By the time Ming Qi woke up in the morning, the hashtag #YuQinzhuoFilmCity had already vanished without a trace.
But the ripple effects only multiplied.
Fans seemed to understand it had been taken down by the Yu family and became more cautious, using nicknames instead of real names.
GoldenOsmanthusOolongTea: Stayed up all night and compiled all filming crews in Jiang City Film City. Hotel staff there are under strict confidentiality agreements—their mouths are tighter than my ex’s coffin lid. I also contacted some paparazzi, maybe we’ll dig something up.
Soon after, the account posted a list including the Undercover crew, several popular costume dramas, fantasy dramas, and even a big war historical production where Ji Xinran was guest-starring.
Later: Paparazzi said it was too late, they already finished work, nothing useful captured : )
[First time realizing Jiang City Film City has THIS many celebrities / blackout]
At the same time, Meng She happened to see the news.
He woke up, instinctively opened WeChat, and saw the Undercover crew group flooded with 99+ messages. Scrolling up, he saw the name “Yu Qinzhuo.”
His pupils widened.
“Holy sh—!”
President Yu came to see Ming Qi yesterday and got photographed?!
He rushed to Weibo. The trending topic was gone, but screenshots still circulated. After a closer look, he had to admit the photo was well taken—the atmosphere around Yu Qinzhuo was captured extremely well.
After confirming nothing linked Ming Qi to the rumor, he finally sighed in relief.
He quickly got up, brushed his teeth in seconds, and rushed to Ming Qi’s room.
Familiar routine: open the door, ignore the shoes at the entrance, eyes landing first on the orange-pink roses on the table. So it really was a gift.
He walked toward the bedroom while talking loudly:
“Qizai, are you up? Yesterday President Yu came to see you and got pho—”
He froze.
On the large bed, Yu Qinzhuo was half-reclined against the headboard.
Warm room light left him in a thin sleep shirt, collar slightly open, revealing a patch of pale skin like warm jade.
Meng She’s gaze drifted down.
A head was resting against his waist.
A second later, the figure shifted slightly, revealing a half-awake Ming Qi.
Silence.
Meng She forced a smile. “I think I came in wrong. I’ll go wash my face.”
He slammed the door and fled.
Outside, he stared blankly at the corridor.
“…I didn’t see anything, right?”
At that moment, the next door opened. Bo Hongfang stepped out yawning.
“What are you doing outside Ming Qi’s room early in the morning? Couples finally meeting after a long time, of course they’re staying together. They probably won’t come out today.”
“…Couples?”
“Or what, old married couple?”
Meng She: “……”
Inside the room, Ming Qi finally woke fully, eyes wide with shock as he looked at Yu Qinzhuo.
“…Was that Meng-ge just now?”
Yu Qinzhuo gently covered his slightly open mouth with his hand. “If I say no, do you believe it?”
Ming Qi: “……”
This is bad.
He scrambled up in panic, almost pressing his injured hand down again, but Yu Qinzhuo caught him by the back collar and lifted him slightly.
The man’s expression darkened.
“Careful.”
“Oh.” Ming Qi also knew he was being too anxious and gave a dry, perfunctory response.
Yu Qinzhou helped him prepare toothpaste and toothbrush. Ming Qi brushed his teeth while lowering his head to look at Meng She’s WeChat, but there was still no movement in the chat window. He carefully sent over a single period mark while holding the toothbrush in his mouth, but even after he finished brushing his teeth, there was still no reply.
He took a deep breath, tugged at the plush pajamas draped over him with his left hand, and poked his head out to Yu Qinzhou. “I’m going downstairs to find Meng-ge.”
“I’ll go with you?”
“No need, no need. I’ll go first.” Ming Qi rubbed his nose, picked up Meng She’s room card, and went down to the second floor. In the elevator, he ran into several staff members from the Undercover production crew. Ming Qi didn’t notice their somewhat strange expressions. He simply nodded and greeted them as usual, then hurriedly got off the elevator and swiped the card into Meng She’s room.
But unexpectedly, there was no one in the room.
Ming Qi was a bit at a loss and could only continue contacting him on WeChat.
This time, however, Meng She replied.
77.: Bro, where are you?
Meng Mom: Oh, I think my eyes and brain are both malfunctioning. I’m planning to go to the hospital for a checkup.
77.: ……Bro, come back, I’ll explain to you.
Half an hour later, Meng She was sitting on the sofa in Ming Qi’s suite living room. Opposite him were Ming Qi, who looked somewhat uneasy and was trying to sneak glances at him, and Yu Qinzhou, who was calm and composed as usual. Yu Qinzhou had his long legs crossed, and with a natural expression he picked up a glass of milk and handed it to Ming Qi’s lips. Ming Qi took it, bit the straw and drank a couple of sips before setting it down again, glancing at Meng She.
Meng She cleared his throat theatrically. “How long has it been?”
He had thought it through—
Yu Qinzhou had such excellent conditions, good looks, strong capability. It would be completely normal for him to put in a bit of effort and coax someone like Ming Qi, a lifelong single who had never dated before, into being utterly dazzled.
However, Meng She was still shocked by how fast Yu Qinzhou went from fan to boyfriend.
“…A while.” Ming Qi said dryly.
“How long is ‘a while’?” Meng She frowned. “Since the last time Mr. Yu came to visit the set?”
“Earlier than that.” Yu Qinzhou unexpectedly spoke up. His fingers lightly brushed over the young man’s tense back, and under Meng She’s shocked gaze he spoke unhurriedly, “We got married on the seventh day of this year.”
Bang.
Meng She suddenly stood up from the sofa and headed straight for the door, leaving Ming Qi staring blankly: “Bro, where are you going?”
Meng She: “I think my ears are also malfunctioning. I’m going to the hospital again.”
Ming Qi: “……”
Ming Qi poked Yu Qinzhou’s waist and lowered his voice. “Can you go to the bedroom first? I need to talk to Meng-ge properly.”
Yu Qinzhou looked at him. Ming Qi tilted his head up, his beautiful eyes carrying a hint of pleading—like the expression he used when asking Xiao Ba for snacks. Yu Qinzhou then stood up as he wished. “Call me when you’re done.”
Ming Qi obediently nodded.
After he left, Ming Qi pulled Meng She back. Before Meng She could speak, Ming Qi directly confessed everything.
“Something happened on New Year’s Eve. I had a fever, and he took me back home. Then he thought I was suitable, so we entered into a contractual marriage.”
Meng She felt like he was living in a dream and asked uncertainly, “Contractual marriage?”
The highest authority of the Yu family, running to the set for a visit, even specially coming again after the wrap-up—this is what city people call a contractual marriage?
“Mm. Didn’t I ask you about that contract marriage with a CEO before? I even asked you for a lawyer’s contact afterward.”
As soon as Ming Qi said this, Meng She remembered everything.
The house at West Scenic Bay, and—
“Taking a ride in a Cullinan?”
Ming Qi: “……”
Meng She really couldn’t let go of the Cullinan.
Ming Qi answered honestly, “Actually, he was sending me to an audition.”
Meng She: “…Then I have to say, he’s pretty good to you for a contractual partner. Even letting you play cosplay games with me.”
Ming Qi hugged a pillow and gave Meng She an apologetic smile. “I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. It was a hidden marriage to begin with. I was afraid you’d get drunk and accidentally spill it.”
Meng She recalled his own drunken performance in front of Bo Hongfang and the others, the corner of his eye twitching slightly as he gave an awkward laugh.
Well—that actually made sense.
Meng She glanced toward the bedroom. The door was tightly shut, nothing visible inside, but he could clearly remember what he saw over an hour ago when he broke in without knowing anything.
This so-called contractual marriage… somehow felt weird.