After running a few steps, Qin Sizheng felt that he could no longer be seen and turned back. He lightly patted his face and was startled by the heat. It was burning hot.
Lu Xianqing was still standing there, facing in his direction. Even though he knew that with his night blindness he could not possibly see that far, Qin Sizheng’s heartbeat still accelerated uncontrollably.
“Heading back?”
Shen Changfeng had appeared at some point. Qin Sizheng jumped in surprise. “Ah—yes. I am heading back.”
“Why is your face so red?” Shen Changfeng lowered his head to look at him, then followed his line of sight back. Qin Sizheng quickly grabbed his arm. “It is nothing. Let us hurry back. I am a little sleepy.”
He dragged Shen Changfeng into the car. After returning to the hotel and getting his room key, they went upstairs. Shen Changfeng said, “You are sharing a room with Chen Qiu. His reputation is decent, but that does not mean he is exactly what he seems. You never truly know a person’s heart. Do not tell him everything.”
Qin Sizheng nodded.
“If he asks whether you are close with Lu Xianqing, just be polite and praise him a little. Do not act too familiar. It never hurts to stay cautious.”
“Got it, got it. Go get some rest.”
Shen Changfeng waited until he closed the door before leaving, muttering to himself, “Why do I feel more and more like a mother hen? Raising kids is not easy. Changfeng sighs.”
Qin Sizheng’s suitcase had already been delivered to the room. After tidying up a bit, he went into the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, he heard the door lock click and instinctively assumed a defensive stance.
Chen Qiu opened the door and jumped back in shock. “What are you doing!”
Qin Sizheng lowered his hands. “It is you.”
“Who else would it be? Were you hoping it would be Fourth Brother?” Chen Qiu winked at him.
Qin Sizheng’s gaze flickered. He noticed the bags in his hands. “What did you bring?”
“Takeout I ordered secretly. My manager will not let me eat this, but I was craving it too badly. I sneaked an order and had it delivered to the lobby downstairs. Want some?” He set the food on the table—seven or eight containers, covering nearly half of it.
“I will pass. I already brushed my teeth.”
“Then I will eat it myself.” Chen Qiu plopped down on the carpet, sitting cross-legged as he opened the containers one by one. They were all high-calorie fried foods, along with a large cup of cola packed with ice that sloshed loudly when shaken.
Qin Sizheng usually exercised before bed, but with Chen Qiu being such a chatterbox, it would be hard to explain if he started asking questions. So he sat cross-legged on the bed and scrolled through his phone instead. As he browsed his own fan forum, he came across something called “Green Mountain Has Thoughts.”
Curious, he tapped into it and saw the pinned description at the top: A collection space for Lu Xianqing and Qin Sizheng’s couple pairing.
?
The first post was a video titled Imaginary Lover. The moment his finger touched it, it began to play automatically. The plot was smooth, thrilling, full of tension—layered with rising and falling moments, complete with climaxes and lulls.
“What are you watching?” Chen Qiu leaned over. The moment he saw the screen, he exclaimed, “Wow! You are shipping yourself with Fourth Brother?”
Qin Sizheng flipped his phone face down. “I am not. I am not.”
“I saw it. Stop denying it.” Chen Qiu tossed what he was holding into the trash and scooted closer. “Come on, tell me. Are you and Fourth Brother really… hmm?”
“No. We are not close.” Qin Sizheng shot back. “You have oil on your hands. Go wash them. If you get it on my bed, I will hit you. You know I hit hard.”
Chen Qiu snorted. “What are you going to do to me?”
Qin Sizheng raised his fist. “Break your legs, smash your head. Scared? I am counting to three!”
Chen Qiu immediately jumped off the bed and pointed at him. “Then do not fall asleep! I am coming back after I wash up. Three minutes for a shower. Do not sleep—do not you dare sleep!”
“Go on, go on.”
Chen Qiu dashed into the bathroom, thoroughly washing his hands, stripping off his clothes, and taking a quick shower. He soon came out and jumped onto Qin Sizheng’s bed, shaking him. “Do not sleep. I finished showering.”
Qin Sizheng pretended to be asleep, unmoving despite being jostled.
“If you ignore me, I am going to cry. Sizheng, boo-hoo. Brother, love me one more time. Dear brother, look at me.” Chen Qiu sprawled over him, fake sobbing.
Exasperated, Qin Sizheng opened his eyes. “Get off first. You are pressing on my arm.”
Chen Qiu immediately sat up and began rubbing his arm. “Dear brother, speak. My ears are ready.”
“….” Qin Sizheng also sat up and told him seriously, “I am really not close with Fourth Brother. I tapped into that video by accident. He is a very good actor. I admire him. That is all.”
Chen Qiu did not believe him at all. “That is it?”
“That is really it.”
Tilting his head, Chen Qiu suddenly leaned in close, staring straight into Qin Sizheng’s eyes like he had lost his mind. “Tell me the truth. Do you have a crush on him? Secretly like him but do not want him to find out, and you are afraid it will affect his career so you are hiding your feelings!”
Qin Sizheng waved his hands frantically. “I do not like him! Really! Not even a little!”
Chen Qiu studied his eyes. The sincerity there did not look fake at all.
Then Chen Qiu grabbed Qin Sizheng by the shoulders and shook him wildly. “To protect him and hide your feelings, you deliberately set yourself up as his rival, right? Is that it!”
Qin Sizheng felt dizzy from the shaking. He pushed his hands away and pressed a palm to Chen Qiu’s head. “Brother, your imagination is incredible. Why do you not talk to Director Zhou tomorrow and ask to write the script instead? You are clearly more suited for that. Maybe stop acting.”
“I am just teasing you. Fans shipping couples is normal. If you do not like it, do not take it to heart. Oh right—do you know Jiang Zhen? He filmed one drama, and afterward there were photos of the two leads eating together, traveling together, even going to a hotel. Probably coordinated promotion for the show. Everyone is used to it. Behind the scenes, they are all straight.”
Qin Sizheng blurted out, “Was it Lu Xianqing?”
Chen Qiu looked at him, baffled. “Of course not. Lu Xianqing never goes to hotels with anyone, and he never hypes that kind of thing. He is on another level. Besides, his team would never allow something that lowers his status. That manager of his, He Xing—I have met her once. If a company or production team dared to force that kind of stunt, she would tear them apart alive.”
Thinking of He Xing, Qin Sizheng found himself agreeing.
Chen Qiu went on sighing. “Actually, I am the miserable one. Every time I film a drama, people ship me with someone new. I have more than a dozen ‘tops’ by now. Can they not let me be on top for once? I want to rise up and sing proudly with my chest out! Why am I always the one getting pushed down? Tell me that is not unfair. Say it is unfair!”
Qin Sizheng: “…Yes, unfair. Extremely unfair.”
Chen Qiu flopped onto Qin Sizheng’s bed, limbs sprawled. “Talking with you is really comfortable. I do not know why, but I feel especially close to you. Like we have met before, then were separated for a while, and now that we have met again, it still feels familiar. No distance at all.”
“You are not going to say we met in a previous life, are you?” Qin Sizheng asked.
“I am not saying something that cheesy.” Chen Qiu rolled over and ended up resting his head on Qin Sizheng’s lap.
He had heard about the variety show before and even watched some clips. The personality Qin Sizheng showed there was not that different from what he had seen today. So were all those so-called rival rumors fake? Just publicity to stir up attention?
Or had the previous image not worked, and now the company had assigned him a new persona?
Chen Qiu had been in this industry for many years. Everyone had a persona—even him. They shaped a completely different temperament and background according to what fans liked. No one could truly be themselves.
But Qin Sizheng’s fighting skills today were definitely real, and his personality was completely different from before. So had the old image been fake?
“Sizheng, I know you have trained in boxing. It seems like you have something you cannot talk about, so I will not ask. Companies setting personas is common. Everyone has one.
“But your current state is pretty good. You are gaining fans. Whether it is a persona or not, do not go back to how you were before. Being hated is not good either.”
Qin Sizheng lowered his head and looked at Chen Qiu resting on his legs. His eyes were closed, his voice softer than before. “I actually hate personas. If fans only like that persona, then anyone could replace me. That is not really me. I do not even dare to show my true self to fans. Am I really that bad?”
“I think you are a good person,” Qin Sizheng said.
Chen Qiu let out a laugh. “Did I just receive a giant ‘good person’ card? You are too easy to fool. I just said a few heartfelt-sounding lines and you already think I am good. The entertainment industry is messy. Plenty of people act one way in public and another in private. I have been stabbed in the back before. It was miserable.”
Qin Sizheng looked down at him, ignoring the half-serious expression, and said earnestly, “I think you are a good person not because of what you said. It is just a feeling.”
Chen Qiu’s eyes snapped open, though he did not lift his head. He heard Qin Sizheng continue softly beside him, “If it is fake, then do not tell me.”
Something in Chen Qiu’s chest warmed unexpectedly. What had happened to him was no secret in the industry. Even antis sometimes mocked him over it. Saying he did not care would be a lie.
But Qin Sizheng was different. He was like the sun, wanting to warm everyone, just like the character Chu Jing he played.
“Ah Jing.”
Qin Sizheng had been called Ah Jing countless times today. He answered naturally, “What?”
Chen Qiu smiled and swallowed the words that had reached the tip of his tongue. “Nothing. I am sleepy. Good night.” He got up and went back to his own bed.
Qin Sizheng turned off the main lights, leaving only the small nightlight by the bathroom door. When Chen Qiu stopped talking, the room became especially quiet, filled only with the sound of their breathing.
Before long, Chen Qiu was asleep. Qin Sizheng, wound up from all the teasing, could not fall asleep. He decided to find a video to help himself drift off.
As he scrolled, a WeChat notification popped up at the top of his screen.
The moment he saw the name Lu Xianqing, the Imaginary Lover video flashed through his mind again. He inhaled lightly, forcing the image away, and opened the message.
[You did well today. Zhou Changjiang has a short temper. He focuses on the scene, not the person. Even if I do not perform well, he will scold me the same. Do not take it to heart.]
Qin Sizheng had not taken it to heart in the first place. He had never even attended acting classes. He had only been hastily coached by Lu Xianqing for a short time. Passing was already good enough—how could he possibly hold a grudge?
[I did not take it to heart. Director Zhou means well. He just wants the show to turn out good.]
Lu Xianqing immediately placed a call.
Qin Sizheng’s hand jerked; he almost answered. He turned to glance at Chen Qiu—his breathing was steady, already asleep. Qin Sizheng declined the call and typed back:
[Chen Qiu seems to be asleep. It is not convenient for me to answer.]
Lu Xianqing laughed softly and typed back: [Oh? Since when did my Ah Jing’s ideological awareness get so high?]
Seeing the words my Ah Jing, Qin Sizheng seemed to hear a low chuckle in his ears. His heartbeat instantly skipped, warmth spreading across his back. And once that warmth started, he thought of that video again.
He wondered if Lu Xianqing had seen it.
He was so busy, and he never hyped himself with other artists. Qin Sizheng had barely even seen him use his phone. The few times he had, it was only to take calls. He rarely posted on Weibo—most of it was probably handled by the company.
With that thought, Qin Sizheng relaxed. His mood lifted unconsciously, and he typed faster.
[Uncle Ding should work on his awareness too. Do not divide people by class all the time. Poor people have feelings. Poor people have love. If you do not believe me, look up. A living example is right in front of you.]
Lu Xianqing laughed outright.
An Ning, who was beside him boiling water and preparing his medicine, turned at the sound. One glance told her exactly what was happening. She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Love rival.”
Lu Xianqing replied: [In front of me is the ceiling.]
Qin Sizheng typed: [No. In front of you is me.]
He had meant it casually, but Lu Xianqing suddenly felt teased. The tip of his heart warmed slightly. It was as if someone truly stood before him, speaking playfully.
Qin Sizheng: [Uncle Ding, take a look. Is there a big capital P for poor carved into my forehead?]
A moment later, a red envelope popped up on the screen with the festive cover Wishing You Prosperity and Good Fortune, along with a smiling emoji.
Qin Sizheng felt like he was being mocked.
He had only been joking, yet Lu Xianqing had actually sent him money.
[I was joking. I do not need your red envelope.]
Lu Xianqing replied: [Buy some candy.]
After hesitating, Qin Sizheng nervously tapped it open.
A soft chime sounded.
0.01.
One cent?
He blinked at the bold number on the screen, then backed out and opened it again, checking several times.
It really was one cent.
Lu Xianqing sent another smiling emoji.
Now Qin Sizheng was certain he was being teased. He opened the send red envelope page himself, entered 0.02, and added a note on the cover: The shopkeeper says it is too much and cannot give change.
Lu Xianqing accepted it. After a moment, another red envelope appeared. He probably did not know how to add a note to the cover, so he typed underneath instead:
[If he cannot give change, just buy the whole shop. There are always more solutions than problems. Solve it at the source. Are we short of that bit of money?]
Qin Sizheng opened it.
0.03.
A smile curved at the corner of his lips. The tension and exhaustion from the intense filming schedule seemed to vanish in that instant.
He tapped the screen to send a reply and softly murmured to his phone, “Thank you, Teacher Lu.”