Chapter 91: Boyfriend in the Making (Part 1)

Chapter 91: Boyfriend in the Making (Part 1)

His gaze was wandering and his voice soft, but his diction was impeccable, making every word crystal clear.

"Mm," said the agent, "Mm?"

The assistant: "Eh?"

For a moment, Chen Yibai, who had just dropped a bombshell in hushed tones, found himself the focus of three pairs of eyes.

Caught between shock and verifying if it was a joke, the agent instinctively reached for her phone to check if the crisis management statements she had prepared were still intact. Her heart pounded wildly as her mind raced in that brief instant.

All versions of the PR drafts remained untouched, sparing her heart another scare.

Glancing at the time on her phone, she meticulously calculated and said, "The next two scenes don't involve you, so you have over an hour to rest. That should be enough time for you to explain what happened."

Both assistants perked up their ears.

"It's like this," Chen Moubai tapped the thermos cup twice with his finger, tentatively adding, "I have a friend."

"Huh?"

The agent looked him in the eye for two seconds before waving her hand dismissively. "Friend it is, continue."

Chen Yibai tightened the lid on his thermos cup and stuffed it into his pocket. "Last night, one of my friends kissed his good friend."

In that short sentence, each word carried weight. The assistant, leaning forward, nearly toppled off his chair.

The agent couldn't help but raise her eyebrows high, scrutinizing his evasive gaze. Her throat was full of questions she wanted to ask but held back.

Chen Moubai was quiet, undoubtedly up to something. She wondered why he hadn't been sharing new memes with her as enthusiastically as usual last night.

But she didn't expect him to be quietly making waves.

No wonder his acting skills had suddenly skyrocketed today. It wasn't because of his exceptional learning ability, but rather due to personal experience, unbeknownst to her.

Putting aside all other questions, she finally asked, "Who made the first move?"

Before waiting for an answer, she waved her hand again. "Never mind, forget I asked."

It was an obvious question, one that didn't need asking.

She had previously pondered how a certain A-list actor could hold out until the day his debts were repaid. Clearly, he couldn't resist any longer.

After some contemplation, the agent nodded. "Indeed, it was time to make a move."

If he hadn't acted, they would have ended up filming a kissing scene today, a situation even a saint would find hard to resist.

Chen Yibai continued his confession, laced with self-defense. "I didn't mean to bite him."

"Huh?"

The agent felt the issue lay elsewhere. "How did you let him kiss you?"

Chen Yibai rubbed his hair. "I didn't react in time."

The agent looked at him. "What if you had?"

Chen Yibai tapped the thermos cup twice. "A couple of kisses won't take a chunk out of me."

Holding back seemed uncomfortable, and he didn't want his good friend to suffer. If his friend really wanted it, he wouldn't mind cooperating.

Oh, but then again, Comrade Old Xu almost lost a piece of flesh to his bite.

Well, it turned out there was more than just one kiss.

Having delved this far, the matter was now clear. His friend was 100% brain, someone who would spit out a zombie after taking a bite. The agent felt that his good friend had missed a golden opportunity. Given this person's nature, he probably wouldn't have refused if something even more daring had been attempted then.

Further details couldn't be probed, for the sake of her own heart. With the topic concluded, she had intended to revise her PR drafts but, upon meeting his still wandering gaze, she put her phone away and asked, "Was there anything else that happened last night?"

Caught off guard by her insight, Chen Moubai, who had planned to keep the matter private, widened his eyes. "Sis Qian, how did you know?"

The two assistants couldn't help but avert their gazes, unwilling to look at this person who couldn't keep a secret.

The agent didn't elaborate. "Just a guess."

Then she asked, "So, what was it?"

Chen Moubai thus briefly mentioned the boyfriend situation.

"…"

The revelations from his mouth today were one more shocking than the last. The agent and the assistants fell silent for three seconds as a sign of respect.

It wasn't that this person was quietly stirring up trouble; it was his good friend who was making waves in silence.

Sis Qian's mind raced for a while, leaving her with only one thought: Thank goodness she asked.

Given this person's unparalleled intellect, if no one had discussed it with him, his good friend might have waited forever for an answer.

Feeling a slight numbness in her legs, she shifted positions and asked, "So, what are your thoughts on it?"

"I haven't finished paying off my debt, and there's still three hundred million hanging over my head."

Chen Yibai bent down to pluck a blade of grass from the ground, repeating what he had said before. "I'm not thinking about these things until I've paid off the money."

The agent sensed the underlying meaning and followed up, "So, you're going to reject him?"

Chen Yibai's eyes widened. "How could I possibly reject him!"

With a swift motion, he replanted the weeds he had just pulled out into the ground and said, "If I refuse, he'll definitely be heartbroken."

The agent chuckled at this, turning to look at the assistant and saying, "Just as I predicted earlier."

The assistant gave a thumbs up.

It was an exact match, a perfect prediction.

The agent asked, "So you're going to agree?"

Chen Yibai replied, "But I have three... "

A troublesome 'white' that circled back to its original position, the agent gave him a light tap on the head.

It was just enough force to stun without causing any real harm. Chen Yibai rubbed his head, lowered it again in deep thought, and patted the soil to replant the weeds.

Looking towards the newly resumed construction of the residential building in the distance, the agent said, "After this scene is over, your friend will be leaving. If you want to say goodbye, keep an eye on the time yourself."

Chen Bai raised his eyes. "Huh?"

He was indeed about to finish shooting all his scenes and leave for the next production, but he remembered it was supposed to be tomorrow.

The agent glanced at him and said, "You really didn't read today's notice."

She took out her phone, tapped a few times on the screen, and brought up the crew notice. "You're leaving tomorrow, but your friend has to leave after finishing this scene today. It was in this morning's notice, which you clearly didn't bother to read."

Chen Yibai modestly replied, "Fortunately not."

He took the phone and looked at it for a moment longer, seeing the notice the agent mentioned.

Indeed, he was leaving today, right after the initial scene ended. He would travel further south to Weizhen to shoot scenes investigating the hometown of a missing tenant.

It was expected to take three to four weeks, by which time he would already be on his way to the next production.

Taking one last look, Chen Yibai returned the phone.

The scene upstairs took quite a while to shoot, having to be redone two or three times due to various reasons. It wasn't until the sky was fully lit that they finally finished.

Everyone in the crew except for a certain Chen actor who didn't check messages knew that Xu Sinian, another actor, and half the crew were heading elsewhere for filming. After wrapping up their scenes, they started preparing to leave.

The actors didn't need much preparation; it was mainly the staff busy moving equipment. The scene was bustling with people coming and going.

Amidst the constant movement of figures, Xu Sinian took a sip of water.

This time, the director wasn't going along; it was the assistant director who would be leading the trip. While there was no need for a grand farewell, a simple greeting was still necessary. He intended to approach and exchange a few words out of basic courtesy, but then saw the person put away the water bottle and look directly downstairs, not sparing a glance anywhere else.

Following the line of sight, he saw the person standing downstairs waving and smiling.

His porcelain-white skin glowed under the sunlight, and the person downstairs smiled with a gentle curve in his eyes.

Well, the director decided he didn't need to step forward anymore.

Xu Sinian descended the stairs, stepping out from the shadow of the residential building into the light.

As soon as he approached, his arm received a powerful yet harmless blow.

Using a false smile to lure someone downstairs and then launching a surprise attack, Chen Bai lifted his head after initiating the assault and asked with wide eyes, "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving today?"

He wanted to preemptively blame it on a fading relationship, but failed. His behavioral pattern had been seen through, and before he could speak, the person in front of him said, "I originally planned to tell you last night."

But then they got distracted by other activities.

"..."

Chen Yibai paused in thought for a second before deciding to continue with the instructions he had just thought of.

He never gave instructions to anyone, merely mimicking the tone of Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu when they spoke.

Listening to him, Xu Sinian smiled.

On the other side, the assistant was already ready, and the car was waiting by the roadside. He lowered his head and raised his hand, pausing slightly in mid-air before ultimately resting it on Chen Yibai's shoulder. "I'm off now."

Different identities came with different privileges, and he was prepared to lose the previous ones since he didn't want to remain friends.

Chen Yibai glanced at the hand on his shoulder, then looked up at his good neighbor. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly jumped up, launching himself forward. Reaching around the person's neck, he embraced them tightly.

Caught off guard, Xu Sinian took a half-step back, steadying the person on him.

Chen Yibai patted his back and said, "Remember to bend down next time. It's tiring to stand on tiptoes."

After some consideration, he added, "Or you could just get shorter."

Xu Sinian slowly smiled, bending down to hug him tighter. "Okay," he agreed.

Chen Yibai's face rested against the familiar scent on the shoulder, the sunlight filtering through his eyelashes, casting a faint glow onto his pale gray irises. Patting the back, he said, "Be safe."

The previously empty second-floor corridor was once again filled with people, those at the back leaning forward to look down.

The director rubbed his nearly bald head, turning to look at the producer and emitting a somewhat cold voice. "Why do I feel so cold-hearted with such a bright sun today?"

The producer turned around, emitting a voice that had seen the coldness of human nature. "Boring."

"..."

The only one truly feeling cold-hearted and finding the world uninteresting was the actor who was also setting off for Weizhen for filming, yet had no one to embrace him in farewell.

The hug was brief; Chen Moubai gave a symbolic embrace before letting go. As he straightened his body, he met the gazes from the second floor.

Looking at the crowd, he cautiously whispered, "Why are they all looking down here?"

He said, "Don't they have their own friends?"

"…"

The assistant, who had just walked over to remind them that it was time to leave, stumbled upon hearing the last sentence, almost tripping and falling flat on the ground.

Actor Xu left under the watchful eyes of the producer and director, waving goodbye with a slight arc of his hand to Chen Moubai.

The agent commented sharply, "You two act as if it's a parting for life or death."

After finishing the day's shooting, they continued for half a day the next day, marking the end of all Chen Bai's scenes, officially wrapping up his part.

Yesterday was sunny, but it started raining on the day he left. Fortunately, it was an indoor scene, unaffected by the weather.

According to the weather forecast, this area was entering its rainy season, with showers occurring every other day, ranging from light to heavy.

They had a simple lunch together that noon, and in the afternoon, he boarded a vehicle back, transferring to a flight, arriving in City A close to evening.

Before the driver arrived, he was whisked away by Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu, accompanied by Chen Yiwan. It was like being hit by a real cannonball, leaving him speechless.

Between resting and joining the next production, only a few days passed. In this short span, the weight he lost during filming returned slightly.

With that slight return, he joined another production.

This production team was estimated to stay for four to five months, with a shooting pace similar to "Chronicles of Blossoms," allowing him to adapt quickly.

Unlike his previous minor antagonist role, he was now playing the second male lead, with a role size close to the protagonist's, commanding a high salary. The production company clearly wanted him to contribute to the box office success.

With more scenes and a higher salary came greater workload. He barely had time for casual chatter, spending most of his day filming and reviewing scripts.

After half a month of shooting, he finally had a day off. On the day before his rest, his schedule was packed from morning till night.

The leading actor, a man in his thirties or forties, shared his fate of rarely taking breaks, often seen sitting on a small stool with a thermos cup in hand, smiling wistfully as he wished for the world to end.

The world didn't end, and work didn't stop.

To make matters worse, just as they were about to leave for the hotel, it started raining heavily outside. So heavy that vehicles couldn't see the road clearly. At a time when they could have been heading back, the group huddled inside the set buildings, watching the rain pour relentlessly.

Chen Yibai maintained a good attitude, sitting by the window on the second floor. He lifted his phone to snap a photo of the dense rain outside, then lowered it to send it to a friend.

His agent, having nothing to do, watched him operate. The photo was sent in a group message; she didn't look closely, but she could tell he had selected several contacts at once.

This was the self-cultivation of a social genius. If she didn't know that this person was as wooden as they come, she would have thought it was some kind of fish-keeping scene.

Noticing her gaze, Chen Yibai explained, "I'm sending it to Aunt Jiang and the others too."

He wasn't in City A or the southern city where he had previously stayed, but further west. His phone's weather app always displayed three locations, which he glanced at occasionally. That morning, he had noticed that City A was rain-free.

It had been nearly a month of continuous sunshine there, coinciding with the rain here, prompting him to send the photo.

The agent looked at the rain in his photo, then raised her head to look out at the rain curtain outside, saying, "We might have to stay here a little longer."

Turning her head, she asked, "How about your friend's side? Is it still raining?"

"Yes, there was a flash flood warning this morning."

Chen Bai opened the weather forecast, switched cities, and took another look, finding that the heavy rain had turned into a torrential downpour.

The agent raised her eyebrows slightly, saying, "They probably won't be able to work today."

Chen Bai nodded. Not receiving a reply to the photo he had shared, he re-entered the top chat window, typing a message.

As she watched him send the message, the agent remembered something and asked, "Has it been over half a month? Have you figured out how to respond to your friend?"

Chen Moubai closed and opened his eyes, his expression exuding the beauty of a ship sinking naturally at the bridge: "Not yet."

The agent understood: "Your friend will have to wait until the end of time."

Fortunately, it seemed that they didn't have to wait until the end of time. The heavy rain subsided slightly, visibility on the road improved, and the crew could finally return to the hotel.

It was around ten o'clock when they got back. After showering, it was nearly eleven. Changing into pajamas, Chen Bai lay down on the bed in the bedroom, reaching for his phone to check the messages.

All the messages he had sent earlier had been replied to, and several others had also sent him messages. However, the top contact still showed no activity.

Glancing at the time in the upper right corner of the screen, he rolled over in bed, sat up, and reached out to make a call.

"Beep—"

"The number you dialed is out of service area or has been turned off…"

The call didn't go through, disconnecting automatically.

Slowly sitting up from the bed, he put on slippers, pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window, and leaned against the balcony railing. The protruding part of the building above shielded him from the rain, only the night wind blowing continuously.

He tried calling again, this time using the contact information of the assistant he had saved previously.

Still, no one answered.

Just as he was about to call the assistant director who had accompanied them on this shoot, a message popped up on the screen.

It wasn't from his good neighbor, but from another top contact.

"Are you asleep now?"

Chen Bai looked down and replied to the message.

In less than a few minutes, there was a knock on the room door.

The agent had been busy with other work after returning and hadn't changed into pajamas, still wearing her clothes from the day. Upon entering the room, she first chugged a large glass of water.

Chen Bai looked at her and asked after she had finished drinking the water in one swift motion, "Is there something you need?"

The agent put down the cup and took out her phone, saying, "I want to show you a message."

Not understanding why this message needed to be seen in person, Chen Bai still leaned over.

"Don't get too emotional after you see it."

After giving him a heads-up and seeing him nod, the agent opened a notification.

The message was short and official, only two or three lines long.

A city in the south experienced heavy rain in some areas, causing a river in a town to breach its banks. The authorities were working on emergency measures.

The town was called Weizhen, where the crew was located.

Without letting him look for long, the agent quickly put away her phone and glanced at the expression of the person beside her.

She hadn't expected to come across such news, guessing that she must have searched for that place name due to something before, leaving an impression on the internet which then pushed the news to her when she was looking at her phone.

Contrary to what she had anticipated, the person beside her remained calm. After withdrawing his gaze, he took out his phone and said, "I'll call the assistant director."

The agent agreed.

Like the previous two calls, the assistant director's phone went unanswered, indicating that it was outside the service area.

Thus, the agent lowered her head and tapped on her own phone, saying, "I have the director's contact number. I'll ask them first."

The director's phone wasn't outside the service area, but it kept showing as being in a call. It wasn't until the third attempt that the call got through.

There were likely others asking about the situation as well, all calling the director. Before they could speak, the director said that there was no new information yet. However, the last message from the assistant director mentioned that the crew had wrapped up early due to the rain and were in a safe location. If nothing unexpected happened, they should be fine. The reason for the unresponsive calls was probably due to issues with the local cell tower.

The explanation flowed smoothly, suggesting that it had been repeated many times before.

Before hanging up, Chen Bai asked, "When was the last message sent?"

The director said it was four hours ago.

Another call came in, forcing the director to hurriedly say not to worry before ending the call.

After the call ended, the agent sighed in relief, saying, "So it was a problem with the cell tower. As long as they're safe, that's good."

However, when she turned around, she saw the person who had been standing beside her walking towards the bedroom, picking up the coat on the bed and putting it on.

Pausing in her actions, she asked, "Are you going out?"

Chen Bai responded affirmatively, looking down at his phone while saying, "The last message was four hours ago, but Old Xu replied to my message three hours ago."

Since then, there had been no further replies.

This meant that after reaching a safe location, the other party had gone elsewhere, to a place where signals could be received. Cell towers in towns covered less area than in cities, and the crew was even further out in the outskirts of a small town, with towers spaced about three to five kilometers apart.

For some reason, they had gone several kilometers away, and then something happened there that caused the signal to disappear.

Four hours ago, the crew was safe, but three hours ago, that might not have been the case.

"..."

Watching him tap on his phone a few times, an unlikely thought crossed her mind, and she asked, "So what are you doing now?"

Chen Bai raised his eyes and said, "I'm booking a flight."

Both airports were experiencing heavy rain, but it wasn't severe enough to affect takeoffs. Tickets could still be purchased at this time.

His long eyelashes drooped, blocking out the light from above. His eyes, which didn't reflect any light, were clear and clean, devoid of panic, filled only with calmness.

"?"

The more calmly he spoke these words, the more shocked the agent became. Her eyes slowly widened as she said, "Do you know how far away it is?"

Then she added, "It's already half past eleven."

It was half past eleven now. It would take half an hour to get to the airport, a few hours on the plane, and then another transfer by car. An entire night would pass.

"I know."

With a few taps, he booked the ticket. The money for the ticket was deducted from his account without a second glance. He said, "It's precisely because it's so far that I want to go and check it out."

Compared to waiting for news, he preferred to confirm it himself, wanting to be closer.

On the day his parents had their accident, he hadn't gone to see them off, only watching the car leave from home, thinking that by waiting like this, he could wait for their return. This trip might be meaningless, but he wanted to go.

After booking the ticket, he directly went to the entrance to change into his shoes. With one hand holding his ID card and a few cash bills, he said, "Sister Qian, have a good rest."

From hanging up the phone to opening the door, it took less than three minutes before Chen Bai left.