Based on Ming Qi’s newest understanding of Yu Qinzhou’s terrible personality, his instincts told him this voice message absolutely should not be opened.
But the unknown was often the most tempting thing.
Curiosity crushed what little rationality remained. His fingertip tapped the short voice clip.
Against the soft female foreign-language background music, the man’s voice sounded thoroughly soaked in alcohol. His lowered laugh carried a faint rasp, scratching lightly against Ming Qi’s ears until they tingled.
The deliberately drawn-out tone and the emphasized “baby” slammed straight into Ming Qi’s chest, making his heart pound wildly.
He threw the phone aside and collapsed backward onto the sofa, pressing the back of his hand against his burning face.
Meanwhile, in a foreign country—
dim lighting above the booth faintly illuminated the young man sitting in the corner. Yu Qinzhou’s long fingers hooked loosely around a glass as he lifted his eyes toward Hansen, who was frantically messaging Xi Yixiu across from him.
Hansen: Oh my god, Yu really has changed. He actually called his partner “baby”!
Hansen: Dear Lord! I can’t imagine such a clingy pet name coming out of his mouth!
Hansen: Buddha above, Jade Emperor above—if the people from school saw him like this, they’d think he got possessed!
Xi Yixiu, buried in paperwork, suddenly saw the flood of messages. His irritation faded slightly, though his expression turned rather speechless.
Xi Yixiu: What exactly have you been watching lately? First “oh my god,” now “Buddha and Jade Emperor”?
Hansen: Journey to the West. The 1983 version. Extremely good. Strongly recommend.
Hansen: But that’s not the point, understand?
Xi Yixiu casually tossed aside a signed document, set his phone in front of him, and sent a voice message.
“I understand perfectly. What’s there not to understand? He may never have dated before, but he’s seen plenty. And that’s thanks to you, Young Master Hansen, who dates three people a month.”
Hansen: ……
Hansen put down his phone, interpreting this as recognition of his personal charm. His green eyes immediately filled with concern for his friend.
“Yu, if you run into any relationship difficulties in the future, you can always come to me. I’d be very happy to help.”
Yu Qinzhou merely glanced at him with a half-smile.
“There’s one thing Xi Yixiu got wrong,” he said lazily. “I’m simply naturally talented. It has nothing to do with you.”
Hansen froze. “What does that mean? You even want to compete over this?”
Yu Qinzhou very obviously did mean exactly that.
He drained the last mouthful of liquor from his glass, stood, and smoothed out the slight wrinkles in his shirt.
“Dinner’s eaten. Drinks are done. I’m heading back.”
Hansen lowered his head to look at his watch. They hadn’t even been at the bar for an hour. He’d already checked tonight’s performance schedule for the venue.
“That’s too early. They invited a really famous singer tonight, and he hasn’t even gone on stage yet.”
Yu Qinzhou leaned his waist casually against the booth sofa, one arm half-raised.
“You can pay him to come again another day. I’m sure he’d be happy to.”
Though the performance wasn’t exactly essential, Hansen still felt puzzled.
“Why are you going back so early? You can’t sleep anyway, and your partner isn’t even here.”
“That’s exactly why I said my talent has nothing to do with you.”
Hansen vaguely understood now. “You people call this male virtue, right? You really are a perfect-score student.”
…
Over the following days, the farce involving Le Siyan and Lu Yongning finally came to an end.
Of course, what ended alongside it were the careers of both men.
Every brand associated with them released announcements terminating endorsement contracts. Even the drama that had already been scheduled for broadcast was forced to postpone its release, causing fans of the collaborating actors to complain nonstop.
“I think the Mou Tianxia crew is now a complete mess. Several investors have already pulled out.” Meng She called Ming Qi. Ming Qi tossed his phone onto the bed, turned on speaker mode, and pulled out a suitcase to pack clothes.
Tomorrow he was going to join the set.
“That Director Liu perfectly embodies what it means to bring disaster on yourself.” If he hadn’t worked with Shi Yong, he wouldn’t have gotten entangled with Lu Yongning. At the very least, Lu Yongning’s scandals could have been suppressed for a while—lasting until the drama aired wouldn’t have been a problem.
“Cause and effect, that’s all it is.” Ming Qi pulled a kitten out of the wardrobe and echoed Meng She.
Meng She heard Xiao Ba’s soft, spoiled-sounding meows, and the topic shifted to Xiao Ba. “You’re going to film, and I’m going with you too. What about Xiao Ba?”
“Leave it at Mr. Yu’s villa. Cen Jing will help take care of it.”
Meng She sighed again. “Mr. Yu and Mr. Cen are really too nice. When we get back from Jiang City, we should bring them some local specialties.”
Ming Qi pinched Xiao Ba’s little paws and smiled. “Sure. I remember Jiang City’s dried fruits are quite famous, not too sweet either. We can go check out the market then.”
The next morning, Meng She drove to West Scenic Bay, then went with Ming Qi into Mr. Yu’s driver’s car to the airport. They didn’t arrive especially early—Bu Hongfang and Huai Manyun were already sitting in massage chairs in the waiting lounge, drinking coffee. When they saw Ming Qi arrive, they quickly waved. “Morning, Ming Qi.”
“Morning.” Ming Qi greeted them and sat down beside Bu Hongfang. “Are Fu Yu and the others not here yet?”
“Xiao Jiang went to Tong City to cover an emergency shoot last night. Fu Yu went with him.”
Ming Qi understood.
He had only realized those two were a couple after adding Jiang Pengyi and Fu Yu on WeChat that day—no wonder they often came and went together.
The flight from Beijing to Jiang City wasn’t a large aircraft, and there was no internet. Before takeoff, Ming Qi sent Mr. Yu a message saying [departed], then switched to airplane mode and opened a downloaded movie stored on his phone.
Bu Hongfang, sitting beside him, had originally planned to nap. As he pulled his cap down, he caught a glimpse of a strikingly handsome face on the screen and immediately perked up. “You’re watching a film by Lu Fengjing? You’re his fan?”
Lu Fengjing’s name had once resounded across the entire country.
It was a pity—talent is often envied by heaven.
“Yeah. Brother Bu is too?”
Bu Hongfang rubbed his chin and smiled. “People in our line of work are rarely not Lu Fengjing fans, right? Even if not exactly fans, they’re usually admirers. Honestly, I became an actor because of Lu Fengjing.”
As he spoke, his tone turned nostalgic. “I remember when I was in elementary school, I wrote an essay called My Dream. I wrote that I wanted to be an actor—and that I wanted to act alongside Lu Fengjing. My mom liked him too; that essay is still framed in my bedroom.”
Ming Qi had already watched that film many times. He could recite every line with his eyes closed. At that moment, listening to Bu Hongfang, his gaze rested on that eternally young and handsome face, and he gave a quiet smile.
…
After the opening ceremony, the Lying Undercover crew began official filming.
Ming Qi had many scenes in the early stage. Every day he carried his small stool and script to study intensely, and when he had free time he would go watch Bu Hongfang and others’ scenes. After a couple of days of such high-intensity work, Meng She noticed something and looked at his face. “Have you lost weight?”
“Seems like it.” Zhang Cong frowned as he looked over. “Eat it back.”
Ming Qi: “……”
Meng She laughed and said, “Director Zhang sounds a bit like a domineering CEO there.” Then he looked down and ordered food on a delivery app suited to Ming Qi’s taste.
At night, Meng She pushed open Ming Qi’s room door.
The Lying Undercover production was generous, booking the best hotel near the film city for the actors. Ming Qi wasn’t high enough in status for a top-tier suite, but he still got a decent room: a spacious bed inside and a living room outside. Meng She placed a thermos on the coffee table and, noticing faint water sounds from the bathroom, didn’t rush him. He sat on the sofa and turned on the TV to wait.
A few minutes later, Ming Qi walked out with a soft towel draped over his head and looked at the thermos in surprise. “Delivery here comes this high-end?”
“Who delivers food with a thermos?” Meng She chuckled. “It’s fan love that comes with a thermos.”
Ming Qi narrowed his eyes. “Meng-ge, didn’t you say recently that I should stay away from fans’ lives?”
Meng She said righteously, “Mr. Yu doesn’t count.”
At the mention of those three words, Ming Qi paused while drying his hair. He looked at the dark thermos again, uncertain. “What do you mean? Mr. Yu made this?”
“What are you thinking? He’s abroad on business. But he saw my complaint on WeChat Moments and privately contacted me. He had an auntie prepare soup and send it over.”
So that was it.
Ming Qi bent down and opened the thermos. The aroma of chicken soup immediately filled the air. He narrowed his eyes slightly and inhaled softly, feeling warmth spread in his chest.
He turned and said to Meng She, “I’ll go get a bowl.”
Ming Qi brought out two bowls and shared it with Meng She.
After Meng She finished, he went back to his room to rest. Ming Qi sat on the soft carpet, first sent a photo of the soup to Mr. Yu, then watched a video Cen Jing had sent of Xiao Ba. Finding it amusing, he forwarded it to Mr. Yu again.
77.: Xiao Ba can live well even without its two Daddies.
Y: After all, it has no heart and no worries.
Ming Qi smiled with his lips pressed together.
Y: Is the chicken soup good? I’ll have the auntie make something else tomorrow.
77.: It’s good, but it feels like a lot of trouble.
Y: She’s paid well enough, she’s happy to do it. I asked Meng She, and he said your hotel is fine. If it’s not comfortable, you can directly go to one of my properties.
77.: No need, it’s pretty good here.
Y: Mm.
With Yu Qinzhao’s “mm,” the room fell into silence. Ming Qi rested his chin on one hand, poking his profile picture, and without noticing it turned into [I patted “Mr. Yu” and said, I miss you].
Ming Qi: “……?!”