Chapter 85: Premiere Night

Chapter 85: Premiere Night

Silence reigned in the space, broken only by the soft rustling of the flower bouquet's wrapping paper and the patter of rain.

Holding the flowers tighter without realizing it, Huochuan looked down, meeting Chen Moubai's unflinching gaze.

Those eyes, usually brimming with laughter, lifted to reflect the overcast sky above and his own image, unwavering.

This wasn't his usual banter or a joke; this was a sincere statement.

He asked, "Is it Xu Sinian?"

He thought his voice remained calm, as it always did under any circumstances, until he spoke the name aloud. Only then did he realize that his voice was not as steady as he imagined, even hoarse.

Never did he expect to hear this name so accurately from the former God of Wealth's mouth. Chen Moubai nodded, giving an ambiguous confirmation.

Silence descended once more.

"He..."

"Buzz—"

In the midst of the quiet, just as Huochuan was about to speak again, Chen Bai's phone, tucked in his pocket, vibrated and rang.

Almost instantly, he pulled out his phone, muttering an apology as he rose, supporting himself on the ground. He quickly moved aside, checked the caller ID, and answered the call.

Indeed, one should never speak carelessly. Just as they mentioned Comrade Old Xu, Old Xu himself called.

A familiar voice came through the phone. The kindhearted Comrade Old Xu asked where he was, offering to pick him up directly.

Comrade had returned to the old residential building in the old district for some business today. Coming from there, he could conveniently give him a ride.

Of course, he couldn't accept. Chen Moubai, reading between the lines, replied hastily, "What? You lost your key to the residential building again?"

Glancing at the former God of Wealth who was looking his way, his brows twitched. He continued, "Your dog has been hungry inside all day? Wait, I'll be right there."

Not giving the other party a chance to respond, he hung up the call swiftly, checking the time afterward.

Perfect, "6:01 PM".

It was quitting time. After putting away his phone, he turned around to find Huochuan, who had also stood up, watching him from a distance. "Was that...your boyfriend's call?"

Saying the word "boyfriend" proved difficult for him. His voice involuntarily softened, still unable to mention the title naturally—or perhaps unwilling to do so altogether.

Chen Moubai immediately waved his hands. "No."

He explained, "It was a customer. They lost their keys, and their dog has been hungry all day."

He certainly couldn't say it was Comrade Old Xu. Though the intuition seemed inexplicable, he felt that if he had nodded, something strange would happen, like these two people confronting each other over the phone.

An unimaginable scenario.

AAA Professional Locksmith Master Chen calmly showed Huochuan the time, which had passed six o'clock. "Well then, that's it for today, President Huo. My customer's dog is in urgent need, so I'll head to my next job."

He fled swiftly, words barely out of his mouth before he ran off. His hoodie's hood and the hem of his black jacket fluttered as he went, his hand pressing down on the rising hood.

Avoiding the floral path and the sea of flowers with precision, he walked without hesitation, never turning back until his figure vanished from sight.

Under the eaves of the building, the private assistant waiting downstairs encountered the person who leaped out of the elevator.

Encountered, meaning he saw the person jump out of the elevator, rush to the car, and get in swiftly. The vehicle started and sped away, the entire sequence executed smoothly.

"..."

Oh no.

The private assistant understood. He began searching, "What to do when the boss is heartbroken," but then deleted the words, changing them to "How to get the most compensation when being fired."

Chen Moubai took a taxi to the old district to find his good neighbor.

With the situation urgent, he even splurged on the cab fare, sending a message to his good neighbor upon getting in the car, saying he was heading to the old district.

Knowing he was coming, his good neighbor stayed put, waiting for him in the residential building.

In the car, the man who usually wore a smile didn't laugh. His demeanor leaned towards cool detachment, and the driver, understanding the rules, kept silent, driving quietly.

The vehicle traveled from the city center to the old district, the surrounding buildings gradually becoming familiar. As they entered the familiar street, the car stopped steadily in front of the familiar yet alien residential building.

He paid the driver, politely said goodbye, and hopped out of the car.

The distance from the roadside to the entrance of the residential building was short. Without using an umbrella, he simply crossed it, heading straight up the stairwell.

It had been a long time since he last visited, yet he still remembered which floor was which without needing to look at the door numbers. Taking two steps at a time, he finished the last flight of stairs, stopping at the door and raising his hand to knock quietly.

Having heard footsteps before the knock, Xu Sinian bent down to open the door just as it sounded.

The person standing at the door had his hand still in mid-air, the brim of his hat bearing traces of water, indicating he had been caught in a light rain. Lifting his head, he called out, "Comrade Old Xu."

Sensing something amiss in his tone, Xu Sinian looked down and asked, "What's wrong?"

As soon as he spoke, the man's previously tense expression changed. Tears began to well up, and the hand suspended in mid-air didn't fall but instead lifted forward, slowly landing on the back of his neck.

Thinking something must have happened, he bent down and lowered his head, allowing the other's hand to rest more comfortably.

Then his neck was encircled, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy, but carrying the full weight of the person.

Cool moisture and shallow breaths brushed against him as the hat-wearing man raised his arms to embrace him.

"..."

Beneath the strands of hair that hung down, Chen Moubai's dark pupils quivered.

Feeling the icy chill from the person in his arms, Xu Sinian steadied Chen Moubai's waist with one hand while using the other to close the door.

With a click, the door shut. The hand on the back of Chen Moubai's neck, now burning hot, tightened its grip. Chen Moubai clung tightly to his good neighbor, refusing to let go as if any relaxation would lead to another mishap. His entire face buried in the other's shoulder, he mumbled in a muffled voice, "This world is just a giant lychee shell."

No matter where you went, it was like stepping on thorns.

Who would have thought that after being confessed to by a straight colleague in the small garden, he'd be confessed to again by his boss, who had someone he liked, in the same small garden?

Putting aside the theory that the world was a lychee shell for now, Xu Sinian patted the person's back twice and patiently asked, "What happened?"

Chen Moubai condensed a thousand words into a single sentence: "I was confessed to by my former client." He then hugged his dear good neighbor tightly once more. "Thank you, Comrade Old Xu, for saving me."

If not for that phone call, he might still be playing Tai Chi with the former god of wealth, digging his fingers through the carpet.

"..."

When the word 'confession' was mentioned, there was a moment when he seemed to feel the body of the person on him stiffen slightly, but it wasn't obvious, almost like an illusion.

The hand patting the back gradually slowed down. Xu Sinian's expression remained unchanged as he lowered his eyes and asked, "Is it resolved now?"

He then asked if help was needed.

"It's resolved."

Finally remembering something, Chen Moubai finally released his good neighbor, his feet landing steadily on the ground. One hand subconsciously touched the back of his neck as his gaze drifted. "You've already helped."

Facing the downward glance of the other, he straightened his attitude and first made an apologetic gesture. "I didn't know how to refuse, so I said I had a boyfriend."

His eyes flickered slightly as Xu Sinian listened, acknowledging with a sound and continuing to listen.

Chen Moubai obediently lowered his head. "I said my boyfriend was you."

Weak, helpless, but able to brag.

He clasped his hands together, emitting a repentant sound. "I'm sorry, I've ruined your innocence."

His good neighbor, diligent and without scandal, had been labeled as his boyfriend by his mouth, purely tarnishing his reputation. Despite the emergency, it was indeed a grave sin.

After apologizing, he slightly lifted his cap to observe his good neighbor's expression to decide whether to continue apologizing.

But just as his eyes lifted, before he could see the other's expression, a large hand touched the cap, firmly pressing down the brim that had just been raised.

In an instant, his field of vision was halved. Chen Moubai was taken aback, then realized something, his eyes widening. "Are you angry?"

If he was angry, it needed to be resolved promptly, without any avoidance. He directly wriggled out from under the cap, performing a smooth escape like a cicada shedding its skin, then looked up.

In the midst of the action, he seemed to catch a glimpse of the other's lips lifting slightly.

"?"

It was just for a moment. When he looked closely again, the other's lips were no different than usual, still bearing the same expression.

It seemed like a mistake in his vision. Anyway, these details weren't important. What mattered was that his good neighbor didn't look like he was as angry as Chen Moubai had assumed.

He took a few more glances, uncertain, and cautiously asked, "Did you just smile?"

"I'm not angry."

The person moved away from under the cap, avoiding the need to remove it. Xu Sinian thus held the cap in his hand and tested it with the other, saying, "It's a bit wet, we'll change it later."

After testing the cap, he touched the hair, saying, "It's also a bit wet, let's blow dry your hair first."

With a few words, they skipped over the previous question. Chen Moubai had only asked casually, forgetting about it right after. He honestly followed along to blow dry his hair.

It had been a long time since he had been here. As he walked towards the living room, he took a few extra glances, feeling that after such a long time, there hadn't been much change here.

His good neighbor returned from the room with the hairdryer, and he sat down on the sofa in cooperation.

The sound of the hairdryer rang out, and the warm hand atop his head combed through his messy hair, strangely like a massage, making him feel oddly comfortable. Chen Moubai couldn't help but squint his eyes.

As soon as his eyes closed, drowsiness came. Just as he was about to fully close his eyes, a voice came from above his head, "If you ever need it in the future, you can say it like today."

The hairdryer was set on low, the noise not loud enough to drown out the speaking voice.

His brain function had already slowed down. Chen Bai thought for a moment before realizing what saying it like today meant. Opening his eyes, he raised his head and said, "That would completely ruin your innocence."

The good neighbor on top said it was fine.

Deeply moved, Chen Yibai wiped away tears like a primary school student, indicating that he would be friends for life.

His good neighbor responded casually.

He continued to blow dry his hair while the phone placed to the side lit up. It was a call from Ms. Jiang, which Chen Moubai answered.

Surprised that the call was answered by him, Ms. Jiang on the other end of the line paused for a moment before asking where they were. Upon learning that they were still in the old town area, she urged them to hurry and then hung up.

After finishing drying his hair and putting on a clean new cap, Chen Moubai, who had been revived at his good neighbor's place, got into the car with his forever reliable buddy, Comrade Old Xu, and headed home together.

The wipers kept working as the vehicle drove on the road. He took out his phone and opened the contacts, looking left and right for a long time. In the end, he still didn't contact the god of wealth to reimburse the car fare for the return trip, putting his phone back in his pocket.

By the time they arrived home, it was already past seven in the evening, and the meal had already been prepared. Wan had been wagging his tail by the roadside waiting since they entered the courtyard.

After eating a dinner that had been prepared for half the afternoon, the post-dinner family chat began. The busy Xu Dadi, who had work, went upstairs to take a call, leaving Chen Moubai to chat with his aunt and uncle.

During this kind of gossip session, he should theoretically be the happiest White, but today his expression was truly hard to maintain.

The conversation started off discussing Ms. Jiang and then veered towards a direction that made him curl his toes into the ground when it reached the topic of Huo's mother, Zhang Ling.

When the topic turned to Aunt Zhang, it started off normally. Recently, Mrs. Jiang had heard from other ladies that Mrs. Zhang, who had been quite cheerful during the earlier period, had become gloomy again and wasn't as frequent in organizing mahjong sessions.

It had been a while since they had a proper chat, so Chen Moubai slightly perked up his spirits. With one hand stroking the fur of his ten-thousand, he pricked up his ears to listen carefully.

Then Mrs. Jiang said, "Didn’t we say before that her eldest son had poor taste?"

She took a sip of warm water and continued, "I heard that this time, his taste improved, and he found someone exceptional. She liked him very much, but somehow, Boss Huo managed to make him disappear in just a few moves."

"…"

Chen Moubai's pricked-up ears drooped back down, and he silently rubbed his face.

The topic tonight was full of hidden intricacies, twists and turns, and unexpected revelations. Just as Mrs. Zhang's topic had shifted, Mr. Xu brought up the Heluo Restaurant in the next sentence.

It wasn't due to any particular reason; they had simply planned to have dinner at the restaurant tonight because it was close to the neighborhood, making the round trip more friendly for someone who had just returned home and needed rest. However, the restaurant had announced its closure for the day, coincidentally on this very day.

"…"

Chen Moubai buried his face directly into the fur of his ten-thousand, breathing in the scent of dog hair and puppy.

Assuming he was tired, Mrs. Jiang patted his shoulder and said, "It's about time. If you're sleepy, go to bed."

Feeling that he couldn't bear to listen any further, he decisively got up and went upstairs to sleep in his room.

Ten-thousand, who had specifically washed himself today, followed him upstairs with his shark toy that had been washed countless times but was still in use, step by step, clearly wanting to snuggle under the covers.

No one could refuse a puppy's request, so he took Ten-thousand with him back to his room.

Xu Sinian had been engrossed in work for a long time. When he returned to the living room, one person sitting on the sofa was missing, along with the dog.

Seeing his glance sweep over the area, Mrs. Jiang said, "Yibai went upstairs to sleep, and Ten-thousand followed him."

Casually folding Ten-thousand's dedicated blanket and placing it on the side, Xu Sinian sat down at the edge of the sofa.

Mrs. Jiang put down her water glass and quietly leaned over, saying, "Yibai seemed a bit off today. Do you know what happened?"

Having spent so much time together, they could tell at a glance if something was amiss. Not wanting to disturb someone who needed rest, she promptly shifted her inquiry to her own son who was conveniently present.

Knowing that even if he didn't say anything now, this person would ask the other party tomorrow, Xu Sinian briefly explained that they had encountered another confession.

He didn't mention who it was, but based on the other party's reaction that afternoon, it was likely someone completely unexpected.

"?"

He had succinctly described an event that shouldn't have been expressed so briefly.

Mrs. Jiang was taken aback and began trying to count on her fingers, turning to ask Mr. Xu beside her, "How many is this now?"

Mr. Xu replied, "The second."

This was the second known to them. There were probably others they didn't know about, possibly even ones that the person being liked hadn't noticed. This "second" referred to the second openly known one.

Mrs. Jiang then turned to look at him again and said, "You should hurry up."

If things continued like this, she and Mr. Xu might end up attending Bai's wedding with someone else as fellow parents.

Her son would have to give a gift at that time and might even have to personally send the person away.

Lowering his head to take a sip of water, Xu Sinian acknowledged her words and stood up again, saying, "I'll go upstairs to check on him."

Some people kicked and thrashed around when they slept, and with the restless Ten-thousand, it became double the kicking and thrashing. Kicking off the blankets was a common occurrence.

Thus, Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Xu watched him go upstairs.

---

In the days since returning from abroad, Chen Yibai had been adjusting to the time difference.

For the remainder of the year, his agent did not book him any more scripts. The film "Chronicles of Blossoms" was scheduled for release during the Spring Festival, and there was a premiere before that, where he was among the main cast, requiring him to travel across the country. Coincidentally, the TV series he starred in had recently passed censorship, and the broadcast date was set, with the press conference scheduled right after the premiere.

These two events alone kept him busy. Similar to the previous year, his agent was going home for the New Year and didn't want to burden herself with additional tasks.

From autumn to winter, all it took was a rainstorm and the first frost.

As winter arrived, a few days before he was due to leave for the film premiere, the high school student who had been absent for a long time made his return.

The last few times he came back, there was an addition to the family—a Ye. This time, when he returned, Little Ye had grown into Big Ye, becoming a large fluff ball.

After burying himself in studies for a semester, he finally got to play to his heart's content with Second Brother Bai. Second Brother Bai also made up for lost time, still streaming on Kuku the night before leaving for the film premiere, continuing to wreak havoc in P City after the high school student fell asleep.

The result of wreaking havoc in P City the night before was that the next morning, when the agent came to pick him up, she saw a dazed Bai with lifeless eyes, as if he could fall asleep on the spot.

"…"

After politely greeting the people in the manor, she quickly ushered him into the car and instructed the driver to start the vehicle.

As the car moved, Chen Yibai half-opened his eyes and received a black coffee x1 from his assistant.

It was the familiar taste, and the familiar unpleasantness. Holding the black coffee and taking a couple of sips, his nearly closed eyes finally opened a bit wider.

His agent asked him, "What time did you go to bed last night?"

With the scarf Mrs. Jiang had helped him tie around his neck before leaving, Chen Yibai exuded warmth as he said, "I don't remember, but it should have been around one o'clock."

Based on the agent's understanding of him, if he was this exhausted, it was slightly possible that it was two o'clock, but one o'clock was absolutely impossible.

This was clearly a beautified number, and the assistant behind him didn't believe it either, giving him a few extra glances.

"This time, we're going to the same city we visited during filming. I know you're very tired, but try not to doze off. Here's the general schedule for the premiere. Go through it once so you have an idea."

The agent sent over the documents on their phone and said, "There will be a media Q&A session later. Do you remember the plot? There's no time to go through the script again, so if you can't recall it, at least review the character summaries and the outline."

Chen Yibai took a sip of his black coffee and said he remembered.

Anything related to gold coins, he remembered even after a long time had passed. He still clearly recalled A Huai from his first project.

Finally remembering that this person had a good head on his shoulders despite staying up late every night, the agent wiped their face, avoiding further discussion on the topic. They glanced down at the messages in the group chat and remembered something, saying, "Although this release date conveniently avoids clashing with your friend's movie, the box office performance might not be particularly outstanding. Be prepared mentally."

Whenever Xu Sinian released a film, other movies would invariably be overshadowed in terms of both box office earnings and awards, merely serving as supporting acts. It was already considered lucky that they hadn't clashed this time.

Chen Yibai, who was engrossed in sipping his black coffee, looked up at her.

The agent didn't have any ulterior motives; they were simply giving a heads-up. This was mainly because all the TV shows this person had participated in before had been huge hits, still generating buzz to this day, without a single one performing poorly. The agent was worried that after transitioning to films, Chen Yibai might have overly high expectations for the box office.

The script and production team were solid, and the cast was strong, ensuring a stable box office foundation. One could only say that the investors would definitely not incur losses, but how much profit they would make was unpredictable.

Chen Yibai didn't have any particularly high expectations, or rather, he had no concept of these things. Before entering the industry, his most significant interaction with films was probably working part-time for a week at a cinema when they were short-staffed.

The agent said, "Don't set your hopes too high for the box office, but you can still look forward to award nominations."

Most of the time during the Spring Festival season, audiences preferred family-friendly comedy films. The positioning of "Chronicles of Blossoms" didn't quite fit the taste of the Spring Festival market. Choosing to release it now was to catch the deadline for this year's award nominations, aiming for accolades right from the start.

Chen Yibai mindlessly nodded while holding his coffee, feeling detached and calm about the matter, believing the film indeed stood a chance.

The agent glanced at him and said, "You might also have something to look forward to."

"Me?"

Chen Yibai smiled around the straw, waving his hand dismissively. "What am I expecting?"

The agent didn't elaborate, simply saying, "Some things are hard to predict."

Taking another sip of his black coffee, Chen Yibai leaned back comfortably, not really listening to the words, and laughed, saying, "I'm far from that yet."