“How’s it going?” Wang Jin paced anxiously around the room, all traces of his usual calm composure gone, replaced with the kind of obvious restlessness that anyone could see.
Wang Shilin casually handed Lin Qing a freshly washed apple before addressing his father.
“Why are you so worked up? The movie just premiered—it’s not like you can fast-forward time and get the numbers immediately,” he said. He didn’t particularly want to lecture his father, but the problem was that ever since the premiere, Wang Jin had been going on and on about the first-day box office. But! The day wasn’t even over yet! No matter how impatient he was, the results would only come tomorrow.
Seeing Wang Shilin so calm, even having the leisure to be a bit sharp-tongued, Wang Jin couldn’t help but stomp over and give him a playful headbutt. Wang Shilin clutched his forehead in pain, staring at his father in disbelief. What on earth was he doing?
Wang Jin’s mood immediately lifted at the sight of Wang Shilin’s pitiful expression. He grabbed Lin Qing to stop him from intervening, saying, “Eat your apple and ignore him. He’s asking for a lesson.”
Lin Qing, half-amused and half-exasperated at the father-son antics, quietly ate his apple. After all, it was their family business—one willing to hit, one willing to take it—and he didn’t have much say in it.
Feeling ignored by Lin Qing, Wang Shilin’s mood soured. He couldn’t help but retort to his father.
“What lesson? It’s just facts! The day isn’t even over yet, and you’re pacing around for no reason. You’d be better off getting some sleep. Wake up tomorrow and you’ll see the results. Isn’t that much better?” He spoke sincerely. Filming hadn’t taken that long, but with post-production, promotions, approvals, and all the other tasks, he was completely exhausted. His father’s reputation was useful, but he needed to leave his own impression on others—he couldn’t rely on his father forever.
So, even though Wang Shilin appeared calm on the outside, inside he was more anxious than anyone. But being anxious didn’t help; time wouldn’t speed up no matter how restless he felt. To know the outcome, they simply had to wait for tomorrow.
Fortunately, they had gotten off to a good start. At the premiere, the critics’ reviews were favorable, which meant more people would choose to watch the movie in theaters. Plus, the film had comedic elements that most people would enjoy, so there was no need to worry too much.
With their aggressive promotion efforts, the results shouldn’t be bad either.
Wang Jin shot him a glance, knowing all this, but he couldn’t help feeling anxious.
“I need to call some people and check,” Wang Jin said, pacing again. Lin Qing quietly finished his apple as Wang Jin, unable to contain himself, decided to phone a few cinema managers he knew to get an update on the screening situation.
Muttering to himself, he hurried upstairs to his room. His phone had died while he’d been scrolling through the news in the morning.
Lin Qing watched the old man fly up the stairs and then looked at Wang Shilin, still staring at him, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“I feel like your dad treats you like a three-year-old!”
Wang Shilin, seeing Lin Qing’s mischievous expression, leaned over and bit his apple-scented lips, finally feeling a bit resigned.
“More than that. Sometimes he practically treats me like I’m two. If it weren’t for his health, I’m pretty sure he’d want to teach me everything by hand.”
Lin Qing laughed at the description. Indeed, the old man seemed to have a mental barrier with his son. Every time he looked at Wang Shilin, the expression was complex, like seeing both a three-year-old and a thirty-year-old at once. Perhaps because they hadn’t spent much time together, discussing work was fine—they treated him like a partner. But when father-son matters came up, he instantly became a doting dad, as if stepping into that role twenty years late.
Lin Qing laughed so hard he nearly rolled off the oversized sofa in their small duplex.
“You little rascal,” Wang Shilin said, annoyed, and pounced, ruffling Lin Qing’s carefully styled hair.
“What are you doing!” Lin Qing exclaimed, quickly rescuing his hair and checking the mirror on his phone. “What a mess! Can this even be seen in public?”
“Tch, want a piece of you,” Wang Shilin whispered, glancing upstairs to make sure no one was around before leaning in close to Lin Qing’s ear.
“Get lost!” Lin Qing yelled, stomping on his foot to push him away. Luckily, Wang Shilin was wearing white socks, or tonight… Wang Shilin pinched his nose and got up, leaving the utterly shameless person at home with a sly smile on his face.
“Got it!” Wang Jin suddenly appeared on the upstairs railing, his face flushed with excitement, and shouted down to the two bickering below, laughing out loud.
“Got what?” Wang Shilin asked, realizing his father probably had news, but he still asked.
“What else? I just called a few people. They said the feedback so far is great. At our screenings, the whole theater is laughing, tickets are almost sold out! Even their popcorn is nearly gone!” Wang Jin cheerfully came downstairs, visibly relaxed, and even asked, “What do you two want to eat tonight? I’ll cook! Show you a thing or two!”
Wang Shilin, just processing the good news, connected the dots when his father asked.
“Lin Qing…”
Σ(°△°) That was Wang Jin.
(ノへ￣、) That was Lin Qing.
Wang Shilin finally realized what he’d said and quickly cleared his throat. “Uh… hotpot. Something festive.”
Wang Jin nodded, keeping a kindly smile, then suddenly realized—this kid was okay with saying this in front of him. That’s good, right? No barriers, no generation gap.
He happily splashed the vegetables he was washing with cold water, feeling proud. When Lin Qing first arrived, he instinctively called him “daughter-in-law.” Now it seemed he’d done the right thing.
Wang Jin sighed, thinking that although he didn’t fully understand why his child preferred men, it was no big deal. Plenty of men liked men now. In their circle, many directors staged interactions between actors to attract fans; it wasn’t unusual.
The child wasn’t the issue—financial matters could be handled. Wang Jin felt proud seeing Lin Qing, who was filial, capable, and perfectly matched with Shilin. Most importantly, the son was doing well.
He smiled quietly, humming a little tune, feeling… happy.
Meanwhile, thanks to Wang Jin’s inquiries, everyone finally relaxed. On the other side, Yu Junqing had nearly forgotten all about the movie.
He blushed furiously, embarrassed, watching Rui pick up various lubricants and condoms off the floor, giving him odd looks.
Seriously! He’d accidentally fallen asleep! Worse, he’d dropped the bag tucked in his clothes! A nightmare!
“I thought you weren’t ready yet,” Bo Rui said with a sigh, having cherished this person and therefore never rushed things. But now? His precious one seemed anxious instead.
Yu Junqing sheepishly rubbed his nose, then admitted, “This… is a birthday gift…” Though it was quite different from the original plan…
Bo Rui’s eyes instantly changed. Yu Junqing noticed the normally gentle and calm gaze turn wild and possessive, scanning certain areas unabashedly. In that instant, the two nearly forgot—they were in a cinema.