Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Gu Xu frowned slightly but stayed silent.

Seeing Gu Xu's puzzled look, Lin Qing forced a smile: "I'm shooting here, and Assistant Xu hooked me up with the role, remember?"

"I recall," Gu Xu withdrew his arm, "I didn't know."

After saying that, he walked over to Lu Yan and asked casually, "What do you feel like eating?"

Lu Yan put on his mask, "Whatever works."

"Your mask is always all over the place," Gu Xu reached over and straightened the right side of the mask, "Let's roll."

"Alright."

Lin Qing stood there, his smile stuck on his face, "Bro Xu, where are you guys headed?"

"Grabbing some food."

"Mind if I tag along?" Lin Qing came back to his senses and hopped over to Gu Xu's side, his tone carrying a hint of coquetry, "Even though the crew’s meal budget is solid, Director Chen is a stickler, so by the time we’re done shooting, the food’s cold and gross!"

Lin An, who’d just brought Lu Yan’s meal box, overheard this. After hearing a lot from Xiao Liu last night and seeing Lin Qing’s constant NGs today, he couldn’t resist firing back, "If you didn’t keep messing up, the food wouldn’t be cold. Bro Yan’s been stuck with cold meals thanks to you, and he hasn’t complained once."

Lin Qing wasn’t expecting Lin An to be so direct, his face flushed instantly, whether from shame or anger. He glanced at Gu Xu's expression but addressed Lu Yan, "Bro Yan, I’m really sorry, I’m still new to this and I’ve been slowing you down."

"It’s fine, everyone’s been there," Lu Yan responded indifferently, then asked Lin An, "Just put the meal box back, I’m heading out to eat with Gu Xu. Why haven’t you left for the airport yet?"

"My flight’s at nine," Lin An said, "I’ve got your ticket booked for the day after tomorrow, and I’ve already let Director Chen know."

"Gotcha."

"Hey, Mr. Gu," Lin An, after rebuking Lin Qing, remembered that his top boss was standing beside him. He greeted Gu Xu with a smile, then said to Lu Yan with an ambiguous tone, "You two should grab some food now, just keep it low-key and don’t get spotted."

Lu Yan nodded, and as they were about to leave the set, Gu Xu was pulled back by Lin Qing.

"Bro Xu..."

Lu Yan, with his long strides, had already walked out of the set. Gu Xu brushed off Lin Qing's hand without stopping, "We only booked two seats."

As Gu Xu got into the driver’s seat, Lu Yan noticed Xu Fei wasn’t with them today. Which meant Gu Xu had driven over half an hour just to check in on him at the set.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, "Shall I drive?"

"Buckle up," Gu Xu glanced at the dark circles under Lu Yan's eyes, "I'll drive, you take a nap, I'll wake you when we arrive."

"No need, I'm not sleepy," Lu Yan rubbed his eyes.

The car's stereo was playing soothing English songs.

Lu Yan noticed that Gu Xu didn't talk much while driving. He drove very steadily, always holding the steering wheel with both hands, and Lu Yan could hardly feel any bumps. Just like him, steady and reassuring.

Outside was a view of the sea. Lu Yan rested his head on his hand against the window, lost in thought.

The role of Qiu Rong is definitely an excellent starting point for a newcomer.

Chen Jing said that Lin Qing was on the payroll when he joined the crew. How could he forget that Lin Qing is from the same company as him? Being on the payroll when joining the crew either means Lin Qing comes from a wealthy family, or... the company is determined to promote him.

Lu Yan suddenly remembered what Gu Xu said when he signed the contract, "We have plenty of resources, but most of them won't be allocated to you." Coupled with Lin Qing's warm attitude towards Gu Xu just now, it was clear that their relationship was not shallow.

The answer seemed obvious.

But honestly, with Lin Qing's caliber, there's no reason for the company to promote him.

So what is their relationship?

Superior and subordinate, friends, relatives, lovers?

A myriad of thoughts raced through Lu Yan's mind, and he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

After exiting the highway and stopping at a traffic light, Gu Xu turned his head and saw Lu Yan staring out the window, deep in thought.

He broke the silence: "I made a reservation at a restaurant."

"No cooking tonight?" Lu Yan blurted out, then realized his slip and coughed lightly, "Yeah, cooking can be a hassle."

"It's not that much trouble," Gu Xu chuckled, "I thought you might be getting bored with home-cooked meals, so I wanted to switch things up."

Gu Xu had booked a French restaurant.

Handing the keys to the valet, the two walked side by side into the restaurant. The restaurant was elegantly decorated, and as soon as they entered, a waiter approached them.

"Hello, do you have a reservation?"

"Gu."

"One moment, please." The waiter looked at the list in his hand, suddenly looking concerned, "Mr. Gu, there is indeed a reservation under your name, but..."

"Hey, buddy."

A cheerful voice called out. Chen Yiming appeared out of nowhere, throwing an arm around Gu Xu's shoulder.

Gu Xu frowned: "What are you doing here?"

"Traveling, didn't I message you on WeChat? I came the day before yesterday."

"Didn't look at WeChat." Gu Xu pushed him off.

"Well, now you know." Chen Yiming then noticed someone behind Gu Xu. Although the man was wearing a large mask, his profile had been on Chen Yiming's desk for several days, and he recognized Lu Yan almost immediately, exclaiming in surprise, "Lu Yan, what are you doing here?"

Lu Yan was surprised to be recognized and was about to speak when Gu Xu suddenly stepped aside, shielding Lu Yan behind him, "Dining."

"Well, buddy, here's the deal." Chen Yiming laughed dryly, "I'm actually here for travel, but mainly to discuss business with someone. I heard the partner is a big fan of this restaurant, but my incompetent assistant couldn't snag a reservation."

Chen Yiming coughed lightly, "So, I came by to see if there was another way, and, hey, what do you know, I saw your name on the reservation list at a glance. Your name seemed to glow with a golden light, with a rainbow above and lush grass below..."

Lu Yan couldn't help but chuckle.

Gu Xu raised an eyebrow: "Get to the point."

Chen Yiming: "I told the waiter we were together, checked the phone number, and successfully got the seat—what a happy ending."

Gu Xu's tone remained unchanged: "Then you can take your partner and leave now."

Chen Yiming immediately deflated: "Don't be like that, I've been trying to get this person out for a meal for a long time."

Seeing that Gu Xu didn’t relent, Chen Yiming quickly shifted his target. He bypassed Gu Xu and looked pitifully at Lu Yan: "Xiao Yan, I’ll treat you to the works when we’re back in Beijing. For today, just put up with Gu Xu, okay?"

Lu Yan finally recognized the man in front of him—the CEO of Yu Ce Company, who had offered a deal during the contract termination period with quite favorable terms.

Chen Yiming was dressed in casual attire, standing out like a sore thumb in the upscale restaurant, and was grinning at him.

"It’s nothing," Lu Yan smiled.

"Buddy, hit me up when we’re back!" Chen Yiming said, about to put his arm around Lu Yan’s shoulder.

Gu Xu slapped his hand away: "Go get your food."

Chen Yiming: "You cut me off mid-deal, and now you won’t even let me touch him? So stingy."

"Even without me, you wouldn’t have landed him," Gu Xu sneered.

After Chen Yiming left, the two exited the restaurant. It was nearly seven, and the sky had darkened.

Gu Xu: "Heading back to the office, want me to cook?"

As soon as Lu Yan stepped out of the restaurant, he was hit by the smell of barbecue.

In the short ten minutes they had been chatting, a barbecue stand had popped up right across from the restaurant.

Since it had just opened, there was only one table of customers. The owner skillfully flipped chicken wings on the grill, shouting: "Barbecue here! Five-year-old brand, if it’s not good, it’s on me!"

Lu Yan’s throat bobbed slightly as he turned to look at the man in a suit beside him: "Feel like some BBQ?"

The streetlights were still off, and in the dim light, Lu Yan’s eyes were dark and sparkling.

Gu Xu looked at him, the word "dirty" right there, ready to be said, but what came out was,

"Hold the chili."

-

Lu Yan swallowed a large piece of grilled oyster and called out to the owner: "This is amazing!"

The owner, still flipping the food, didn’t turn around: "Kid, you know your stuff! Here’s a skewer of grilled leeks for you, great for guys!"

Lu Yan laughed: "Awesome!"

Gu Xu: "Do you often eat at barbecue stalls?"

"It’s been ages since I had some, and there are no roadside stalls in B City now," Lu Yan noticed Gu Xu hadn’t touched his food and asked, "Not hungry?"

Gu Xu: "I don’t usually eat off skewers."

"No problem," Lu Yan picked up a few skewers, used chopsticks to slide the food off the sticks onto a plate, and pushed the plate forward, "Try it, the owner knows how to season it right."

With that, he stuffed another large piece of oyster into his mouth, his lips shiny with grease, as if he had applied lip balm.

Gu Xu’s lips curled slightly as he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

Lu Yan watched him: "How is it?"

"Mm," Gu Xu nodded, a subtle hint of affection in his eyes, "Delicious."

Lu Yan smiled: "Do you know what the best part of barbecue is?"

"What?"

"Grilled leeks," he said as he picked the leeks off the skewers.

The owner brought over the complimentary leeks and, upon hearing this, said with a smile, "That's right! These leeks are good stuff, tasty and healthy! Both of you are such handsome men, you should eat more of this!"

They enjoyed the barbecue thoroughly and decided to sit and digest.

Lu Yan squinted contentedly, and Gu Xu, looking at him, suddenly said, "The way you eat makes the food look good."

Lu Yan laughed, "Just say I eat like a wolf."

"Not exactly," Gu Xu said, "but you do take big bites, which isn't good for digestion."

"I got used to it," Lu Yan chuckled. "When I first started out, I got a small role. The lead actor ate really fast, and several times I hadn't even finished eating when we had to start filming, so I was always hungry by night."

Lu Yan said this with a relaxed expression, but there was always a hint of self-mockery in his words.

Gu Xu said, "You won't have to rush anymore."

Lu Yan asked, "What?"

Gu Xu looked at him, "You won't have to finish eating before others from now on, so you can take as long as you want to eat."

Gu Xu's voice was deep and his tone gentle.

It was just an ordinary sentence, but for some reason, Lu Yan felt...

His face felt warm, and his heart was touched.

Back in the car, just like before, there was little conversation, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward. Lu Yan found a comfortable position to lean back, feeling sleepy.

The ringtone broke the silence, and he glanced at the caller ID—it was Lu Miao.

"Mom."

"Did you eat?"

"Just ate. What about you, did you have breakfast?"

"Yes," Lu Miao sounded a bit off, she hesitated before asking cautiously, "Have you... met anyone recently?"