Tonight, although Yu Qinchou had some thoughts of not behaving like a proper human, he ultimately did not go too far.
He just didn’t expect Ming Qi to cooperate this much.
The final sweep of the tongue traced his lips and teeth, stealing the air around Ming Qi. The young man’s eyes were red at the corners, still breathing heavily. Yu Qinchou laughed at him: “Third time. Still haven’t learned how to breathe.”
Ming Qi accused him: “You didn’t teach me either.”
You were just focused on practicing yourself and laughing at me.
The soft fingertips brushed Ming Qi’s lips. Yu Qinchou pressed his tall nose bridge against Ming Qi’s neck, smelling the faint herbal scent of his body wash, calming the rising desire within. Every breath landing on the skin felt like it could pierce through blood vessels, merge into the bloodstream, and surge hotly through the limbs.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Qinchou’s voice finally sounded again: “Shouldn’t we rest? It’s getting late.”
Ming Qi reached for his phone, only then realizing it had been left on the living room coffee table. He whispered, “I’ll go get my phone. You sleep first.”
He broke free from Yu Qinchou’s embrace and ran off like a rabbit.
The bedroom door wasn’t closed, and from the bed Yu Qinchou could clearly see every one of his movements. His fingertips brushed his slightly swollen lips. The faint crack carried a bit of blood and sting. Ming Qi’s kissing skills clearly weren’t good; his teeth had bumped Yu Qinchou more than once, but Yu Qinchou could feel he was trying to adapt.
He casually pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze to his phone.
Hansen: Where are you?
Y: What is it?
Hansen: Nothing much. Just saw the time and wanted to ask if you arrived safely. Why didn’t you reply?
Y: Busy improving relationship with my partner. I thought you would understand this.
Hansen: …
Hansen: Amen. Hope your partner is still okay tonight.
During these days abroad, every time Hansen asked Yu Qinchou out, he would see him glancing at social apps from time to time. As someone experienced in countless relationships, he understood this perfectly. The honeymoon phase was like this—wanting to stick to your partner at all times, feeling lonely even after a short separation.
He just didn’t expect Yu Qinchou to be like this too.
Hansen: Our medical group developed a very effective ointment. Want me to send it to you?
Yu Qinchou didn’t bother replying, put down his phone, and saw Ming Qi bending over to close his suitcase. Seeing this, Yu Qinchou got up from the bed and walked over to take over.
But before closing the suitcase, he took out a wooden box. Under Ming Qi’s puzzled gaze, he raised his brows and smiled lightly: “A promised gift.”
“For me?” Ming Qi was surprised.
“If not for you, then who else?” Yu Qinchou casually carried the suitcase into the bedroom, his tone lazy. “Did I go abroad just to bring gifts for someone other than my partner?”
“Open it and take a look.”
Since Yu Qinchou said so, Ming Qi didn’t hesitate further. The wooden box felt heavy in his hands. He didn’t recognize the material, but a certain popular blogger had said just the box itself was worth seven figures. And now, not only the seven-figure box but also whatever even more expensive thing inside was in his hands.
Ming Qi carefully opened the latch. With a crisp click, everything inside was finally revealed.
It was not the jewelry or diamonds netizens had speculated.
It was a manuscript.
The owner of this manuscript was actor Lu Fengjing, who had died in a plane crash.
Ming Qi stared fixedly at the aged manuscript. His hands holding the box trembled slightly. After a long time, he heard his own hoarse voice struggling to come out amid his violently beating heart: “You… why would you think of giving me this?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“I like it.” Ming Qi remained in a half-squatting position, looking up, lips curving into a smile. “It’s just very unexpected.”
Yu Qinchou bent down, brushed his fingers through his soft black hair, and pulled him up from the ground, explaining: “Although I don’t know much about the entertainment industry, I still recognize Lu Fengjing. His manuscript might be very useful experience for you. I also want to see Mr. Ming one day stand at the top.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. You already thanked me today.” Yu Qinchou meaningfully pressed his thumb lightly against Ming Qi’s thin lips. “Honestly, whether as thanks for this gift or as a welcome-home present for me returning to the country, I’m very satisfied.”
The touching atmosphere was instantly shattered, stained with ambiguity.
Ming Qi immediately no longer wanted to talk to him. Very carefully, he placed the manuscript back into the wooden box, then carried it back into the bedroom.
Lying back on the bed, Ming Qi settled on the side near the window. Even though all the lights in the room had already been turned off, he still had no trace of sleepiness. His mind was a mess. Whether it was today’s kissing practice or Yu Qinchou’s gift, every scene replayed repeatedly in his head.
“Can’t sleep?” Yu Qinchou opened his eyes in the darkness. The sudden voice startled Ming Qi. Surprised that Yu Qinchou was still awake, he softly responded with an “Mm.”
“If you can’t sleep, want to practice kissing a bit more?”
“……”
Ming Qi couldn’t help complaining, “Why is that all you think about?”
“Maybe I’m a little impatient to see the old man’s furious expression.” Yu Qinchou spoke casually. “So I’ll have to trouble Qiqi to cooperate more.”
Ming Qi: “……”
O-okay then.
He had to maintain professional standards.
Besides… Senior Huai Manyun was quite right. Once some things took the first step, what came afterward wasn’t that difficult anymore.
But not today. Too much of anything was bad.
He pulled the blanket over his face and softly urged, “Go to sleep. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Within the extremely quiet atmosphere, the sleep-inducing aromatherapy silently permeated every corner of the bedroom. As sheep drifted one by one through Ming Qi’s mind, his once-clear thoughts finally became muddled before sinking into deeper sleep.
The night moved soundlessly and slowly onward. Borrowing the faint moonlight, Yu Qinchou traced Ming Qi’s features with his gaze. After a long while, he let out a quiet laugh and closed his eyes. Honestly, he had thought he’d restrained himself fairly well. Unexpectedly, after only a little over ten days apart, certain feelings seemed to have grown wildly like clawing vines, urgently wanting to entwine around Ming Qi.
…
Like every ordinary morning, Meng She divided up the breakfast delivered by the auntie. One portion was left for Bu Hongfang and the others, and a smaller portion for Ming Qi. For convenience, he had a room key card to Ming Qi’s room. With a beep, he pushed the door open, walking inward while calling out, “Little Ming Qi, why are you still not up today!”
Normally when he entered, he could see Ming Qi brushing his teeth in the bathroom. Today the bathroom was completely empty, and the whole living room carried a strange quietness.
Just as he was about to push open the master bedroom door, a hurried shout suddenly came from inside: “I’m up already!”
Ming Qi frantically threw off the blanket and rushed out at the exact moment the bedroom door lock sounded.
Meng She: “…You’re pretty energetic this early in the morning.”
Then he pointed toward the closed door: “Need housekeeping to tidy your room today?”
Ming Qi quickly shook his head: “No no, ge, go eat breakfast first.”
He glanced at the breakfast. There was pumpkin porridge. Thinking of how the auntie’s pumpkin porridge wasn’t too sweet but tasted extremely good and rich, he thought for a moment and said, “Ge, leave the pumpkin porridge for me to drink tonight.”
“Tonight?”
Meng She didn’t quite understand his thinking. “It won’t taste good by tonight. Besides, if you want some, just ask auntie to make another serving, or I can order delivery for you?”
“That would trouble auntie too much, and delivery doesn’t taste as good.”
That was true.
Meng She said, “Then I’ll heat it up for you tonight.”
Ming Qi nodded.
After leaving the breakfast for Ming Qi, Meng She turned and went to the neighboring room belonging to Bu Hongfang. Seeing this, Ming Qi hurriedly carried the pumpkin porridge into the bedroom. Yu Qinchou was already leaning against the headboard. The silk sleepwear on his body hung slightly open. Ming Qi only took one glance before withdrawing his gaze—
The instant Meng She’s shout woke him up, he realized his hand had slipped through the gap between two buttons of Yu Qinchou’s sleepwear at a very tricky angle, resting against the skin of the man’s waist and abdomen for the entire night.
Then because he got up too quickly, when he pulled his hand back out, he used too much force and directly popped off two buttons.
Ming Qi felt terribly guilty.
“Pumpkin porridge. You should like it. If it really doesn’t suit your taste, you can also walk around nearby. There are plenty of breakfast shops here.”
After all, this was a film city with enormous foot traffic.
Meng She had once joked with him that setting up a breakfast stall here might earn more money than being an actor.
“I can just eat this.” Yu Qinchou said, then looked at Ming Qi and asked, “Do you feel like the two of us are having an affair?”
Sneaking over in the middle of the night, getting spotted by Bu Hongfang’s assistant and running wildly, and now having to guard against Meng She early in the morning.
Even more like an affair than an actual affair.
Ming Qi seriously thought about it and felt that the person in power of the mighty Yu Corporation probably had never suffered like this in his life. Wherever he went there were always crowds of reporters and media. A situation like today’s… really was rare.
So Ming Qi casually handed him the tablet from beneath the pillow as comfort. “Sorry for the hardship, but it’d be bad if my husband found out.”
Yu Qinchou’s hand holding the phone paused slightly. He turned his head toward him and suddenly asked, “Your what finding out?”
Ming Qi: “…H-husband.”
“Good.”
Ming Qi: “……”
Resigned, he thoughtfully closed the door for Yu Qinchou and walked toward the living room. It was his own bad intentions to begin with. Being seized upon by Yu Qinchou and teased now was entirely self-inflicted.
He went to wash his face, checking the time while changing clothes. Eight in the morning sharp. Although today’s first scene wasn’t his, according to Ming Qi’s usual schedule he would already be at the set by now. He quickly finished breakfast and, while heading to the filming set together with Meng She, sent Yu Qinchou a message:
I’m heading to the set first.
Y: Mm. Lunch together at noon?
Ming Qi thought about today’s schedule: I have a scene at noon, probably won’t make it in time for lunch.
Y: It’s okay. I’ll wait for you.
Since Yu Qinchou had said so, Ming Qi didn’t refuse either.
He replied with an okay, then turned his head at the sound of Bu Hongfang’s loud voice and greeted him with a smile: “Morning, Brother Bu.”
Bu Hongfang naturally draped an arm over his shoulder. “Morning.”
“Morning.” Zhang Cong, standing in front of the camera, spoke calmly. “Old Bu, go get ready first. Ming Qi, go sit over there.”
“Okay.”
Today’s scene was about Bu Hongfang’s character learning that his wife had been dragged into the whirlpool of retaliation from a criminal organization. For Bu Hongfang, it was an explosive emotional scene—regret, disappointment, fear, all kinds of emotions tangled together. It was very difficult. But after all, Bu Hongfang had many years of acting experience, leaving Ming Qi deeply impressed.
Unfortunately, Zhang Cong was not satisfied with it: “It can be even better. Again.”
They repeated it like this for nine takes before finally stopping. Bu Hongfang rubbed his aching brow and sat down beside Ming Qi, letting out a breath. “Old Zhang really doesn’t give anyone face.”
“If you acted poorly, why would he give you face?” Zheng Liang, the manager who had come today to observe Bu Hongfang’s filming condition, drank his coffee while staring expressionlessly at him. “And there are juniors here too. Yet you still don’t work hard enough to finish in one take. You’ve completely lost face.”
“Get lost, get lost. You come over here just to tear me down. Careful or I’ll kick you back home.” Bu Hongfang rolled his eyes and kicked toward Zheng Liang’s butt. Zheng Liang jumped forward and swaggered away.
Ming Qi found it very amusing to watch.
Meng She interacted with him like a father and son, while Zheng Liang and Bu Hongfang were more like brothers who loved and hated each other.
Ming Qi blinked, quietly shifting closer to Bu Hongfang and lowering his voice: “Brother Bu, are you free right now? I have a question I want to ask you.”
Bu Hongfang bit into an apple and asked vaguely, “What?”
Ming Qi pressed his lips together. Just thinking about the question he wanted to ask made him feel embarrassed, and the tips of his ears turned red first.
Bu Hongfang was surprised by his reaction. His eyes rolled around once, and curiosity immediately rose. “What exactly are you asking me? Why do you look kind of embarrassed?”
Ming Qi: “……”
After hesitating for a few seconds, curiosity ultimately overpowered the rising emotions. He spoke softly: “Brother… when you film kissing scenes with someone… do you, um… react?”
Bu Hongfang: “Cough cough cough.”
The bite of apple got stuck in his throat and nearly made Bu Hongfang’s eyes roll back. He hurriedly signaled at Ming Qi with his eyes, and Ming Qi quickly patted his back.
Bu Hongfang: “Damn, almost sent me to the grave.”
He took the water cup Ming Qi handed him and gulped down a mouthful. Then he stared into Ming Qi’s eyes with an extremely complicated expression. Honestly, actors reacting during intimate scenes was pretty normal. After all, it was actual physical contact, plus hormones at work… but he felt that the one surnamed Yu probably wouldn’t allow Ming Qi to react.
Novels always wrote that domineering CEOs were very possessive.
But…
Would a domineering CEO also forbid his partner from filming intimate scenes?
Confusion filled Bu Hongfang’s mind, and he couldn’t help asking Ming Qi: “Who exactly are you filming kissing scenes with? And haven’t you been in the production team this whole time recently?”
Ming Qi fell silent for two seconds before opening his mouth: “I was just curious and asking. Like you said, I’m at the set every day. Who would I even be filming kissing scenes with?”
Oh, just asking.
Bu Hongfang answered truthfully, earning a thoughtful expression from Ming Qi.
So last night… was a normal situation?
“After filming enough, you probably get used to it.” Bu Hongfang shrugged. “Mm, if the other person is your ex-boyfriend or your mortal enemy, though, it might be different. You’d directly go soft.”
No one knew when Zheng Liang had returned behind Bu Hongfang. Holding his unfinished coffee, he heard Bu Hongfang’s meaningfully suggestive sentence and let out a mocking snort. The sound attracted both Bu Hongfang and Ming Qi, and the two simultaneously looked up.
Zheng Liang gave Bu Hongfang absolutely no face and said to Ming Qi, “Your Brother Bu is right. Back when he was younger, he filmed intimate scenes with his ex-boyfriend and NG’d for three whole days. The director got so angry he cursed him out nonstop, and it even trended online.”
Ming Qi’s eyes widened bit by bit, extremely shocked. “How come I’ve never seen that before?”
Zheng Liang: “Because I removed it fast enough.”
So—
Ming Qi curiously asked, “Brother, who’s your ex-boyfriend?”
Bu Hongfang: “…There’s no need to mention a dead person’s name. Too unlucky.”
…
That noon, Ming Qi’s scenes wrapped up after only two takes. Holding a boxed lunch, Bu Hongfang asked which one he wanted to eat, but Ming Qi hurriedly waved his hand: “I’m eating outside today. A fan came to see me, so I’m treating him to lunch.”
Bu Hongfang blinked. “The set-visit thing you asked Old Zhang about two days ago—that was your fan coming to visit?”
Ming Qi nodded.
Bu Hongfang’s expression immediately became somewhat complicated. After looking at him several times, he asked again, “You still haven’t opened the snacks I gave you yesterday, have you?”
Bu Hongfang ate Ming Qi’s breakfast every day, so he gave Ming Qi snacks every day too.
Several bags were piled up in Ming Qi’s suite.
Ming Qi shook his head. “Brother, you’ve bought too much already. I told you before not to buy any more.”
Between “you can return them to me” and “they’re already bought anyway,” Bu Hongfang ultimately chose the latter. He waved a hand at Ming Qi. “Alright, go already. Otherwise your fan will get anxious waiting.”
When Ming Qi returned to the hotel entrance, he saw the man sitting on the long sofa in the lobby. Yu Qinchou was wearing a casual outfit—a thick hoodie jacket paired with sweatpants and sneakers, plus a mask over his face. At a glance, he completely lacked his usual boss aura and looked exceptionally youthful instead. His appearance attracted many gazes. Ming Qi could even hear the conversation between two girls passing nearby.
“That person looks super handsome.”
“He’s wearing a mask. Even ugly guys become handsome.”
“But his brow bone and nose bridge are especially striking. The lower half of his face must look good too.”
So Ming Qi looked toward the visible parts of his face and thought—
If he were ugly, there was no way he’d be handsome to Yu Qinchou’s extent.
Without hesitating further, he sent Yu Qinchou a message. A few seconds later, the man stepped out of the hotel with long strides. Walking to Ming Qi’s side, the young man noticed that today Yu Qinchou was also wearing a hoodie and sweatpants. At first glance… they looked a bit like couple outfits.
Ming Qi finally realized the issue as well, and suspicion suddenly appeared on his face. “Where did these clothes come from?”
He clearly remembered that when he looked for sleepwear for Yu Qinchou yesterday, the suitcase had contained only shirts and dress pants.
There hadn’t been a trace of a hoodie.
Yu Qinchou looked perfectly calm. “Bought them temporarily. Don’t they look good?”
Ming Qi couldn’t possibly say the words “don’t look good.” He shook his head. “They look good. It’s just not really your usual style. And it kind of looks like couple outfits.”
“Then you’d better keep your mask on properly, otherwise tomorrow Weibo might have a trending topic like #MingQiAndMysteriousManWearingCoupleOutfits#.”
His voice carried teasing amusement, making Ming Qi laugh. “Then I’ll have Brother Meng remove the trending search.”
After pausing, he added, “Using your money.”
Yu Qinchou was supposed to give him lots of spending money every month after all.
“Then you might as well just call me. The speed of Yu Corporation’s PR team is probably much faster than Meng She’s.”
“But having Yu Corporation’s team step in costs more money.”
“Efficiency is proportional to expenditure.” Yu Qinchou naturally wrapped an arm around his shoulder and walked forward with him. “Besides, they’re our own people. Your husband will help you handle all the aftermath.”
Even so, Yu Qinchou’s tone and attitude weren’t forceful. He knew Ming Qi was used to relying on himself. Perhaps his first act of initiative wouldn’t return the result he wanted, but it didn’t matter. If he took initiative enough times, Ming Qi would eventually grow used to him.
“I heard there’s a very famous coconut chicken place here. Have you tried it before?”
Ming Qi’s thoughts followed Yu Qinchou’s topic. He shook his head, though anticipation shone in his eyes. “I only heard Director Zhang mention it, but that restaurant usually has a lot of customers.”
“I already reserved a private room. We can go directly.”
Ming Qi tilted his head to look at him.
Yu Qinchou always prepared many things very thoroughly.
After eating coconut chicken, they chose another smaller road for the return trip. But that road was lined with many snack stalls. At a glance, there was everything imaginable. Ming Qi’s eyes immediately lit up. He walked forward two steps, then realized Yu Qinchou was still standing where he was, so he turned back to look at him. “What’s wrong? Are you not used to this kind of place?”
Because there were many stalls, the smells of fried food, barbecue, and the like all mixed together. For someone who had just eaten, it might not smell very pleasant.
While Ming Qi was thinking this, Yu Qinchou had already walked to his side and said with a smile, “Sometimes I’m really curious what kind of person I am in your eyes.”
Ming Qi thought about it and answered honestly: “Raised with elite education, more elegant than ordinary people even while eating, leisure activities are horse racing and golf. Basically the kind of level ordinary people can’t reach.”
“Then you may have overthought it a little.” Yu Qinchou laughed at him. “I once ate five candied hawthorn skewers in one go.”
Ming Qi: “Wasn’t it too sweet?”
Yu Qinchou stared at him for a moment. “It was. But someone wouldn’t eat them and shoved them all to me, even telling me not to waste food. He was pretty smart—if he couldn’t finish them and didn’t want to waste them, he just passed them to me. I had no choice. What if I made the child cry?”
“A child?”
“Mm. Back then he looked really tiny. Probably only a few years old.”
Ming Qi gave an oh and shifted his gaze toward the straw stand full of candied fruit skewers to the left. Politely, he asked, “Then if you watch me eat later, will you think it’s too sweet?”
“Hard to say. You can buy some and test it.”
Ming Qi decisively took out his phone, but once he stood in front of the stand, he stared at the hawthorn, strawberries, and grapes for quite a while, seemingly thinking about what exactly to eat.
Standing behind him, Yu Qinchou couldn’t help laughing out loud.
Exactly the same as when he was little.