his homework.

That night, the high school student caught up on his homework until midnight. His two good brothers accompanied him, playing Ludo together until midnight.

This was the first time he realized that his brother would also play such simple games with others, and that his Second Brother Bai's luck was really abysmal.

Until his eyes were blurred from exhaustion, even holding a water cup to drink involuntarily analyzing force direction, Xu Lang finally went to sleep. On the side, a certain Chen with stinky hands, repeatedly defeated, his plane repeatedly moving forward only to be stomped on, finally reached enlightenment, putting down his phone to sleep peacefully.

While they slept peacefully here, the real-time trending topics online kept changing.

Originally, the top of the trending list was dominated by news related to the BCL tournament, with a series of team-related entries. From a certain point in the afternoon, a new term suddenly gained popularity, soaring to the front of the trending list.

Initially, it was about a top-tier celebrity appearing at the BCL finals, recognized by fans. By evening, less than half an hour later, "Xu Sinian appears in City Z" debuted on the trending list.

His itinerary was always kept tight, notoriously difficult to track within the industry. Or rather, aside from himself, no one knew where he was or what he was doing outside of work.

Few endorsements, few commercial activities, one movie per year without exception, this person's divine status remained stable, as if he had already entered retirement mode. Calculating the time, since the completion of his new film, netizens and fans hadn't heard much about him.

Unexpectedly, when they heard about him again, he was already in City Z, and someone had even encountered him directly.

Along with this, photos taken on the spot circulated online, showing a sea of people. Even standing in the crowd, the person in the middle stood out, his hat brim pulled low, his mask temporarily removed, his height towering above the crowd; one could tell from his silhouette alone that he was a handsome man.

"Mom is Xu Sinian! How could this be!"

"The people of City Z really have it good! Why didn't I get such luck?!"

"Huh? How did you know I got an autograph? Well, since you asked, yes, I was one of the few lucky ones today. No secret, just being quick."

"You have no idea how crowded it was! Someone bit into my pineapple without me even knowing who it was! You have no idea how handsome I am! Everyone was screaming 'woc' at the scene."

"Wah wah wah, I arrived late. By the time I got there, they had already left. I only saw their back (but they were really tall wah wah wah"

...

Online, netizens were initially immersed in a mix of joy and regret. Until an unknown big brother left a comment:

"Huh? Isn't this the guy sitting in front of me at BCL's second stand?"

The cap was the same, the mask was the same, the clothes were the same, and the height was equally towering. If there wasn't another Xu Sinian in the world, then it must be him.

This short sentence revealed a huge amount of information. The big brother's Weibo had never been so lively. Comments kept pouring in below his post. Seeing this for the first time, he felt somewhat flustered but replied to each message, sharing everything he knew.

"Thank you for asking. He is indeed very tall, slightly blocking my view of the match. I asked him to lower himself a bit, and he really did (closed eyes)"

"He came with friends. I also asked his friend to help take a photo with Qingzhou. The friend was easy-going, had a good personality, and really helped take the photo (closed eyes)"

"I heard that other places had celebrities appear, so after the photos, my friend went to join the excitement."

As the big brother spoke, he realized what kind of people he had involved in what kind of affairs before, becoming increasingly silent as he spoke.

The big brother fell silent, but the netizens were delighted.

"Hahaha, bro, you really did have a blast from a certain perspective (nodding)"

"Went to check out the bro's homepage and saw the photo with Qingzhou. Just, well, your friend's photography skills are quite abstract."

"Hahahaha, 'He really did lower himself.' Bro, instead of watching Xu Sinian, you ran far away to watch others. Hahaha"

"What kind of luck is BCL having this year? Wasn't Brother Xu not interested in games or these things?"

"In an unnoticed corner, a little girl who was already heartbroken because she couldn't get a ticket to BCL quietly shattered."

The incident seemed to have reached its end, but someone reported that they had encountered Chen Yibai near the Z City Stadium.

No pictures, but there were many eyewitnesses. Chen Yibai was distinctive in appearance, especially with his rare eye color. As long as one had seen his photo, if they met in reality and made eye contact, they could inexplicably recognize him at once.

"I met him, in the crowd (?). I inquired about the situation from him, and he actually responded. He is indeed stunningly good-looking."

"It sounds like something he would do (very true)"

"I met him. He is truly handsome, and he runs fast too."

"What's going on in Z City today? Are all the stars holding a meeting? Why secretly! Why didn't they invite me!"

"Saw the fans confessing to Qingzhou. I was at the scene, and the result was a failed confession."

An ordinary city, an ordinary day, but for many, it became an extraordinary experience.

Like encountering your favorite actor at night, or losing your hat amidst the commotion.

The next morning, when Chen Moubai woke up in bed, he received a message from his money-making partner.

"Were you part of the commotion last night?"

"..."

His groggy mind cleared a little. Picking up his phone, he saw another message pop up.

His money-making partner understood his nature and didn't comment on his involvement in the commotion, simply reminding him to remember to wear a hat in the future.

Chen Bai briefly recounted the incident of losing his hat while joining the commotion, to prove that he had indeed worn a hat beforehand.

"..."

There was silence from his money-making partner's side for a moment before he said, "Just as expected of you."

Receiving affirmation from his money-making partner early in the morning, Chen Moubai got up.

The high school student, who had already woken up, was in the living room, lovingly working on his homework. The hotel also delivered breakfast.

Learning from yesterday's lesson and due to some other reasons, this time they rushed to enter the stadium at the last minute, sitting down in their new seats in the darkness.

Today's schedule had the finals in the morning and a celebrity streamer entertainment match in the afternoon. The high school student, who still needed to catch up on homework, decided to skip the afternoon matches and leave after watching the finals.

Below the stage, spectators witnessed the underdog team that appeared yesterday lifting the trophy, the scene filled with excitement.

Some people, amidst the heated atmosphere, clapped and stood up, leaving before the lights turned on.

Short holidays, short happy times. One moment, the high school student was still applauding in the stadium; the next, he was already seated in the car from the hotel heading to the airport.

They booked their return tickets together, and this time, he didn't have to sit alone in the back.

But it didn't matter much. Sitting here, he still buried his head in catching up on homework.

Almost three hours was enough for him to write several pages of homework.

The high school student wrote furiously, while beside him, Second Brother Bai, who originally said he would accompany him in doing homework, slept soundly, his head leaning against the backrest, in deep sleep.

The flight was stable, the air conditioning quietly running. Placing the printed homework on the tray table, he lowered his head and just wrote the word 'solution', when something black caught his peripheral vision. Xu Lang turned his head and saw

the sleeping person's head was already halfway tilted towards him. Reflexively, he was about to catch it, but then saw a hand extend from the side, steadily catching the head that was tilting towards him.

The watch on that wrist flashed under the light for an instant—it was a familiar timepiece his brother often wore.

Xu Lang now turned around completely and saw his brother gently scoop up the person's head, easing it onto his own shoulder.

...He didn't know what to say. He felt that this person's movements were too tender to be his brother's.

The head that had leaned over was caught, and the hand moved to rest on his brother's shoulder. The sleeping person continued to sleep soundly. It seemed like the problem was solved, so he retracted his gaze, lowering his head to continue working on the problem.

"..."

The problem was far from being resolved.

Xu Lang's hand holding the pen involuntarily moved as he felt that something was off about the situation.

—At least when his friends' heads leaned over during flights, he would unhesitatingly push them away.

And he felt that if he were the one leaning over, his brother, who disliked trouble, would also push him away.

Something just wasn't right.

The pen in his hand paused. Xu Lang turned his head, closed his eyes, opened them again, and looked at his brother once more.

The surroundings were quiet. His brother was neither asleep nor looking at his phone; his gaze was lowered, studying the casually resting hand on the seat.

The people in the live stream frequently praised Erbai's hands for their beauty—slim and long, appearing thin but vigorous while typing.

He felt that his gaze, along with that of the viewers in the live stream, toward Erbai's hands was different from his brother's.

Those living under the spotlight were always sensitive to cameras and gazes, with an uncannily sharp intuition. Just as Xu Lang looked over, the person's originally lowered pupils shifted sideways.

"..."

Xu Lang: "Not... Brother you... Second Brother Bai..."

The observed one whispered, "He's sleeping."

So Xu Lang fell silent.

A rusty part of his brain slowly turned, feeling more and more that something was wrong. He felt that further contemplation might lead to a conclusion beyond his current understanding. In the end, he chose to stop thinking and quietly focused on his problems.

With someone watching him, solving problems became a breeze.

The three-hour flight saw the high school student performing exceptionally well, completing two extra pages of homework. The person sleeping soundly was truly enjoying deep sleep, waking up refreshed and energized.

When they disembarked from the plane, noticing that his good younger brother seemed somewhat strange, the well-rested person asked with concern, "How is it? Are you tired from doing your homework?"

Xu's younger brother said it was nothing, mentioning that he found doing homework quite enjoyable.

"..."

Second Brother Bai felt there must be something seriously wrong with the high school student.

The landing of the plane marked the official end of summer vacation. The high school student with significant issues spent a day frantically catching up on his homework, then shouldered his backpack and returned to the beloved school everyone adored.

The other students, having not been back at school for two months, found everything fresh and exciting upon their return. They rushed to the old teaching building in the first instance, eager to see any changes that might have occurred.

Hearing familiar names mentioned repeatedly by classmates, the person who had already spent two months at school and felt no novelty chose to lower his head and work on his problems.

Whenever Second Brother Bai had time, he could accompany him to play, without needing to perform exceptionally well. However, he always felt more confident with better grades, so he continued to strive for excellence.

As students returned to school, the film crew resumed work.

Arriving at the makeup room of a hotel near the new filming location, after only two or three days without seeing his study partner, Chen Yibai oddly felt that the person looked considerably more haggard upon their reunion.

This person must have been tormented quite severely over the past few days. The agent informed him, "Look at the schedule. These two days, he's been doing scenes opposite the female lead and the third male lead."

Chen Yibai silently mourned for the person.

The agent glanced at him. "Changed hats again?"

Reminded of the sorrowful event, Chen Bai said, "It's a friend's hat. My 29.9 yuan one is gone."

He had splurged on a new 29.9 yuan hat, which hadn't arrived yet, so he was temporarily using his good neighbor's.

The agent looked at the hat he had set aside, finding it reasonable.

His friend had distinct personal traits. If there was anything expensive on this person, nine times out of ten, it belonged to his friend.

With no makeup artist present, the agent remembered something and added, "Didn't you hear that Xu Sinian is also at the place you're going this time? Did you see him?"

Given how much of a fan this person was, to the point of taking photos with posters whenever he encountered them, encountering the real person this time, he should have taken a look.

"That's for sure," Chen Yibai nodded, smiling. "I went with him."

An incurable fan started spouting nonsense again.

The agent nodded, saying, "Good, good," and casually remarked, "Then congratulations indeed."

Chen Yibai accepted her congratulations.

Most of the shooting concentrated within the school, so there weren't many segments to be filmed at the film base, and the entire process could be completed in about a month.

On wrap day, it was unclear whether the director or Zhou Jing was more relieved.

In any case, both appeared quite delighted. On the night of the wrap party, Zhou Jing drank a couple more glasses of wine on his own and bid farewell to the female lead and the third male lead with heartfelt sincerity. When the director subtly suggested that he should promote together with the female lead later, he promptly declined in a similarly subtle manner.

Watching from the side, Chen Yibai felt fortunate that he had taken on a role without a romantic pairing.

The wrap party was both a celebration and a duty, filled with formalities. Last time, after the wrap party, Chen Yibai was directly picked up by his friend and didn't gather with others. This time, he experienced celebrating together after the shoot wrapped.

Celebration was in order, referring to his small team with Zhou Jing. The two teams had become acquainted after the incident of dealing with the leaked footage from their midnight cramming session. Whenever the two actors were together, their teams would naturally gather around them, chatting as one. Coupled with their innate friendliness and familiarity, their relationship had become quite good, especially between the two agents who seemed to have endless topics to discuss, completely engrossed in conversation.

Unable to decide on a destination, they ultimately chose to settle it by drawing lots, which led them to a bar.

Even Chen Moubai could join them at the bar; while others drank alcohol, he could munch on fruit platters and inhale the scent of alcohol, pretending that he too had partaken in the drink, which suited him just fine.

The bar they went to was recommended by one of Zhou Jing's friends, a quiet establishment known for its privacy, ideal for people like them who lived under the scrutiny of the public eye. The two agents found this particularly reassuring.

They all went, the two small teams fitting snugly into a private room.

Warm yellow lights illuminated the room as the fruit platters and alcohol were served. Initially, the group maintained a polite demeanor, sipping drinks and exchanging stories about events that usually remained unspoken within the production crew. But as the night progressed, whether it was due to loosened tongues or heightened spirits, the conversation evolved from refined chatter to the direct challenge of drinking games.

A hand, adorned with a wrist guard, subtly joined the fray. The one who had been content with eating fruit platters throughout the evening now participated in the game.

When others lost the drinking game, they took a sip of alcohol; when he lost, he took a bite of fruit from the platter.

A person with an unlucky hand remains so, be it in rolling dice or playing drinking games.

As they watched half of the fruit platter disappear, the agent suppressed a rising smile, finally speaking up, "If you want more fruit, you can just say so."

As always, he was blunt and unapologetic.

"…"

Chen Choushou glanced at the pile of empty glasses before the person, feeling that the second-worst unlucky hand didn't have much ground to mock him.

By the end of the night, the group was in disarray. The two agents huddled together, sharing the hardships of their profession, while the young assistant listened in awe to the tales of past glories from the older assistant, recounting the feats of an artiste who had since fallen from grace.

Eventually, the two actors ended up sitting together. Zhou Jing moved closer to Chen Choushou, abstaining from alcohol and sharing the fruit platter instead.

Chen Choushou chewed on a piece of watermelon, swallowing it before asking, "No more drinks?"

He hadn't tasted the alcohol here but found the fruits unusually fresh.

Zhou Jing glanced at the clearly intoxicated agent and assistants, saying, "At least one of us needs to stay sober to call for a cab; we can't rely on them."

Chen Bai observed the group, most of whom were already well into their cups, agreeing that sobriety was indeed necessary.

Zhou Jing asked, "What about your side?"

He remembered that this person lived nearby, likely returning home instead of staying at the hotel with the rest of the group. However, the others didn't seem capable of making it back to the hotel on their own either.

Chen Yibai waved his hand, stating, "It's alright, Sister Qian doesn't get drunk."

Zhou Jing nodded in understanding, simply responding with an affirmative.

Sister Qian, known for her legendary tolerance, got drunk.

Caught up in deep conversation with the other agent, she had unknowingly consumed a significant amount of alcohol, adding to what she had already imbibed during the wrap party. Even with a bottomless capacity for liquor, she couldn't hold out against such quantities.

"…"

After finishing their drinks, they once again stood outside the bar's entrance. Chen Moubai watched as his study partner, who had other arrangements and wouldn't be returning to the hotel, departed. His gaze eventually settled on the three drunkards beside him.

These three now required support from the lampposts lining the street to stand upright, each displaying their own unique stance. None appeared sober.

Chen Bai pulled out his phone and began searching for the cost of a taxi ride back to the hotel from this location.

"…"

The evening breeze swept through the street, casting a desolate shadow over those standing on the sidewalk, their hearts colder than the figures displayed on the phone screen.

Upon seeing the amount, he hesitated for only a moment, any longer would be disrespectful to his wallet. Chen Moubai switched the app interface, setting the destination to his home instead of the hotel. Turning to the three inebriates, he asked, "Would it be alright if you guys stayed at my place tonight?"

To be honest, the drunkards didn't quite catch what he said, only vaguely sensing that it had something to do with accommodation. Regardless of the specifics, they responded with a thumbs-up gesture, indicating agreement.

So, Chen Bai hailed a taxi, which proved to be six times cheaper than going to the hotel.

Taxis were never hard to find in the city, and one arrived within minutes. He helped each person into the vehicle, wiping away beads of sweat from his efforts, finally settling into the passenger seat.

His neighborhood wasn't far from here, a mere twenty-minute drive.

The car stopped in front of his apartment complex, and Chen Bai, once again taking on the role of the diligent helper, started moving each person out of the car and into the building.

Once they successfully boarded the elevator with the three inebriates, things finally calmed down. Chen Bai sighed in relief, pausing slightly before pressing the button for his floor.

The agent, who was thoroughly drunk, momentarily regained some clarity, asking, "After all this time…you still can't remember where you live?"

"No," Chen Bai waved his hand, explaining, "A friend lives here, I'm just used to visiting him."

So accustomed to pressing the button for his friend's floor that he now had to think every time he returned home to confirm which level to press.

Hearing his explanation, the agent leaned against the wall, standing up slightly, and asked, "Your friend also lives here?"

Chen Yibai nodded, "He lives upstairs, he should be home now."