After Director Jin gave him a long, earnest lecture over the phone about maintaining marital harmony, Lin Zhu sat there steadily blushing for more than ten minutes before finally hanging up in a daze.
…Maybe he had been dreaming again.
In a trance, Lin Zhu pressed his temple and lay back down in the cold blankets.
Five seconds later, Lin Zhu shot upright, fully awake. After a ‘boom’ feeling inside his head, his whole body flushed completely red.
The thoroughly overheated Lin Zhu ran two laps around the room. Then, remembering Director Jin’s words again, he shuffled back to the bed and picked up his clothes and the few things he had brought with him.
Step by step, Lin Zhu moved toward the door, his face burning red as he slowly made his way back to the original room.
—
Still unaware that Director Jin had been driven half-mad by overwhelming guilt, Zhong Yao didn’t linger on set. Burdened with worries, he hurried back to the hotel with his team.
“Lin-laoshi is really a good person. He’s just tired. He didn’t look unhappy at all.”
The planning manager had been persuading him the entire way and had finally managed to build up a little confidence for their boss. Now he wracked his brain to keep encouraging him. “When you get back, coax him a bit. Like, hug him, k-kiss him for a while. Everything will definitely be fine…”
Zhong Yao said gloomily, “That won’t be enough.”
The planning manager: “?!”
It wasn’t enough anymore?!
The planning manager felt like he had just learned something shocking. Eyes wide, he stammered, “Th-then what are you planning to do?”
Zhong Yao fell silent again. Looking out the window, full of worries, he squeezed his completely quiet phone.
Although Lin Zhu had said they would sleep in separate rooms, his tone hadn’t sounded unusual. He had even reminded Zhong Yao not to catch cold and had sent so many things for him.
So… he probably wasn’t too angry about the delay.
But that cup of red date and goji berry tea…
Zhong Yao sighed softly and finished the last sip from the thermos. “You all… how do you usually get along with your partners? Do you often… do that sort of thing?”
The planning manager couldn’t help with that and gave a bitter smile. “Zhong-laoshi, none of us have partners yet.”
Zhong Yao looked surprised and raised his brows slightly.
Zhong Yao: “Still single?”
“Actually, having someone by your side is quite nice,” Zhong Yao said, unable to stop himself from showing concern. “When it’s cold or hot, someone cares about you. You can support each other too. Even if—”
Remembering his agent’s request, Zhong Yao abruptly stopped himself. He glanced at the planning manager — who was actually two years older than Lin Zhu — and tightened his grip on the hand warmer Lin Zhu had specially chosen for him.
For some reason, Zhong Yao’s mood suddenly improved a little.
The planning manager: “……”
The planning manager suddenly felt Zhong Yao wasn’t quite as kind and approachable as before.
The single dog planning manager lowered his head sadly and opened the still faintly warm single-workers group chat.
The set wasn’t far from the hotel, and before long the car pulled steadily up to the entrance.
Encouraged unexpectedly by the planning manager, Zhong Yao regained his spirits. Taking a deep breath, he planned to first return to his room, tidy up a bit, and then use cooking a pot of noodles for a late-night snack as an excuse to knock on his agent’s separate room.
He had already planned everything carefully on the way back. Zhong Yao quickly went upstairs, swiped open the door, and prepared to gather some things to make Lin Zhu a late-night meal.
But after passing the small sitting room, his steps suddenly halted.
A faint glow spilled from the bedside.
The bed wasn’t as neatly made as when he had left. Instead, it looked like someone had rolled around on it repeatedly, leaving it in a mess.
Since the two of them were staying together, Lin Zhu had specially asked for an upgraded deluxe room earlier. The bed was spacious, piled with thick, soft blankets in complete disarray. In the middle, faintly wrapped inside them, was a familiar slender figure, breathing softly and steadily, looking already asleep at some unknown time.
The heart Zhong Yao had been holding tight all the way suddenly settled back into his chest.
He set his things aside and quietly walked over, carefully digging the person out of the blankets.
Lin Zhu was sleeping soundly. Sensing that he was being lifted out, he frowned slightly in displeasure and struggled faintly, trying to return to the blankets to continue sleeping. Zhong Yao quickly caught him in his arms and gently rubbed him in reassurance.
Zhong Yao’s embrace was more comfortable than the blankets. Lin Zhu’s brows relaxed; he rubbed lightly against Zhong Yao’s neck and stopped struggling.
Zhong Yao’s heart softened into a puddle. He bent down and kissed his agent lightly on the forehead.
Lin Zhu was still wearing the neat shirt he had put on when going out earlier. When he returned, he had planned to talk with Zhong Yao and also ask exactly what kind of misunderstanding had occurred to drive a perfectly good director nearly insane.
But he simply couldn’t sleep well alone. That nap was almost the same as not sleeping at all. Because he had also been sorting through subconscious memories, it had actually consumed even more of his energy.
Lin Zhu couldn’t stay alone. He eventually drifted back to the room and curled up on the bed, playing with his phone while waiting for Zhong Yao. For some reason, Zhong Yao never sent him any messages.
Growing drowsy while waiting, Lin Zhu accidentally started dozing off. Out of a long-ingrained habit, he rolled into the blankets. And just like that, both unexpectedly and perfectly naturally fell asleep.
Zhong Yao stood by the bed for a while, unable to resist bending down and pulling him into his arms.
Worried that his agent might be sleeping uncomfortably, Zhong Yao adjusted him gently in his embrace. Carefully reaching toward the collar, he planned to change Lin Zhu into something more comfortable.
He had already made his movements as gentle as possible. But after only undoing two buttons, Lin Zhu’s phone alarm suddenly rang loudly.
Zhong Yao froze slightly. Before he could react, Lin Zhu jolted awake and opened his eyes.
The gap in his memory instantly filled with Director Jin’s earnest advice. Lin Zhu’s heart jumped. In panic, he looked down, and saw that his shirt was already half unbuttoned.
Lin Zhu: “……”
Zhong Yao: “……”
Watching the agent in his arms turn bright red in an instant, Zhong Yao coughed lightly and hurriedly pulled Lin Zhu’s clothes closed. Just as he was about to button them back up, Lin Zhu suddenly lifted a hand and gently caught his wrist.
Lin Zhu grabbed Zhong Yao’s hand, his whole body flushed all the way to the tips of his ears. “Ge, you—”
Flustered and at a loss, Lin Zhu blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “How could you watch that kind of thing… on set?”
Zhong Yao stiffened slightly.
Lin Zhu snapped back to his senses and immediately regretted it, wishing he could swallow the words back down.
Zhong Yao had finally started learning!
Maybe in a few more days he would even master those “driving skills”!
Director Jin had said so many things. If he couldn’t find a proper way to start the conversation, he still shouldn’t have used that sentence to dampen Zhong Yao’s rare enthusiasm. Lin Zhu regretted it so much he almost ran downstairs to do laps. In his flustered scrambling, he accidentally bumped straight into Zhong Yao’s arms.
They hadn’t really been together properly for days. Lin Zhu’s heart sped up slightly. His movements paused as he pressed against Zhong Yao’s chest.
He didn’t want to move anymore.
Tilting his head a little, Lin Zhu quietly buried his face against Zhong Yao’s chest.
Zhong Yao’s heartbeat was just as fast as his.
Lin Zhu couldn’t help raising his face, but Zhong Yao gently covered his eyes and lowered his head, placing a kiss on the back of his hand.
Zhong Yao smiled a little shyly, his voice still gentle. “I just… wanted to make you a little happier.”
Lin Zhu’s heart skipped softly.
Zhong Yao had originally prepared a lot of explanations and reassurances. But the moment he returned to the room and saw his agent lying peacefully on the bed sleeping soundly, his heart finally settled, and he forgot most of what he had planned to say.
Since he had already pulled him into his arms, Zhong Yao decided not to think too much about it. Supporting Lin Zhu gently, he set him down in front of him and spoke earnestly.
“That incident… did it scare you?”
Lin Zhu froze slightly and blinked. His eyes suddenly felt faintly sore.
“No… I’m not really thinking about it anymore.”
Lin Zhu looked away and smiled lightly, though his heart was beating faster. “It’s just that things have been busy lately, and everything piled up at once. Ge, wait for me a little longer. Once this period passes, everything will be fine…”
Zhong Yao lowered his head and gently kissed his lips.
Then he lifted himself slightly, meeting Lin Zhu’s gaze, and apologized seriously in a soft voice. “It’s my fault. If I had been more careful, even that false alarm wouldn’t have happened.”
Lin Zhu’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly sat up. “Ge, how can you think like that? How could it be your fault?”
Frowning tightly, Lin Zhu held Zhong Yao’s hand, full of disagreement. “When someone becomes famous, they attract slander. In this industry there are plenty of people who resent others’ success. They were the ones who did things they shouldn’t have done, scheming behind the scenes and crossing the line. How could that possibly be your fault?”
Zhong Yao frowned slightly and stroked Lin Zhu’s hair again and again, his voice gentle and tender. “So… you’re not angry with me?”
Lin Zhu laughed. “How could I—”
Zhong Yao: “……”
Zhong Yao coughed lightly and asked again, “And it’s not because I wasn’t careful outside, and I also haven’t figured out things at home… and still haven’t made any progress… so you’re even angrier?”
Lin Zhu suddenly understood and couldn’t help laughing. Slipping out of Zhong Yao’s arms, he said, “Ge, that’s what you thought?”
For the first time, Zhong Yao had failed to guess his agent’s thoughts and looked a little at a loss. “But these days you’ve been so busy, and earlier you said you wanted to sleep in a separate room—”
Lin Zhu couldn’t hold it in anymore and collapsed laughing against Zhong Yao’s arm.
“No… Ge, I opened another room because when I’m next to you I sleep too deeply. The thoughts I finally read from people, I couldn’t even review them while sleeping.”
Zhong Yao’s accidental misunderstanding warmed Lin Zhu’s chest unexpectedly. He rubbed his eyes hard. “Why would I be angry with you? How could I blame you? If anything, I’d rather blame myself…”
Zhong Yao looked at him, the smile in his eyes gradually fading.
He didn’t speak right away. Holding Lin Zhu in his arms for a moment, he gently set him down on the bed and leaned down to kiss his forehead.
Zhong Yao turned off the main light and drew the curtains, leaving only the bedside lamp on. Then, with one hand, he slowly began unbuttoning his shirt.
His shirt was already half unbuttoned. Lin Zhu didn’t dare look. Blushing, he shrank back under the blankets and quickly wrapped himself up tightly again.
Zhong Yao smiled helplessly and sat down at the edge of the bed, patiently peeling his agent out of the blankets bit by bit.
“Take off your clothes.”
Lin Zhu: “……”
Lin Zhu: “?!”
Realizing how ambiguous his words sounded, Zhong Yao coughed lightly and shook open the blanket with one hand. “No rush. Change your clothes and lie down. We’ll talk slowly… I can’t bear to rush you.”
“I know you’re fine yourself, but… I still want things to be better.”
Zhong Yao’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. “It’s my first time being in love. I don’t really know how to treat you better yet…”
Lin Zhu’s eyes grew even hotter. He quickly changed out of his clothes, climbed under the blankets, and lay down.
Zhong Yao lay down as well, pulling Lin Zhu back into his arms and kissing him lightly. “Alright… tell me.”
Lin Zhu’s eyes felt faintly warm. Tightening his arms around him, his voice turned slightly hoarse. “It’s just me being stubborn. These past few days I keep thinking, if I had been more careful, maybe this wouldn’t have happened…”
He had thought Zhong Yao wouldn’t notice.
After the near-accident that almost ended Zhong Yao’s acting career, everyone else was worried. As his agent, Lin Zhu naturally couldn’t take it lightly.
His parents lived far away, and although his older brother cared about him, he was inevitably busy. Lin Zhu had long been used to being strong on his own. He didn’t know how to indulge in melancholy or self-pity, nor how to express those feelings to others.
So he could only silently keep a record of everything in his heart, treating it as his own fault, and desperately trying to make up for it.
As long as he stayed busier, handled more problems, and solved them faster, it would be fine.
Yet Zhong Yao had misunderstood him again and again, creating such a ridiculous misunderstanding that they had nearly driven a perfectly good director into becoming a matchmaker.
No one had ever valued him like this before. The wound on Lin Zhu’s palm, which had almost healed, began aching faintly again. He pressed it unconsciously before Zhong Yao gently covered his hand.
Holding his hand, Zhong Yao kissed it softly. “Does it still hurt?”
Lin Zhu rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “It stopped hurting long ago.”
Lin Zhu knew what Zhong Yao wanted to ask. Pressing his lips together, he looked up. “Ge, actually I know it’s not your fault, and it also… isn’t mine.”
Saying the words seemed difficult, but he forced himself to continue, his voice hoarse. “But… I can’t help thinking: what if I had done better? What if I had read Song Tianlang’s agent’s mind earlier? Would none of this have happened in the first place? I—”
He simply couldn’t let go of it immediately, so he had kept trying to stay busy, yet it had led to this absurd misunderstanding.
Before he could finish speaking, Zhong Yao gently pulled him into his arms.
Lin Zhu’s breathing faltered. Instinctively he wanted to curl up, but he couldn’t bear to leave Zhong Yao’s warmth. Slowly relaxing, he nestled lightly into his embrace.
Zhong Yao kissed his tightly closed eyes. “Xiao Zhu, there’s something you might not know…”
“In the United States, I actually learned how to smoke.”
Lin Zhu’s eyes flew open, his heart suddenly racing.
Lowering his gaze as he held him, Zhong Yao smiled faintly.
“Partly because sometimes stage roles required it. It couldn’t be avoided.”
He rubbed Lin Zhu’s hair. “But also… because my mood wasn’t very good back then. When the pressure feels almost unbearable, tobacco really can help me relax a little.”
Zhong Yao lowered his head and smiled. “I forgot to tell you something.”
His voice was gentle but unusually steady.
“Xiao Zhu, it’s because of you that I didn’t take that cigarette.”
“My little one doesn’t like the smell of smoke. And I don’t really have anything troubling me. My career is going well, my relationship is going well… so why would I smoke?”
