Ming Qi’s indecisiveness struck again.
He stood in front of the straw stand frowning and thinking for half the day. The stall owner, with sharp eyes, immediately saw what he was struggling with and smilingly suggested, “Just buy one of each. Ours are cheap. Eight yuan a skewer, twenty for three. And the ingredients are all really good too—fresh fruit from the same day, absolutely not a single bad one. Guaranteed after eating once you’ll want a second time.”
The owner thoughtfully removed one skewer. “Want to try one? No need to pay.”
Ming Qi quickly waved his hands and was just about to speak when the man, originally several steps behind him, walked over with long strides. Nodding slightly to the owner, he said in a low voice, “Three skewers, all different flavors.”
Ming Qi abruptly turned his head toward him. “I can’t finish them.”
Yu Qinchou scanned the payment code. “I’ll eat them.”
“Didn’t you say they were too sweet?”
“It’s rare to get sick of sweetness once after so many years.” Yu Qinchou took the packaged candied fruit skewers from the owner and asked him, “Which one do you want to eat first?”
“The grape one. That one looks really good.”
The grape candied fruit skewer wasn’t large, but the grapes were such a deep purple they were almost black. The moment he bit into it, the sugar shell cracked crisply. Sweetness blended into the slightly tart grape juice and flesh, the two flavors mixing perfectly together. Ming Qi’s eyes immediately lit up. Subconsciously, he turned to share the candied fruit with Yu Qinchou, but quickly stopped himself.
Then after hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Do you want to taste it first? This one might not be that sweet.”
While speaking, his mask wasn’t worn tightly. Syrup stuck to the corner of his lips before quickly being licked away.
Yu Qinchou slowly withdrew his gaze. His long fingers hooked the mask strap and pulled it down, but he showed no intention of lifting his hand. Ming Qi immediately understood what he meant, and very quickly held the candied fruit horizontally to his lips.
Yu Qinchou bit into the grape, tasting it for a moment before commenting, “Not bad.”
Ming Qi curved his eyes into a smile. “Looks like the owner didn’t lie.”
As they walked along the small street, besides all kinds of snacks there were also stalls selling decorative trinkets. Ming Qi only glanced at them twice before withdrawing his gaze, which then settled on the lively ring toss game.
The prizes were incredibly abundant—there were even big white geese.
Ming Qi leaned against the simple railing custom-made by the ring toss stall owner, watching the big white geese honk loudly. When Yu Qinchou walked to his side, he suddenly said, “That big white goose is so fat. It looks really delicious.”
Yu Qinchou: “…?”
That was definitely unexpected.
Yu Qinchou bought a bundle of rings and waved them at Ming Qi. “Then let’s win one and take it home? Have the chef make braised goose for you.”
Coincidentally, a couple stood beside them. The man, around thirty years old, had three rings hanging around his wrist and one in his right hand. Just as he was aiming at the distant big white goose, he suddenly heard Yu Qinchou’s words and immediately turned to look over. His gaze swept over the excellent-looking faces of Yu Qinchou and Ming Qi, both hidden behind masks, before he sneered, “You sure know how to brag.”
The girl standing beside him awkwardly smiled apologetically at the two of them, then tugged at her boyfriend’s sleeve. “Stop talking already. Hurry up, throw the remaining four rings, and let’s go.”
The man shook off her hand. “What’s the rush? Let’s see if he can actually ring the goose.”
Their conversation wasn’t loud, but Ming Qi and Yu Qinchou heard it clearly. Ming Qi also tugged Yu Qinchou’s sleeve, causing the man to slightly lean closer. Then the young man’s indignant voice sounded in his ear: “Win it and show him! Make him mad!”
Yu Qinchou laughed softly. “You really have a lot of confidence in me.”
Ming Qi looked back at him with a rather astonished expression. “You’re Yu Qinchou.”
Ring toss should just be a minor problem, right?
No one disliked hearing words like that, and Yu Qinchou was no exception. He raised a hand to rub Ming Qi’s hair and lifted a brow at him. “Hope I won’t disappoint you.”
Yu Qinchou’s posture while throwing rings was noticeably different from the man next to him. The other man bent his body inward over the railing to shorten the distance and better control the angle. Stretching his arms farther, he could almost reach the nearest prizes. Even so, every ring he threw always barely missed the big white goose.
Yu Qinchou, however, was completely different. Tall and long-legged, he stood casually by the railing. He merely lifted his right arm slightly and tossed toward the distance as if carelessly, seeming not to have even observed carefully.
Seeing this, the man laughed. “I thought you were so amazi—”
The smile on his face froze as the red ring slid perfectly around the big white goose’s neck.
He sharply turned toward Yu Qinchou. Though the man wore a mask, the mocking meaning still leaked clearly from the curve of his brows. “Sorry, but I really am a little better than you.”
Twenty yuan bought thirty rings. By the time Yu Qinchou landed the third one, that man had already slunk away in embarrassment. As for Yu Qinchou himself, after landing the fifth ring, he handed all the remaining rings to Ming Qi. Completely opposite from Yu Qinchou, Ming Qi was accurate every throw—
Accurately throwing them away.
“At least it wasn’t a complete loss.” Ming Qi happily looked at the anime keychain in his hand and handed it to Yu Qinchou. “This is for you. The owner said it’s authentic, and I checked—there’s no problem.”
Then he asked, “What about the big white geese?”
Yu Qinchou lowered his head to examine the keychain. It was from an anime he recognized, though the design looked extremely childish. He said nothing, simply slipped it carefully into the pocket of his hoodie before replying, “I’ll have my assistant come take the geese home.”
There were five geese in total. The stall owner looked so heartbroken he was almost in tears.
The special assistant Yu Qinchou contacted arrived very quickly, dressed in a highly formal custom-tailored suit, yet carrying five woven sacks in his hands. Facing the stall owner’s indescribable expression, the assistant’s own expression was equally complicated. He had never imagined that following Yu Qinchou would someday involve transporting big white geese home.
…Quite a fresh experience.
…
As they neared the hotel, Yu Qinchou asked Ming Qi, “What are your plans this afternoon?”
Normally, Ming Qi would definitely head to the film set. But today Yu Qinchou was here. Whether as Yu Qinchou’s partner or Yu Qinchou’s idol, he ought to accompany him.
Just as he was about to answer, Yu Qinchou spoke first: “How about going to the set to study like usual?”
Ming Qi froze briefly and looked into his eyes.
“You don’t need to specifically stay with me. We still have a long time ahead of us, but opportunities to learn like this are rare.” Yu Qinchou’s thin lips curved slightly. “Besides, I can handle some work matters at the hotel this afternoon.”
With that latter sentence added, Ming Qi stopped overthinking it. “Then tomorrow I’ll bring you around the set.”
“Do you have scenes tomorrow?”
“Mm. Almost all tomorrow’s scenes are mine, so Brother Meng might have to entertain you.”
“It’s okay. Your work is more important.”
The two parted at the hotel entrance. Ming Qi handed the remaining candied fruit skewers to Yu Qinchou before quickly hurrying to the set. Bu Hongfang, who had just finished filming a segment, looked somewhat surprised to see him. After waving him over, he asked, “Your fan left?”
“No, he had work come up suddenly, so I came first.”
Bu Hongfang didn’t think much of it and merely muttered, “Pretty busy,” before smiling and asking, “Want to visit the neighboring set? Your Best Actor Ji is over there today as a guest star. Let’s extort a dinner from him.”
But in the end, the dinner extortion failed because Ji Xinran was filming a night scene and simply had no time for dinner. However, because Bu Hongfang was being too annoying, Ji Xinran had his assistant order afternoon tea for everyone instead. Drinking full-sugar milk tea, Ji Xinran glanced at the grinning Bu Hongfang, who looked like a crazy dog, and reminded Ming Qi, “Spend less time with him, or you’ll get corrupted.”
“Bullshit. I don’t sleep around, and I pay my taxes on time. I’m extremely proper—a completely law-abiding citizen!”
Ji Xinran sucked up a pearl from his milk tea. “The law is only the minimum moral requirement for humans.”
Then he turned to Ming Qi. “Look at him. The first thing out of his mouth is ‘bullshit.’”
Back when he was on the set of Death Notice, Ming Qi had already become familiar with the interaction style between these two seniors. Just like Bu Hongfang and Zheng Liang, they were the love-hate type. He firmly refused to get involved and merely smiled while drinking milk tea.
After enjoying the free afternoon tea, Ming Qi stayed at the set for several more hours. Only after filming wrapped did he walk back toward the hotel together with Bu Hongfang and the others. Bu Hongfang asked if he wanted to have dinner together, but Ming Qi shook his head and declined. Knowing he still had that “fan” to entertain, Bu Hongfang didn’t insist. At the entrance, he waved while hooking an arm around Zheng Liang’s neck and walked away.
Ming Qi pushed open the door and entered the room, but he didn’t see Yu Qinchou in the living room. Slightly puzzled, he could only continue inward. When he pushed open the bedroom door, Yu Qinchou was half leaning against the bed with a laptop resting on his knees. Noticing Ming Qi enter, he smiled and asked, “Back already?”
Ming Qi nodded. “Mm. Are you hungry? Want to go eat dinner together?”
“I had the restaurant send food over. It should arrive in about ten minutes. What about you? Hungry? Want to eat something else to tide yourself over?” While speaking, Yu Qinchou casually glanced at the laptop screen. Xi Yixiu was currently repeating his earlier words in an extremely exaggerated, mocking tone: “‘What about you? Hungry? Want to eat something else to tide yourself over?’ Why don’t you ask whether we’re hungry? We’ve been in meetings for ages here!”
The people attending Yu Qinchou’s video meeting were all insiders. The group had never behaved seriously around each other. Yu Qinchou merely curled his lips slightly. “Everyone else can go rest now. You stay behind.”
Xi Yixiu: “…?!”
Yu Qinchou: “I think your mental state seems quite good, so finish processing today’s documents before you leave.”
With a snap, the laptop shut closed, revealing Ming Qi’s shocked eyes. “You were in a meeting?”
“Isn’t that my daily work?” Yu Qinchou casually set the laptop aside and walked to Ming Qi’s side, catching a faint milk tea scent from him. “You drank milk tea?”
“You can smell that?” Ming Qi was surprised. One of the milk teas hadn’t been sealed properly while being distributed and had spilled onto his clothes. He thought he had washed it clean enough already, yet Yu Qinchou smelled it the moment he got close.
“Best Actor Ji heard my fan came to visit the set, so he specifically told me to bring one back.”
“Fan?”
“…Is that wrong?” Ming Qi blinked innocently at him, his face clearly saying: You were the one who said it.
“Very correct. But shouldn’t an idol try their best to satisfy their fan’s wishes?”
“What wish do you have?”
“The idol should first say whether he’s willing to satisfy it.”
“……” Instinct told Ming Qi this was absolutely another trap Yu Qinchou had dug for him. But then Yu Qinchou seemed to notice his hesitation and thoughtfully added, “Relax. It’s not something difficult for you to do.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Ming Qi decided to trust him once.
…
Dinner suited Ming Qi’s tastes very well. But halfway through the meal, Meng She sent him a message asking whether he still wanted the pumpkin porridge. Only then did Ming Qi remember that the excuse from this morning was about to be exposed. He quickly replied: I already drank it. I packed some dishes from the restaurant today and left them in your room, ge. Remember to eat.
Meng She sent over a picture of Xiao Ba kowtowing, so moved he practically seemed about to cry: My baby, truly worthy of being my baby. My baby always has me in his heart. I’m super touched! Love you, my baby!
“‘Love you, my baby’?” As Yu Qinchou passed beside Ming Qi, the corner of his eye casually caught the content on the phone screen. His brows lifted slightly, his expression instantly turning meaningful. “So everyone else can say it, but I can’t?”
Ming Qi instinctively refuted, “That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
Ming Qi looked at him but couldn’t explain why. He could only stubbornly repeat, “It’s just different.”
Then he urged him, “Hurry up and eat. The dishes are getting cold.”
As he spoke, Ming Qi dragged over the snack bag Bu Hongfang’s assistant had delivered earlier. The boiled fish he had just eaten was a little spicy, so he needed to find a drink to relieve it. Yet what Ming Qi never expected was that before finding a drink, he first pulled out a box he had never seen before.
Taking it out for a look—
The box read: Ultra Thin Ultra Lubricated, Happiness Index 100%.
Ming Qi’s pupils shook violently: Why is there a box of condoms?!