During the dinner banquet, the film's overall planning was basically settled, though many details still needed to be discussed. The boss is the one spending the money so the studio will only try its best to make ZhouXiang fit for the lead actor's role instead of changing anything else for fear of offending YanMingXiu.
Until the two returned to ZhouXiang’s home, ZhouXiang was still in a trance, not really believing that he'll actually be staring in a movie.
Coincidentally, LanXiRong’s recent album release is going through a popular craze. The MV theme song he participated in received a lot of praises. Although he did not pay much attention to these kinds of news recently, hearing from CaiWei's feedback, the number of people looking to cooperate with him had increased significantly. ZhouXiang has already felt something called 'fame.' This kind of thing is currently enveloping him, solidifying around him. He felt a bit terrified but at the same time looked forward to what will happen next.
Once the film that WangYuDong produced is successfully released, his exposure rate will raise another level. The milestone in his career is higher and higher each time, allowing him to see the prospect of his future development.
After returning to his home, ZhouXiang braced himself to call ChenYing, informing her that he won't be going back tonight. ChenYing didn’t say much, only reminded him to be mindful of not catching a cold.
Most of his things had been moved back to his real home. Seeing all the familiar objects and atmosphere in his home, he didn't feel as if he ever left. One day when YanMingXiu moves away, he will bring ChenYing back here to live with him. It's perfect because there are two rooms in this home for them.
A pair of powerful hands embraced his waist from behind, a hard jaw fell on his shoulder and a captivating voice sounded on the side of his ears, “Want some hangover medicine? You uncomfortable?”
ZhouXiang shook his head, “Didn't drink much.”
“Let's take a shower together,” When YanMingXiu rubbed his cheeks against ZhouXiang's neck, it even tinged with a bit of pettish charms.
ZhouXiang's body stiffened a bit. He couldn’t help but think of the intense passion from last night. His legs still felt weak even walking now.
YanMingXiu seemed to have sensed his thoughts. His soft lips kissed his neck, “Not going to do anything. I just wanted to take a shower with you.”
“My bathroom is only this big. It can’t stand two people.”
“It could,” YanMingXiu softly responded with his hands diving into ZhouXiang’s clothes, moving up to take off ZhouXiang’s sweater. ZhouXiang felt his body getting a bit hot. He hazily followed YanMingXiu into the bathroom.
His bathroom is only four to five square meters, with a toilet, a sink and a shower head. It can't accommodate anything big. Two men standing inside would touch by just turning. It is really a tight fit.
YanMingXiu didn’t care. When the hot water rained down on them, he pressed ZhouXiang to the wall and fervently kissed him. The trickling warm water quickly got them wet; they couldn't open their eyes and could only use their lips, bodies and hands to feel each other.
ZhouXiang gasped as he reiterated what YanMingXiu said earlier, “Not going to do anything?”
YanMingXiu laughed lightly as he appeasingly caressed ZhouXiang’s cock and said hoarsely, “Do just a little.”
In the end, even doing "just a little" failed to hold. When YanMingXiu pressed ZhouXiang to the wall and rigorously penetrated him in the standing position, ZhouXiang couldn’t help but think of the many shameful things they had done in this bathroom before. This bathroom is small and old, but it is full of their intimately tendered memories.
YanMingXiu is now using all his actions to rekindle his past memories…using every bit of his memories to bind him. This is something he obviously knew yet is helpless to break free.
ZhouXiang is beginning to dread the end of their remaining half-year contract. Because by that time, they could no longer stay as they currently are. He would have to make a decision. But he is increasingly convinced that their current status does not need to be changed. If only they could continue to stay burdenless like this……..
The warm water trickled into ZhouXiang’s eyes. He closed his eyes tightly, his heart in chaos.
The next morning, YanMingXiu got up very early. When he woke up, ZhouXiang also woke up, habitually wanting to go make breakfast.
“Ugh.” ZhouXiang rolled over. He didn’t want to move. He was so exhausted last night his waist felt like it had fractured.
YanMingXiu got dress and sat back down on the bed. He leaned onto ZhouXiang’s naked back, not wanting to let go as he kissed his neck, “Xiang Ge, I'm going out.”
“Mnnn okay,” ZhouXiang buried his face in the pillow, not opening his eyes.
YanMingXiu gripped his waist lightly and caressed his warm skin while softly muttering, “Xiang Ge, don’t go out today, wait for me to come back okay?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t do anything. I just wanna see you when I come home.”
“Ahh,” ZhouXiang yawned, still not fully awake.
Even though he didn’t get a real response, YanMingXiu still felt warm in his heart. To be able to watch ZhouXiang sleep in a place within his reach, be affectionate with him before going out and seeing his face immediately upon returning home are everything he ever wanted. Those miserable dragging days felt like three years of hellish pain. These things that are so simple were higher to attain than the sky itself. Now that it is in the palm of his hand, he absolutely …. absolutely will not let go.
After YanMingXiu left, ZhouXiang didn't sleep for too long. After all, he was used to getting up early. He was never a lazy person. After getting out of bed, he began to clean up the home.
This is the first time since his rebirth that he had so much time to stay in his home. He decided not to do anything in the coming two days except for cleaning and tidying every corners. Although he used to hire a housekeeper to clean every other week, now he wanted to be personally do it himself because it is something that is more gratifying to him than making a huge amount of money.
In the afternoon, he went out to buy a bunch of groceries, giving most of it to ChenYing and taking some for himself. Having been busy for an entire day, he still didn't feel tired. Like many times before, he liked to cook a meal of foods he loved to eat. It's something he enjoyed doing on his leisure days off. After cooking six dishes and a pot of soup, he came to realize that most of the foods he cooked are actually foods that YanMingXiu loved to eat.
After returning to this home, he felt that the air here is vastly different. There seems to be an inexplicable and warm atmosphere around. No matter where or what he looked at, he can't help but think of the bits and pieces of his past with YanMingXiu.
The more he didn't want to think about it, the more these fragments and images seep into his mind. So from time to time, he would fall into an illusion that he is still the ZhouXiang from before and that nothing had changed.
This kind of feeling is terrifying because that one-thousandth of a second illusion will make him extremely depressed after regaining his senses.
In fact, he can't even remember what he was thinking to have made a table of food that he use to cook to please YanMingXiu.
ZhouXiang simply didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
YanMingXiu came back in half an hour.
ZhouXiang also didn't try to hide it as he pointed at the table, “Let's eat. It's all foods that you love.”
YanMingXiu’s eyes suddenly glimmered. For a person who has such perfect facial features, once he makes a surprise expression, his entire person will simply glow, so bright that ZhouXiang’s eyes didn't know where to look.
When YanMingXiu was eating, he ate very hastily, not caring at all about graceful table manners, wanting to just sweep all the dishes on the table clean. He had not eaten a meal personally prepared for him by ZhouXiang in over three years. Having regained something that was lost, this kind of feeling is hard for him to describe.
Seeing YanMingXiu burying his head eating, ZhouXiang felt both heartache and sad. His eyes spun back and forth on YanMingXiu’s long eyelashes. These slightly twitching eyelashes are so beautiful, seeming to sweep into people’s hearts.
YanMingXiu seemed to have gotten busy all of a sudden but he would still insist on returning to eat every day, even though he is out most of the day.
ZhouXiang now has the privilege to select some of his work, specifically to conform to the theme of the protagonist's image; he had to pay attention to the nature of his work. Therefore, the quality of his work increased, but the quantity has reduced giving him more leisure time. During the day, he'd usually go back to accompany ChenYing, especially for her dialysis. The four to five hours of dialysis treatment is very dreary and boring so ZhouXiang bought her a tablet and put in a lot of TV dramas. ChenYing had no other hobbies other than loving to watch TV. So when he couldn't go with her, he would let her watch to relieve her boredom.
One day, ChenYing told him that she saw his MV. When she said it, her entire complexion was different.
ZhouXiang smiled, “Where did you see it?”
“That thing you bought for me, a little boy who was sitting next to me when I was doing dialysis taught me how to go online. I asked him to search for you and found it.” ChenYing sighed, "Such a pity, this child is only 16 years old and going through this kind of suffering. I'm already sixty, getting this illness is not that big of a deal.”
ZhouXiang comforted, “So mom, you need to be full of hope for the future. You are still very lucky.”
"Yeah, I know. Oh my son, you played that role of the hooligan really well, so handsome.” ChenYing squinted her eyes as she smiled and touched his face. “You look like me.”
ZhouXiang winked his eyes and made a few jokes. It is a very joyous and harmonious time for the two.
When he took ChenYing home, he saw an entertainment program interview with LanXiRong’s new MV on a huge LED screen of a shopping mall. The screen is broadcasting the clip of album.
ZhouXiang saw his own face flash vividly on the screen, his heart full of emotions.
End of the chapter