Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Today marked the final scene between Chen Zui and Xie Qingyue. Lu Buyan arrived at the filming location even before they did.

He hadn't been able to reach either of them for the past two days, so he had no choice but to come here and intercept them.

In the elevator, Chen Zui and Xie Qingyue held hands, looking every bit like a couple deeply in love, seizing every opportunity for a tender moment.

Xie Qingyue: "How much longer until you let me tell Buyan the truth?"

Even though he had "stolen" Chen Zui, it didn't mean he enjoyed being the "other man."

He already felt guilty toward his friend and only wanted to minimize the duration of that guilt. Moreover, he found it unbearable for Buyan to continue bearing the title of Chen Zui’s benefactor.

He was envious, jealous, possessive, and he also felt deeply for Chen Zui.

He wanted to end the relationship with Buyan.

In his eyes, Chen Zui was his boyfriend—a relationship of equals.

Xie Qingyue: "I never should’ve delivered that agreement to you on Buyan's behalf back then."

Chen Zui: "So, was it love at first sight for you then? Or did I charm my way into your heart later?"

Xie Qingyue recalled his first meeting with Chen Zui; it truly might have been love at first sight.

But admitting that would make him seem shallow, as if he only cared about looks.

"What about you?"

He deflected the question.

Chen Zui gripped his chin: "The moment I saw you, I wanted to fuck you."

That cold, executive type, always appearing to have everything under control—it just made one want to push him off his pedestal.

Love at first sight is shallow?

Chen Zui didn’t give a damn.

His bluntness made Xie Qingyue both embarrassed and excited. Every time Chen Zui spoke so crudely, he would feel a thrill. In fact, he even wished Chen Zui would curse at him during sex.

Perhaps it was because no one had ever dared to curse at him to his face in all his life.

People always have some inexplicably twisted kinks.

The elevator doors opened, and the two exited one after the other, maintaining a discreet distance.

Just then, Lu Buyan caught sight of them.

Lu Buyan didn’t think much of it—after all, in his mind, Xie Qingyue was interested in him. He stepped forward and demanded to know why they hadn’t answered his calls.

Xie Qingyue: "I’ve been too busy these past couple of days."

Chen Zui: "Isn’t it perfectly normal for me not to answer your calls?"

Lu Buyan: …

Lu Buyan pulled Chen Zui aside and whispered: "Can you save me some face?!"

Chen Zui glanced over and saw Xie Qingyue shooting daggers at the two of them.

This jealous man.

"Ao Tian, how much longer?"

He didn’t like his partner always being in a state of jealousy.

It seemed rather pathetic.

Ao Tian: "Just two or three more days!"

Today, Lu Buyan watched them film on set, and honestly, he was completely stunned.

He never expected them to act so well. He even started suspecting that Chen Zui was a genuine maniac, desperately hoping Qingyue could escape alive.

But that wasn’t the case.

Xie Qingyue’s character ultimately died at Chen Zui’s hands.

After Chen Zui’s character revealed his true identity in the bathroom, he kept Xie Qingyue imprisoned.

Xie Qingyue finally found a chance to escape today, but it was actually a trap set by Chen Zui to test whether he would try to run.

Xie Qingyue fell for it.

Although he had broken free from this warped love and hadn’t been brainwashed by Chen Zui, reality wasn't something you could be saved from just by waking up.

Reality was often cruel.

Chen Zui’s hand tightened around Xie Qingyue’s neck.

"If you die, you’ll never lie to me again, and you’ll never leave me again."

He spoke these words with the world’s most gentle tone and expression, allowing his lover to struggle painfully beneath his grip until gradually, he stopped breathing.

The struggling arms and legs went limp, and his head tilted to the side.

Chen Zui cried, as if his own heart was breaking, and left a kiss on his cheek.

"Rest easy, I’ll love you forever."

Lu Buyan seethed watching this, wanting to rush over and pummel Chen Zui. Who wants this kind of deranged love!

He didn’t understand why movies nowadays always had to be about psychopaths!

Director Xue called out, satisfied: "Cut."

Chen Zui’s hand cupped Xie Qingyue’s cheek, and on the side hidden from view, his thumb gently stroked his cheek.

"You okay?"

He was confident in his ability to control his strength and not hurt Xie Qingyue.

Xie Qingyue’s eyes were red, still locked in the role. The look he gave Chen Zui was full of venom, as if saying, "I’ll drag you down with me."

The next second, he lunged for Chen Zui’s collar.

The whole set froze.

Director Xue, being an experienced director, immediately recognized it: "Ah, he hasn't snapped out of the role yet."

Lu Buyan beside him heard this: "What should we do then?"

Xie Qingyue's grip on Chen Zui's collar tightened, his eyes red and teary, filled with a deep sense of grievance. The crew members hesitated to step forward.

Lu Buyan followed Director Xue as they headed over, but before they could reach them, Chen Zui had already embraced Xie Qingyue, patting his back gently: "It's alright, it's alright. We're done filming. I know you're upset. It's my fault, it's my fault…"

Director Xue stopped in his tracks.

Lu Buyan stared in disbelief at the scene, that uneasy feeling from the earlier dinner resurfacing once again.

Every time he saw them, they seemed quite distant. What's going on here?

As Chen Zui comforted him, Xie Qingyue, still clutching his collar, burst into tears. These were the tears he shed for his character.

Many staff members were crying too.

Chen Zui patiently continued to comfort him.

Lu Buyan tried to convince himself that the situation was special—Qingyue couldn't snap out of character, so it was only natural for Chen Zui to comfort him. This was a professional matter, and he shouldn't overthink things.

It took a while for Xie Qingyue to finally snap out of character. He shot a glance at Lu Buyan before looking at Chen Zui who was still holding him, and pretended for a while longer that he was still in character.

He even hoped that Lu Buyan would notice on his own.

Love makes people overthink things.

That evening, the three of them had dinner together. Lu Buyan wanted to get a better look at Chen Zui's face.

"Let's go, I'll give you a ride home."

The cigarette in Xie Qingyue's mouth suddenly burned way down, yet he didn't move a muscle in his seat.

Chen Zui didn't dare to just leave with Lu Buyan—Xie Qingyue would probably cry in secret.

"Xie Qingyue is drunk. You should take him home instead."

Lu Buyan looked over at Xie Qingyue, who immediately stood up unsteadily: "I'm fine... I..."

Lu Buyan couldn't prioritize a new interest over his friend, so he had no choice but to take Xie Qingyue home.

As they parted, Chen Zui and Xie Qingyue exchanged a secret look.

On the way to Xie Qingyue's place, Lu Buyan decided to be honest: "I know you're not drunk. Stop with these little tricks. No matter what you do, I'll only ever think of you as a brother."

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyue arched an eyebrow: "No matter what I do, you'll only think of me as a brother?"

Lu Buyan nodded emphatically.

Xie Qingyue gave him a penetrating look: "Remember what you said tonight."

Right after Lu Buyan left, Chen Zui arrived.

He found Xie Qingyue smoking on the balcony, the wind ruffling his hair, the rising smoke making him squint.

He looked a bit upset.

Chen Zui walked over, leaning against the railing opposite Xie Qingyue, and reached out to take the cigarette from his mouth and put it into his own.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm not being a good friend."

"Lu Buyan doesn't like me."

"I know."

Xie Qingyue knew this all along, which was why he had let himself go down this path—though this was just an excuse he made for himself.

But since things had already come to this, there was no point in dwelling on it. It would be more practical to make it up to Lu Buyan.

He looked at Chen Zui: "I didn't know you smoked."

As he leaned in, Chen Zui took the cigarette out and placed it back into Xie Qingyue's mouth, then slowly exhaled the smoke from his own mouth toward him.

"I can do a lot more~"

When it came to being seductive, Chen Zui was an expert.

The night air grew warmer, and the two stayed on the balcony... After all, the villa was far from the road, and there were no houses opposite.

Lu Buyan got more and more worked up. He felt he hadn't been serious enough, which was why Qingyue wouldn't give up on him.

If he told him, "If you keep making moves on me, I'll end our friendship," perhaps he would finally let go.

So Lu Buyan told the driver: "Go back."

Lu Buyan got out of the car and went up to the door. Peering into the house, he could barely make out two figures.

He was stunned.

But the figures were behind the curtains, and he couldn't see clearly.

What was going on?

Didn't Qingyue like him?

His hand, reaching for the doorbell, paused. The figures by the window disappeared. Curious, he thought carefully.

"What was the password again?"

Lu Buyan searched his memory again and again, finally recalling the code to Xie Qingyue's door lock.

Before Xie Qingyue went abroad, Lu Buyan would sometimes visit him. If Xie Qingyue wasn't home, he would go in and wait for him, so he knew the password. It had just been so long that he had almost forgotten.

Lu Buyan slipped inside quietly.

When the door downstairs opened, Chen Zui paused and looked toward the bedroom door.

Xie Qingyue, slightly coming back to his senses, asked: "What's wrong?"

Chen Zui's expression turned serious: "Someone's inside."

He had moved away from Xie Qingyue first.

Xie Qingyue grew tense too. Could it be a thief? But the lights were on. If it was a thief, they would have to be both foolish and bold. Or perhaps it was a robber more dangerous than a thief?

Chen Zui pulled the covers over Xie Qingyue and got out of bed.

Xie Qingyue hurriedly grabbed his arm.

He patted Xie Qingyue’s hand and said softly, "It's fine."

Chen Zui slipped silently to the door, slowly pushed it back, and used it to shield himself, peering through the narrowing crack toward the staircase.

Footsteps approached.

Though deliberately light, Chen Zui could hear them and see the shadow creeping higher on the wall.

He clenched his fist.

The moment he saw the other person’s head, he narrowed his eyes.

Xie Qingyue then saw Chen Zui dart back quickly from the door, slip under the blanket, and tightly pull them over himself before saying:

"It's Lu Buyan."

Feeling somewhat guilty, Xie Qingyue instinctively tucked the blanket tighter around Chen Zui.

He thought, why had he come back?

Lu Buyan crept up to the door, just about to peek inside.

Xie Qingyue said, "Buyan?"

Lu Buyan was taken aback. Huh? How had he been exposed? But since that was the case, he decided not to hide anymore.

"I'm coming in."

As he spoke, he pushed the door open and his gaze went straight to the bed. Someone was clearly under the covers, and Xie Qingyue’s exposed shoulders showed he wasn’t wearing clothes.

What’s more, there were hickeys on his neck.

"You… don’t you like me?" The words slipped out unconsciously.

Xie Qingyue felt both a headache and nervousness, yet part of him hoped Lu Buyan would discover something.

"I told you before—you’re just imagining things."

Genuinely puzzled, he added, "We’ve been friends for so many years. How could you have such a ridiculous idea?"

He frowned.

Chen Zui, hiding under the covers, was toying with his little friend.

Even though Xie Qingyue had insisted on not telling Lu Buyan, now he was doing something that might give them away. Xie Qingyue seriously felt like throwing off the covers.

But since he was the one who’d smuggled this person in, he had to spoil him.

This time, Lu Buyan truly believed Xie Qingyue didn’t like him. Remembering all the things he’d recently said to Xie Qingyue, his face burned with embarrassment.

He felt like a clown.

Just wanting to change the subject, he said, "Alright, I misunderstood you. Why hide? We should all get acquainted."

He was genuinely curious about what kind of person Xie Qingyue would like.