Although he really did not want to, Xia Qi ended up bursting into tears in front of Lu Xuan.
“Finding it hard to part with the end of filming?” Lu Xuan handed Xia Qi a tissue to wipe his tears, then instructed the driver, “Drive steadily.”
Xia Qi nodded and shook his head, crying uncontrollably. He had not fully detached himself from the character yet, and seeing Lu Xuan all of a sudden made his emotions completely collapse. The tears just would not stop.
Lu Xuan had an exceptionally good temper. He dialed Director Fei’s number with a smile. Director Fei praised Xia Qi for a few words, and Lu Xuan politely replied before hanging up.
“Alright.” Xia Qi’s tears had lessened by now. Lu Xuan used his handkerchief to wrap the ice from the champagne cooler and placed it on Xia Qi’s eyes. He said, “Let’s see if you like the things I brought for you.”
Choked up, Xia Qi managed to say, “I-I like them…”
Lu Xuan chuckled, “You haven’t even seen them yet. I don’t know what you like, so I just bought random things.”
Nodding, Xia Qi leaned over to unpack the boxes piled up on the back seat. There were limited-edition sneakers, a Patek Philippe watch, perfume, and a thick scarf. In the last large box was a mousse cake with “Happy New Year Xia Qi” written on it.
Xia Qi could not help but tear up again.
“I like all of them…” Xia Qi lowered his head to wipe his tears, “Thank you, Mr. Lu.”
Lu Xuan lowered his head, smiling as he looked at Xia Qi, “What about my New Year’s gift?”
Xia Qi innocently gazed at Lu Xuan. Xia Qi had been on the film set all this time, which was far from the city, so there was nowhere to go to buy gifts. Lu Xuan teased him with a look, and Xia Qi had no choice. He subtly glanced at the driver and Yan Zhuo Yi in the front seats. The driver’s eyes were fixed on the road, seemingly only focused on the steering wheel, while Yan Zhuo Yi looked like he had entered a state of deep meditation. Without hesitation, Xia Qi quickly leaned in and kissed Lu Xuan’s lips. Before he could pull away and sit back, Lu Xuan’s strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer and pressing him against the seat as they shared a passionate kiss.
Having not seen each other for a month and a half, Xia Qi, being held by Lu Xuan like this, got the feels. Lu Xuan looked at him with amusement, his voice lowered as he chuckled, “Can you hold back till we reach home?”
Xia Qi’s lips were tinted red, and his eyes were reddened too. He was clearly taken aback by Lu Xuan’s words. Stuttering, he shifted the topic, “Are we not going to a hotel? Should we go to your place?”
“In the future, try not to go out as much,” Lu Xuan pinched Xia Qi’s cheek. “It won’t be long before fans start recognizing you wherever you go. If we go to a hotel and get recognized, what should we do?”
Xia Qi felt secretly delighted. He did not like going to hotels anyway, he preferred going to Lu Xuan’s place.
“You need to change your current place of residence too.” Lu Xuan frowned slightly as he remembered Xia Qi’s home’s location. “I’ll talk to An Qi about it when I get back.”
Xia Qi had not really thought through about what it meant to be an official celebrity. He casually said, “Anywhere is fine, um… preferably close to the company and your house. It would also be convenient for Mr. Yan to come pick me up.”
Lu Xuan looked at Xia Qi, who realized he had spoken carelessly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he nervously chuckled, “I… I’ll listen to Miss Lu’s arrangements.”
Lu Xuan smiled, “Are you planning to keep a strict daily schedule?”
Xia Qi’s earlier words had come out without much thought. Now, it was difficult to explain, and he lowered his head to fiddle with the watch Lu Xuan had given him.
“Will you still be willing to let me take care of you when you become a big star and an award-winning actor in the future?” Lu Xuan raised his hand to pinch Xia Qi’s cheek. “You’ll probably be eager to stay far away from me, won’t you?”
“No!” Xia Qi suddenly looked up, his eyes shining brightly. He spoke earnestly, “I’m willing.”
Lu Xuan smirked, “And when you become a top-tier A-list star, will you still let me take the lead?”
Xia Qi knew that Lu Xuan was teasing him again.
Coincidentally, it was midnight, and the sounds of fireworks filled the air outside. Xia Qi, suppressing his embarrassment, leaned closer to Lu Xuan’s ear and whispered softly, “
The filming was done, tears had been shed, laughter shared, New Year’s had come, and he had seen his crush. Xia Qi had even managed to secretly confess. As he had constantly worked for nearly twenty hours straight, his emotions fluctuated. Now, as things quieted down, he finally felt the exhaustion. He chatted with Lu Xuan for a while before falling asleep. Yan Zhuo Yi turned to Lu Xuan and quietly asked if he needed any assistance. Lu Xuan shook his head, gently removed Xia Qi’s shoes, and had him lie down and rest his head on his lap, then took the blanket offered by Yan Zhuo Yi and covered him.
Outside the car window, fireworks filled the sky, and Lu Xuan closed his eyes, drifting into a light doze.
Xia Qi had initially thought that after returning home, they would be intimate all night until morning. However, in reality, both of them were quite tired. They hurriedly took a shower, turned off their phones, and drew the curtains, then slept until noon.
“Mr. Lu…” Xia Qi’s voice was sleepy, “Are you hungry?”
Since returning from the film set, Xia Qi’s whole body had relaxed. It seemed like his body was eager to make up for the sleep he had been missing for the past month. He was tired but also hungry, hesitating about which to satisfy first. Subconsciously, he turned to Lu Xuan for advice, wanting his benefactor to make decisions for him.
Lu Xuan’s self-discipline was clearly much stronger than Xia Qi’s. Although he had also gone without sleep for a day and night and even took care of Xia Qi in the car last night, after a full night’s rest, he had recovered his energy and alertness. He patted Xia Qi’s head, saying, “Get up and eat. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Something important?
Xia Qi instantly perked up like a prairie dog, looking silly, “What’s the matter?”
However, Lu Xuan had already gone downstairs to make a phone call.
“A reality show?” Xia Qi blinked his still somewhat swollen eyes, perplexed. “Are you inviting me?”
Lu Xuan chuckled, “Of course. It’s a very professional team specialized in reality shows. They’ve partnered with a television station to plan a new reality show. If all goes well, they should start filming around May this year. By then, your movie will have been released, and the TV series won’t be out yet, so it’ll perfectly fill that gap and keep you in the spotlight.”
“I… Can I really do it?” Xia Qi was not sure and said, “Actually, I’m a bit shy.”
Lu Xuan reassured him, “It’s okay. You can gradually loosen up as the show progresses. It’ll give people the impression that you’re growing, which isn’t a bad thing.” Lu Xuan recalled a few names and mentioned them, leaving Xia Qi utterly shocked, “They… will be going too?”
Lu Xuan nodded, “It almost includes all kinds of celebrities. The show will be recorded eight times and then edited into sixteen episodes. It’s going to be hard work. Are you willing to participate?”
“Of course, I’m willing!” Xia Qi had heard about how much a reality show could endear a celebrity to their fans. Especially someone like him, a lesser-known star. He vigorously shook his head, “I’m not afraid of hard work.”
Lu Xuan was satisfied. “I figured you wouldn’t be.”
Xia Qi still felt puzzled and asked, “But… I remember you don’t like these kinds of activities.”
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow. “It varies from person to person. The format of a reality show actually suits you very well. Although there’s a script for the show, it’s mostly about the artists showcasing themselves. You have a great personality, and through the show’s magnification, people will like you even more.”
Feeling grateful and not knowing how to express it, Xia Qi started, “Mr. Lu…”
Lu Xuan finished his milk, smiled, and said, “Then, let’s settle yesterday’s matter as well.” He walked behind Xia Qi, and instinctively, Xia Qi stood up. Lu Xuan gently, yet firmly, pressed him onto the table. Before Xia Qi could react, Lu Xuan removed his pajama pants…
Both of them had been extremely busy for the past few months. Now that they had some free time, they had initially thought about going on vacation. However, Lu Xuan was often caught up with work, and Xia Qi would be pulled into various auditions by Yao Miaomiao without warning. For a whole month, they ended up spending most of their time cocooned at Lu Xuan’s place.
Fortunately, when they were together, they never felt bored. When Lu Xuan was working, Xia Qi would obediently read the script for “Against the Wind.” And when Lu Xuan had time, they’d watch movies, chat, and make love together. It sometimes felt like a honeymoon.
Xia Qi could not understand why, even though he was nine years younger than Lu Xuan, which should be the most vibrant age, he seemed to possess only a fraction of Lu Xuan’s energy in bed. He was always left in quite a sorry state. Lu Xuan would even criticize him for being too delicate. Blushing, Xia Qi thought that it was Lu Xuan who was too good at teasing him. Of course, he could not say such things out loud.
Leisurely days always went by quickly. As the Spring Festival approached, they both started to get busy again. The end of the year was always bustling for the company, with various business matters to attend to. Lu Xuan was flying around several days a week. Meanwhile, the teaser for Xia Qi’s movie “Chaos Era” has already been released. Under Fei’s mature management, Xia Qi, as an important cast member, began promoting the film. Adding the commitments from “Against the Wind,” he was practically swamped with work.
“Of course, I miss you…”
After the press conference for “Against the Wind,” the director and lead actors were out front for interviews. Xia Qi hid backstage and called Lu Xuan, whom he had not seen for almost a month.
In the midst of his busy schedule, receiving a call from Lu Xuan was the happiest thing for Xia Qi.
“Are you sure you didn’t buy me fans?” Xia Qi looked around cautiously and whispered, “I have nearly a million followers now! It’s terrifying.”
The scene in the trailer for “Chaos Era” where Xia Qi tearfully roared, “Can you hear me, Sister Ying?” was incredibly powerful and moved the audience deeply. People had high expectations for Xia Qi’s portrayal of You Zai’s character in the series. The collaboration between Fei’s team and Shengshi Media worked well to promote Xia Qi. His Weibo account had gained many followers, and diligent fans even dug up his Weibo account to find many of his old reading notes, which deepened their affection for him. Even before the movie was released, Xia Qi was already showing signs of becoming a small sensation.
Lu Xuan had predicted this would happen a long time ago, so he was not surprised. Everything was new and exciting for Xia Qi. This time, when he joined the cast, everyone treated him well. Xia Qi could not wait to share this good news with Lu Xuan. He even managed to flatter him a bit, saying, “They must be treating me well because of your reputation.”
On the other end of the call, Lu Xuan chuckled lightly. It seemed that Xia Qi’s words had a mischievous effect on him. The sound of Lu Xuan’s laughter was truly captivating, making it hard for him to resist.
“There’s also…” Xia Qi shook his head to regain his composure. “I have an important question to ask you. Just now, Fei’s assistant contacted me and asked if you… if you’ll attend the premiere of ‘Chaos Era’ the day after tomorrow.”
A small smile formed at the corner of Xia Qi’s lips. He turned his head and said a few more words to Lu Xuan before Lu Xuan had to hang up due to something urgent.
“Will President Lu come?” Xia Qi had been anxious since receiving the call from Fei’s side. Yao Miaomiao knew that Xia Qi was hesitating about asking Lu Xuan. Judging by Xia Qi’s expression, it seemed that Lu Xuan had agreed to attend. Yao Miaomiao playfully winked at Xia Qi. “What did I tell you? President Lu dotes on you so much; he’ll definitely come.”
Xia Qi lightly tapped his own face to suppress the smile that was creeping up, trying not to look like an idiot. He responded, “Well, Mr. Lu… will come.”
Someone came to call Xia Qi for an interview, and Yao Miaomiao, along with a makeup artist, tidied up his hair before taking him to the front.
With the combined efforts of the company and several teams, the spotlight was on Xia Qi. Every word and action had to be handled with the utmost care. Fortunately, Xia Qi was always polite and genuinely sincere. He almost won over the reporters unanimously. Yao Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief backstage and turned to Xia Qi’s assistant, saying, “Sigh… he’s in a vulnerable position right now. He can’t afford any negative press.”
The assistant nodded in agreement.
The things which Xia Qi’s assistants were well aware of, some people naturally understood even better.
The next day, a picture of Xia Qi and Lu Xuan being somewhat ambiguous and affectionate in front of a car made it to the front page of entertainment news.
Thanks for the update