Chapter 25

Chapter 25

After finishing filming *Invisible* at the beginning of the month, Chu Heng flew to several cities to complete his scheduled commitments before heading to City B to prepare for the Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve.

As the capital, City B would host many important figures on the night of the gala, so there was no room for error. The television station had kicked into high gear four months in advance. Of course, as an artist who only needed to perform one song number, Chu Heng only needed to start rehearsals about half a month ahead.

He was paired with a popular singer, Zhong Liang. The two of them needed to perform with a choir and an orchestra to complete the act.

Rehearsals for some segments had already begun. Music, sometimes passionate, sometimes lyrical, drifted out from the studio, and the backstage was a hive of activity.

Chu Heng was led in by a staff member. After winding through a closed corridor, he finally saw his dressing room and Wang Yelong, who was leaning against the door, fanning himself with some papers while waiting for him.

Wang Yelong had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Chu Heng in the crowd. Just as he was about to raise his hand to greet him, his gaze swept over the tall man behind Chu Heng.

He froze for a moment, matching the man's face with the young, handsome one from the photos.

Any last shred of hope in his heart vanished into thin air.

"What are you spacing out for?" Chu Heng pulled the stack of papers from Wang Yelong's hand and gave them a quick once-over. The first page was the overall schedule for the Spring Festival Gala, the second was his own itinerary, and the rest were the lyrics and sheet music for his performance.

Chu Heng flipped through them page by page, head lowered as he entered the room.

Chen Jinsheng followed closely behind, his tall figure slipping past Wang Yelong.

Little Mei trailed behind, carrying a makeup case. She paused in front of Wang Yelong and whispered, "Brother Wang, do you also think Brother Chen is handsome?"

She was staring just as hard.

Wang Yelong's expression turned complicated, unsure of what to say. He forced a smile and chuckled, "Yeah, yeah."

Handsome in a creepy way.

He pulled himself together, trying hard to resist the urge to turn and look at Chen Jinsheng. Once inside, he immediately switched to work mode, speaking in a businesslike manner, "Zhong Liang arrived this morning and is already in the rehearsal room. The choir, orchestra, and production staff are there too."

Chu Heng raised an eyebrow. "They're all waiting for me?"

Wang Yelong nodded. "They're expecting us in ten minutes."

"Got it." Chu Heng flipped through the papers in his hand, casually taking the water Chen Jinsheng handed him. He took a small sip and handed it back without looking up. "Too hot."

Chen Jinsheng took the glass back, added some cold water, tested it on his lips, and handed it to Chu Heng again. The whole sequence was fluid and habitual, as if done countless times.

Only then did Chu Heng drink.

Wang Yelong twitched the corner of his mouth, pretending not to see. Glancing at the documents Chu Heng was reading, he said, "These few are good prospects, with spotless backgrounds. They're all in City B. Squeeze in some time in the next few days to meet them. If they're suitable, sign them."

The last six pages were all personal resumes, filled with handsome men and beautiful women at a glance.

"Alright, you arrange it." Chu Heng agreed without hesitation, pulling out the lyric sheet separately to start memorizing silently.

Once five minutes were up, he stood up from his chair and said to Chen Jinsheng, "I can go by myself. You rest for a bit."

He had been on a grueling schedule these past few days, and Chen Jinsheng had been revolving around him too—managing his daily routine when they stopped, carrying his things on the road—just as busy.

Chu Heng waved over Wang Yelong nearby. "Let's go."

Considering soundproofing, the rehearsal room was some distance from the dressing room. It took them about another five minutes to walk there. The rehearsal room door was tightly shut, and from afar, they could already hear robust singing and passionate orchestral music. It seemed practice had already started inside.

Chu Heng knocked on the door, and the music inside stopped. After a few seconds, someone came to open it, smiling before speaking, "Teacher Chu, you're here. Was the journey tiring?"

This person was of average build and looks, but his features were pleasant, looking very amiable and putting people at ease.

He had a gregarious personality, a common trait in the entertainment industry. Chu Heng also responded with his usual courtesy, "Teacher Zhong, sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all, not at all. I arrived early," Zhong Liang said with a smile. "I can't sit still, and I learn songs slowly. Thinking the slow bird should fly early, I couldn't help but pull them in to practice a bit first."

Chu Heng smiled.

Zhong Liang had only arrived half a day earlier than him, yet he could already start singing along with the orchestra. If he was the slow bird, then Chu Heng was the worm eaten by the early bird, without even a chance to fly.

The choir and orchestra were all waiting. Although Chu Heng was hungry, sleepy, and tired, he wasn't thick-skinned enough to make so many people accommodate him. After greeting everyone, he asked, "Where should we start practicing?"

The rehearsal room was stiflingly hot. Halfway through practice, just as Chu Heng was about to take off his jacket and had pulled the zipper down to his chest, Wang Yelong, who had kindly come over to hand him mineral water, quickly pressed his hand down.

He exaggeratedly said, "Oh dear, your cold isn't better yet. Be careful not to catch another chill."

Chu Heng: ?

Seeing others look over, Wang Yelong squeezed out a whisper-soft sentence: "Your neck..."

Chu Heng was silent for a few seconds, then zipped his jacket back up with a *whoosh*, his expression unchanged. "Right, it is a bit cold."

Zhong Liang gave the two a strange look but focused on practicing the song. After a while, he paused and asked, "Teacher Chu, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Chu Heng: "Hmm?"

Zhong Liang pointed at his hair. "You're sweating a lot."

Chu Heng: ...

By the time practice finished, it was already past ten at night. When Chu Heng stepped out of the rehearsal room, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Wang Yelong winked and said sarcastically, "An old house on fire—the flames are quite fierce, huh."

"Get lost," Chu Heng said irritably. "You're the old one."

There were quite a few people outside the rehearsal room too, so Chu Heng could only wrap himself in his jacket and return to the dressing room.

As soon as he entered, Little Mei put a finger to her lips, shushing them. Following her gaze, Chu Heng saw Chen Jinsheng leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed, head slightly bowed, fast asleep.

"He just fell asleep," Little Mei mouthed.

Chu Heng moved quietly into the room, took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack, then sat down diagonally across from Chen Jinsheng. Next to Chen Jinsheng was a hot water bottle, placed within easy reach. Chu Heng figured that was probably prepared for him.

A blanket was draped over the back of the sofa. Chu Heng stood up, he barely got his backside off the seat, then seemed to remember something and sat back down.

Perhaps the rustle of him getting up was too loud, because Chen Jinsheng instantly woke up, his eyes clear, his gaze immediately landing on Chu Heng.

"Why is your hair wet?"

His voice still carried sleepiness. Chu Heng's heart softened, and he muttered, "It's all because of you."

"What?"

"Nothing. The rehearsal room was too hot," Chu Heng said. "Since you're awake, let's go. You can sleep more when we get back."

He also owned an apartment in City B, a large single-level flat.

The first thing Chu Heng did upon arriving home was to turn on the water valve and the main power switch using the light from his phone's flashlight.

The house was simply furnished in a typical European style. The kitchen and refrigerator were as spotless as those in the villa in W City, while the coffee table and dining table had gathered a thin layer of dust from being unoccupied for so long.

Chen Jinsheng frowned at the sight, itching to find a cloth to clean up, but after looking around, he couldn’t even find a decent towel.

Chu Heng rummaged through his suitcase and tossed a pack of facial towels to Chen Jinsheng. “Don’t worry about the living room for now. Let’s straighten up the bedroom first—we can deal with the rest tomorrow. Otherwise, we won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

The two of them worked together to do a quick clean of the bedroom, put fresh sheets on the bed, and unpacked their clothes and daily necessities from the suitcases. Only then did the bedroom start to feel a bit lived-in.

Chu Heng pushed the empty suitcase into a corner and asked casually, “What about that coil of climbing rope? Did you not bring it back?”

“It wasn’t useful, so I threw it away,” Chen Jinsheng said tonelessly.

“Oh.” Chu Heng nodded.

He was so tired he just grabbed his pajamas and headed for the bathroom. Just before stepping inside, he noticed Chen Jinsheng holding the remaining half-pack of facial towels and heading out, looking like he was about to give the whole place a once-over while waiting for his turn to shower. Chu Heng grabbed him. “There’s not much hot water today. Let’s shower together.”

They stayed in the shower until the water ran cold before finally stepping out.

Chu Heng glanced at the mirror and saw that the marks on his neck had deepened.

Chen Jinsheng had definitely done it on purpose.

He couldn’t be bothered to say anything about it. After hastily drying his hair, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly. When he woke up the next day, it was already ten o’clock.

The room was quiet, and the other side of the bed was empty. The only blanket had been completely wrapped around him. Chu Heng freshened up in the bathroom, changed into a turtleneck sweater and trousers, and shuffled out of the room.

A second later, he retreated back into the room, calmly opened the door again, and walked out as if seeing his 180-square-meter apartment for the first time.

Sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the balcony, spreading generously across the polished marble floor tiles. Lively green plants adorned the windowsill on both sides, while delicate purple flowers trailed along green vines against the pristine white walls. Paired with the blue sky and white clouds outside, it looked like a painting.

On the coffee table, a glass vase with a rounded belly held several white bellflowers still glistening with dew. The originally dense green leaves had been deliberately trimmed, making the plump bellflowers appear even more vibrant and delicate.

The kitchen was semi-open. Chen Jinsheng sat at the specially raised dining table in the center, typing away on his laptop.

All his clothes now were bought by Chu Heng. Out of habit, Chu Heng had purchased either shirts and trousers or styles similar to his own. Perhaps because it was warmer today, Chen Jinsheng wore only a gray-blue shirt indoors, with his black coat hanging on the hook by the entrance—clearly, he had been out.

His hair had grown longer since his release from prison, with the strands at his forehead casually swept back. The top button of his shirt was undone, creating a striking line from his forehead down to his throat. As he typed, his shirt sleeves were neatly rolled up, revealing a section of his tanned, sturdy forearm.

Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap.

The crisp sound of the keyboard seemed to transform into a rhythmic melody, harmonizing with another steady rhythm in the bright, airy space.

The two rhythms gradually merged into one, indistinguishable from each other.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Chen Jinsheng turned to look over. The keyboard sounds stopped, and the rhythm vanished.

The other rhythm faltered as well. Chu Heng was momentarily stunned before realizing that rhythm came from deep within his own chest.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Jinsheng asked, noticing Chu Heng still standing motionless at the doorway.

“Nothing.” Chu Heng took an imperceptibly deep breath and walked over to admire his newly refreshed home. “Did you buy all of this this morning?”

Chen Jinsheng took a plate of sandwiches and a glass of milk out of the microwave and tapped his phone. “Same-day delivery. Very convenient.”

At most, he had gone downstairs a few times to pick things up.

Chu Heng gently touched the delicate, vibrant bellflowers, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips. “They’re beautiful.”

In the past, whenever he returned here, it always felt no different from staying in a hotel. But now, with just a bit more sunlight and flowers in the room, it felt worlds apart.

Chen Jinsheng looked at him and asked, “Do you like it?”

Chu Heng paused for a moment before answering truthfully, “Yes, I do.”