Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Through this period of rehabilitation training, Li Yanchuan had gone from not being able to get up at all to now being able to stand with something to lean on.

The attending doctor repeatedly marveled that such a recovery rate was nothing short of a miracle.

But only Li Yanchuan himself knew what kept him going through this grueling time.

During each rehab session, only one thought filled his mind.

— To get back on his feet, stand beside Song Nian, hug him, kiss him.

"Now is not the time to tell him."

Li Yanchuan said hoarsely.

Because he still couldn't stand completely on his own; he needed something to lean on to get up, and once he let go, he would soon collapse to the floor.

He wasn't ready to show himself to Song Nian like this.

Song Nian had witnessed all his most vulnerable and imperfect moments, so this time, he wanted to face him strong and confident.

Standing steady on his own two feet, striding toward him, and then pulling him into a tight embrace.

He believed that soon enough, that day would come.

————

Meanwhile, Song Nian flew in to join the film crew.

Perhaps benefiting from the generosity of the big-shot investor Li Yanchuan, the filming conditions of the crew were excellent, with a comfortable hotel environment well above average.

After resting in the hotel for a short while, it was time for the evening script reading session.

Having never participated in such an activity before, and as the second lead, Song Nian couldn't help feeling a little nervous. He left early and became the first to arrive at the hotel conference room.

One by one, the other actors and directors also arrived.

He looked around at the people present and could truly see how strong the film's production team was.

Except for himself, who had the least experience, most of the actors were familiar faces well-known on screen; even the least famous one had several notable works under his belt.

He had to work even harder!

Song Nian took a deep breath and gave himself a mental pep talk.

Director Zhao, walking up from behind, saw that his script was full of notes and nodded approvingly.

After everyone was seated, the film's male lead finally hurried in.

Following behind him was naturally Jin Chengzhou.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late because of the delay in filming a show. To make up for it, I got everyone milk tea."

Qin Xiao smiled and motioned for Jin Chengzhou to hand out the milk tea to everyone.

He casually pulled out a chair and sat down next to Song Nian, handing one cup to him.

Seeing this, a flattered Song Nian quickly thanked him, but he waved his hand as if to say it was nothing.

Last time at the company, they had only briefly met; now, getting so close, Song Nian faintly sensed that there was something off about Qin Xiao's vibe.

He had a clearly handsome and masculine appearance, handsome and imposing, praised by audiences as perfect for heroic roles, but inexplicably, Song Nian felt something was off.

Of course, it wasn't a feeling of unease, just a familiar sense of déjà vu.

Puzzled, he stole a glance at the guy beside him, squinting his eyes and giving him a scrutinizing look.

Suddenly realizing something, it clicked and his eyes went wide with shock.

— The gaydar went off!

Could... could Qin Xiao be…?

Song Nian couldn't help wondering.

Although entertainment news had plenty of gossip about the great actor Qin's private life, so far no scandals involving women had ever surfaced.

Instead, he was inseparable from his personal bodyguard Jin Chengzhou; it was said that wherever Qin Xiao went, Jin Chengzhou was always around to protect him.

It was called protection, but it could also be companionship.

Thinking of this, he discreetly turned his head to look, seeing that the bodyguard, after distributing the milk tea, hadn't left; instead, he sat down in the back row.

Sitting there, the man's gaze was locked on Qin Xiao ahead.

When Song Nian looked away from his probing gaze and met Qin Xiao's eyes, he tensed for a moment and was about to explain that he meant no harm, but unexpectedly, the other person gave a playful smile.

And nodded slightly, confirming his guess, and whispered with a smile:

"Just like you and Yan Chuan, except we're not at the legal stage yet."

It turned out to be true!

Shocked by this huge revelation, Song Nian froze on the spot, and his hand holding the script unconsciously tightened, crinkling the paper.

After finally waiting for the reading session to end, the chatty Qin Xiao slung his arm over Song Nian's shoulder and enthusiastically invited him to grab a late-night bite.

Before Song Nian could answer, he heard Director Zhao interject quietly:

"By the way, to look good on camera, everyone needs to strictly watch their diet during the first half of the shoot."

As for the male lead and second male lead, who were singled out, they were required to lose another five pounds.

Qin Xiao and Song Nian: …

"Then how about drinking?"

Qin Xiao probed further.

"Also, drinking is strictly prohibited during the filming period."

Qin Xiao: …

In the end, the late-night snack plan ended tearfully, and the great actor Qin said they would make plans another time.

By the time he returned to the hotel, it was already ten o'clock in the evening.

It was so late; he wondered if Li Yanchuan had gone to bed.

They had originally agreed to video chat with him after the script reading, but remembering his old-man bedtime routine, Song Nian hesitated in making the call.

I'll just shoot him a text first and see.

With that in mind, he opened their chat and typed, "You asleep?"

Just as he was trying to find the right words, he caught a glimpse of the top of the screen showing 'typing...'

And it stayed like that for quite a while.

It seemed the person on the other end was also choosing his words, hesitating whether to send a message asking what he was up to.

Picturing Li Yanchuan hesitating with his phone like that, Song Nian couldn't help but burst out laughing.

So he made the first move.

"Song Nian: You still awake?!"

Sure enough, as soon as he sent it, the typing stopped, and after a few seconds, he finally replied:

"Li Yanchuan: Yeah."

But he didn't say a word about being awake this late waiting for someone's message.

The next second, Song Nian sent a video call request.

As soon as the video connected, there was Li Yanchuan's face on the screen.

He had probably just taken a shower; his hair, usually pushed back, now hung down in messy strands, covering his smooth forehead. His muscular chest peeked through the V-neck of his bathrobe.

With the dim yellow light above him, the man's usually sharp jawline looked softer and blurred at this moment, exuding raw masculinity.

Pathetically, Song Nian gulped and stared at the screen, completely forgetting what he was going to say.

"Why are you just looking at me without saying anything?"

Probably his dazed look was too funny, so Li Yanchuan covered his mouth and chuckled, his deep voice sending a tingle into Song Nian's ears, making him even more flustered.

"N-no, not at all!"

Caught red-handed, Song Nian's face turned bright red, and he shook his head in a way that only made him look more guilty.

From Li Yanchuan's perspective, Song Nian looked incredibly cute from this angle too.

He was lying on his stomach, resting his chin on his hands, with his feet kicking up in the air – totally relaxed.

Unlike when he took photos and needed to find the right angle, at this moment his fair, soft face was pressed right up against the camera, like a curious little animal poking its head into the camera.

—Does being this close make me look ugly? —No way, it's super cute.

"Hey babe, why aren't you in your bedroom at this hour?"

Suddenly noticing that the background behind him didn't look like the master bedroom, Song Nian asked curiously.

Could he be working overtime?

But then, a flicker of awkwardness crossed Li Yanchuan's face.

He didn't answer, but the video suddenly went dark, as if he had covered the camera with his hand.

After the soft sound of the wheelchair rolling on the floor, the video came back half a minute later.

Now it showed the master bedroom.

"I was just in the study."

Without a word about having been in the guest bedroom, Li Yanchuan looked away and lied straight-faced.

"Oh, so he really was working overtime. Even more tired than I am."

Completely fooled, Song Nian had a moment of realization and still reminded him to get some rest.

Feeling inexplicably guilty at the concern, Li Yanchuan covered his mouth with his hand and changed the subject:

"How was the set today? Are you settling in okay?"

"Not bad, but the script reading took longer than I thought. When it ended, Qin Xiao wanted to invite me for a late-night snack, but the director stopped him."

Mentioning Qin Xiao, Song Nian's eyes lit up and he started dishing the gossip a mile a minute.

"Guess what? I just found out that Qin Xiao and his bodyguard are a couple!"

Li Yanchuan listened with a smile, and even though he already knew about it from Qi Ze, another insider, he didn't show the slightest impatience.

At the same time, he regretted not listening more carefully when Qi Ze was blabbing earlier, since Song Nian turned out to be so into celebrity gossip.

If he had, he could have shared it with him.

"Oh, by the way, the accommodation here is amazing. Did you arrange it all on purpose?"

Suddenly remembering this, Song Nian pressed him.

Caught, the man coughed lightly, which was as good as admitting it.

—Arranging it just for Song Nian would be too obvious and invite gossip, so he simply booked the entire hotel for the cast.

Naturally, the happiest person about this was Director Zhao.

Though his words sounded like complaints, Song Nian's heart was secretly warm.

"The hotel bed is super comfy, I like it, but I still miss my bed at home."

"And you? Do you miss me?"

He had just been joking casually, but he didn't expect the person on the other end to answer seriously:

"Yes."

It was just one short word, spoken as a crisp syllable without any lingering tone, yet it carried such weight, echoing in Song Nian's ears for a long time.

Receiving such an unexpected answer, Song Nian himself became flustered.

Song Nian's face instantly turned bright red, and his heart raced uncontrollably.

He lay flat on the bed, burying his entire face in his arms, and replied in a muffled voice:

"Yeah, I miss you too."

Muffled, yet as faint as a mosquito's buzz, it still reached the other person's ears clearly.

When he raised his head again, his fair cheeks were flushed pink, like a thin-skinned, juicy peach that would give way at the lightest touch.

His moist eyes glimmered, brimming with heat.

The moment their gazes met across the distance, both caught the glint of desire in each other's eyes.

As if burned, they both instinctively looked away, cheeks flushing.

Li Yanchuan's ears turned red, and Song Nian's face reddened.

Inside their chests, their hearts raced in sync.

This bashful display would even make the moon outside smirk.

"It's getting late. You should rest."

Seeing it was almost eleven, Li Yanchuan told him to go to bed, since he had an early call time for filming the next day.

"I'm going now."

Song Nian murmured in reply, but even after washing up and crawling into the cozy bed, he didn't end the video call.

"'Night?"

"Mm-hmm, good night. You should get some sleep too."

Both were lying in bed, watching the person on the other end of the screen, yet neither was willing to end the call first.

They shared a knowing smile, catching the unspoken cue in each other's eyes.

That night, different stars sparkled in the same night sky, while the video call stayed open all night long.

The next day, Qi Ze, seeing his friend's message asking him to compile and send all the gossip in the industry, was totally baffled.

Qi Ze: ...What the hell? Is he nuts?