About ten minutes later, Song Cheng finally calmed down.
As he had just sat up, Qin Wuyan switched on the bedside lamp. His arm had gone numb from being held, but he said nothing. Sitting on the bed, he looked at Song Cheng’s reddened eyes and asked softly, “Feeling better?”
Song Cheng smiled awkwardly. After all, tear glands are essentially the body’s detox system. The heavy emotions, resentment, and self-pity had been purged along with the tears, leaving him almost entirely unburdened.
Restored to his usual self, Song Cheng felt embarrassed. Thankfully, only Qin Wuyan had witnessed it, keeping it within a tolerable range.
He roughly wiped his face and nodded. “Letting it out helped a lot. How did you get back here?”
Qin Wuyan reached out a thumb, softly brushing away the remaining traces of tears.
“I took a day off from the director. I should have been back by ten, but it rained, and the flight was delayed.”
Song Cheng sniffled, his voice thick with congestion. “The director wasn’t angry?”
Qin Wuyan: “He sent me a voice message, almost a minute long—I haven’t listened yet.”
Song Cheng: …
He stared at him in silence for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
Sliding close, he hugged Qin Wuyan again—this time more gently—resting his face on Qin Wuyan’s shoulder, his flushed cheek pressed against the warmth of his neck like a piece of comforting jade.
Settling in, Song Cheng let out a quiet sigh.
“Sorry… for making you worry.”
His voice was soft. “But seeing you tonight… makes me really happy.”
Eight hours of running around behind the manager and assistant, facing the director’s anger, and risking rumors of bad behavior—all for just this moment.
Out of Qin Wuyan’s view, he smiled faintly. Though the day off was short and he’d have to rush back by morning, he was here at the moment Song Cheng needed him most.
Rubbing his chin gently against Song Cheng’s hair, Qin Wuyan finally asked in a low voice, “What happened today?”
Song Cheng lowered his eyelids. “I remembered something from when I was a child.”
…
Song Cheng wasn’t a good storyteller. He couldn’t convey dramatic twists or immerse others in his perspective. All he could do was narrate plainly, recounting everything he remembered. Only he knew his feelings at the time, and only Qin Wuyan knew what it was like to watch him.
Even after finishing, Qin Wuyan remained silent. Song Cheng straightened up, looking at Qin Wuyan’s face—he saw a deep frown.
Raising his eyes, Qin Wuyan asked, “You only remembered this one day?”
Song Cheng nodded. “Yes, but even remembering just this day feels like a huge step forward. Before, I could only recall events for a few minutes—this time, it lasted for hours.”
Qin Wuyan said, “I’d rather you hadn’t remembered these past few hours.”
Song Cheng let out a soft laugh. “It’s all in the past. Honestly, if it were only remembering that, I wouldn’t feel anything. The main thing is… today he appeared in front of me again, and just like before, trying to act like the parent in front of me. Deep down, I hoped he would change a little, and now seeing he’s still the same, I can’t help feeling wronged.”
He sighed. “It’s normal, after all… he is my father.”
Qin Wuyan’s voice was firm: “A man who gave birth but didn’t raise you doesn’t deserve to be your father.”
Song Cheng turned to him, nodding seriously. “You’re right! Qin Laoshi, you’re absolutely correct. I’ve decided—I’m firing him. I’ll never call him Dad again!”
Qin Wuyan: …
He frowned. “I know you’re joking, but I’m not joking.”
Song Cheng laughed loudly. “I’m serious too! You’re right. He never raised me—what kind of father is that? I don’t even remember how I used to interact with him. And since I haven’t seen him in four years, a few more years won’t make a difference. I’ve made my stance clear today. He probably won’t bother me again.”
Qin Wuyan didn’t dare be so certain. “That’s hard to say. He’s older now, and you’re his only son. He might not give up so easily.”
Song Cheng’s expression was calm. “That’s his business, then.”
Silence filled the room for three or four seconds, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Once the quiet passed, Song Cheng lifted his spirits and asked, “Have you had dinner?”
Qin Wuyan blinked.
Song Cheng: “…You haven’t eaten, have you?”
Qin Wuyan: “Not my fault. My flight left at eight, and I rushed from the set—three hours of driving. At the airport, I stayed in the VIP lounge to avoid being recognized. They only had fruit. The food on the plane? Terrible. Eating it would’ve been worse than not eating at all.”
Song Cheng listened to the long list of excuses, inhaled deeply, and decided not to argue. He turned as if to get out of bed, but Qin Wuyan grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?”
Song Cheng gave him a knowingly questioning look. “Making you something to eat. You need to eat something.”
Qin Wuyan: “It’s so late; missing dinner isn’t a big deal. Eating a late meal would be worse for my stomach. It’s fine—I’ll have two breakfasts tomorrow. Just lie down and sleep.”
Feeling a little convinced, Song Cheng reluctantly sat back, but he wasn’t ready to sleep. “You’re leaving again tomorrow—I won’t be able to sleep.”
Qin Wuyan: “You should sleep. I booked an early flight tomorrow, and I left a message for Ban Yunfang to pick us up. I can’t leave you alone somewhere. You always have endless ways to make me anxious.”
Song Cheng paused. “I’m going too?”
Qin Wuyan glanced at him. “Did you think I came back just to be a human pillow for one night?”
Song Cheng: “…But I’m fine now.”
Qin Wuyan: “Heh, I’m not fine. Now it’s your turn to take care of me.”
Song Cheng understood that Qin Wuyan’s awkward behavior was a way of caring for him, preventing him from overthinking. Feeling comforted, he cupped Qin Wuyan’s face and pressed a firm kiss to him.
“Erbao ge, you’re really amazing~”
Qin Wuyan: …
It was two in the morning. The flight was at eight-thirty. Only a few hours remained before departure. The luggage would be dealt with in the morning, and Ban Yunfang could take it—her child loved dogs, so she’d enjoy looking after it.
With little to worry about, Qin Wuyan adjusted Song Cheng’s shoulders, helping him lie down. Within two minutes, the carefree boy was asleep, lightly snoring.
Qin Wuyan watched the same boy who had just insisted he couldn’t sleep, forehead veins twitching with exasperation.
After a while, he gently tugged the blanket down and gazed at Song Cheng, silent.
Song Cheng thought Qin Wuyan’s “act first, explain later” approach was out of concern for him, but it wasn’t.
Between him and Song Cheng, the truly strong, unshakable one had never been Qin Wuyan.
Song Cheng said he was fine—not out of humility. He really was fine. The one who couldn’t be okay was Qin Wuyan. As long as Song Siyue was still in the city, he would worry about him seeking out Song Cheng again. Over a thousand miles, there was little he could do—only keeping Song Cheng under his watch gave him some measure of peace.
Perhaps that’s an exaggeration.
Even lying on the same bed now, he still felt a trace of unease.
What does it mean to want to live with you?
Song Siyue didn’t care at all. In this situation, Song Cheng still wanted to live with him.
Qin Wuyan thought of that person—the one who seemed physically weak, lacking energy, yet stubbornly stronger in spirit than him.
Hands clenched into fists on his lap, Qin Wuyan lowered his gaze, hiding the shadow in his eyes.
The next morning, Song Cheng was awakened by the noise downstairs.
He went to the door and heard Ban Yunfang scolding Qin Wuyan: “You’re unbelievable! Truly unbelievable! Can’t you tell me anything? I could’ve helped you talk to Director Xue! Sending a message and running off—what’s that about? If you weren’t a little famous, you’d already have been kicked out of the crew!”
Qin Wuyan: “I’ll apologize to him in person when I get back, okay?”
Ban Yunfang fumed. “Oh, so now apologizing is a burden to you? Not that easy! I already told Director Xue—you’ll pay for all the summer perks this week yourself. Don’t even think about using the studio’s budget.”
Qin Wuyan wore a nonchalant expression. “Whatever. I’m not short on that money.”
Ban Yunfang looked at him and sneered. “Also, I’ve already approved letting the film crew release the news that Song Cheng came to visit you on set.”
Qin Wuyan immediately turned his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”
Ban Yunfang smiled with playful malice. “Feels good to get your comeuppance, huh?”
Qin Wuyan: …
Song Cheng: …