Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Water droplets trickled down Chen Zui's dark hair, his skin flushed—whether from the bath's steam or a fever was unclear. His sharp, dark eyes now held a watery sheen.

"Mr. Xie?"

His voice was thick with congestion.

Xie Qingyue held up the bag. "Bu Yan asked me to bring you medicine."

He intended to hand over the medicine and leave immediately.

To his surprise, Chen Zui simply turned and walked back inside. Even when fully clothed, Xie Qingyue had noticed Chen Zui's excellent physique. Now, his gaze fell on Chen Zui’s back, which was even more impressive than he'd imagined.

He'd always considered a man’s back more sensual than his abs.

Alone at the doorway, Xie Qingyue hesitated. He couldn't consider Bu Yan's task complete until the medicine was in Chen Zui’s hands.

So, he stepped inside.

And closed the door behind him.

A pair of thin-soled leather shoes now stood by the entrance. Xie Qingyue carried the medicine to the sofa, where he found Chen Zui slumped back, looking dazed.

Though he felt sympathy for the sick man, Xie Qingyue’s first thought was how beautifully the muscles stretched, the water droplets on his skin glistening like crystal decorations under the light.

Adorned with an actual body chain, it would be even more striking.

Xie Qingyue averted his gaze, looked around, placed the medicine on the coffee table, then went to the bathroom to wash his hands before returning with a glass of water.

"Take the medicine first."

Chen Zui, head tilted back and eyes closed, offered no response.

Xie Qingyue waited a few seconds, then bent down to retrieve the medicine from the bag, carefully dispensing a pill according to the instructions. With a pill in one hand and water in the other, he approached Chen Zui.

His eyes lingered on Chen Zui’s enticing lips.

Slightly parted, they drew in air heavily due to his cold, making his breaths loud and clear in the small room. Each exhale seemed to brush against Xie Qingyue’s ears.

Burning.

Xie Qingyue picked up a pill and brought it to Chen Zui’s mouth.

His fingertip touched Chen Zui’s lips before the white pill did—they were hot, so hot that Xie Qingyue’s finger trembled as if scalded, pausing mid-action.

Chen Zui still hadn’t opened his eyes, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

Xie Qingyue’s chest rose and fell noticeably before he continued guiding the pill into Chen Zui’s mouth. This time, he used his thumb to push the pill forward, inevitably brushing against Chen Zui’s lips again. The pill slid past the soft flesh and met teeth.

It stopped there.

The rest required Chen Zui’s cooperation—using his tongue to draw the pill in.

But all Chen Zui seemed capable of now was breathing steadily.

"Chen Zui."

"Take your medicine."

No response.

Xie Qingyue watched him from behind his glasses, assessing whether he was truly this ill. The man did look miserable, his brows tightly furrowed.

Left with no choice, Xie Qingyue pushed the pill further in.

His finger pressed past the soft lips, brushed against hard teeth, and met the damp warmth of Chen Zui’s mouth. The heat seemed to seep into his very pores.

Expressionless, Xie Qingyue pushed the pill onto Chen Zui’s tongue.

Perhaps the pill was bitter, as Chen Zui’s frown deepened almost immediately, his tongue instinctively trying to push the unpleasant thing out.

The tip of his tongue lifted, pressing against Xie Qingyue’s finger and touching the roof of his mouth.

Realizing what Chen Zui was trying to do, Xie Qingyue pressed down firmly, taming the unruly tongue.

His fingertip tapped lightly on the tongue twice, as if saying, "Be good."

Withdrawing his finger, Xie Qingyue picked up the second pill and repeated the process. After the third, a green-coated pill—sweet on the outside—dissolved quickly upon contact with saliva.

Chen Zui slowly opened his eyes, meeting Xie Qingyue’s gaze.

For a moment, Xie Qingyue froze.

Chen Zui’s tongue moved instinctively, sensing the pill and the finger. His eyebrows lifted as he stared at Xie Qingyue, his tongue coiling around the pill—and inadvertently, around Xie Qingyue’s finger.

The pill occasionally clicked against his teeth, soft sounds that made his heart beat restlessly.

Xie Qingyue remained composed, showing no reaction as he withdrew his finger and naturally handed over the water glass.

Chen Zui seemed too weak to lift a finger, so Xie Qingyue brought the cup to his lips. Only then did Chen Zui cooperate, drinking from Xie Qingyue’s hand.

Xie Qingyue almost wished it were red wine in his hand.

To pour it into Chen Zui’s mouth, letting some of it spill.

With the rise and fall of his Adam’s apple, Chen Zui swallowed the medicine.

Xie Qingyue turned to set down the cup. "Rest well after taking the medicine."

It was time for him to leave.

A sound came from behind him. Before he could step away from the sofa, a feverish, solid body collided with his back. Caught off guard, Xie Qingyue staggered as Chen Zui leaned heavily against him, like a large beast clinging to someone, acting spoiled.

The sick Chen Zui was being somewhat willful.

Xie Qingyue tilted his head away, creating some distance from the one resting on his shoulder. After a moment’s hesitation, he helped Chen Zui to the bedroom. But as he tried to lay him down, another mishap occurred—Xie Qingyue was pulled onto the bed, landing face-to-face in Chen Zui’s embrace.

Suddenly nose-to-nose, their breaths mingled.

Xie Qingyue immediately tried to rise.

But Chen Zui wrapped an arm around his waist, holding him tightly, then buried his face against Xie Qingyue’s chest.

"Don’t move."

Chen Zui’s muffled voice vibrated against Xie Qingyue’s chest. It was the first time he had spoken since Xie Qingyue arrived—two words filled with command.

Xie Qingyue stopped pushing himself up, momentarily ceasing to exert force.

Chen Zui tightened his arm around Xie Qingyue a little more, as if the other man were the most perfectly fitting hug pillow in the world. The moment he held him, he felt really comfortable and reluctant to let go.

The other's scent was sweet, like cake frosting.

But he shouldn't have been able to smell anything at all, being congested from his cold. Yet this scent, this body beside him, made him feel at ease.

Before taking a shower, he had actually wanted to sleep, but his headache was so severe that he couldn't fall asleep at all. That was why he got up to take a shower. But now, he felt he could sleep.

He nuzzled deeper, and the beast began to doze.

Time ticked by, and Xie Qingyue remained completely still until he heard Chen Zui’s breathing even out. Only then did he slowly remove the hand from his waist.

Chen Zui’s body gradually lay back flat, sinking into deep sleep.

Xie Qingyue stood up and pushed up his glasses.

His gaze shifted, moving from the untied towel to…

His pupils dilated silently.

Just to accommodate that thing.

Xie Qingyue picked up the blanket and covered Chen Zui, then turned to leave. He walked to the door but turned back, taking out his phone.

——

Xie Qingyue went downstairs and returned to his car.

He sent a message to Lu Buyan: "The medicine has been delivered."

He put away his phone, pulled out a refreshing menthol cigarette with mint beads, and as he was about to put it in his mouth, he noticed a green stain on the tip of his index finger. After a moment’s thought, he realized it was probably the sugar coating from the last pill, which had melted in Chen Zui’s mouth and stained his fingertip.

His eyes behind the glasses gazed intently at his index finger.

The next second.

He brought his index finger to his mouth, and his tongue reached out to lick it.

A faint sweetness.

——

Liang Chen, who had observed the earlier situation, was deep in thought. Why did it feel a bit off?

So far, he had had very little contact with the mission target, but with this non-mission target, Chen Zui had already touched and even licked.

What was going on?

Once the host recovered from his illness, he would need to have a good talk with him. For now, he prayed the host would get better quickly~

——

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains and fell on Chen Zui’s eyelids. He turned over to the other side, and after a while, opened his eyes, staring fixedly at the nightstand.

His mind was chaotic; he had a hazy dream. In the dream, there was a figure—sometimes sneakily following others, sometimes flaunting, sometimes leading a little child to play. Then monsters appeared, and that blurry figure battled them.

Chen Zui sat up and pushed his hair back from his forehead.

In the dream, he never saw that person’s face.

It left him feeling regretful.

“Oh~ Host, does your body feel as light as a feather and as refreshed as a cool breeze today?”

“Pretty much.”

“Then I’m relieved. Just some viruses are no match for your robust body—their defeat is inevitable!”

Chen Zui went to take a shower first.

Liang Chen continued chatting with him: “Host, every path leads to only one ending. Oh, what I mean is, our mission leads to Lu Buyan.”

“Can we change it?”

“I guess you want to change it to Xie Qingyue.”

“You’re really clever.”

Chen Zui picked up his toothbrush, and the moment he put it in his mouth, he remembered Xie Qingyue’s fingers from last night. It was a strange thing; he had never been so intensely interested in anyone before.

“But our mission is to ‘top the gong’! He’s just a supporting character in this book. Without his emotional arc, we don’t know his attributes. Topping him wouldn’t count as topping the gong.”

“Host, please put aside your human emotions and become a task-completion machine.”

“The glory of mission success will shine upon us both. Mere emotions are just stumbling blocks on the road to success!”

Chen Zui wiped his face and came out of the bathroom. He didn’t bring it up again. The Dark Transmigration Bureau had given him a chance for rebirth and had sought his consent. He really shouldn’t ask for too much, especially not something as major as changing the mission target.

Besides, he was only somewhat interested in Xie Qingyue—it wasn’t even love.

He finished getting ready.

“Host, where are you going?”

“To become a task machine.”

Lu Buyan saw Chen Zui while inspecting the new shopping mall, though the other hadn’t noticed him. Chen Zui was shopping alone.

He walked into a brand store and began browsing.

Was he finally listening to him and starting to improve his appearance? Lu Buyan thought of this possibility and a smile played on his lips, as he sent his entourage away.

He didn’t approach Chen Zui immediately.

Instead, he watched through the glass window as Chen Zui interacted with the sales clerk. From his profile, his resemblance to Si Gui was much reduced.

But even so, Lu Buyan had to admit that this face was handsome.

He saw Chen Zui smile at the clerk.

That smile could even be called gentle.

He had never smiled at him like that… Come to think of it, he hadn't smiled at him since signing the agreement.

At the beginning, his temper hadn’t been this bad.

If even a store clerk could get his smile, why couldn’t he, the patron?

Lu Buyan couldn't tell whether he was jealous or angry.

He saw the sales assistant take a tie and hold it up to Chen Zui in front of the floor-length mirror.

Chen Zui looked pleased.

In fact, Lu Buyan also thought Chen Zui looked good in formal wear. So far, the person around him who looked best in a suit was Xie Qingyue—others often said his suit had an air of restraint.

But Chen Zui would bring a different vibe, one that was sensual.

Chen Zui bought that tie. When he left the store, Lu Buyan didn’t even know why he hid himself—he only realized afterward.

He secretly followed Chen Zui.

He watched Chen Zui leave the mall after buying just a tie. He wouldn’t use this tie to pair with that cheap suit of his, would he?

His phone vibrated.

Chen Zui invited him to meet at the restaurant at 8 p.m.

Thrilled, Lu Buyan typed out an "OK," but deleted it before sending and replaced it with: "I’ll stop by if I'm free."

He returned to the mall and started buying new clothes.

Liang Chen: "Master, since we’re already at the mall, why don’t we just meet him directly? He’s been following us all along."

Chen Zui put away his phone: "More haste, less speed."

At 7:30, Lu Buyan showed up at the restaurant dressed like a peacock showing off. Using his wealth as leverage, he recruited the restaurant owner as his informant, then returned to his car.

Chen Zui arrived at the restaurant right on time. The owner matched him to the photo and sent a message to Lu Buyan.

Lu Buyan smiled but wasn’t in a hurry to go in. He started playing a game, and by the time he finished one round, over forty minutes had passed.

He got a message from the owner saying the person hadn’t left yet.

Only then did he leisurely step out of the car and slowly make his way to the private room upstairs. It seemed Chen Zui had learned his place—a canary should know its role, after all.

Lu Buyan pushed open the door to the private room, smugness written all over his face. He sat down assertively and tossed his car keys onto the table.

"You should learn to smile when you see your patron."

"You’re late."

Lu Buyan scoffed, rested his hand on the back of the other chair, pointed at Chen Zui and then at himself: "Between us, I have the right to be late. You don’t."

He was truly cocky.

Outside in the hallway, Xie Qingyue passed by—he had seen Lu Buyan’s car outside earlier.

"Whether it’s forty minutes or four hours, you’ll wait."

Xie Qingyue paused and looked toward the source of the voice. The door to the adjacent private room wasn’t fully closed, and through the gap, he saw Lu Buyan.

Who was he talking to?

So rudely.

Though curious, Xie Qingyue had no intention of eavesdropping and continued on his way.

"This is for you."

Xie Qingyue paused.

"A thank-you gift for bringing the medicine."

Confirming it was indeed the person he thought, Xie Qingyue glanced through the gap again. Lu Buyan stood up from his seat and took a small bag from across the table.

After sitting back down, he took out an even more delicate small box from it.

"You prepared a thank-you gift for Qing Yue too?"

"He wasn't doing it at your request."

Xie Qingyue’s eyelids lowered slightly, and he didn’t linger any longer.

Lu Buyan opened the box to find a tie inside. He recalled Chen Zui shopping earlier in the day—so he had been picking out a gift for him.

He started to smile briefly before he suppressed it.

Liang Chen: "Oh~ Host, the favorability rating has risen to 5%. Human feelings are so easy to figure out."

Lu Buyan: "Your taste is pretty basic."

He closed the box.

Chen Zui, who had been sitting across from him, stood up and headed for the door. Lu Buyan asked, confused: "Where are you going? I thought we were having dinner?"

Chen Zui, now at the door: "If you want to have dinner with me next time, be on time."

Without giving Lu Buyan a chance to respond, he left the private room.

Lu Buyan was stunned.

It wasn’t until his stomach growled that he pouted resentfully, reopened the box, and this time picked up the tie to examine it.

Well.

However he looked at it, it wasn’t a style he liked.

He tossed it back.

Eating by himself was no fun, so he called some friends over. Soon, the private room was lively again. Xie Qingyue, who had just finished his meeting in the neighboring room, happened to be spotted by one of Lu Buyan’s friends and was dragged into the room.

Lu Buyan: "Hey? I thought you were busy?"

Xie Qingyue: "I just finished up next door."

Dishes kept coming. The bag on the table was in the way, so someone moved it aside and casually tossed it onto a sofa chair in the corner.

They clinked glasses and made toasts.

Someone exclaimed in surprise: "Brother Xie's really drinking a lot today!"

Xie Qingyue loosened his tie slightly: "I'm feeling good today."

With that, he raised his glass and knocked it back.

When the meal was almost over, someone suggested going somewhere else. Xie Qingyue usually never joined the second round, and this time was no exception. He has meetings all day tomorrow—this was indulgent enough.

Everyone was used to it; Lu Buyan left with his arms slung over people's shoulders.

Xie Qingyue sat alone for a while longer before getting up. As he was about to leave, he noticed the small bag on the sofa chair.

He walked over and opened it.

It turned out someone had given him a tie.

Xie Qingyue stared at the tie.

"He was just acting on your instructions."

Ungrateful—who was it that got you medicine, helped you take it, and helped you back to your room?

Who was holding you when you were upset? Who did you lick?

Xie Qingyue wasn’t drunk. He never allowed himself to get drunk at any gathering, because drunk people look bad.

He was as sober as usual, calmly taking out a lighter and setting the tie in his hand on fire.

He admired the flames that brought him pleasure.

—

In the car, Lu Buyan abruptly sat up straight—he’d forgotten the tie.

He glanced at the designated driver, then at the friend beside him. Going back would make it look like he cared too much.

It was just a tie, after all.

He leaned back again.

—

Chen Zui went out early in the morning. Today was the script table read, and he had stayed up all night reading the revised script. His role had grown significantly.

The character's setup seemed somewhat familiar.

He would kill his lover.

It seemed his performance that day had inspired them.

The place was buzzing, with everyone greeting each other as they arrived. When Chen Zui arrived, he was warmly welcomed, bending slightly to shake hands with each person one by one.

More actors kept arriving.

A handsome male actor caused a small stir when he arrived. He had recently gained popularity, who played the devoted second male lead in a hit drama and attracting many fans.

He was the actor playing Chen Zui’s lover in the drama.

"Hello, I’m Chen Zui, playing Mu Zhen in the drama."

The other looked up, giving Chen Zui a once-over, and replied, "Liang Youjing."

When someone else came over to greet them, Chen Zui returned to his original seat. He remembered that in the script, he and Liang Youjing had a kiss scene.

The couch next to him sank slightly as Liang Youjing sat down. "You look familiar. What have you been in?"

Chen Zui named a web series he had acted in.

Liang Youjing: "Web series? I don't watch those. Maybe I remembered wrong. How long have you been acting?"

When Chen Zui said five or six years, his eyes went wide in surprise. "That long? I’ve only been in the industry for two years. By the way, have you seen my new drama, *Peach Blossom Sigh*, that’s airing now? Help support me."

He said with a sly smile. "Do you have any dramas coming out soon?"

Liang Chen: "My host... Am I being sensitive, or is this guy complicated? Why do I feel like the way he speaks—"

As a system, it was struggling to find the right words to describe it at the moment.

Chen Zui: "No."

Liang Youjing: "Oh, actually, I really loved this script when I read it, especially your role. I even auditioned for it, but unfortunately... I had no idea it was already yours."

"You must be pretty talented."

"After all, you’ve been acting for so many years."

He studied Chen Zui.

Chen Zui felt his ears were going to grow calluses from the noise. So irritating.

He looked down. "Yes, I’m very talented."

The smile faded from the other’s face.

Chen Zui: "I hope you won’t slow me down when we start filming."

Liang Youjing dropped the friendly act, let out a snort, and turned to talk to someone else.

Director Xue was the last to arrive.

Another round of enthusiastic greetings followed. When it was Chen Zui’s turn, Director Xue nodded. "I'm expecting great things from you."

He had watched the audition recording from that day, which was why he had asked the screenwriter to revise the script.

Liang Youjing came forward smiling. "Director Xue, my dream when I first entered the industry was to work with you. Now that I see you... I could almost—"

Before he could say "cry," tears already fell.

Director Xue was eating up the flattery.

Liang Chen: "He’s got acting skills. Host, step up your game—we can’t let him show us up."

The table read officially began.

On the other side, Xie Qingyue also received the new script. As an investor, he had handed this aspect over to the director’s team and wasn’t involved in the changes, so revising the script didn't require notifying him.

He'd asked for it specifically.

"A kiss scene..."

He muttered.

Bu Yan wouldn’t allow his partner to kiss someone else, even if it was for acting.

—

The table read lasted into the evening. Everyone was tired, and many still had other commitments, so the group meal was postponed until the official start of filming.

With that, everyone went their separate ways.

Before leaving, Liang Youjing asked Chen Zui, "Do you have a flight to catch? I can give you a ride to the airport."

Then, without even waiting for Chen Zui to respond, he strutted away smugly.

He looked down on Chen Zui, an obscure little actor who had been in the industry for so many years without gaining fame, and even felt that acting alongside him was beneath his dignity and hurt his own shot at a big break.

Liang Chen: "What a jerk!"

Just the kind of person who's all bark and no bite!

Chen Zui hadn’t expected to encounter such an opponent—he'd drawn the short straw.

"Liang Chen."

"What is it, Host sir?"

"Does he have any dirt?"

Since this is the entertainment industry, there are ways to handle things within the industry. Chen Zui wasn’t the type to take crap from anyone.

If there really weren’t any scandals, he’d have to get his hands dirty and personally beat him up.

Just break a bone or two, and he could easily get a new co-star.

Chen Zui stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. Just as the doors were about to close, they reopened.

"Xie Qingyue."

Xie Qingyue nodded and got in, pressing the button for the parking level. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now. I still need to thank CEO Xie for the medicine you sent that night."

"No need. After all, I was just returning a favor."

Standing side by side, neither could see the other’s expression, but Chen Zui felt the words rang a bell.

"I’ve read the new script. There’s a kissing scene—have you told Bu Yan about it?"

"That’s my career decision."

"But I think he would mind."

"CEO Xie's quite the concerned friend, huh."

A moment of awkward silence followed.

The elevator arrived at the lobby and slowly opened.

Xie Qingyue: "Cut the kissing scene."

Chen Zui stepped out, turning slightly to look at Xie Qingyue through the gradually closing doors. "Not happening~ after all, my kissing skills are amazing."

The elevator doors closed completely and continued down to the parking level.

It took a while before Xie Qingyue’s eyes widened slightly. He then raised his hand, bringing his index finger to his nose and inhaling deeply.

From memory, he could almost taste the sweetness he had tasted that night.

His mouth went dry.