Ren Qingyun felt that ever since he moved back into that room, something about it just didn’t feel quite right every day.
Yu Junqing, hearing him say that, couldn’t help but glance at the obvious, impossibly fresh hickey, and silently gave Ren Qingyun a row of scolding glares.
“I just feel a little uneasy living there alone. Anyway, I came back to the country to have some fun, so I thought I’d come see you guys and maybe grab a meal together,” Ren Qingyun said with complete confidence. He didn’t really have close friends in the country. After all, he’d always been a free spirit, drifting wherever he pleased. If you asked him, Yu Junqing was one of the few people he genuinely found agreeable.
Yu Junqing hesitated, reluctant to spoil Ren Qingyun’s apparent excitement to hang out. “Actually, I just came back to pack up my things. Tomorrow I have to report to the film crew and will be staying there for a month.”
Ren Qingyun, still smiling just moments ago, instantly fell into a forlorn expression. “What? Really?”
Yu Junqing nodded calmly, then earnestly showed Ren Qingyun his suitcase. Ren Qingyun went silent. He had completely forgotten that the little white rabbit was an actor. Maybe he’d been caught up in the excitement of being back in the country and assumed, like him, everyone had nothing to do…
“Wait, isn’t it just filming? Why do you have to live there?” Ren Qingyun suddenly felt that something was off.
“Usually it depends on the director. Sometimes when filming, they require us to stay with the crew. It’s not unheard of,” Yu Junqing explained. He knew why, but he didn’t want to go into details—Ren Qingyun probably wouldn’t understand anyway.
“Tsk tsk… you’re not going somewhere remote, are you? Like Shennongjia or Changbai Mountain?” Ren Qingyun couldn’t help but imagine. What kind of filming would require staying a whole month? Usually, it would have to be a place that’s hard to leave once you’re in it.
Yu Junqing looked at Ren Qingyun, surprised at his imagination. Just staying a month, and he’s already thinking about Shennongjia or Changbai Mountain? If it really were a place like that, Yu Junqing would need far more than a few things—just mosquito repellent alone would require a dozen bottles.
“What about Bo Rui? Aren’t you supposed to stay there for a month starting tomorrow? He’s not home?” Ren Qingyun, feeling a little bored, sneakily started inspecting the bedroom.
Yu Junqing, focused on packing, didn’t notice. But Ren Qingyun’s words reminded him—it might be better to notify Rui Ge now.
A little reluctant and a little nervous about calling Bo Rui, Yu Junqing slowed his packing. Not seeing Rui Ge for a month… suddenly he understood why people used to get so upset when separated from certain men and women. Just thinking about it—no more eating Rui Ge’s cooking, no more rolling around in Rui Ge’s bed—made him feel a little empty inside.
Ren Qingyun, meanwhile, was frustrated to find that the two of them only shared a bed and nothing else. So pure! There was nothing scandalous to gossip about. He had imagined that Bo Rui, being so big, would have easily swallowed this little white rabbit whole. But there wasn’t even a trace—tsk, could it be… impossible?
Ignoring Ren Qingyun’s wandering thoughts, Yu Junqing decided to just call Bo Rui.
Bo Rui was a little surprised. Yu Junqing was calling him at this hour? Weren’t they supposed to meet Director Wang? Had he come home so early?
Bo Rui took his phone and signaled everyone to take a short break while he went to answer.
Once he left, the room erupted in gossip. The men who had just acted all professional and serious during the meeting instantly transformed into a squad of gossiping little minions.
Among them, Huang Qian, head of the lawyer team Bo Rui had recruited, immediately spoke up.
“Did anyone just see what was showing on the boss’s phone?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Huang Qian looked exasperated. Zhao Zi, the boldest under him, quipped, “Boss… you’re sitting closest, right?”
The others secretly nodded and gave Huang Qian a reproachful look.
Huang Qian shot Zhao Zi a look full of disdain. “What do you know? I’m so nearsighted I can barely tell you from Li Dage. How could I possibly see what’s on the screen?”
The room erupted in laughter. Li Dage, who’d just been teased, laughed so hard he practically collapsed on the table. Zhao Zi glanced at his muscular frame compared to his own, tsk, all bones, and laughed too.
“Enough laughing! You fools don’t know how to seize opportunities! Like me—grabbed the chance and got a great boss. Check me out—wearing brands! Eating… delivery!” Huang Qian was getting carried away, and the last words revealed his true situation, prompting another round of laughter.
Li Dage and Zhao Zi called out shamelessly, “Boss! Let me have that delivery!”
Oops, he’d slipped. Huang Qian had accidentally revealed he was a long-time single. But who cared?
“Seriously, anyone know anything about the boss’s wife? This affects our future happiness! Grab the chance, cling to the right leg—that’s the way of us trendy lawyers!” Huang Qian continued blabbering, but everyone knew he just wanted gossip.
They were curious too.
“Come on, share info. Password is 666!” Huang Qian couldn’t resist revealing a little more.
The room of single men lit up, gathering to share gossip.
“I tell you, last time the boss specifically said to take care of someone named Yu Junqing at Xingyu. That’s a clue! Maybe he’s like a living brother-in-law!”
“Could be, but not just him. The boss’s list had a few promising actresses too,” someone added.
“You’re out of the loop. Those actresses have financial backers. They’re not hooking up with the boss.”
“I’m obsessed with that pure goddess!” one guy wailed. Everyone patted him on the head and continued gossiping.
“Last time, I overheard the boss on the phone in the bathroom. That tone… ten out of ten boyfriend material!” Zhao Zi suddenly revealed.
“Why didn’t you tell the group immediately? I’ll give you some dog food!” Huang Qian scolded him.
Li Dage remembered and added quietly, “I heard too. The voice sounded magnetic… a little manly.”
Huang Qian squinted. Special attention to Yu Junqing, speaking gently to someone with a deep, magnetic voice, and the boss never gossips about women… Could it be?
Zhao Zi and Li Dage realized simultaneously. They whispered in shock, “The boss’s wife is a man?”
Bo Rui returned from the call, realizing his secret had been exposed by this bunch of meddling fools. He felt… too kind in the past; he should’ve kept them under his thumb like before, leaving them no energy even for gossip.
Huang Qian sensed an unusually deadly aura. He straightened, sitting up as if studying documents. The rest of the gossip squad mimicked him immediately.
Bo Rui, amused, threw down a thunderclap.
“From tomorrow, for a month, bring me everyone on that list. Miss one, lose a month’s bonus!”
The so-called elite gossip squad groaned in despair. Huang Qian, as team leader, felt it first—his bonus depended on theirs! He knelt dramatically.
“Boss, can we have an extension? Like… three months?”
Zhao Zi, Li Dage, and the rest followed suit. All knelt, sending their boss the most pitifully earnest pleading looks.
Bo Rui, as a non-single boss, decided to let them share his pain. Just caught someone special and now they have to be gone for a month—too cruel.
“Meeting adjourned. Decision made. Dismissed!” Bo Rui packed up and left briskly.
The room of stunned employees could hardly believe how ruthless their boss had been.
“NO! I bought tickets to my goddess’s concert with my bonus!” one wailed.
“Forget my perfect trip plan and peach-blossom luck ruined!” cried another.
“I found a true god in an HD action film for 100 bucks and haven’t even…!” another lamented.
Zhao Zi panicked and shared his email. Li Dage followed suit. Huang Qian laughed—this guy is secretly a hardcore gay, those films aren’t for him, and he’d never share!
“Don’t use company network to spread anything inappropriate. Keep your mouths shut unless you meet the boss’s wife at the company. Remember your contracts,” Bo Rui added before leaving.
Meanwhile, he drove to the restaurant where he’d agreed to meet Yu Junqing. Inside, he found an incongruous figure: Ren Qingyun.
Yu Junqing naturally transferred some food to Ren Qingyun’s bowl, only for him to toss it back. Their picky habits mirrored each other perfectly.
Yu Junqing skillfully dodged a mushroom, teasing Ren Qingyun about his rusty chopstick skills. Ren Qingyun ingeniously returned it.
Bo Rui, unable to resist, stuffed each of them with five mushrooms. Ren Qingyun glared, Yu Junqing looked pitifully at him. Bo Rui, calm, cleared the rest.
“Eat it all, then you can continue eating.”
Both men reluctantly complied. Ren Qingyun didn’t mind; Yu Junqing clearly hated mushrooms.
Bo Rui, enjoying their pitiful expressions, tossed a stray mushroom to Ren Qingyun, earning a grateful glance from Yu Junqing.
Although Yu Junqing had complained earlier about staying away for a month, Bo Rui understood. Actors often have tight schedules, and stars barely get sleep.
Soon, Yu Junqing would be officially signed to Bo Rui’s company. He didn’t need to know yet that Bo Rui planned to visit him on set.
They ordered a spicy hotpot. Yu Junqing, knowing he’d be eating boxed meals for a month on set, ate quickly. Bo Rui added more meat for him, keeping him full and healthy for the role, which required him to look a bit haggard.
“Finished?” Bo Rui asked, dumping another pile of beef. Yu Junqing glanced at his method of eating—it was… intense. Calculating his acting salary versus the cost of the meat, he calmly added more beef.
Bo Rui then returned to the task of shoving mushrooms back at Ren Qingyun, ensuring both men finished their meals.
“Rui Ge,” Yu Junqing suddenly whispered in a deep, seductive voice, “I’m leaving for a month tomorrow. Don’t you miss me?”
Bo Rui realized that beneath Yu Junqing’s usual air of innocence and clumsiness, he was just as much of a man as he was.
“I do!” Bo Rui said, effortlessly lifting the still-slender man. Yu Junqing’s long legs wrapped around his waist, and the warmth between them heated the entire room.