MACRM Extra 3

[Mind Reader] was a dark horse in the Cannes Film Festival, shocking everyone and making it into the finals.

The award spanned the entire year until the next May, coinciding with the live broadcast of the finals of [Battle of Light and Shadow] season 2 in China. Zhong Yao, a contender for the Best Actor in the festival, had been “kidnapped” by Marlensius and his crew and taken to the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière beforehand.

Lin Zhu also followed, arriving just one day before the red carpet. Somehow, he managed to bring [Battle of Light and Shadow] into a perfect close before immediately catching the last flight directly to Cannes. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the flight was delayed by an ungodly amount of hours, and by the time he arrived in France, he was almost late.

Lin Zhu finally landed at Lyon Airport and rushed to the theatre. The opening ceremony had already finished, and now it was the red carpet event. The area was packed to the brim by people, making it difficult to move. It took him quite some effort to squeeze in.

“What should we do? We can’t be late…”

The PR manager, who was following along, paced around anxiously, trying his best to clear a path while standing on tiptoes to look ahead. “Have they left? Did they walk the red carpet already? Wait, is that Marlensius? They’re waving—”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Zhu said as he popped the two last mint candies into his mouth. He slapped his cheeks then took a deep breath. “I’m completely awake now.” 

The PR manager looked utterly miserable. “Huh?”

Beijing and Lyon have a 7 hour time difference. Lin Zhu had been traveling almost all night, taking both planes and high-speed trains. He was so sleepy he could fall asleep while standing.

Hearing the PR manager’s anxious nagging, Lin Zhu looked up and quickly planned a route. He put on his sunglasses neatly. “I can definitely catch up. Don’t rush, we are still going to run a lot after this…”

With every business he had still in early stages of development, Lin Zhu had to juggle the company’s growth while monitoring [Light and Shadow], leaving him little time for anything else. When Zhong Yao – who was filming in seclusion — discovered this, he specially monitored the agent’s daily activities remotely and even sent him several text messages saying they should have “some fun exercises together” when he returned.

The busy agent anticipated this for several weeks, in complete excitement.

Then, on the night Zhong Yao returned, he received a pair of running shoes and sportswear. Numbly, Lin Zhu was taken out for a 2-hour run that night.

This was the moment Lin Zhu realized his immense running potential. Not even Lin Song carrying a body pillow could catch up with him.

Watching a group of celebrities elegantly walking down the 20-meter red carpet for 3 minutes, the PR manager felt a strange sense of unease. He wanted to persuade the young agent to hurry up, but Lin Zhu… had already vaulted over the barrier with one hand.

Lin Zhu had an invitation and ID cared; the security guards who tried to stop him automatically backed away, watching helplessly as the well-dressed young man effortlessly weaved through the crowd, bypassing the media and heading straight for the red carpet.

Actors usually came inside with the filming team; although the walk was short, they seized this hard-won exposure opportunity, waving charmingly at the bazillion cameras. Amidst the flashing lights, a remarkably agile figure suddenly darted past.

The young man wore an impeccably tailored haute couture suit, which accentuated his striking good figure. It made him even more exceptionally sophisticated. Yet, he showed no intention of stopping for photos, having already strode across most of the red carpet.

The photographers hesitated, raising their cameras while trying to make sense of what was happening.

Marlensius’ team almost finished walking the red carpet. Lin Zhu, feeling sleepy and thus, not wanting to think much, kept running forward with his head down. Just as he was about to catch up, a firm hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Sorry, I don’t do interviews…” 

Lin Zhu politely apologized as he turned to his head. Then, his eyes widened in shock.

The entire team was almost inside the theatre hall; that’s why Lin Zhu didn’t expect Zhong Yao to escape his team and waited for him.

The actor’s trench coat collar was slightly open, and his bow tie was slightly loose. One of his hands gripped his agent’s wrist, his chest rose and fell slightly. A gentle, helpless smile bloomed on his impeccable lips. In an instant, a flurry of flashes went off.

Usually, they only took photos of celebrities walking alone. Even when they walked hand-in-hand, this was the first time they saw someone run ahead while the other went backwards to meet them halfway.

Both of them were strikingly handsome. One was dashing and composed, the other bright and youthful; and each was enough to grab headlines. The reporters instantly became excited. They lugged their heavy cameras, relentlessly chasing after the two.

Under the unforgiving lens, the tall Chinese actor steadily held the youth’s wrist, gently pulling it closer. Finally, when the shorter one was by his side, the actor smiled and patted his head.

The youth raised his head then, meeting the actor’s gaze.

Before they could speak, the handsome youth’s ears reddened. The flush quickly spread across his fair skin, even disappearing down his collar.

Then he tilted this head back, speaking some words to the gentle-looking Chinese actor.

His hand, trembling a little, raised slowly to fix the actor’s loose bowtie. After that, it meticulously buttoned up the trench coat.

This scene, for some reason, possessed some kind of mysterious power. The reporters who watched this wordless communication grew increasingly curious. With each second, their cameras flashed while their minds imagined all sorts of dialogue happening.

Then, the tall actor pulled the youth into his arms with one hand, smiling and lowering his head gently… then landed a tender kiss on his cheek. 

Everyone’s eyes instantly widened.

The camera flashes were almost blinding. Lin Zhu’s heart pounded even louder than the excited shouts. He clutched Zhong Yao’s clothes, his voice soft then hurried. “Ge… isn’t this a bit too—”

“It’s perfect.” Zhong Yao flashed his most charming smile as he rub his agent’s neck in a soothing motion. He wanted to say more, but felt it was a waste of time, so he simply cupped Lin Zhu’s cheeks and tilted the agent’s face slightly.

Once again, Lin Zhu was being kissed. In a daze, he finally met Zhong Yao’s unfathomable gaze. He stared in disbelief at this mischievous Zhong Yao.

This guy… actually used this method to force Lin Zhu to read his mind! All to save time!

To Lin Zhu, reading other’s minds was quite a taxing task despite the low definition of the images; while reading Zhong Yao’s was like watching a mini-movie with panoramic surround sound and the highest definition possible. CEO Lin — who was enveloped by the gentle thoughts — immediately heard his heart pounding even faster. His face burned redder as he instinctively gripped Zhong Yao’s clothes tighter. 

Zhong Yao pulled back, then drew the agent into a hug. He let out a soft exhale. “I missed you.”

Lin Zhu, feeling dizzy, gave up and leaned into Zhong Yao’s broad chest. It took him a moment to realize that Zhong Yao said it out loud. Lin Zhu’s face flushed, but he hid it by burying his face on Zhong Yao’s shoulder, muffling his voice.  “It’s only been a week…”

Meeting Lin Zhu’s gaze, Zhong Yao raised an eyebrow.

Lin Zhu tried to calm himself down, pulling the actor to the end of the red carpet. He snuck a glance and saw Zhong Yao’s dark, gentle eyes. His effort failed. 

If anything, it only exacerbated his blush, which now has made his ears itched as it burned. He scratched them and lowered his head.

Of course, he was very anxious.

If he wasn’t in a hurry, he wouldn’t have run down the red carpet, nor would he have agreed to let Zhong Yao kiss him there. And he wouldn’t have blushed that embarrassingly while adjusting the actor’s clothes.

Qingyang’s young CEO lowered his head slightly, his grip never leaving Zhong Yao’s clothes, but a subtle smile finally blossomed on his lips. He took a deep breath, pulled Zhong Yao aside, and made room for the next people on the red carpet.

Since he’s a CEO now, he had to act like one.

Forcefully, Lin Zhu cleared his throat in another effort to calm down. “I’ve taken care of everything back in China. [Light and Shadow] was a great success, and your actor friends all received quite a few good scripts. With teams helping them choose, they definitely won’t lose out.”

CEO Lin walked steadily, comforting his company’s backbone actor. “Now let’s focus on this. Don’t be too nervous. Winning or not is not important. This movie did very well at the box office, but it’s not as deep as a typical arthouse film. The Cannes judges might not rate it as highly…”

Zhong Yao’s expression warmed even more. He took a few steps forward to walk side-by-side with Lin Zhu, then he gently pulled the agent’s arm around his own.

CEO Lin instantly fell silent, his cold demeanor thawed. 

“Don’t be nervous too. This film has quite some depth.”

Zhong Yao linked arms with him, their movements natural, indistinguishable from other guests walking hand-in-hand. “The plot depicts the protagonist’s mental struggle realistically. It was quite a long and arduous journey.” 

He didn’t wave to the reporters on either side. His gaze only focused at his beloved. He continued, his voice still low and gentle, “I often think about how amazing it is to be able to complete this journey… it deserves a proper award.”

Lin Zhu met Zhong Yao’s gaze. He felt shy.

This wasn’t the first time Zhong Yao praised him. Still, it succeeded at making him blush. His lips pursed as he replied, “I’ve… already received the award…”

His ears were still burning hot, so he rubbed them again. “That’s right, when we get back—”

Before he could finish, the flash went off again.

Afraid of being caught on film, Lin Zhu quickly shut his mouth. He straightened his posture, walking with an air of confidence.

Zhong Yao’s eyebrow raised. He looked over at Lin Zhu with a smile. “Alright.”

Lin Zhu was startled.

Zhong Yao causally smoothed down a stray lock of hair. He straightened his posture, then finished the last leg of the red carpet at a leisurely pace.

“Go back and get a good night’s sleep, okay?”

Seeing the agent’s questioning gaze, Zhong Yao smiled. He intertwined their fingers, grasping them firmly at this palm. “And then… we can get a good sleep together.”

In an instant, Lin Zhu’s shyness turned into embarrassment. He fumed.

At the end of the red carpet, the Chinese Film Emperor, seemingly having earned a mind-reading ability, wrapped his arm around his lover. He lowered his head to kiss his forehead, and entered the hall still hand-in-hand.

That day, [Mind Reader] won the Palme d’Or, and Zhong Yao took home the Best Actor. Thus, Zhong Yao completed his final grand slam, winning all Best Actor awards. 

At 8 PM Beijing time, the PR team finally fulfilled their long-head dream, spreading photos of Actor Zhong romantically embracing and kissing his agent on the red carpet. Using all their passion and effort, they ensured that everyone in every corner of the world would see these two men’s love.

-The End-

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