Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The next day was a rest day for the crew.

However, after a long period of early morning shooting schedules, Lu Yan still woke up punctually at 7 a.m.

Thinking to let Xiao Liu sleep in on the rest day, he washed up and went out alone, planning to have some porridge nearby to fill his stomach. But as soon as he stepped out of his room, he saw Shi Qing leaning against her door, legs crossed, standing casually with no expression on her face.

Shi Qing was also surprised to see him: "It's a rest day, why are you up so early?"

"It's a habit. Why are you standing outside?"

"There's a camera set up in the room across," Shi Qing said indifferently, "Even with the curtains drawn, it feels uncomfortable, so I came out."

Lu Yan nodded: "How about grabbing some breakfast together?"

Shi Qing scoffed: "Want to get photographed again?"

"What’s to worry about?" Lu Yan turned back to close his room door, "If those reporters can photograph you, they can definitely follow us to the set. Right now, those news outlets just want to generate some buzz with you and me. In a few days, they'll release news about the movie."

Shi Qing had been preoccupied with thoughts of Yun Anqing and hadn't thought that deeply. Lu Yan's reminder made her realize. She went back to her room to get her key card and walked ahead of Lu Yan: "Let's see if there's any Cantonese breakfast."

The two only wore masks as they left the hotel. There weren't many residents nearby, and most shops sold boxed meals, so there were few people in the morning. After searching for about ten minutes without finding a dim sum place, they ended up going into a porridge shop.

While Lu Yan was sipping his porridge, he asked: "How are you planning to handle that photo?"

Shi Qing shrugged: "Lay low, I suppose."

Lu Yan thought for a moment, then advised: "Actually, going public wouldn’t really change anything."

Shi Qing wasn't selling an innocent girlfriend image anyway, just being in a relationship wouldn't really affect her.

If she laid low, like today, she would have several paparazzi following her every time she went out. It’s hard to avoid them.

Shi Qing of course knew what he was thinking: "Most of Yun Anqing's fans are fans who see him as a boyfriend figure, and his career is just starting. Announcing it would not only lose fans but also invite backlash."

After saying that, she chuckled: "Besides, we're not in that kind of relationship, just friends with benefits."

Lu Yan thought to himself, friends with benefits would make you so cautious?

Back at the hotel, Lu Yan leaned on a pillow, nonchalantly opened Weibo, switched to his main account, and the notification bar was flooded with over 999 messages again.

He anticipated seeing a lot of comments about the scandal, but the comments were along these lines—

"I’m relieved to see you’ve signed with such a great company QAQ"

"A fan who casually follows your work, I really enjoyed your show 'Elite Lawyer', wishing you the best."

"As soon as you attach yourself to a big name, you immediately terminate the contract. There’s nothing more ungrateful than that."

After reading for a while, he realized that his boss had created a Weibo account.

Gu Xu's homepage had only one post. Lu Yan clicked repost, also adding a mocking smile.

Then he scrolled up, followed, marked as a favorite.

All in one swift move.

Right after lunch, Chen Jing came knocking, asking Lu Yan to join her for a meeting.

Most of the publicity team had shown up, and the theme of the meeting was clear: how to handle the photo scandal.

Shi Qing raised an eyebrow at Chen Jing: "My bad for blowing our cover."

"You should at least show some sincerity in admitting your mistake," Chen Jing rolled her eyes at her. "Forget it, what can be hidden from those paparazzi? Their noses are sharper than a dog's. Anyway, we’re wrapping up filming, and promotion starts tomorrow."

Lu Yan: "Tomorrow?"

"The faster, the better. Both of you should put up the promotional posts tonight," Chen Jing sneered. "Those paparazzi want to use your scandal to warm up before revealing the movie news. I won’t let them piggyback on this hype; I'll launch the promotion myself first."

Lu Yan was just about to speak when the door to the meeting room swung open.

Gu Xu walked in calmly, followed by Yun Anqing and Lin An.

Gu Xu chuckled lightly: "Mind if the investor joins this meeting?"

"..." Chen Jing cleared her throat, "Have a seat."

Gu Xu walked straight to Lu Yan and sat down beside him.

Lu Yan wasn’t taken aback. He looked at Lin An: "Why are you here?"

Before Lin An could answer, Shi Qing frowned at Yun Anqing: "What are you doing here?"

This was the first time Lu Yan had seen Yun Anqing in person, and he didn't look much different from the photos. Yun Anqing first bowed: "Apologies for interrupting."

Then he stood tall and said, "I came to see you."

"To see me? Worried the reporters won’t recognize you in the photo?" Shi Qing sneered.

Chen Jing ushered the publicity team out and waved at Yun Anqing: "Young man, sit down and talk."

The crew meeting had somehow turned into a private chat.

Shi Qing: "Get on a plane back right now."

Yun Anqing refused without hesitation: "No, I came here to get photographed by the paparazzi."

"Do you realize what happens if you get caught on camera?" Shi Qing glared at Lin An, "You’re his manager—why didn’t you keep him in check?"

Lin An remained calm, probably too exasperated to be angry: "He said if I stopped him, he’d go straight to the media and spill everything."

Yun Anqing sat quietly, but his tone was resolute: "We’re together, and there’s no need to hide it."

Lu Yan thought Shi Qing was probably seething inside: "You’re still new to this, you don’t get it, and you have no idea how bad this could blow up. And I'm not in a relationship with you."

Yun Anqing was stunned, then said, "Alright, then I’m chasing you."

"..."

Lu Yan listened with great interest when Gu Xu suddenly leaned over: "Come on, let’s get out of here."

Lu Yan blinked at him: "Where to?"

Gu Xu didn't answer him, stood up, and said, "You guys continue talking. Once you reach a conclusion, inform the PR team; they know what to do."

After leaving the meeting room, Lu Yan looked regretful: "Why not listen a bit longer?"

"Nothing worth listening to," Gu Xu looked him up and down, "Not bad, you’re still in shape."

"That tonic soup is making me feel like I’m about to get a nosebleed," Lu Yan didn’t bother asking where they were headed, just followed him into the elevator.

The elevator reached the eighth floor.

It wasn’t until they were inside the room that Lu Yan realized, "You’re staying at this hotel too?"

Gu Xu gave a noncommittal hum, took off his suit jacket, and casually hung it on the stand. He then grabbed a plastic jar from the suitcase near the bed, which contained pickled vegetables.

He passed the jar to Lu Yan, "It’s not spicy, but don’t overdo it."

With that, he dug through the suitcase again, took out a bathrobe, and went into the bathroom.

Lu Yan listened to the water running in the bathroom, nibbling on the pickled vegetables from the jar.

The hotel wasn’t exactly top-notch, and to increase customer flow, the room was designed with a suggestive vibe.

Take the bathroom, for example.

The bathroom featured floor-to-ceiling glass walls. With the lights on, the silhouette of the person showering was faintly visible through the glass. Blurry, but the outlines were discernible. Gu Xu’s distinct arm muscles, strong thighs, and his movements as he rinsed his hair all caught Lu Yan’s eye.

His only thought was—thank goodness the restaurant’s tonic soup didn’t include turtle.

As Gu Xu opened the bathroom door, a wave of warm, soap-scented air filled the room.

"Got a shoot tomorrow?"

Lu Yan nodded, "Yeah, we’re almost done."

Gu Xu sat beside him, towel-drying his hair. The room had just one small, plush sofa. The moment they sat, their arms brushed against each other.

The tightly drawn curtains left the room in a dim, cozy light. Gu Xu flipped on the TV and picked a drama.

"Elite Lawyer," which Lu Yan had filmed a couple of years ago.

Lu Yan always cringed watching shows he’d acted in and reached for the remote, "Let’s watch something else."

Gu Xu chuckled, holding the remote out of reach, "Just this one."

Lu Yan pushed himself up using Gu Xu’s shoulder but lost his footing and nearly tumbled off the couch. Gu Xu quickly reached out with a big hand, and Lu Yan, startled, grabbed instinctively—

When they both realized, half of Lu Yan’s body was pressed against Gu Xu’s thigh.

The fabric Lu Yan grabbed was the hem of Gu Xu’s bathrobe, and with that pull, the belt in the middle had mostly come undone.

Gu Xu’s black briefs were glaringly exposed in front of Lu Yan.

"..."

So... bulging???

Gu Xu looked at the stunned Lu Yan, couldn’t help but curl his lips. He still had his arm around Lu Yan’s waist, his tone unchanged, "Not hurt, are you?"

Gu Xu’s hand was large, and even through the fabric, Lu Yan could feel the warmth from his palm to his waist. He came to his senses and quickly sat up, his heart racing.

"...No."

After this incident, Lu Yan didn’t dare to move recklessly anymore. They sat shoulder to shoulder, one munching on pickled vegetables, the other drying his hair, the scene incredibly harmonious.

In the first episode of the drama, it started with Lu Yan’s courtroom scene. Gu Xu asked, "Was this judge bribed by the defendant?"

"No," Lu Yan swallowed the cold dish, "I won him over."

Gu Xu raised an eyebrow: "The protagonist can do such a thing?"

"TV show leads these days are all super capable. Weak leads are out of style. How long has it been since you watched a TV drama?" Lu Yan had just finished speaking when the camera cut to another lawyer. He nudged Gu Xu's shoulder, "Guess who this female lawyer is?"

Gu Xu played along: "The villain."

"No, she's the female lead. I’m gonna confess to her in episode twelve." Missing the remote, Lu Yan was thrilled to drop the spoiler.

"Oh?" Gu Xu replied casually, "How do you confess?"

Lu Yan: "Just, I like you."

Gu Xu’s lips turned up in a big smile, and he gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

Lu Yan didn’t think anything of it. He initially wanted to change the channel, but as he watched, he got sucked in.

He only noticed when he heard steady breathing next to him that Gu Xu had fallen asleep.

The sofa back came up to Gu Xu’s shoulders, and leaning back allowed him to rest against it.

His posture made his Adam’s apple stand out, and water droplets from his hair fell onto his collarbone. The robe’s belt, which Lu Yan had loosened earlier, gave a peek at what was underneath.

Lu Yan's gaze fell on his lips.

He flashed back to the banquet, when Gu Xu had licked his lips.

The more he dwelled on it, the more worked up he got. The sounds from the TV seemed to be blocked out.

He held his breath, his chest rising and falling faster. He stared at Gu Xu's lips, feeling as if something was scratching his heart, making it tingle with itchiness.

After a while, as if bewitched, he leaned down slowly. The closer he got, the more intense Gu Xu's scent became.

When Gu Xu's even breath hit his nose, he thought, screw it, even if the world ended right now, he was gonna kiss him—

"Ring—" A sharp ringtone echoed throughout the room.

Lu Yan, already feeling guilty, was startled by the sound and sat up straight. He looked at the hotel landline on the bedside table, ringing vigorously, and for a moment, he didn't know whether to be happy or angry.

Author's note:

Lu Yan: Sharpening my knife towards the author.

Scumbag author: Meow meow?