Chapter 108:
After spending several days in a row with Cheng Peng, Jiang Yunjian was feeling a bit euphoric. Then he heard the news that Cheng Peng was going on a two-week business trip.
During this period, rumors were flying that next year’s requirements for airing period dramas would be stricter. This led to a frenzy, with many crews rushing to start filming to get their shows aired before the new regulations kicked in. Director Wu’s next film was a period drama, and due to this, Jiang Yunjian hastily signed a contract and joined the crew two weeks later.
Collaborating with Director Wu for the first time made Jiang Yunjian a bit nervous. Since he had only recently received the script, his initial performance wasn’t great. But he quickly got into the right state, and within a few days, his number of NGs significantly decreased.
Director Wu was pleased. After wrapping up the day’s scenes, he stopped Jiang Yunjian, who was about to head back to the hotel. “Good job today. Keep it up.”
Jiang Yunjian nodded. “Thank you, Director Wu.”
“Your last drama is aiming for an award, right?” Director Wu asked.
“Not exactly aiming for an award,” Jiang Yunjian smiled. “It’s more about participating.”
Director Wu chuckled. “No need to be modest with me. I’ve seen some clips. Your performance was great, and the subject matter is strong—it’s got potential…… No wonder even Xiao Peng mentioned you to me.”
Jiang Yunjian’s smile faltered. “…Who did you say?”
“Cheng Peng. You know him, right?” Director Wu said. “He called me a while ago, trying to get a role for you in my film. I told him you’re already the male lead.”
Jiang Yunjian was surprised. “He… mentioned it to you himself?”
“Who else would?” Director Wu checked the time and patted his back. “Alright, get some rest. We’ve got scenes to shoot tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”
Back at the hotel, his assistant asked, “Brother Jiang, you didn’t have dinner. Should I get you some supper?”
Jiang Yunjian replied, “No need. You can head back to your room.”
The assistant acknowledged with an “okay” and turned to leave.
“Wait a minute,” Jiang Yunjian called out to him with a smile on his face. “The shoot finished early today. See if you can find any takeout nearby and order some for the others. Sorry to trouble you.”
The assistant paused for a moment. Jiang Yunjian was usually generous, often treating the crew to meals when joining a new set or wrapping up a project, but today wasn’t a special occasion… so why the sudden order for takeout?
However, the assistant didn’t ask and simply agreed before heading out.
After the assistant left, Jiang Yunjian took out his phone, smoothly opening the chat window with Cheng Peng. His fingers danced over the keyboard for about five minutes before finally typing just the word “Thank you.”
The message sank like a stone in water and went unanswered all night.
The next day, Bo Zhen came to the set for a visit, bringing a lot of fruit for the other actors.
As soon as he saw Jiang Yunjian, he couldn’t help but curse and quickly shut the door to the dressing room.
“What’s going on with you?” Bo Zhen looked shocked. “You’ve just joined the crew for a few days, and yet you’ve lost so much weight? Is the food here that bad?”
“I didn’t lose weight, it’s just the clothes,” Jiang Yunjian quickly changed the subject. “Why are you here all of a sudden?”
“To see you, of course. How else would I know you’ve turned into this skinny monkey?” Bo Zhen exaggerated.
Jiang Yunjian replied, “I didn’t lose weight. I weighed myself, I only lost two pounds.”
Bo Zhen didn’t believe him and thought to bring it up with Director Wu to improve the crew’s catering.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yunjian didn’t have any scenes. He changed his clothes and was about to head back to the hotel when he received a call from Cheng Peng’s assistant.
“Mr. Jiang, do you have time right now?” The assistant spoke in a polite but distant tone.
“Yes,” Jiang Yunjian responded. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m outside the set now. If it’s convenient, could you come out for a moment?”
Outside the set, the assistant handed him a delicate, well-packaged bag.
Jiang Yunjian frowned, thinking for a moment. “Did I forget something again?”
“No,” the assistant smiled. “This is something President Cheng bought for you.”
Jiang Yunjian took the bag and peeked inside. The packaging and logo suggested it was a men’s watch.
… Cheng Peng bought him something?
“This… isn’t really appropriate,” Jiang Yunjian snapped back to reality.
“It’s from President Cheng. I’m just here to pass it along,” the assistant explained. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait,” Jiang Yunjian called out. “…Has President Cheng returned?”
The assistant shook his head, explaining that he had just returned briefly to pick up an important document, and Cheng Peng would be staying there for a few more days.
After hearing this, Jiang Yunjian thought for a moment before asking, “What time is your flight?”
Late at night, after finally finishing his socializing, Cheng Peng returned to the hotel and loosened his tie.
The doorbell rang. It was his assistant, who had rushed over immediately after landing. “President Cheng, I’ve got the documents you requested. Also…”
Cheng Peng looked at the bag in his assistant’s other hand, raising an eyebrow. “What’s this?”
The assistant cleared his throat. “I don’t know. Mr. Jiang asked me to bring it to you, saying it’s a return gift.”
The two items were placed on the table, and Cheng Peng hesitated for a moment before picking up the beige-colored package and opening it.
Inside was a men’s watch—black, exquisite, luxurious, and finely crafted. It was quite expensive. Cheng Peng already had a similar one in his dressing room.
He toyed with the watch for a moment before picking up his phone and dialing a number.
The call was answered quickly, and because of the environment, the person on the other end spoke with an echo. “President Cheng… it’s so late, aren’t you going to rest?”
“I’ll be resting soon,” Cheng Peng replied. “What’s with the watch?”
Jiang Yunjian licked his lips and explained, “You gave me one, so I thought I’d return the favor.”
Cheng Peng paused for a moment before chuckling.
The term “return the favor” seemed a bit inappropriate for their relationship.
Jiang Yunjian continued, “I saw the watch, it’s beautiful. I really like it. Thank you.”
The watch Cheng Peng gave to Jiang Yunjian was silver, with a simple design and no extra embellishments. It stood out especially in a display case.
The first time Cheng Peng saw the watch, he felt it was perfect for Jiang Yunjian. His business partner, who was standing next to him, smiled and suggested that if he liked it, he should buy it.
Thinking it was a good fit, Cheng Peng bought it. His assistant happened to be returning to the city today, so he had them bring it back for him.
Cheng Peng snapped back to the present and placed the watch back into its box. “Where are you? Why does the call have such a heavy echo?”
“I’m in the shower,” Jiang Yunjian responded obediently.
Cheng Peng asked, “Are you not dressed?”
Jiang Yunjian hesitated for a moment and then softly replied, “…I was only halfway through when your call came.”
“Hmm, go ahead and finish your shower,” Cheng Peng said, quickly putting an end to any distracting thoughts since he still had work to attend to.
“Wait, don’t hang up yet,” Jiang Yunjian said in a flustered voice.
Cheng Peng held the phone in silence.
“Did you…. open the packaging?” Jiang Yunjian asked carefully. “Do you like it?”
Cheng Peng’s gaze returned to the watch.
After a while, he took it out again. “I opened it. I like it. You really shouldn’t have.”
_____
The seventh time Jiang Yunjian failed the water scene, Bo Zhen’s face turned as dark as a bottomless pot, his anger radiating so strongly that no one dared to approach.
It would have been fine if Jiang Yunjian kept failing due to his own mistakes; after all, repeating the scene as many times as needed wasn’t unreasonable.
The real problem was that it was the female lead who kept failing. She claimed she had a fear of water and couldn’t perform well—who knew if that was true? Director Wu had high standards and refused to use a stunt double for the water scenes. So, they had to redo the scenes over and over. Jiang Yunjian had already changed clothes several times.
In this situation, it wouldn’t have been wrong for Jiang Yunjian to insist on a stunt double, but he was more stubborn than Director Wu. Without saying a word, he stayed in the water for each take, comforting the female lead with a smile every time he came back to the shore.
“Quickly drink it!” After another failed take, Bo Zhen handed Jiang Yunjian the ginger water, tightly wrapping the bath towel around him, and advised, “Why don’t we just call it a day? We can shoot the scene next time. Whenever she gets over that ridiculous ‘phobia,’ we can film. Or just use a stunt double, do a back or side shot—audiences won’t notice.”
It was only 8°C, and even Bo Zhen felt cold in his clothes, let alone Jiang Yunjian.
“It’s fine, the set is all ready. I can film myself, no need for a stunt double,” Jiang Yunjian took a sip of the ginger water, feeling the warmth slide down his throat into his stomach. “It’s okay, she’s improved a lot. It should only take two or three more tries.”
Bo Zhen had no response. “…I’ll have someone get you some medicine. Make sure you take it, don’t let a cold delay the filming. That would be a loss for everyone.”
Jiang Yunjian reassured him, “I’m fine. You know how my body is; it’s not that easy for me to get sick.”
That night, Jiang Yunjian developed a fever—over 38°C.
The female lead was even sicker than he was, and with both main actors down, the schedule had to be delayed. Director Wu agreed to give them the night off.
“Not going to the hospital?” Bo Zhen asked, holding the thermometer.
“No need, it’s not a serious illness. A bit of medicine and a good sleep, and I’ll be fine,” Jiang Yunjian answered, his voice heavy as he lay on the bed.
Bo Zhen practically wanted to cover his mouth. “Stop making promises like that, I’m begging you.”
After repeatedly advising him, Bo Zhen left. He was supposed to go back in the afternoon, but the water scenes had kept him until night.
Jiang Yunjian wasn’t exaggerating—he rarely fell ill. The long-forgotten headache and heavy eyelids made him collapse into bed, unable to get up.
In a daze, he heard his phone on the nightstand suddenly buzz.
Seeing the caller ID, Jiang Yunjian’s eyes instantly cleared, and he coughed twice before answering, “…President Cheng.”
There was wind noise on the other end. “What’s wrong with your voice?”
Had it been noticed? Jiang Yunjian covered, “Nothing, just a bit of a sore throat. I’ve been coughing. Did you need something this late?”
There was a heavy sound of a door closing, and Cheng Peng lowered his voice. “Are you filming tonight?”
After hanging up, Jiang Yunjian quickly got out of bed, putting on a thick coat in a hurry, looking nothing like a sick person.
He cracked the door open to check if anyone was outside, then quickly went down to the elevator.
Cheng Peng himself didn’t know why he called Jiang Yunjian.
He had finally wrapped up work and planned to rest, but when he opened his phone at home, he saw a message from Jiang Yunjian.
A simple thank-you, buried among so many messages that it got pushed to the bottom. Cheng Peng hadn’t seen it and hadn’t replied. Jiang Yunjian hadn’t sent anything else after that.
The doorbell rang. Cheng Peng opened the door to find someone wrapped up like a mummy, wearing a mask and sunglasses, fully covered.
Jiang Yunjian entered the house and quickly removed his coat, explaining, “I wore extra layers to avoid being recognized…”
Cheng Peng poured him a cup of hot water. “It’s so late. Are you sure no one’s going to yell at you for coming over?”
“No, there’s no filming tonight,” Jiang Yunjian said, slipping out of his clothes. He was sweating lightly and took a step back. “Should I go take a shower first?”
“Wait,” Cheng Peng loosened his tie. “Let’s shower together.”
Jiang Yunjian slowly began undressing.
Although they had done this many times before, Jiang Yunjian still felt a bit nervous—not because he was afraid of Cheng Peng seeing him, but because he was worried his gaze on Cheng Peng might be too intense and give him away.
Cheng Peng stepped back into the bathroom. He noticed a silver watch placed on the sink and raised an eyebrow, asking knowingly, “How much did you spend on that watch as a return gift?”
Jiang Yunjian had already started the water, steam rising in the air, fogging up the glass in the shower area, partially obscuring the person inside. “Not much, just a little over twenty thousand.”
Though his voice was a bit hoarse, his tone was natural, indicating solid acting skills.
Cheng Peng smiled after hearing the answer. “Twenty thousand? If you add a zero, that would be closer.”
A moment later, Jiang Yunjian’s voice came from the bathroom, barely audible, “President Cheng, I… I’m done. Do you want to come in?”
Cheng Peng took off his clothes and walked in barefoot.
The water temperature had made Jiang Yunjian’s whole body flush red. His ears, face… even his eyes were red.
Cheng Peng sensed something was wrong and stepped forward to touch his cheek. Jiang Yunjian’s heart raced, and he shyly and greedily rubbed against Cheng Peng’s palm.
In just a few seconds, Cheng Peng withdrew his hand.
Jiang Yunjian didn’t react right away, but the hot water above him was turned off. Cheng Peng opened the bathroom door, grabbed a towel from the top of the cabinet, and wrapped it tightly around him with both hands.
“Didn’t you know you have a fever?” Cheng Peng frowned.
Jiang Yunjian stared blankly at him. “I knew.”
“Then why come find me?” Cheng Peng took another towel and started drying his hair. His gaze swept over a nearby bottle of lubricant, and his tone became less friendly. “Still doing this here?”
Cheng Peng was drying his hair with force, but not too harshly. It felt intensely comfortable, massaging his scalp.
After a long time, Jiang Yunjian managed to squeeze out, “…I heard that when you have a fever, your body temperature rises… it feels better afterward.”
“….”
Cheng Peng couldn’t help but laugh, though it was a laugh out of frustration.
He didn’t say anything else but took Jiang Yunjian back to the bed, tucked him in up to his chin, then turned to leave.
Jiang Yunjian instinctively grabbed him, a bit confused. “…Are you angry?”
His eyes were wet from the fever, the edges red, and his face was panicked. Cheng Peng looked down at his appearance and suddenly felt like all his irritation had disappeared.
He sighed. “No.”
Cheng Peng freed himself from Jiang Yunjian’s grasp, went to the bathroom for a hairdryer, and sat on the edge of the bed. “Sit up.”
Jiang Yunjian felt the warm sensation of the dryer brushing through his hair, and it made his body temperature rise even higher. In fact, his fever had gotten worse due to the hot bath earlier.
After drying his hair, Cheng Peng said, “Go to sleep.”
“Wait.” Jiang Yunjian called out to him again. He lowered his brows and once more extended the invitation, “Are you really not going to do it? I… I’ve already prepared everything.”
“No.” Cheng Peng lightly brushed the hair off his forehead, chuckling, “You really want to do it that badly?”
He had originally wanted to tease Jiang Yunjian, but unexpectedly, Jiang Yunjian froze for a moment before responding in a hoarse voice, “…Mm.”
“…”
“I haven’t seen you in so long.” Jiang Yunjian said. “…I just missed you.” He really missed him.
Cheng Peng remembered that Jiang Yunjian hadn’t been this proactive before. Back then, Jiang Yunjian liked to bury his head in his arm, silently enduring, and they barely communicated throughout the entire process.
Seeing that Cheng Peng didn’t speak, Jiang Yunjian felt embarrassed. “Of course, it’s not like I have to… If you don’t want to, then we don’t have to.”
Cheng Peng really couldn’t understand. The man was clearly asking for it, yet he somehow tasted something completely innocent in his tone.
“I really do want to, otherwise why would I have called you here?” Cheng Peng lowered his head and kissed Jiang Yunjian on the lips, smiling as he said, “But let’s wait until you’re better. I don’t have that kind of habit.”
Jiang Yunjian was startled by the sudden kiss.
They had kissed during sex before, but it had always been driven by desire, not pure affection.
After a long moment, he found his voice again. “I have a cold. It’s contagious.”
Cheng Peng smiled slightly. “I’m not that fragile.”
Before, Jiang Yunjian had been holding onto the corner of Cheng Peng’s shirt, afraid he would leave. He still clung to it, murmuring, “So… is it okay to kiss?”
“Don’t like it?” Cheng Peng asked. “If you don’t want it, I won’t kiss you again.”
“No.” Jiang Yunjian quickly interrupted. “I mean… can you kiss me again?”
Cheng Peng laughed. “Sure…”
Before he could finish, the person on the bed suddenly tossed off the covers, threw his arms around Cheng Peng’s neck, and kissed him.
It was urgent and passionate, their lips and tongues entwining.
Jiang Yunjian had been worried, worried that his feelings would be exposed, worried Cheng Peng would find it troublesome, worried that their relationship would end too quickly this time.
But beautiful things, like people, were fleeting.
He had already regretted and felt reluctant when he missed out once before. Every time he thought about it, it made him regret and long for it. This time, he just wanted to take advantage of the time they had and be closer to Cheng Peng, just a little more.
Even if it was just a kiss.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
