MACRM Chapter 44

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The material of the pajamas wasn’t very thick. Body heat quietly seeped through the overlapping fabric, heartbeats faintly echoing each other.

Lin Zhu’s heart was pounding wildly. He stammered, “Zhong—”

Zhong Yao’s own heartbeat wasn’t any slower, but he still had a little clarity left. Hearing Lin Zhu use the wrong address for the third time, he tightened his arm slightly.

It had taken so much effort to draw Lin Zhu out of his heavy thoughts. Zhong Yao didn’t intend to question him now, nor did he have the heart to punish him or add rules that would only make the already tense young man even stiffer.

He pulled Lin Zhu a little closer, gently stroking the agent’s still-thin back in comfort. “Just a hug.”

…

Just one hug!

Lin Zhu froze completely.

He stayed very still in Zhong Yao’s arms, even trying to quiet his breathing, slowly relaxing, doing his best to stretch that “one hug” for as long as possible.

He felt as if he were dreaming.

Maybe he had missed Zhong Yao too much. Maybe he was still lying in his bed at home, his brain overactive, daydreams spilling into his sleep…

Lin Zhu’s hand moved slightly, resting on his thigh. Then he pinched himself.

“What are you doing?”

Even that tiny motion didn’t escape Zhong Yao’s notice. His warm palm closed around Lin Zhu’s cold fingers. “Your hands are freezing. Is the air conditioner too low?”

He loosened his hold, fumbling for the remote. After a few tries and failing to find it, he was about to get up and switch on the light when Lin Zhu grabbed his wrist.

Following the pull, Zhong Yao steadied himself, rubbing Lin Zhu’s head. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not cold…”

Lin Zhu’s face burned; he ducked his head into the blanket, forcing out words, “Don’t— no rush, I…”

Zhong Yao blinked, looking down at the agent who seemed determined to bury himself completely under the covers. The dim night light cast a faint glow over him.

“Alright then,” Zhong Yao said with a soft laugh. “Air conditioner on, blanket on. I like sleeping that way too.”

He smiled faintly, drew Lin Zhu back into his arms, pulled the blanket snug around them, and closed his eyes as if finally drowsy.

The warmth of Zhong Yao’s body slowly soaked through, surrounding Lin Zhu until his pulse thundered in his ears. Determined not to move or make a sound, he kept his head propped carefully on Zhong Yao’s arm so as not to disturb him.

The curtains were blackout thick, and only a small night light glowed at the bedside, its soft white light blurring the edges of the room.

Zhong Yao’s breathing was calm and steady. Perhaps he had fallen asleep.

Lin Zhu’s whole body was tense, hyperaware of everything. Yet bit by bit, the tranquil stillness wore down his nerves. His eyelids grew heavy. He struggled to stay awake, afraid to disturb Zhong Yao’s rest.

After a long day and an exhausting late night, even his energy had limits. Eventually, he couldn’t help letting out a tiny yawn.

His head began to droop lower and lower.

His tense body loosened, sliding gently down along Zhong Yao’s arm until his forehead came to rest against Zhong Yao’s chest.

Zhong Yao opened his eyes.

The room was quiet. A sliver of morning light leaked through the curtain seam. Lin Zhu’s breathing was steady and peaceful, his whole body nestled into Zhong Yao’s embrace, one hand unconsciously clutching his shirt hem.

Zhong Yao reached up, switched off the night light, and shifted his shoulder to block the invading light.

When morning came fully, birdsong outside finally pulled Lin Zhu out of his deep sleep.

The room was still dim. That gentle darkness had a way of soothing people into ease.

Half-awake, Lin Zhu rubbed his eyes, mind slowly clearing as he took in the unfamiliar bedding, the different decor… and the very, very close Zhong Yao—

Zhong Yao, right next to him!

Lin Zhu shot fully awake, fighting the urge to rocket to the ceiling in panic, trembling as he tried to inch away bit by bit.

Zhong Yao had been awake for a while, only pretending to sleep. He opened his eyes as soon as Lin Zhu moved. “Awake?”

Lin Zhu stammered, “A-a-awake—”

“Why do you sound like a broken CD?”

The Film Emperor was in high spirits after fulfilling his little wish. He ruffled Lin Zhu’s hair, glanced at his phone. “No rush, it’s a holiday today. Let’s lie down a bit longer. Are you still tired?”

It would’ve been a lie to say no. Lin Zhu had been busy every day as an agent, running around set with Zhong Yao. Now that he finally relaxed, the fatigue hit all at once. Even moving felt like a chore.

His arms gave out, and Zhong Yao promptly pulled him back onto the bed.

“How did I… fall asleep…”

Lin Zhu was a little flustered. Remembering that Zhong Yao had asked to use him as a pillow, he sat up guiltily and began rubbing Zhong Yao’s arm. “Is it numb? You just had to call me to wake me up. I’m a light sleeper.”

Zhong Yao chuckled, teasing, “Need me to carry you to the shower for cold water?”

Lin Zhu: “…”

That cold shower excuse… he’d made it up last time to explain away fainting from overusing his telepathy. He hadn’t expected Zhong Yao to still remember. He mumbled an awkward reply and kept dutifully massaging his arm.

Zhong Yao laughed and sat up, stretching. “Not numb. You barely used me as a pillow, just curled up around me…”

Lin Zhu had slept so quietly, clinging to him as if afraid he’d vanish. Every time Zhong Yao tried to move him back to the pillow, Lin Zhu would half-wake and blink up at him, so he’d given up and just coaxed him to sleep instead.

Worried he might have a stiff neck, Zhong Yao sat him upright and rubbed the back of his neck. “Does it hurt?”

The 23 years old agent, young and healthy, blinked in confusion and shook his head dumbly.

Zhong Yao：“……”

Zhong Yao cleared his throat lightly, ready to head to the study to put away his neck massager. “Go wash your face. I’ll make something to eat… Do you still have work today?”

“No, no, I arranged everything yesterday.”

The moment Lin Zhu heard the word work, he perked up. Grabbing his phone, he flipped through unread texts and emails, quickly sorting them. “It’s just a bunch of people trying to take advantage before we officially release something. It’ll only be hectic for a few days. After that, things will quiet down soon.”

Zhong Yao smiled, nodded, poured him a glass of water, and handed it over before leaving the guest room.

Zhong Yao’s popularity was still riding high, and with his talent, he was bound to produce great works. Many programs and brands saw an opportunity to strike early, all trying to rope him in with lowball offers.

Lin Zhu ignored all of them, reviewed the proposals, and passed them to the team for polite rejection. After washing up and tidying his bed, he still couldn’t stay idle, so he followed Zhong Yao into the kitchen, and together they made a lavish breakfast.

Since they woke up late, it was almost noon by the time they finished eating.

Restless from having nothing to do, Zhong Yao finally couldn’t suppress his curiosity about Lin Zhu’s suitcase. “So what did you pack? A sleeping bag? Tent? Inflatable bathtub…?”

“No, no!”

The more outrageous Zhong Yao’s guesses became, the more flustered Lin Zhu got. He shook his head quickly, then, as if suddenly reminded of something, hurried over to drag the suitcase over with a grunt. “It’s for— for you. I’ve been saving it up for quite a while…”

Zhong Yao blinked in surprise, got up, and sat with him on the carpet.

Ever since he was a teenager, the young master of the Lin family had a habit of preparing birthday gifts for his idol, but never actually sent them out. Over the years, he’d unknowingly filled an entire suitcase with them.

A handwritten card from when he was thirteen.

A wind chime from when he was fifteen.

A silver-carved pipe from when he was seventeen.

A tiger-tooth dzi bead from when he was twenty.

A Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris watch from when he was twenty-two.

And a pair of Cartier hawk’s eye cufflinks from when he was twenty-three.

Birthdays, anniversaries, award ceremonies… every milestone had its gift. Lin Zhu had packed up twelve years’ worth of treasures and presented them all to Zhong Yao in one go.

“When I saw these cufflinks, I thought they were perfect!”

Lin Zhu spoke more and more animatedly, his eyes sparkling as he proudly showed them off. “They were made to match that French shirt you wore once. It has great colors, and the vibe fits perfectly…”

Zhong Yao looked at him, his heart melting, speechless for a long while.

If Lin Zhu hadn’t volunteered to be his agent that day, or if Zhong Yao hadn’t agreed… what would’ve happened to all these gifts?

“There was one from when I was twelve too,” Lin Zhu said with a sheepish smile. “I secretly saved a piece of cake, but it went bad in a few days, and I was sad about it for days.”

He’d long since made up his mind to persist no matter how hard it was, determined to prove himself worthy, never once worrying he’d fail. Now that he’d started talking, he couldn’t stop, chattering with excitement, “Later I even caught a dragonfly and tried to keep it as a pet. But it was too scared, so I let it go…”

Zhong Yao couldn’t help but laugh. He reached out, drew the talkative manager into his arms, and gently rubbed his hair. “It’s okay. I’ve received it all, right here.”

Lin Zhu’s courage had grown. Leaning against Zhong Yao’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, he spoke softly: “Ge… all of these are for you. Can I—”

He hesitated, feeling a little presumptuous, but couldn’t give up the chance. Swallowing hard, he murmured, “Can I take this pajama set with me?”

Zhong Yao paused, lowering his gaze to him.

“Can’t I?” Lin Zhu asked, a little crestfallen. He blinked, then compromised. “Then maybe just one button? The top one. You don’t really use it anyway…”

Before he could finish, Zhong Yao pulled him back in, holding him tighter, speaking in a helplessly gentle tone. “I bought it for you. Do you really think I could wear your size? But—”

Zhong Yao, being older, didn’t have a manager’s thin skin. After a pause, he looked down, smiled faintly, and murmured, “You can’t take it with you… but if you want to wear it, come here and wear it yourself.”

For a moment, Lin Zhu just blinked at him, frozen — then realization struck, and he flushed from head to toe.

Completely red, Lin Zhu bolted straight out of Zhong Yao’s arms.

The house was filled with Zhong Yao’s presence — his scent, his traces everywhere. Lin Zhu, flustered and panicked, ran into the guest room, dove onto the bed, and rolled back and forth several times before finally managing to cool his burning face.

Zhong Yao stood there, arms half-raised. “…”

Not every script idea from the writers turned out useful. After reflecting on that for a moment, Zhong Yao went to knock on the door. But before he could, his phone started ringing.

A group video call from the [No Bridge] crew.

Still stuck in his old habit of believing video calls ate up too much data, Zhong Yao declined it without a thought, gently pushed open the door, and went over to the bed to pull his agent out from under the blanket.

Lin Zhu’s face was flushed, eyes still filled with bashful, disbelieving excitement as he looked up at him.

“Why so shy? You’re my agent. What’s wrong with coming to my place?”

Zhong Yao ruffled his hair, laughing softly as he coaxed him, and then picked him up. “But, you’ve given me so many gifts. If I don’t give you something in return, that wouldn’t feel right, would it?”

“No, no, you don’t need to!”

Lin Zhu shook his head earnestly, eyes bright. “Just knowing you accepted them makes me really, really happy.”

All he’d ever wanted was to do something good for Zhong Yao, to give him the best of what he had. He never thought of getting anything in return. The fact that Zhong Yao accepted his gifts at all was enough to keep him happy for years.

Zhong Yao’s gaze softened. He rubbed Lin Zhu’s hair gently. “I know.”

And because he knew, he couldn’t just accept it without giving something back.

Zhong Yao sat down on the bed, drawing him close, running his fingers slowly through his short hair. “That tiger-tooth dzi bead, you went all the way to the Potala Palace for it, didn’t you? Did the altitude make you sick?”

Lin Zhu blinked, cheeks growing redder, and shook his head lightly.

“I should’ve held one more fan meet back then,” Zhong Yao murmured, “then maybe I could’ve seen you sooner.”

His arms tightened as he smiled down at Lin Zhu. “Who knows? Maybe if I’d met you then, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave. We might’ve started working together right from the start…”

“That wouldn’t do,” Lin Zhu said seriously, shaking his head. “Back then I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t understand how this industry worked… I didn’t have the tools to protect you.”

Lowering his gaze slightly, Lin Zhu’s voice was clear and firm. “I just wanted to become better, stronger, so I could protect you. So that when you step out, everyone would know I’m your manager, and no one would dare take advantage of you.”

Zhong Yao’s eyes burned faintly. Looking down at him, he smiled suddenly and stood up, pulling Lin Zhu with him.

Lin Zhu followed, confused, until Zhong Yao opened the wardrobe and froze.

It was full of new clothes: shirts, T-shirts, trousers, jackets, all fresh and colorful. The sizes were clearly not Zhong Yao’s.

“Clozeya sent over some new designs for me to try,” Zhong Yao explained, clearing his throat slightly, sounding just a little nervous. “I reported both our sizes… I was worried you wouldn’t like my taste, so I ordered two of everything and paid them at retail price. Come here.”

Lin Zhu’s heartbeat quickened as he hurried after him.

Zhong Yao led him to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

It was fully stocked. Fresh ingredients, two whole shelves of ice cream in different flavors, a snack rack, and even a brand-new oven that had never been used.

Judging from Lin Zhu’s wide eyes, Zhong Yao knew he must not have noticed any of this yesterday. He’d been too distracted by his own pile of gifts.

They kept “exploring” together. Zhong Yao showed him the new beanbag and game console in the study, the extra shoe bench in the entryway, and finally picked up the lone key he’d used to open the door yesterday. From his pocket, he pulled out a bamboo-shoot-shaped keychain, carefully attached it, and handed the key to Lin Zhu.

His phone buzzed again. The Sichuan Film crew was still relentlessly sending group video invites.

Zhong Yao frowned slightly, declined the call again, took a deep breath, and looked at Lin Zhu. With the tips of his ears faintly red, said softly, “If you’re not busy… come over often, okay?”