With Zong Xuan away from home, Xu Tang rarely went out either, spending his days as a full-fledged homebody. Every day he surfed the internet, watched movies, listened to music, chatted with friends for a while… His life was simple and repetitive, but he genuinely enjoyed it. The only thing that bothered him was that he couldn’t play the piano, which left his fingers itching.
That afternoon, Kang Duo came by to bring him some fruit and, while she was there, brought him two job offers.
The first was from the director of the movie Zong Xuan was currently filming. The director wanted Xu Tang to write and perform the movie’s theme song. Since Zong Xuan was the lead actor, having Xu Tang sing the theme would undoubtedly generate buzz. It could practically be considered free pre-release publicity.
Xu Tang had been especially inspired these past few days. Although he couldn’t write music by hand, he had been recording all of his ideas as voice memos. Writing and singing a song for the film wouldn’t be a problem at all.
“Sure. Ask the director to send me the movie synopsis first so I can get a feel for it,” Xu Tang said.
Whenever he wrote songs for films or TV dramas, Xu Tang always requested the story beforehand so he could compose something that best suited the work.
“Okay. I’ll contact the director as soon as I get back,” Kang Duo nodded before continuing. “The other thing is that Mi Jing’s program wants you as a guest. Do you want to do it?”
Mi Jing was one of the country’s top television hosts. She had her own interview show called Through Love, which had consistently ranked among the top three interview programs in ratings.
Mi Jing was humorous, and her interview topics were famously bold. Ever since becoming a mother, she had become even more uninhibited. Because of that, her program was only released online, with young audiences making up most of the viewership.
Xu Tang rarely appeared on interview programs anymore, though he had accepted an interview with Mi Jing several years ago. At the time, she had still been the star host of a television station and hadn’t gone independent yet, so her hosting style had been quite different from what it was now.
Back then, every interview had followed a script. But if Xu Tang went on her show now, it would probably be impossible to keep everything under control.
“What do you think?” Xu Tang didn’t particularly mind either way. Since Kang Duo had brought it up, she obviously thought the opportunity had value.
“This is how I see it. From the way things look now, you and Zong Xuan are getting along pretty well, which means the chances of divorce are very low. So instead of focusing on your personal PR, I think it’d be more effective—and more necessary—to promote your relationship in a positive light.
“Zong Xuan did say he wouldn’t stage publicity stunts or use your relationship for hype, but that was directed at Wen Hui’s team. If you’re willing to do a little positive publicity for the two of you, Wen Hui would probably be thanking you instead. So, thinking about your future together, I think you should do this show.
“Besides, both of you have been posting on Weibo pretty frequently lately. Your fans are crying for more every day, waiting to be fed relationship content. This would be a great chance to satisfy them.
“My only concern is… what if Mi Jing asks questions that are too bold? What if you can’t handle them?” Kang Duo explained her thoughts.
Mi Jing’s Through Love was famous for never using scripts or discussing questions beforehand. Everything was improvised on the spot.
That unpredictability was exactly what audiences loved.
After thinking it over, Xu Tang said, “Then I’ll do it. With my hand injured, I haven’t had any real public exposure anyway. I’ll treat it as a chance to promote myself. If Sister Mi asks something I can answer, I’ll answer it. If I can’t, I’ll just play dumb and let post-production edit it however they want. Tell the production team beforehand too—if there’s anything I can’t respond to, they can handle it themselves.”
Being famous always came with certain privileges. If he were only a little-known celebrity outside the second tier, he would never dare make such a request.
“Okay. I’ll let the production team know. If they can’t agree to it, then we’ll just forget it.” Kang Duo didn’t want to put Xu Tang in an uncomfortable position. There was no need.
“Mm.”
Kang Duo stayed a little longer before leaving.
Xu Tang picked up his phone and sent Zong Xuan a message.
Xu Tang: Your director asked me to write the movie’s theme song. Was that your suggestion?
Zong Xuan replied almost immediately.
Zong Xuan: Baby, do you think I’d abuse my authority for personal gain, or do you just not believe in your own talent?
Xu Tang: No… It’s just that I’d never heard anything about it before. Kang Duo suddenly came to tell me today, so I was surprised.
Zong Xuan: The director wanted to invite you a long time ago. He was just wondering whether, considering our relationship, you’d give him a five-percent discount.
Xu Tang: …Stop making things up…
Zong Xuan: No, actually he was hoping for a family discount.
Xu Tang: Is the production short on funding?
Zong Xuan: Nope. So I turned him down.
Xu Tang: Mm. I’ve had no work lately. I’m really poor!
Zong Xuan: Didn’t I already give you my bank card? Go ahead and use it.
Xu Tang: …I have money.
Zong Xuan: I know. But use mine anyway. I’ll feel better if you spend my money.
Xu Tang: …You’ll probably cry when you see the credit card bill.
Zong Xuan: I won’t. You can just repay me with yourself.
Xu Tang: Then I’d better keep spending my own money.
Zong Xuan: You’re really not going to give me any face, huh? There’s not much worth bringing back from Maple Mountain City anyway. I don’t even know what souvenirs to buy you. If there’s anything you want or anything you’re craving, just buy it. Use my card.
Xu Tang: Got it.
He answered him, but whether he would actually use the card was another matter. Knowing Zong Xuan’s feelings was enough for him.
The next day was the Lantern Festival.
Xu Tang returned to his family’s home, planning to stay there for one night before going back the following day. He had already arranged with Zong Xuan that they would video chat while eating tangyuan together that evening.
“Things still going well with Zong Xuan lately?” Xu Zhou asked directly over dinner.
He had seen the Valentine’s Day news as well. It had reassured him somewhat, but he still didn’t think it was enough. His younger brother deserved to be cherished and pampered even more.
“Pretty well.” Xu Tang smiled.
He wasn’t used to talking about himself, so his answers were always brief.
“Has Zong Xuan met up with that Teng Yizheng again?”
“No.” From the New Year holiday until Zong Xuan returned to the film set, he had been with Xu Tang every day. He never hid his phone calls either, so Xu Tang knew who was calling. There hadn’t been a single call from Teng Yizheng. “Oh, we did run into him outside on Valentine’s Day, but nobody spoke. We just walked past him.”
Xu Zhou nodded.
“Good. But I think Teng Yizheng will contact Zong Xuan again. His startup still hasn’t taken off. He’s poured a lot of money into it, but after the Zong Corporation publicly announced they wouldn’t cooperate with him, his previous investors all pulled out too. I imagine it’ll be difficult for him to keep going now.”
Xu Tang suddenly remembered seeing Teng Yizheng at the café that day. The person he had been meeting was probably either another investor preparing to withdraw or someone who had decided not to cooperate.
“I got it. We’ll see how Zong Xuan handles it when the time comes.” Honestly, it wasn’t something Xu Tang could interfere with. All he could do was listen.
“Mm.” Xu Zhou only wanted to give Xu Tang a heads-up so he’d be mentally prepared.
As for Fu Yi, Xu Zhou had already taken care of it. That man would never appear before Xu Tang again.
In fact, before Xu Zhou had made his move, he’d already heard that Zong Xuan had spoken to the right people. Even if Xu Zhou had done nothing, Fu Yi probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer. Xu Zhou had simply made him disappear even faster.
Fu Yi’s scheme had been risky, though admittedly somewhat clever. Unfortunately, he had stirred up the wrong kind of scandal, and Xu Zhou had no intention of letting him off.
There was no need to tell Xu Tang about such a trivial matter. Seeing his younger brother in such good spirits, Xu Zhou only hoped he could stay happy.
Xu Tang and Zong Xuan had agreed to video chat at eight o’clock that evening.
But at seven-thirty, Xu Tang received a video call from Zong Xuan.
Xu Tang had just finished showering and was curled up on the couch listening to music.
“Why are you so early?” Xu Tang asked with a smile.
Zong Xuan had said filming wouldn’t end too late that day, but since it was the Lantern Festival, the cast was having a small gathering, which was why they’d planned for eight. He hadn’t expected Zong Xuan to call half an hour early.
“I left right after dinner. I was going to take a shower before calling you, but then I checked my phone and saw my older brother’s Weibo post. It feels… kind of surreal.”
Zong Xuan was also lying on a sofa. His makeup had already been removed, but he was still ridiculously handsome.
“What official Weibo post?” Xu Tang hadn’t been paying attention.
“So calm, huh? Go take a look. I think we’ll probably have the same reaction.” Zong Xuan sighed helplessly.
Xu Tang opened Weibo on his computer.
Earlier that evening, Zong Huang had posted:
Regarding the previous rumors that Shi Duo advanced his career through the casting couch, I would like to make the following statement: Shi Duo is my partner. We’ve been together for nearly a year. We are in a committed relationship, not a casting-couch arrangement. I have never interfered with or participated in any of Shi Duo’s work. I know better than anyone what kind of person he is, and I know he has never accepted such arrangements. I hope Shi Duo can continue doing what he loves and receive even more people’s recognition and support. Happy Lantern Festival.
Zong Huang rarely updated his Weibo, but his verified account spoke for itself. No one doubted his identity.
People who rarely spoke publicly often carried the greatest credibility.
Xu Tang had known about Zong Huang and Shi Duo for quite some time, but they had never announced their relationship publicly. After the rumors about Shi Duo accepting casting-couch favors had been suppressed, the issue had faded from public discussion, so Xu Tang had stopped paying attention—and forgotten to mention it to Zong Xuan.
“My brother told me about this before…” Xu Tang repeated everything Xu Zhou had told him at the time.
“When my big brother decides to keep a secret, I’m honestly impressed.” Zong Xuan really was shocked. His brother hadn’t leaked even the slightest hint, then suddenly announced everything publicly.
When Zong Huang made something public, it usually meant it was already settled.
Zong Xuan wondered when their parents had found out. He doubted they’d known much earlier than he had.
“This is nice, though. Big Brother deserves to have someone by his side.” Xu Tang smiled. “Is Shi Duo still on your film set?”
“No. He already finished filming.”
If Shi Duo were still around, Zong Xuan thought things would probably feel awkward. A junior actor suddenly becoming his future sister-in-law… it was a strangely bizarre feeling.
Xu Tang settled back onto the sofa.
“That’s a shame. I was thinking you could start building a good relationship with him ahead of time.”
Zong Xuan laughed helplessly.
“I’ll wait until Big Brother officially brings him home.”
“Fair enough.”
After that, Zong Xuan turned the conversation back to Xu Tang.
Xu Tang answered every question.
Although the questions were almost the same every day, that steady concern always made Xu Tang happy, and he enjoyed chatting with Zong Xuan for a while about nothing in particular.
“If it’s inconvenient staying at the villa by yourself, just move back home for a few days. I’ll come pick you up after I get back,” Zong Xuan said.
Once someone truly mattered to you, you couldn’t help worrying about them—whether they’d eaten well, slept well, whether they were happy, whether they’d gotten hurt…
There was always something to worry about.
“It’s fine. Staying at home is no different from staying at the villa. My brothers are out during the day anyway, so no one’s taking care of me there either.”
“All right then.”
Zong Xuan silently resolved to finish filming as quickly as possible so he could return sooner. That way he wouldn’t have to keep worrying while being unable to do anything.
The two of them talked for more than two hours.
Only after they had finished eating tangyuan together through their phones did they finally end the video call.
After washing up, Xu Tang went to bed early.
Before sleeping, he casually checked Weibo and saw that Zong Xuan had reposted Zong Huang’s announcement.
He chuckled to himself.
In Zong Xuan’s heart, Zong Huang still carried all the authority of an older brother. Whatever important statement his big brother made, the younger brother would obediently support it.
His phone wallpaper had already been changed to a photo of Zong Xuan.
Before, Xu Tang had been too embarrassed to use it openly.
Now, at last, he could display it without reservation.
Looking at the smiling Zong Xuan on his screen, Xu Tang couldn’t help smiling as well.
Then he pulled the blanket snugly around himself and drifted peacefully off to sleep.