Chapter 90 – Because I Bit You

Chapter 90 - Because I Bit You

As his consciousness blurred, Chen Bai felt his hand, hanging limply on the other side, being lifted by someone and placed on the back of their neck.

Messy strands of hair fell down, sticking to his eyelids that were damp from the heat, only to be gently brushed away. In the quiet space, the sound of ragged breaths filled the air.

Deprived of oxygen, Chen Bai's mind had ceased functioning, responding only with basic reflexes as he tightened his grip on the person's neck.

Feeling the slight pressure on the back of his neck, Xu Sinian raised his eyes to look into the hazy gray irises that were still fixed on him.

Lifting his head slightly, he parted from the pale lips that now bore a tinge of red, allowing Chen Bai to take a couple of breaths. He then reached for the phone on the table, adjusted his hands on Chen Bai's body, and whispered, "I'm taking you back to your room. Don't be afraid, you won't fall."

With his language processing system offline, Chen Bai heard the words but couldn't make out what was said. All he felt was the sudden sensation of weightlessness as he was lifted off the ground. Instinctively, he tightened his grip and bit down on the lower lip in front of him.

The metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth, uncontrolled and raw.

Xu Sinian's words proved to be in vain.

Though his mind was muddled, Chen Bai was aware that he had done something wrong. The moment he tasted the iron-like flavor of blood, he instantly pulled back, attempting to pretend nothing had happened.

His consciousness was unclear, yet he was quick to shift the blame.

It was futile; misdeeds would always be discovered. The metallic taste lingered in his mouth as the hand at the back of his head guided him downward, bringing with it an even stronger scent of iron.

The short journey from the living room to the bedroom seemed endless. He didn't know how long it took, only that when he was finally laid down on the bed, he was completely drained, sinking into the pillows behind him.

Tears blurred his vision, and through the haze, he saw the silhouette by the bedside leave and return. When he came back, a cool yet warm sensation touched his hand.

It was a glass of lukewarm water. Taking the cup, his hands trembled uncontrollably, as if trying to shake the water out. Despite holding it for a while, not a single drop passed his lips.

Old Xu, who was still wiping the sweat from his forehead and the corner of his eye, reached out to steady the cup, helping him drink slowly.

The warmth of the water soothed his throat, and after drinking half of it, the cup was taken away from him with a soft click, placed on the nightstand next to the hairdryer.

A wet wipe swept across his eye, clearing his vision somewhat. Unafraid of being touched, he raised his head and opened his eyes, looking up at Old Xu, who continued to carefully wipe the corners of his eyes.

What he saw before wasn't an illusion; those eyes still held intense emotions, unhidden and undecipherable to him.

He couldn't quite understand them, but they were clearly different from the usual gaze he received, not resembling the look one would give a friend.

Normally, he saw a calm and gentle expression, but today, for the first time, he witnessed the tumultuous undercurrents hidden beneath the surface, direct and genuine.

His fingertips, which had turned red from gripping his clothes, moved involuntarily again. Chen Moubai tried to engage his non-functioning brain, gesturing aimlessly with his hands as he said, "No, this...friend, kiss..."

In his memory, friends, in every sense of the word, shouldn't behave like this.

And it wasn't just once.

His CPU was overloaded, causing his language center to shut down. Every time he opened his mouth, his voice was hoarse, struggling to form complete sentences.

"Uh, friends don't do this."

Even though his words were jumbled and incomplete, Xu Sinian understood his meaning, responding as he delved his fingers into Chen Bai's soft hair to test its dampness. "Not even good friends do."

His response was straightforward, causing Chen Bai's eyes to widen further. He pointed at himself, then at Xu Sinian, his movements delayed and sluggish.

So what were they?

"Because I want more than friendship."

He heard his best friend, whom he considered the greatest in the world, say, "Being good friends isn't enough."

Chen Bai looked up, his hoarse voice instinctively responding, "Then what do you want?"

His mind was still stuck on the concept of friendship, searching within that limited range. Beyond good friends, he couldn't think of any closer relationship.

Perhaps the half cup of water he drank earlier was effective, for although his speech was still slightly stilted, he managed to complete a sentence.

Facing the gaze directed at him, Xu Sinian spoke softly, "Boyfriend."

Each word was enunciated clearly, leaving no room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

He could have justified tonight's events with the excuse of tomorrow's shoot, or found another reason, returning to their friendship afterward, continuing as the most special of friends.

But this time, he didn't want to retreat, nor did he want to be merely the exceptional one among friends.

"..."

Upon realizing that 'boyfriend' didn't mean 'male friend', Chen Moubai's CPU, along with the entire system, exploded.

Now, there was no need for the hairdryer; his brain was generating enough heat to potentially serve as a portable hand warmer.

Nothing that had happened throughout the evening matched the impact of those few words. They caused Chen Moubai's mind to crash, leaving him in a standby state.

"..."

"Buzz—"

The standby state was broken by the sound of the hairdryer turning on. As the slightly agitated wind blew over his head, he momentarily thought his brain had exploded into a volcanic eruption.

Feeling a large hand run through his hair, he raised his own hand, intending to grasp the person's arm, but lacking strength, he settled for grabbing the hem of their shirt instead. "Old...Xu Sinian."

He had intended to call him 'Old Xu' out of habit, but after a brief consideration, he decided that this situation called for using his name, thus changing his address mid-sentence.

"You don't have to answer me now."

After one last check to ensure his hair was thoroughly dry, Xu Sinian put down the hairdryer, restoring silence to the room. Reaching out to slowly brush away the fallen strands of hair, he said, "I can wait. There's plenty of time. You can take your time thinking about it, and tell me when you've found your answer."

A faint smile crossed his face, low and gentle. "I'll save what I want to say for that moment."

Chen Bai released his grip on the person's clothing.

Xu Sinian bent down to put away the hairdryer, and while he was at it, he placed the phone that he had casually stuffed into his pocket earlier onto the bedside table next to the water cup. He touched the still warm cup and said, "It's still warm. You can drink if you're thirsty."

Chen Bai, running like an exe with lag, could only stare at him and nod slightly.

It was already late. Xu Sinian helped cover Chen Bai with the blanket, returned the space to the person in bed, straightened up, and left.

"Click."

"Comrade Old Xu."

Just as his hand touched the doorknob, right before he left, the sound of the doorknob echoed along with a voice from behind. Xu Sinian turned around and met the gaze of the person on the bed.

Chen Bai was fine; he just remembered something bad he did when his mind wasn't clear, pointing at his lips.

Xu Sinian lightly touched the small wound on his lower lip and chuckled, saying, "It's nothing."

"The shoot tomorrow will definitely be fine," he said, "We need to get up early tomorrow, so sleep early tonight."

Chen Bai nodded slightly.

This time, the person really left. The sound of putting away the hairdryer came from outside the room, followed by fading footsteps, and finally, the soft click of the front door closing.

After the front door closed, there was a brief silence before Chen Moubai fell asleep... or rather, he couldn't fall asleep.

With a flip, he quickly buried himself under the covers, reached for the phone on the bedside table, and shakily opened the search engine, typing in his query.

"Is it a problem if your lip is bitten during a kiss?"

Although Comrade Old Xu said it was nothing, he still felt uneasy. The expert's opinion was that it was nothing to worry about, and they suggested being more restrained during kisses in the future.

"..."

When he read 'being more restrained,' he never thought he would use such a term one day, and his brain shrank a little.

His hands were still weak, so he directly flopped onto his stomach on the bed and changed his search query.

"What to do if a good friend wants to be a boyfriend"

"How to earn three hundred million in a year"

"Can friends still be friends after kissing"

"Is there something wrong with me if I feel weak in my limbs during a kiss"

...

The person in the room searched passionately, while outside the room, after the front door closed, the person who had already left the room didn't immediately depart. Instead, they slowly leaned against the wall in the hallway.

Rolling up his sleeve casually, Xu Sinian lowered his head and touched the small wound on his lip.

"..."

In the silent corridor, a light laugh echoed.

A very low laugh, blending into the deep night.

---

Spending the late hours of the night surfing the internet, the person who should have slept early ended up staying up late. Chen Yibai was personally dragged out of bed by his agent the next morning.

Holding a cup of soy milk and a cup of black coffee, he was half-asleep as he was dressed and pushed into the makeup room. After changing clothes in a daze, he sat in a chair and let the makeup artist and stylist fuss over him.

Today, even black coffee couldn't save someone who stayed up all night. After finishing a cup of coffee, the person sitting in the chair still had lifeless eyes.

The agent quickly realized something was off and asked, "When did you sleep last night?"

Past midnight meant it was today, and she assumed that he must have stayed up until at least the early hours of the morning.

Chen Yibai mentioned a number, saying, "I had a bit of insomnia."

"?"

Never imagining that this person would have insomnia one day, the agent's eyes widened, and she gave him a few extra glances. Remembering the matter she mentioned yesterday that she planned to discuss again but hadn't yet, she asked, "Was it because of what you were thinking about yesterday?"

The assistant also leaned over, curious about what could make this person, who usually fell asleep instantly no matter what, have rare insomnia.

Chen Bai waved his hand, saying it wasn't that, and recalling, said, "For various reasons, I consulted online yesterday and was diagnosed by experts as terminally ill."

Then he tossed and turned for half the night, and when he picked up his phone to pay a ten-yuan registration fee, the expert's account was suspended due to suspected fraud.

Agent: "..."

Her interest instantly turned to difficulty in maintaining her composure, and she tersely said, "Stay off the internet."

Online consultations start with terminal illnesses.

Assistant Little Meng asked with concern, "So where is Brother Yibai feeling unwell?"

Chen Moubai silently bowed his head in solemnity and said, "It's already nothing."

After the expert, the omnipotent netizens told him that feeling weak and breathless during a kiss was simply because he lacked physical strength and lung capacity.

To put it more tactfully, it wasn't that he was incapable; it was just that he might be slightly inferior to his good neighbor in this aspect.

Thinking of the keyword, he finally recalled what happened last night. He closed and opened his eyes, taking a deep sip of soy milk.

After finishing the soy milk, they set off for the filming location.

Still the familiar location, the familiar residential building.

Today, everyone else had arrived surprisingly early, gathering before the agreed start time.

Before he could take a proper look around, after Chen Yibai got out of the car, the director approached him, glancing left and right like a thief, and whispered, "How's the preparation for yesterday's scene?"

Without giving an immediate precise answer, he simply said, "Let's give it a try."

Not getting much information, the director said okay and ran off to talk with the producer. The two stood there, fidgeting as they spoke, looking inexplicably nervous.

Chen Yibai later spotted Lin Wanyu, who still preferred reading his script under a tree. This person seemed even more anxious than the director and producer, sitting and reading the script for a few minutes before gulping down several large sips of water.

He could guess that this poor soul was mentally preparing for the impending kissing scene, so he patted his shoulder and said, "I'll try my best not to need the revised version."

Lin Wanyu glanced at the hand that had patted his shoulder and then left, lowering his eyes in acknowledgment. He then asked, "Did something happen to you last night?"

His heart skipped a beat, and Chen Moubai cautiously replied, "Huh?"

Lin Wanyu explained, "I sent you a message yesterday, originally wanting to ask if you were available to rehearse in the evening."

With no recollection of this, Chen Yibai pulled out his phone on the spot and opened the messaging app, only then noticing the unread notification. After marking the messages as read, he apologized, "Something came up last night; I didn't check my messages."

It turned out he had merely not had the chance to see the message. Lin Wanyu smiled, waved it off, and said it was no problem.

With some time to spare, Chen Yibai glanced around, too lazy to move, so he grabbed a stool and sat down nearby, giving the script one last look. His agent and assistant set up stools beside him and sat down as well.

The good neighbor had unusually arrived late today, reaching the scene just as shooting was about to begin, and immediately started the day's first scene.

The agent learned about the script changes just before filming began. As Chen Bai took off his jacket and accepted a cigarette from his assistant, the agent couldn't help but glance at the man talking to the producer nearby. Patting his shoulder, he said, "Good luck."

Time was limited on set, and they couldn't afford multiple takes for a single scene. Chen Bai acknowledged the encouragement.

Once again, it was the familiar second floor, the familiar room entrance.

Standing at the door of the foyer, just before the main door closed, Chen Yibai met the lowered gaze of his good neighbor standing outside.

Their eyes met, and the door shut.

At around six or seven in the morning, the sky was still dark. After the room door closed, the foyer was as dim as the previous night, with only the spreading scent of smoke and the strangely prominent sound of heartbeats in the dimness.

Knowing that Lin Wanyu was worried about the consequences of failing this time, Chen Bai didn't say much, exhaling deeply before closing his eyes.

In the darkness, the director's voice echoed.

When he opened his eyes again, he bent down to open the door.

As the old iron door creaked open, the crowd gathered in the corridor peered inside.

The person who emerged from the room had disheveled hair and leaned against the door frame as if drained, resting their head against the cold frame. With a casual flick, they pushed the tall, tattooed man standing behind them back slightly, raising their eyes to ask, "Who are you?"

He seemed to lack strength, pushing the man lightly, yet the fierce-looking tattooed thug moved back, standing obediently while keeping his eyes fixed on the person at the door.

His upward gaze matched his overall demeanor—languid and lazy—but his lips were taut, and his displeasure and irritation appeared to be nearing their breaking point. His pale red lips bore traces of water from the drink he had just had before the scene.

The camera focused on his clear, light-colored irises, misty with moisture. The redness at the corners of his eyes blended perfectly with his slightly damp, elongated eyelashes.

A completely different feeling from before, causing those watching to inexplicably feel a tightening in their throats.

The director, standing behind the camera, jumped up, stepping onto his small stool, and silently repeated "good" several times, his face flushed with excitement.

The man standing alone at the room's entrance lowered his head, introducing himself as the new tenant upstairs, asking if this was the landlord's room.

"No."

Gently holding the cigarette that was previously between his fingers, the person leaning against the door frame finally straightened up slightly, casually tossing his messy hair back and removing the cigarette from his pale red lips. Raising his eyes, he exhaled a puff of smoke.

The white smoke spread in the air, directly facing the man standing at the door. Amidst the swirling smoke, he chuckled softly and said, "Scram."

After the line was delivered, there was a three-second silence. The clapperboard was slapped, and the director yelled, "Cut."

The moment the sound rang out, the man who had been holding the cigarette and smiling coldly and coolly suddenly bent over, frantically coughing and clutching his chest.

Chen Moubai, who did not have a smoking habit, indeed could not adapt to smoking in such a short time. The instant the smoke entered his throat, it was not good, and the final word "scram" was entirely held back by his professional ethics. After saying it, he could barely hold on for these three seconds.

His coughs came one after another. Lin Wanyu stood behind him, closest and most conveniently positioned, initially intending to raise his hand to help pat his back. However, a pair of large hands had already circled around his back, skillfully assisting him to catch his breath.

He lowered his raised hand.

As he struggled to breathe, the agent and assistant came over to check on him, followed by the director taking a closer look as well.

Chen Yibai was fine, having merely choked on the smoke and caught his breath. A few pats on the back and a couple of deep breaths later, he was alright.

He had acted weak earlier, but now he was genuinely coughing until he was dizzy. After regaining his composure and standing straight, he habitually leaned back, comfortably sighing as he rested against his good neighbor.

"…"

Something wasn't quite right.

Only after leaning did he realize what was amiss, and he looked up at his good neighbor.

His good neighbor looked down at him, his dark pupils unchanged, asking, "Is it uncomfortable leaning on me?"

Still the familiar gaze, the familiar tone. Chen Yibai continued to lean comfortably, even adjusting his angle to find the most comfortable position.

Seeing that he was alright, the director didn't say much, giving him a thumbs up and praising, "How did you learn so much overnight? How did you suddenly get it?"

Although he had given him one chance, truth be told, based on yesterday's situation, he thought the script would definitely need revisions. He and the producer had assumed Xu Sinian was bound to be offended and spent a long time discussing how to phrase things as tactfully as possible.

Receiving praise, Chen Yibai cut to the chase, omitting the details, and simply said, "I had a special way of learning."

On-site instruction, firsthand experience, guaranteed to teach and ensure mastery.

Recalling something, he turned to look at Lin Wanyu still standing by the door, smiling as he said, "Perfect, I didn't drag you into this."

This scene was clearly perfect, already meeting the standard, no need for reshoots with the revised script. Lin Wanyu followed with a small smile, not too big, his lowered eyelids concealing the emotions in his eyes.

The smile seemed somewhat forced, but Chen Yibai didn't notice.

"Teacher Xu, is that a wound you have?"

Just as the crowd was about to disperse for the next scene, a crew member spoke up before leaving, causing everyone to turn their heads back.

Meeting the crew member's gaze, they strained their eyes a bit more, finally spotting a small cut on the man's lower lip near the corner of his mouth.

It wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely, even less so on camera, but once seen, it was hard to ignore.

"…"

Caught off guard, Chen Moubai's body stiffened, having been comfortably leaning against someone.

Remaining silent and trying to minimize his presence, he heard his good neighbor chuckle, saying, "I accidentally bumped it last night."

Still leaning against him, Chen Yibai could even feel the vibrations from his neighbor's words, causing his own conscience to tremble.

Subconsciously raising a hand to cover his mouth, his gaze drifted, pretending to be busy looking elsewhere.

Amidst the others' "How could you be so careless," he met the gaze of his agent in the crowd.

Seeing his money-making partner was like seeing a lifeline, he quickly stood straight, patted his good neighbor's arm signaling he needed to leave, and as he stepped away from this place that tortured his conscience, he asked, "Sister Qian, what do you need?"

"?"

Sister Qian had just been joining in the fun, she hadn't actually wanted to talk to him.

But seeing how desperate he was to leave, she gave an extra glance at the fragile-looking white, then looked at Xu, the great actor, still standing there, and finally took charge, saying, "There's something, let's discuss it downstairs."

She waved at Xu, the great actor, and the director, saying, "I'm borrowing him for a moment."

Thanks to the merciful Sister Qian, Chen Yibai finally breathed in the air downstairs.

Sitting down on a small bench under the shade of a tree, he accepted the thermos cup from his assistant, drank some water, and transformed back into his usual lively self.

His agent also grabbed a bench and sat down, asking, "Why were you acting like it was a matter of life and death over there?"

"There's a reason, it's a long story."

Anticipating his agent's question, Chen Yibai preemptively said, "This can't be explained briefly."

Agent: "Oh."

If it couldn't be explained briefly, then it wouldn't be discussed for now. She looked at the large crowd on the residential building's corridor and asked, "Do you know how your friend got that injury on his mouth?"

His friend didn't seem like the type who would accidentally bump his mouth, especially in such a peculiar location. At least, she couldn't think of how one could bump their mouth in that spot.

The two assistants instinctively leaned over to set up the benches.

That's right, he couldn't think of it either. Chen Yibai hugged the thermos cup and silently took another sip of water, his gaze drifting as he said, "I bit him."