Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Li Yanchuan's voice was hoarse, barely audible, with a slight tremor in it.

And a note of reluctance in his voice.

On the verge of passing out from exhaustion, Song Nian's mind was foggy, and he didn't quite catch what he said.

What's all the mumbling about?

Are we going to sunbathe or not?

He tilted his head, like a puppy straining to catch the words.

"I said, I'm gloomy and paranoid, and I've been so obsessive that I thought about locking you up..."

Li Yanchuan clenched his fist and repeated in a hoarse voice.

Song Nian must be terrified—shocked to the point of doubting his ears.

He gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh inwardly, lowering his head.

But before he got a response, he suddenly felt the wheelchair being pushed forward.

He froze for a second, turning his head to look, only to see Song Nian silently pushing him toward the garden.

His expression was the same as usual, betraying no emotion.

"Song Nian, were you actually listening to what I just said?"

Not getting what this reaction meant, Li Yanchuan's lips pressed into a cold, straight line.

He had imagined all kinds of possible reactions, but this was the one thing he hadn't anticipated.

"I was listening."

*Lock me up? Fine,* he thought, stopping in the garden. *The top priority is to sunbathe together.*

*Aren't you afraid?*

When he asked this, Li Yanchuan gripped the armrests of the wheelchair so hard that his knuckles turned white.

To be honest, he didn't even know what answer he was hoping for.

A "no" would be hard to believe, and a "yes" would confirm the thought of leaving.

Neither option was perfect.

But if he didn't ask, his worry would always be like a thorn lodged in his chest.

Like a death row inmate awaiting execution, Li Yanchuan waited nervously for the other's reply.

Even on the night before a make-or-break business negotiation, he had never been this uneasy.

But the other's reaction caught him completely off guard.

Neither a yes nor a no—only silently pushing him into the garden, basking in the brilliant sunlight.

In fact, Song Nian didn't find the words frightening at all. What he thought was: *Compromise: we'll sunbathe while locked up.*

So he crouched down in front of the man, pulled a red string out of his pocket—

—as luck would have it, this red string was from an offline event; he'd just stuffed it into his pocket afterwards, never expecting it to come in handy.

"Still gotta get some sun, right?"

As he spoke, he carefully tied the red string around both their wrists together.

One wrist was thicker, muscular, with visible veins pulsing with strength.

The other wrist was slender, easy to completely wrap a hand around, with fair skin glowing translucent under the sunlight.

Two completely opposite bodies, yet firmly connected by the red string.

Neither could break free on their own.

"Look, see? You've locked me up."

After doing all this, Song Nian looked up and gave a brilliant smile. His drowsy eyes were misty, glistening with moisture under the sunlight, as if scattered with sparkling light.

That smile was warmer than the sun, enough to dispel every trace of unease in every corner of his heart.

In an instant, it was as if a barrier in his heart had cracked open, letting sunlight flood in.

The sunlight overhead fell, making him feel warm all over, but no warmth could compare to the warmth surging in his chest.

His gaze was rooted on the person before him, unable to look away.

His heart pounding wildly, Li Yanchuan's eyes flickered, pupils contracting, and then he forgot to breathe.

"Now will you finally sunbathe with me?"

Song Nian poked him, gesturing invitingly again.

*I wasn't ignoring you—it's just that compared to that little question, sunbathing is obviously more important.*

*How could I ever be scared of you?*

"...Mm."

Slowly, his brows relaxed and his eyes softened into a tenderness that melted all tension. Li Yanchuan softly responded.

This kind of answer—it was exactly Song Nian's style. Only he could defuse burdens this heavy with such ease.

Getting the affirmative answer, Song Nian chuckled, and instead of untying the red string, he pulled a lounge chair up next to the wheelchair.

"You wanna lie down too?"

He blinked and asked.

"I'll be right here with you."

Looking at the man lying down beside him, Li Yanchuan shook his head, replied softly, and gently took his hand in return.

That delicate, fair, slender hand fit perfectly in his own.

He must have been really sleepy, bathed in the warm sunlight and with a gentle breeze blowing, Song Nian quickly closed his eyes.

His eyelids fell shut, and his fine lashes drooped quietly, rising and falling evenly with his breath.

Dreaming of something, he murmured softly, then scooted closer to Li Yanchuan.

His fluffy head rested right near Li Yanchuan's shoulder.

Like a fluffy little dog that had recklessly wandered into a wolf pack's territory, he wasn't scared at all, instead bravely curling up to sleep beside the wolf.

That recklessness wasn't annoying.

On the contrary, it was kind of charming.

Li Yanchuan couldn't help but gently ruffle his hair.

Gazing at his peaceful sleeping face, he lowered his eyes, shadows masking the turbulent emotions within.

If Song Nian had woken up at that moment, he might have been startled by the deep possessiveness in Li Yanchuan's gaze.

That look was too intense, like a stagnant, dark pool in a deep forest, cold and dangerous.

But if one looked into those sharp eyes, they could glimpse the fierce, barely restrained passion inside.

Like a volcano on the verge of eruption, flames roaring and clamoring, would have erupted already if not for the fear of hurting him.

Song Nian, you said you wouldn't leave me...

Li Yanchuan leaned in, his other hand slowly tracing along Song Nian's cheek, following its contours.

From cheek to neck, then to chest.

Finally, his fingertips stopped above the abdomen, lightly brushing the skin through the fabric, not moving further down.

Though it was just a mere ghost of a caress, it felt like a carnivore marking its territory—assertive and exclusive, declaring to everyone that this person was his.

The large hand could not only touch gently but also have complete control over the person beneath him.

—Restraining his slender wrists, gripping his slim waist, and possessing him with no room for resistance.

Making him look only at him, making him tilt his head up to bear his force.

That dazed expression was something only he could witness.

"Hmm..."

Until the person beneath let out a soft moan in his sleep.

Then, he moved a little closer, nuzzling affectionately against the man's shoulder, in a gesture of complete trust and dependence.

Li Yanchuan froze for a moment, then came back to himself and withdrew his hand.

His hand, which had been bound by the red string, loosened, his fingers traveling up along the palm, then unceremoniously slipping between the other's fingers, their fingers interlacing.

When the bird nestled closely by his side, forcibly clipping its wings would probably only scare it.

He couldn't bear to do that.

For the sake of that smile, for that crisp voice, he had to restrain this desire and let him soar freely.

Because at least for now, he has chosen to stay.

If one day he changed his mind and wanted to leave, what he would do then, even he couldn't be sure.

But at least, he still had chains.

————

"Got a gig today too?"

Seeing that he had to have gigs for several days in a row, Li Yanchuan frowned unhappily.

"Yeah, my agent has been booking me a lot lately."

Song Nian let out a big yawn, the dark circles under his eyes betraying his exhaustion.

After a long stretch of intense work, he was really getting worn out.

"Is it another commercial shoot, or something else?"

"It's supposed to be an endorsement for some brand."

A tiny brand he'd never heard of; Li Yanchuan couldn't help frowning, wondering why he would endorse such a no-name brand—it was practically beneath him.

Song Nian was helpless about the situation too; he wanted to refuse, but his agent wouldn't allow it.

Ever since the TV drama aired and his popularity soared, many offers had come in like a flood.

The quality of these offers was mixed, and he had thought his agent would pick the best ones, since an artist's schedule determines their public image, but instead, he had accepted a ton of them.

He had hinted to his agent that taking on so many ads in a short time might not be appropriate, but his manager Wang said it was the company's decision, aiming to cash in on the current popularity and make money.

Song Nian was quite troubled by this, but he couldn't go against the company's decision, so he decided to play it by ear.

"Maybe there'll be a big gig soon that'll put an end to this situation."

He told himself.

After Song Nian left, Li Yanchuan frowned, lost in thought.

Now that Song Nian had a fan base, he no longer needed to secretly provide resources from behind the scenes, but he hadn't expected the agency to sabotage itself like this.

This practice clearly treated the young artist as a cash cow with no regard for long-term development.

No wonder Qi Ze had once said this company had a bad reputation in the industry; it was probably due to its strategy of squeezing lower-tier artists while promoting top-tier ones.

It seemed that for Song Nian's future development, he needed to think of a plan in advance, or else things would blow up in their faces.

He didn't know if Song Nian's mouth was magic or something, but in the morning he said he wanted a big gig, and in the afternoon, it actually came.

"I-I really can?"

In the company's meeting room, looking at the materials his agent handed him, Song Nian was stunned.

"Director Xia recommended you. During the filming of the TV drama, he thought you had potential and recommended you for an audition opportunity."

His manager Wang said.

"But you know, it's just an audition opportunity. Whether you can land the role depends on your own ability."

A quick look at the materials shows that compared to TV series, this film had better scripts and stronger production value.

The director, whose surname is Zhao, is one of the most renowned directors in the industry, with his productions either becoming massive hits or sweeping awards.

People in the industry say that even a cameo role in Director Zhao’s film can really boost a newcomer's career.

The audition this time was for a second male lead role with substantial screen time—if he could land it, the achievements would be limitless.

Moreover, even though he's a big-name director, Director Zhao is famously meritocratic, selecting roles solely based on talent, never on fame.

In other words, as long as he has acting skills, even a newcomer like Song Nian has a chance to secure the second male lead role.

“I heard the male lead has already been cast—it’s Qu Liang, who just won a big award and is on a hot streak,” Brother Wang shared insider news.

“The company will arrange intensive acting classes for you during this period. Prepare well and go for this role.”

“Got it!”

Full of confidence, Song Nian rubbed his hands together eagerly, ready to go.