Chapter 29

　 Just shooting the magazine cover and interior pages took the entire team four hours, but the results exceeded everyone’s expectations, so even though it was hard work, everyone was very satisfied.

“This magazine is sure to sell out instantly,” said the director, sitting down next to Zhou Ziheng. “The photos are so good, they could be nominated for cover of the year.”

　 Zhou Ziheng smiled modestly and said nothing.

“I’ve noticed that the two of you don’t really talk much in real life,” the director remarked, finding it rather amusing. “I thought the rumors online were all false.”

　 Zhou Ziheng glanced at Xia Xiqing, who was asleep on the sofa, “We only met while filming Escape from Heaven, so we’re not very familiar with each other yet.”

While saying this, Zhou Ziheng felt that his words were not very credible.

They had even kissed, yet he couldn’t find any words to describe their relationship. It was really strange.

　 “I heard that Xia is your fan. I think I saw the drawings he made for you on Weibo’s trending page before.” The director said as he scrolled through Weibo’s trending page, “I saw it yesterday… Ah, here it is.”

But as soon as he clicked on it, he realized something was wrong. “Wait, this is a drawing of Shang Sui, Oh, I got it wrong.” The director’s face showed a hint of embarrassment as he put his phone back into his jacket pocket.

“It’s okay.” Zhou Ziheng felt a bit uncomfortable inside, but he maintained his composure and calmness on the surface, “You can check his Weibo; his Weibo is full of my drawings.”

　 As soon as he said that, Zhou Ziheng regretted it. His behavior was like he was declaring ownership.

　 “The paintings are truly beautiful. I hear they’re from Fo Mei,” the director praised with a nod. “The aesthetic standards of the academic school are truly different.”

The magazine interview venue was set up, and Xiao Luo walked over. “Ziheng, the interview is about to start. Do you want to touch up your makeup or something?”

　 “No need,” Zhou Ziheng turned his face away and saw Xia Xiqing curled up on another sofa, his face completely covered by his hair. He hesitated for a moment before whispering to Xiao Luo, “Go wake him up.”

　 Xiao Luo nodded and walked over, gently shaking Xia Xiqing’s shoulder. Xia Xiqing, still half-asleep, frowned. He was known for his bad temper when waking up. He turned his body toward the sofa cushion, burying himself into it, facing away from Xiao Luo with his back, clearly unwilling to wake up.

“…Xiqing?”

　 Xia Xiqing was simply too sleep-deprived. He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, and the magazine shoot had drained what little energy he had left. He had fallen asleep as soon as he lay down on the sofa during a break, his head feeling heavy and foggy, and he didn’t want to open his eyes at all.

“Zi Heng,” Xiao Luo turned to Zhou Zi Heng for help, “Xiqing doesn’t seem to want to wake up…”

　 Watching Xiao Luo walk away, Zhou Ziheng sat down on the sofa where Xia Xiqing was lying, reached out and touched his shoulder, “Hey, wake up.” Xia Xiqing, with his head buried in the cushion, grumbled softly, moved his shoulders, and continued to sleep, refusing to cooperate.

　 There was no choice. Zhou Ziheng grabbed one of his arms, attempting to force him up. Just as he managed to pull him up a little, he heard Xia Xiqing, with half-closed eyes and furrowed brows, mutter in a low voice, “Damn it, you’re so annoying.” He reached out to push Zhou Ziheng away, but his wrist was seized by Zhou Ziheng. In his half-asleep state, Xia Xiqing could barely struggle.

　 “Even if it’s annoying, you have to get up.” Zhou Ziheng pulled him up to sit, and Xia Xiqing, his hair covering his face, seemed to be enveloped in a low-pressure atmosphere. He reluctantly sat up, half-crouching with his legs crossed, his elbows resting on the cushion, and his pale palms supporting his dazed, lowered head.

　 He seemed to be feeling quite uncomfortable.

“Does your head hurt…?” Zhou Ziheng reached out to brush his hair aside, but Xia Xiqing frowned and dodged him.

He looked just like a cat with a terrible temper right now, Zhou Ziheng thought.

　 He was simply too tired to speak a word, his entire body still hovering on the edge of half-sleep, his head heavy and his feet light, as if he might fall into some very deep place at any moment.

　 Zhou Ziheng’s voice grew fainter and fainter, as if it were coming from the heavens.

He was so sleepy.

“How come you…” Before he could finish his sentence, Xia Xiqing, who had just been lifted up and made to sit cross-legged, fell asleep again, collapsing straight into Zhou Ziheng’s arms.

　 “…more tired than me.” Zhou Ziheng unconsciously finished the sentence he hadn’t finished, then stared blankly as he caught Xia Xiqing, his arms naturally wrapping around his shoulders.

His head rested against his chest, his slightly curly hair soft and looking very touchable.

　 In the bustling studio, everyone was rushing around anxiously, various sounds filling his ears. Strangely, at that moment, Zhou Ziheng could almost hear Xia Xiqing’s tired yet steady breathing.

Mixed with the pounding of his own heart.

　 What was happening?

“Ziheng.”

　 His subconscious imagination was interrupted. Zhou Ziheng quickly helped Xia Xiqing sit up, but his movements were so sudden that Xia Xiqing woke up abruptly, opening his eyes in annoyance.

Zhou Ziheng cleared his throat and stood up awkwardly, addressing the makeup artist behind Xiao Luo, “Um, he just fell asleep, so he might need a touch-up. Sorry for the trouble.”

　 Xiao Luo held a cup of coffee in one hand, afraid to knock it over, and supported it with the other. “Zi Heng, this…”

Zhou Zi Heng smelled the aroma of the coffee, frowned, and looked at Xiao Luo with dissatisfaction. “Did I just ask for coffee?”

　 “You said you wanted water, but I saw the coffee machine over there and made it for you. Drink it while it’s still hot.” Xiao Luo’s face wore an expression that seemed to say, “Aren’t I clever? Praise me!” Glancing at his watch, it was almost ten o’clock. Could he still sleep after drinking coffee?

“Ziheng, aren’t you going to drink it?”

Seeing Xiao Luo’s puzzled expression, Zhou Ziheng had no choice but to drink the coffee himself. He frowned and handed the cup to him, “It’s so bitter. Get me another cup of water, plain water.”

　 “Oh.” Xiao Luo took the cup with a confused look on his face and walked away. Zhou Ziheng turned around and saw Xia Xiqing lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, letting the makeup artist fix his makeup and hair.

“Xiqing, your skin is so good. Why does it look so good even after staying up late?”

　 Xia Xiqing smiled with his eyes closed, looking tired. “Really? It’s okay, I guess.”

“Ziheng’s skin is also very good,” the makeup artist turned to look at Zhou Ziheng standing beside him. “Ziheng, I feel like you’ve always had good skin since you were a child. I remember when you were little, someone said you’d grow up to be ugly, Ha ha, who knew you’d grow up to be so handsome.”

Xia Xiqing, who was lying back on the sofa with his head tilted up, opened his eyes and saw Zhou Ziheng standing there. He remembered that he had been nagging him to go to sleep earlier, so he grabbed a small cushion from the sofa and threw it at Zhou Ziheng.

How childish.

　 Zhou Ziheng caught it in one hand, tilted his head, and gave him a look, as if questioning him.

Xia Xiqing raised his eyebrows in a cocky manner and looked away.

“You two get along pretty well, don’t you?” the makeup artist giggled gossipily, “I heard that Xiqing is a big fan of Ziheng. You must have liked him since he was a child star, right?”

“No way,” Xia Xiqing laughed, his eyes curving into a beautiful arc, “I haven’t seen any of his roles from when he was a child. I don’t even know what he looked like back then.”

　 “Huh?” The makeup artist put away her toolbox and stood up, “You’re really a fake fan.”

Caught off guard, Xia Xiqing couldn’t help but curve his lips.

Suddenly, the pillow he had thrown earlier was thrown straight back at him. Xia Xiqing deftly caught it and held it in front of his chest. Zhou Ziheng looked away, stuffed his hands into his suit pants pockets with an unhappy expression, and walked away.

He really threw it at my face. That’s pretty mean. Xia Xiqing smiled as he put the pillow aside, patted it lightly twice, stood up, and stretched.

　 Before the interview, the editor-in-chief called to notify them of a last-minute arrangement to reshoot a set of cover photos for a dual-version cover release, so they had to quickly rework the styling.

“Has Xiqing ever worked this hard before?” Shane smiled as he tore off the special effects “wound” on his face.

“It’s okay. I used to stay up all night doing homework.” Xia Xiqing pinched his neck and watched as Xiao Luo walked toward him, handing him a glass of water. “Thanks, that’s so thoughtful. I was just getting thirsty.”

Xiao Luo smiled awkwardly, about to say that Zi Heng had asked him to bring it, but then he glanced over and saw Zi Heng giving him a look, so he shut up and smiled, uncomfortably scratching his hair.

　 The new hairstyle continued the previous gloomy gothic style. The stylist dressed Xia Xiqing in a white silk shirt with a layered lace collar in a courtly style, and his slightly curly hair was tied into a half-bun, with a strand of hair left loose on his forehead.

　 Xia Xiqing’s wound makeup was also removed, replaced with a more refined and clean base makeup. The previous light eye makeup was discarded, replaced with black full-coverage eyeliner, blended with dark brown eyeshadow, and the outer corners of the eyes were slightly lifted to follow the shape of the almond-shaped eyes.

 “My goodness, Xi Qing, you look so good in heavy makeup.” The makeup artist finished touching up his makeup, gently held his chin, and sat in front of the mirror to do a final check. “You look really good. Make your debut, Xi Qing, and hire me as your personal makeup artist, haha.”

　 Xia Xiqing looked at the mirror. To be honest, he wasn’t used to this kind of demonic style makeup, so he just smiled.

　 Turning his head, he noticed Zhou Ziheng was also getting a makeover. He had taken off his high-neck sweater and put on a black hooded jacket, with a white low-neck inner layer underneath. His previously tousled hair was now styled into a side-parted fringe, partially covering his prominent forehead, with a light makeup look. The stylist helped him put on the hood, giving him a mysterious, youthful vibe in the mirror.

　 It was completely different from his previous ascetic, murderous style, more like a stray puppy wandering the streets.

　 After finishing the styling, Shane called the two makeup artists out, “Lin Mo wants to discuss the overall styling for the second version with you, as well as some props.” She then greeted the two sitting in front of the mirror, “Zi Heng Xi Qing, you two can sit and rest for a moment; we’ll start shooting soon.”

　 Xia Xiqing turned around and smiled at Shane. As the makeup room door closed, the gentle, innocent smile on his face gradually faded into a half-smile. He stood up, holding the drink prepared by the staff, took a sip, and nonchalantly walked over to Zhou Ziheng, who was busy playing with his phone.

　 Zhou Ziheng was bored and opened Weibo to see if there was any new gossip to read. As soon as he opened it, he saw the interface of his own secondary account. He was already feeling guilty, but then suddenly someone pinched his face. He was so startled that he almost dropped his phone.

“What are you doing?”

　 Xia Xiqing’s index finger and thumb were still pinching Zhou Ziheng’s face, while his other hand held the drink. He bit the straw and mumbled, “Nothing, I just wanted to know if your face is as hard as you look.” His eyes curved upward. “Turns out it’s pretty soft.”

　 Zhou Ziheng impatiently slapped his hand away, but Xia Xiqing grabbed the hand holding the phone. “Why were you so tense just now? Like someone stepped on your tail,” Xia Xiqing leaned his face close to Zhou Ziheng’s side, his voice taking on a playful tone, “Were you looking at something indecent?”

　 Feeling guilty, Zhou Ziheng pried Xia Xiqing’s hand away, put the phone back in his pocket, and coldly muttered a few words, glancing up at him, “What does it have to do with you?”

　 “Oh~” Xia Xiqing dragged out the last syllable, straightened up, walked to the vanity table, placed the drink down, and leaned against the counter. “I almost forgot—our Ziheng is no stranger to such things, having seen it all before.”

　 Can this joke still be used? Zhou Ziheng regretted it deeply. How idle had he been to stick up for this playboy? He fidgeted with his hat, refusing to cooperate and pretending not to see Xia Xiqing.

　 Xia Xiqing, on the other hand, wore an indifferent expression, turning his head to glance at the scattered cosmetics on the vanity.

“Hey, I’ve got a question for you.”

Zhou Ziheng still frowned, speaking impatiently, “What is it?”

　 Xia Xiqing stepped on the crossbar of Zhou Ziheng’s chair, held out a black-wrapped square cosmetic item in his hand, and snapped open the lid. “Big star, you get made up every day. Do you know what color this is?”

　 Glancing at the cosmetic in his hand, it was a square, powder-like object, a flesh-pink color, resembling blush. Zhou Ziheng gave him a blank look, “How would I know?”

　 “You don’t know? Let me tell you.” Xia Xiqing extended his finger to dab the blush, then leaned in close to Zhou Ziheng’s ear, using the blush-covered finger to push aside Zhou Ziheng’s hood and pinch his earlobe.

　 His voice carried a warm breath and a playful smile, and along with the flesh-colored powder, it gently pressed against Zhou Ziheng’s earlobe.

The other hand roughly grabbed Zhou Ziheng’s belt and pulled it outward.

“Deep throat.”

　 Zhou Ziheng’s heart skipped a beat. By the time he reacted, his whole body felt like it was on fire. He pushed Xia Xiqing away, but the mischievous culprit was delighted, leaning against the makeup table and laughing hysterically.

　 “You really can’t handle a little teasing, kid.” Watching Zhou Ziheng’s furious reaction, Xia Xiqing picked up his drink, took a sip, and bit the straw, smiling. “This is punishment for waking me up just now.”

　 “Are you being reasonable?” Zhou Ziheng angrily stomped his foot on the edge of the makeup table.

Xia Xiqing raised an eyebrow. “What reason? I am the reason.” After saying that, he glanced at Zhou Ziheng’s foot next to him and was about to reach out, but Zhou Ziheng saw through him and pulled his foot back.

　 “You’re so afraid of me,” Xia Xiqing laughed. “Hey, do you want to know about other cosmetics? I can tell you.”

Zhou Ziheng covered his ears, stood up from the chair, and walked out.

Watching his back, Xia Xiqing couldn’t help but laugh.

　 What?

This is too cute.

The reshoot officially began. All the staff were ready, and Xia Xiqing, who had completed his overall styling, walked into the studio. The interior remained unchanged, still with the black background and the same chair.

　 “For the second cover, let’s try a different approach. Xiqing, you can still sit on the chair, but this time, be a little cooler.” Lin Mo arranged for Xia Xiqing to sit on the previous burgundy upholstered chair, reached out to adjust his collar, and smiled softly as he spoke.

“Be more assertive.”

　 Xia Xiqing, sitting with his legs crossed, looked at him disdainfully, his tongue impatiently tapping the inside of his mouth before sliding down along his teeth.

Zhou Ziheng, who was being styled by the makeup artist, couldn’t see Xia Xiqing’s expression, only seeing Lin Mo bending down close to Xia Xiqing’s face from a distance.

　 “Ziheng, why are you frowning? Did I just pull your hair?”

　 The reshoot officially began. Unlike the previous pose, Xia Xiqing sat on the chair with his legs crossed, his right elbow resting on the intricately carved walnut armrest, his hand supporting his slightly raised chin. His posture was lazy, and his gaze was disdainful.

　 Zhou Ziheng sat on the ground, leaning against the chair with his left leg bent and his right leg stretched out. Wearing a black hooded jacket, he tilted his head slightly upward, with blood seeping from the wound at the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with disdain.

　 The biggest difference from the previous version was that Zhou Ziheng’s slender neck was bound by a black leather strap, the metal clasping tightly around his side neck. The other end of the strap was held tightly in Xia Xiqing’s hand as he sat on the chair, pulling it as if he were holding onto his own pet.

The murderer and the victim, the captor and the abuser.

　 Black and white reversed, the situation turned upside down.

The author has something to say:

Actually, I just wanted to recommend Nars’ blush—Deep Throat.

Xia Xiqing, if you keep acting this way, the little wolf dog you can’t resist will eventually turn on you. [Sincere advice]