Chapter 111:
Jiang Yunjian couldn’t stop thinking about the person waiting for him at the hotel. His heart grew anxious, but the more impatient he was, the more mistakes he made. One particular scene had to be reshot three to five times and still wasn’t approved.
“What’s wrong with you?” Director Wu noticed something was off and asked in confusion, “I let you take a break, and instead, you lost your state of mind?”
“Sorry,” Jiang Yunjian replied. “Let’s do it again. This time, it’ll be fine.”
In reality, he had been a bit sneaky. In order to make Cheng Peng stay, he had told him the shoot would take an hour, even though it actually required more than that. But after all the delays and retakes, it had stretched into two full hours.
Back in the dressing room, he urged, “Sister, can you remove my makeup faster?”
The makeup artist was briefly startled before nodding. “Alright, almost done—just the lips left.”
“What’s the rush?” Bo Zhen asked, baffled. “Are you hungry?”
“No.” Jiang Yunjian suddenly thought of something. “Brother Bo, can you grab two takeout meals for me? I’ll take them back to the hotel.”
Bo Zhen assumed he had finally come to his senses and was watching his diet again. Without hesitation, he brought back two large meal boxes. “Here, eat up. I’ll grab mine and come to your room so we can eat together.”
Jiang Yunjian said, “Not convenient, Brother.”
Bo Zhen frowned. “What’s not convenient?”
As soon as the makeup artist left, Jiang Yunjian got up and swiftly threw on his jacket. “I have a guest in my room tonight, so I can’t host you.”
“A guest? What guest…” Bo Zhen paused mid-sentence, then suddenly caught on. “Wait a second! No way—don’t tell me—”
“That’s right.” Jiang Yunjian couldn’t suppress the grin tugging at the corners of his lips. He picked up the two meal boxes and dashed out of the dressing room before Bo Zhen could explode. As he ran, he called out, “Brother Bo, do me a favor and help shoo away the media tonight. I owe you one—I’ll give you an extra cut of this year’s remaining schedules.”
Director Wu happened to pass by just as Jiang Yunjian nearly ran into him. Jiang Yunjian hurriedly muttered an apology and jogged off.
After working with him for so long, Director Wu had never seen Jiang Yunjian in such a state. He turned back, puzzled. “What’s going on with him?”
Expressionless, Bo Zhen deadpanned, “He hit the jackpot. He’s off to cash in his winnings.”
All he could do now was be thankful that the security cameras at Jiang Yunjian’s door had been removed—and pray that the paparazzi who specialized in celebrity gossip didn’t recognize Cheng Peng.
Jiang Yunjian speed-walked and jogged all the way back to the hotel. But when he reached his door, he suddenly realized—he didn’t have his room key.
He pressed the doorbell twice. No response.
He didn’t ring again. Instead, he pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Cheng Peng.
Asleep? Or had he already left?
So much time had passed since their agreed meeting. If Cheng Peng had something urgent and had to leave, it wouldn’t be surprising… Maybe he should send a message to check.
Just as he typed the first character, he heard a faint “click” from the door. It suddenly swung open, and warm air seeped out from inside.
“Why did you stop ringing?” Cheng Peng stood in the doorway, wearing a white bathrobe that wasn’t tied properly at the waist, revealing a glimpse of black-rimmed white underwear. Droplets of water still clung to his skin, not yet dried.
Jiang Yunjian caught the familiar scent of his own body wash and momentarily froze. “…I thought you left.”
“I said I’d wait for you. I wouldn’t leave.” Cheng Peng lowered his gaze slightly. “Where’s your room card?”
“Gone. I gave you one, and the other…” Jiang Yunjian glanced at the wall inside the room. “It’s been plugged in for power this whole time.”
Only then did Cheng Peng realize he hadn’t used a card to turn on the electricity when he entered.
He stepped aside. “Come in.”
The area around the film set wasn’t very populated, so there weren’t many hotels. The one the crew had booked was the best available, but it still didn’t compare to those in the city.
Jiang Yunjian briefly considered calling someone to replace the bed sheets, but before he could bring it up, Cheng Peng spoke first. “What’s that in your hands?”
“Oh, takeout.” Jiang Yunjian felt a little embarrassed. “The food at this hotel isn’t great, and most of the nearby restaurants aren’t very clean. The crew’s meals are actually safer.” He opened the box and asked, “Do you like these dishes? If not, I can have my assistant get something from the next town over.”
“I eat anything—I’m not that picky.” Cheng Peng glanced at the meal boxes. “You carried them all the way here without a bag?”
Jiang Yunjian hadn’t dared to waste time grabbing a bag, worried that Bo Zhen would stop him. “Yeah… they might be a little cold.”
“No big deal.” Cheng Peng picked up one of the boxes. “Sit down and eat.”
Jiang Yunjian remained standing as he took off his jacket. “You eat first—I’ll take a shower.”
“No rush,” Cheng Peng said.
“…I’ll shower first,” Jiang Yunjian insisted, ears turning red—whether from the cold or for some other reason. “Honestly, I’m not that hungry. I’ll be right out to keep you company.”
Cheng Peng reached out and grabbed his sweater. “Sit.”
Jiang Yunjian lowered his gaze and obediently sat down.
Cheng Peng tore open a pair of chopsticks and handed them to him. “Eat first. If you don’t eat, you won’t have the energy later.”
Jiang Yunjian: “…”
“These past few days have been exhausting,” Cheng Peng mused. “Later, I might have to trouble you a bit.” He clearly just wanted him to eat properly, but upon seeing Jiang Yunjian’s flushed face, he couldn’t resist teasing, “Make sure to put in some effort. Can you handle it?”
“…Sure, of course.” Jiang Yunjian shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, swallowed, and said, “I’m not tired, I can do it myself.”
Cheng Peng’s fingers tightened around his chopsticks. Great—he had been teasing the other person, but somehow, he had ended up distracting himself instead.
This little thing was really something.
Jiang Yunjian was true to his word. That night, he put in a lot of effort. Fresh out of the shower, he was already drenched in sweat again. Worried about the smell bothering Cheng Peng, he lifted the blanket and was about to head to the bathroom.
Cheng Peng grabbed him. “Where are you going?”
Jiang Yunjian replied, “Shower.”
“You addicted to washing up?” Cheng Peng chuckled.
“…I was sweating, I smell.”
Hearing that, Cheng Peng leaned in and sniffed him. “Yeah, you do smell.”
Jiang Yunjian instinctively pulled back.
“It’s my scent,” Cheng Peng said as he took a cigarette from the pack. “Is it that bad?”
There was a double meaning in those words. Jiang Yunjian wasn’t sure if Cheng Peng meant it that way, but that was how he took it. He shook his head. “It’s not bad.”
Following Cheng Peng’s unspoken cue, he lay back down and lit the cigarette at the man’s lips.
Cheng Peng had a striking jawline, and when he exhaled the smoke, he looked particularly alluring. Jiang Yunjian lay beside him, gazing up at him for a long time, unable to look away.
Cheng Peng misread the look in his eyes. Catching a glimpse of him in his peripheral vision, he asked, “Want a puff? Do you smoke?”
“I do. Started in middle school,” Jiang Yunjian answered honestly.
“You little punk.” Cheng Peng chuckled, holding the cigarette to his lips.
Jiang Yunjian hadn’t told him that he had quit smoking ever since debuting. It had been incredibly difficult at first, but he had managed to hold out for over two years without touching a cigarette. Quitting had been a huge accomplishment. Even when a director offered him one, he wouldn’t take it.
Now, he leaned forward and took a small drag, cherishing it. Just as he turned his head to exhale, a sudden pinch at his waist startled him, making him almost choke. “What… what was that for?”
“Have you lost weight?” Cheng Peng frowned.
“A little,” Jiang Yunjian admitted.
Cheng Peng asked, “For a role?”
“No, it just… happened suddenly.”
“Eat more,” Cheng Peng instructed.
Jiang Yunjian was momentarily stunned. He turned his head. “Is being skinny bad?”
“What’s good about it?” Cheng Peng stubbed out his cigarette. “Any thinner and holding you will start feeling uncomfortable.”
“But you…” Didn’t you like them thin?
“Eat more.” Before Jiang Yunjian could finish, Cheng Peng repeated himself firmly.
Jiang Yunjian was silent for a long time before finally replying with a soft “Okay.”
A notification sound came from the phone on the nightstand. At first, Jiang Yunjian didn’t move, but then Cheng Peng reached out and tousled his hair. “Check it if it’s a message.”
Cheng Peng’s arm was loosely draped around him. Jiang Yunjian didn’t want to move, afraid that if Cheng Peng pulled his arm back, he wouldn’t be able to rest on it again. But since Cheng Peng had spoken, he had no choice but to sit up and grab his phone.
Fortunately, when he lay back down, Cheng Peng remained in the same position. Without hesitation, Jiang Yunjian opened the message right in front of him.
[Yu Luo: I’m really sorry about the news.]
Yu Luo didn’t explain, not that there was anything to explain. Jiang Yunjian wasn’t stupid; he knew exactly why she had shown up—to get photographed. But even knowing that, there wasn’t much he could do about it. The film still had to be shot, and once it was finished, they’d still have to go on a nationwide promotional tour together. It wasn’t like he could openly fall out with her now—not only would that make future encounters awkward, but if the media caught wind of it, they’d blow it up into another headline.
Jiang Yunjian simply closed the chat without replying. He took the opportunity to check the other messages he had received earlier.
Another actress had invited him out for a meal. Cheng Peng recognized the name—he had heard it mentioned on a variety show before.
Cheng Peng didn’t say anything. He just quietly watched as Jiang Yunjian opened each message and turned down each invitation, his replies polite but distant.
Outside, thunder rumbled, and raindrops pattered against the window. Jiang Yunjian frowned slightly and glanced outside.
Cheng Peng asked, “You don’t like rain?”
Jiang Yunjian withdrew his gaze. “No.”
“Then what do you like? Snow?” The conversation was easy, light, fitting for the moment after.
Jiang Yunjian shook his head. “Not that either.”
Cheng Peng chuckled but didn’t press further.
Then, Jiang Yunjian suddenly remembered something. “But I do like first snow.”
“First snow?”
“The first snowfall of winter.”
Just as Cheng Peng was about to ask more, the phone on the nightstand rang again.
His question was interrupted. He glanced at Jiang Yunjian, who met his gaze and said, “I’m not checking. It’s nothing important.”
“That actress again? Wanting to ‘discuss the script’ with you in the middle of the night?” Cheng Peng asked lazily.
Jiang Yunjian froze for a second before quickly explaining, “She really was asking about the script… but I didn’t let her in. I have no relationship with her outside of work.”
He picked up his phone and unlocked it. “If you don’t believe me, you can check the messages—”
“Relax.” Cheng Peng chuckled. “I know you’re not involved with her.”
It had been a long time since Cheng Peng had kept a lover, long enough that he had almost forgotten to set clear boundaries.
He wanted to say something else, but looking at Jiang Yunjian now, with only the dim light from the bedside lamp illuminating his face, his eyes practically glowed.
Jiang Yunjian: “If news like this ever makes you uncomfortable, I’m really sorry… It won’t happen again.”
His words pulled Cheng Peng back to the present. Cheng Peng lowered his gaze and smiled before saying, “There’s something I forgot to tell you.”
Jiang Yunjian nodded. “Go ahead.”
“There’s nothing binding between us.” Cheng Peng smoothed down a stray piece of hair on his head. “If one day you find someone you like—”
“That won’t happen,” Jiang Yunjian interrupted.
Cheng Peng was taken aback, then smiled. “It won’t?”
Jiang Yunjian already knew what Cheng Peng had meant to say. At this point, he didn’t care if he was being too obvious. “Mm, I won’t fall for anyone else. You don’t have to tell me this.”
“You sound so sure,” Cheng Peng said. “You’re still young. One day, you’ll—”
“I won’t.” Jiang Yunjian paused before adding softly, “I won’t meet anyone else.”
No one else he could love this much.
What Jiang Yunjian didn’t realize was that, in that moment, every bit of his feelings had been laid bare before Cheng Peng—nothing was hidden.
Cheng Peng stared at him for a long time before looking away. “I was just giving you a heads-up. You don’t have to worry about me too much—”
“I said I won’t.” Jiang Yunjian, for once, interrupted him, almost pleading. “….. Can we not talk about this anymore?”
If it were anyone else, Cheng Peng would have drawn a clear line by now. When it came to arrangements like this, feelings were the biggest taboo.
But facing Jiang Yunjian, he found he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh.
After a long moment, Cheng Peng sighed, resting a hand on Jiang Yunjian’s head and smoothing his hair. “Getting feisty now? Fine, we won’t talk about it.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
