MACRM Chapter 115

Under Lin Song’s sharp glare, ready to explode after being so blatantly robbed, Zhong Ming meticulously took hold of his younger brother’s arm and placed it into Lin Zhu’s other hand.

Quite satisfied, Zhong Ming stepped back half a pace, preparing to leave the stage together with the relatives from the groom’s side.

Lin Song had no intention of leaving the stage with him. Still fuming, he took another two steps to the side.

Lin Zhu took a deep breath, unable to decide whether it was appropriate to laugh on such a solemn occasion, and did his best to keep a straight face.

…

Zhong Yao gave a light cough, smiled as he lowered his head, drew Lin Zhu into his arms, and answered steadily, “Okay.”

Zhong Yao was dressed especially formally today. The pure black suit with its subtle patterned weave looked oddly familiar no matter how one looked at it. The crisp fabric was expensive and exquisitely tailored, smooth and cool to the touch, yet it still couldn’t conceal the abundant warmth of the chest beneath it.

Resting against Zhong Yao’s embrace, Lin Zhu couldn’t help closing his eyes.

He heard the pastor reciting the vows that everyone promised at a wedding. Somewhere deep inside, he felt as though he had heard these words long ago. Hearing them spoken once again, all the bitterness and fear he had once felt had long since vanished without a trace, leaving behind only endless warmth and sweetness.

Zhong Yao’s voice rang out, gentle yet resolute. “I do.”

Looking up at him, Lin Zhu felt every moment they had shared along the way transform completely into starlight, decorating the night sky that belonged to them.

Unable to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, warmth overflowing in his chest, Lin Zhu made his vow alongside Zhong Yao. “I do.”

At exactly 9 PM New York time, Zhong Yao and Lin Zhu officially received their legally binding marriage certificate.

At 10:10 AM Beijing time, the PR department finally got its wish and posted the most normal official announcement they had ever released in their professional careers.

While the entire internet in China celebrated their successful marriage registration with nationwide jubilation, the newlyweds themselves had already turned around and returned to the film set, throwing themselves back into endless days and nights of filming.

With a crystal-clear vision of the future motivating him, Lin Zhu poured all his heart into making the film his wedding gift. He ended up even busier than Zhong Yao.

From early-stage filming, editing, and production to later distribution, censorship, and promotion, Lin Zhu had more than earned his title as co-producer. He devoted himself wholeheartedly from beginning to end, skillfully navigating between investors and the review committee, smoothing every obstacle out of the production team’s path.

It worried Zhong Yao so much that he almost had his darling agent secretly shipped back to China while he was asleep on several occasions.

“Ge, it’ll be done soon, really soon— just help me look this over one more time!”

Sitting on the bed with his laptop, Lin Zhu typed rapidly on the keyboard while biting into an apple, his words muffled. “Films that haven’t been released can’t be considered for awards. As long as we make the release window, we’ll catch this year’s cycle…”

Speechless, Zhong Yao casually took the apple out of his mouth. While helping polish the grammar and wording, he peeled the apple, cut it into bite-sized pieces, stuck toothpicks into them, and fed another piece to his work-obsessed manager.

He had always known Lin Zhu had the potential to become a workaholic, but he simply hadn’t expected him to become this busy.

Making a film meant that shooting was actually the easiest part. The early planning and preparation, followed by all the distribution channels and post-production coordination, involved so many trivial matters that they could drive anyone to a complete mental breakdown.

Even the producer, who was usually the nicest person imaginable, had lost his temper several times.

Marlensius, who normally never had to involve himself much in post-production, had also grown utterly fed up with the endless rounds of signatures and negotiations. These days, people practically felt an intimidating aura the moment they saw him.

But Lin Zhu never showed the slightest impatience.

If something wasn’t finished, he finished it. If he didn’t know someone, he got to know them. If there was a problem, he solved it bit by bit. There was almost nothing that reached Lin Zhu that he couldn’t find a way to resolve.

After the co-producer forcefully inserted himself as powerful reinforcement, the entire film’s promotion and release progressed more than twice as fast as usual. Everything went remarkably smoothly, and they just barely managed to squeeze onto the last train for this year’s awards.

Working alongside Lin Zhu these past days, Zhong Yao almost caught glimpses of that young agent from years ago, the one who had waited for him while tirelessly gathering every useful resource he could find, making a name for himself within the industry in just a single year.

Lin Zhu pressed Enter one last time, accepted the apple Zhong Yao fed him, and chewed it with complete satisfaction.

“Finished?” Zhong Yao pulled him closer and rubbed his head. “Anything else I can contribute?”

Pushing the laptop aside, Lin Zhu let out a long sigh of relief before happily throwing himself into Zhong Yao’s arms. “Nope. I’ve finished every last thing!”

One of Zhong Yao’s brows lifted slightly, and his heart stirred along with it.

Hugging his arm, Lin Zhu’s eyes narrowed as he stretched lazily. “We only have to stay another week before we can go back to China…”

Zhong Yao tightened his arms around him, drawing him closer as he gently massaged his shoulders and back.

When they had first arrived, it had still been snowing. Without them noticing, winter had given way to spring, and now more than half of spring had already passed. The sunlight outside grew brighter with each passing day, and it was already warm enough that they barely needed the air conditioner.

The last time the weather had been this bright, Zhong Yao had just packed everything in the villa, picked up his luggage, and prepared to return to China.

Back then, the three-year agreement had only just expired. The entertainment industry back home had become increasingly unpredictable year after year, while the old friends he cared about found themselves in ever more difficult situations. He had returned to the company prepared to stake everything on one final gamble, but had no idea what lay ahead.

Driving through the company gates, he slowed his car when a crowd of enthusiastic reporters surrounded him, afraid he might accidentally hit someone.

Before he even had the chance to press the accelerator again, the car door suddenly opened. A little fellow with impossibly beautiful eyes climbed into the back seat, calling out that he desperately needed help.

At the time, he had no idea what that moment would come to mean.

Zhong Yao smiled softly, pulled Lin Zhu closer, indulging him as he affectionately cuddled against him without end, carefully kneading his shoulders and arms.

He was much sturdier than he had been back then.

Whether because the weather had turned warmer or because the nutritional meals meant to help him recover had finally paid off, Lin Zhu had hardly gotten sick lately. Occasionally, he’d suffer a headache or a bout of insomnia, but as long as he tossed work aside and spent a couple of days simply clinging to Zhong Yao, he’d soon be refreshed and lively again. Even after slipping into banquets to read investors’ thoughts, he no longer ended up dizzy and unwell the way he used to.

Zhong Yao was quite satisfied with the results so far and continued feeding apples to the agent in his arms. “Any plans after we get back?”

With filming wrapped, the only work left for Zhong Yao as the lead actor was promotional events and roadshows. Ironically, the man who had been impossibly busy just a few months ago was now freer than Lin Zhu this month, so he wholeheartedly volunteered as free labor for the production team.

They had both been so busy lately, with mountains of work piled before them. Neither of them had the temperament to neglect everything else after getting married, so even their displays of affection remained restrained. Just from observing how often his manager threw himself into his arms, Zhong Yao felt he had nearly gathered enough data to draw reliable conclusions.

“I’ve… got a few interviews. There’s also a film at the end of the year. We’re still negotiating.”

As Zhong Yao gently stroked his back, Lin Zhu absentmindedly ate pieces of apple, looking comfortable enough to fall asleep. “It’s an art film. I really tried… I just couldn’t get into the script…”

Zhong Yao chuckled and lowered his head to kiss him. “I’ll read it.”

Lin Zhu loved being kissed by him. The corners of his eyes subconsciously curved into crescents as he curled up in Zhong Yao’s embrace before lifting his head and earnestly kissing him back.

Afraid they might let things get out of hand and delay their work, the two of them had remained extremely restrained. Opportunities to simply hold each other and exchange kisses had become rare, and after getting married, they actually had even fewer chances than before to spend time together carefully exploring and improving their techniques.

It wasn’t just Lin Zhu, who pounced into Zhong Yao’s arms every chance he got like someone drinking poison to quench his thirst. Even Zhong Yao, who had always been reserved, disciplined, and raised with impeccable manners, found himself unable to hold back any longer.

He had begun frequently logging into the now-thriving forum using an alternate account. After receiving a loud smack of a kiss from his manager, Zhong Yao felt his heart stir. 

Thinking that Lin Zhu had already finished everything he needed to do, he cautiously took hold of his hand. “Xiao Zhu…?”

Lin Zhu had stayed up late the night before. Resting against Zhong Yao’s shoulder, his eyelids were already on the verge of closing completely. Hearing Zhong Yao call him, he forced his eyes open and said, “Hm?”

…There wasn’t really any need to rush.

For now, letting his lover get a good night’s sleep was more important. There would be plenty of time in the future. They would have many more opportunities to learn and explore together.

Zhong Yao chuckled, ruffling his manager’s hair. “It’s nothing. Go to sleep.”

…

The next day, just as Zhong Yao was trying to set up a candlelit dinner, he received notice that he had to rush off for an urgent interview at CBS.

On the third day, Lin Zhu, who had planned to spend the whole day lazing around with Zhong Yao, got a call from the producer, warmly inviting the two of them to attend a celebration party for the film’s successful award nomination.

On the fourth day, after cutting off every possible means of contact in advance and planning to spend a quiet day at home together, Zhong Yao and Lin Zhu had their door pounded open by the film crew, who had been partying all night. They surprised the couple with a grand celebration, filling the entire living room with streamers, balloons, and colorful foam.

On the fifth day, while his agent was fast asleep, Zhong Yao secretly smuggled him back to China overnight.

News could never be kept under wraps forever. As soon as the two of them got off the plane — before they could even meet up with the team sent to pick them up — they were swarmed by paparazzi and reporters who had caught wind of their arrival, trapping them inside the airport.

Lin Zhu had become quite skilled at controlling his ability and rarely suffered dizziness from reading minds anymore. But this time, having only just woken up, he was caught completely off guard by a burst of camera flashes. Looking at the sea of bobbing heads before him, he finally experienced that familiar sensation of dizziness and blurred vision again.

Without hesitation, Zhong Yao pulled his manager tightly into his arms to shield him. At the same time, he had the PR team drive off first as a decoy before seizing the chance to slip into the VIP passageway, escaping the reporters on foot.

Lin Zhu jogged alongside him, constantly checking whether there were any disguised paparazzi nearby. After successfully shaking off their pursuers, they ducked into a late-night roadside eatery that was still open.

The place sold just about everything: rows of hotpot ingredients, fried snacks, and even grilled skewers. Dim light bulbs swayed gently in the night breeze.

Unable to bring himself to walk away under the owner’s eager gaze, Lin Zhu caught his breath, ordered a few dishes, and sat down with Zhong Yao to rest their legs.

It was the first time either of them had ever fled from reporters like this. The more Lin Zhu thought about it, the harder it was to stop laughing. Rubbing his forehead, he said, “Ge, actually… I already know what they want. We didn’t have to run like that…”

Zhong Yao, completely free of any movie-star airs, sat beside him on a blue plastic stool, idly turning a grilled quail egg skewer in his hand. “You can tell what every one of them wants?”

“Huh?” They had already come clean to each other about everything. Lin Zhu blinked, but the question suddenly made him uncertain. “I… I guess I can?”

Zhong Yao raised an eyebrow and gently held his manager by the shoulders, making him meet his gaze. 

Zhong Yao: “What about me?”

Lin Zhu blinked.

After finally finding an opportunity to steer things back onto the right track, only to have one unexpected interruption after another ruin it, Best Actor Zhong — who had gone so far as to secretly kidnap his agent home in the middle of the night — lowered his head slightly until their eyes met. His voice was soft and low, “What about me? What can you see?”

Lin Zhu: “……”

On the three hundred and sixty-fourth day after the two of them reunited, the famous manager sat ramrod straight at a late-night roadside eatery, both hands neatly resting on his thighs, facing the artist who had once been shelved for three years and had now made a powerful return to the top. 

From head to toe, little by little, he ripened into a deep, brilliant red.

 

-end of main story-

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We will move on to the extra shortly after~ It’s been a wonderful journey so far, so let’s end it with a bang! I’ll upload extra 1 today, then extra 2 tomorrow, and finally, extra 3 on the day after tomorrow.