Chapter 50

The next day when Yan Zhao entered the group, he found a pack of sugar-coated chestnuts on his seat, wrapped in parchment paper, emitting the fragrant aroma of chestnuts.

Yan Zhao asked, “Whose is this?”

Stage manager: “Director Liu gave it to everyone, saying that today is the first day of work, and he hopes that every day in the future will be as sweet as these chestnuts.”

Director Liu is a middle-aged bald man who, from his appearance and belly, seems like the most ordinary office worker, but unexpectedly, he harbors the heart of a delicate and sweet little princess.

Yan Zhao nodded, shared the chestnuts with Zhong Ling and Xiao Dou, sent a message to Shen Yuanting saying, [I’ve started working,] and went to change into his costume.

After the dressing room door closed, He Shengqi sneaked up from the corner, his face full of anticipation: “Did he take it?”

Stage manager: “He took it, ate two, and gave the rest to his assistant.”

He Shengqi smiled brightly, and the dimples at the corners of his mouth also appeared.

The male god ate the sugar-coated chestnuts I gave him. My career as a fan is now without regrets!

The first scene Yan Zhao filmed was a scene opposite He Shengqi.

He Shengqi plays the second male lead, He Xi, born into a prestigious family with a military background, valuing martial prowess and looking down upon mere scholars who only talk but don’t act. The third male lead, Ye Guiqiu, is the only son of a high-ranking scholar-official in the Hanlin Academy, a talented scholar who looks down upon rough men who rely solely on brute strength.

The two meet at a tavern to meet friends but end up badmouthing each other, unaware that they are just separated by a wall, leading to an explosive confrontation…

The brawl marks the beginning of their complex relationship.

The first step of their showdown is exchanging harsh words.

He Shengqi stared at Yan Zhao and sneered, “You, a weak scholar with no strength, what skills do you have besides wagging your tongue? If you dare—”

Across from him, Yan Zhao looked at him coldly, anger smoldering in his dark eyes. His heart trembled, his tongue froze, and he couldn’t speak.

Ah, please, male god, don’t look at me with such icy eyes!!! My heart hurts so much!!!

Director Liu: “Let’s try again, He Shengqi, why are you so nervous? Is a bear chasing after you? Just relax!”

He Shengqi: “Okay…”

He took a deep breath, getting back into character.: “…if you have guts, then face me—”

But then he faltered, frantically adjusted his wig, and said to Yan Zhao and Director Liu,, “Wait, let me readjust.”

Yan Zhao “Hmm” in agreement and waited on the side.

He Shengqi quickly ran through his lines in his mind, feeling confident that he knew them by heart. As he silently recited the lines, his gaze drifted towards Yan Zhao, but once again, he faltered.

He Shengqi first thought, his male god is really good-looking.

Then he thought again, facing such a good-looking male god, how could he insult and provoke him instead of praising him and being respectful?!

Despite rehearsing with Yan Zhao several times, he couldn’t overcome his psychological barrier.

Yan Zhao frowned. He noticed that He Shengqi’s acting was excellent when performing with Zhou Yun, so why did it become awkward with him?

Could it be because He Shengqi dislikes himself?

Yan Zhao said, “Shengqi, don’t bring personal emotions into the scene.”

Seeing Yan Zhao’s frown, He Shengqi suddenly felt guilty. He was confident in his acting skills but didn’t realize he was lagging. The male god was right; although he’s a fan, on camera, there’s only the character, not the actor!

He couldn’t disappoint the male god anymore!

After He Shengqi figured it out, he felt a surge of clarity and smoothly completed the scene.

His acting was excellent, and Yan Zhao felt satisfied, smiling at him subconsciously.

Standing in place, He Shengqi felt a sense of fulfillment, as if bathed in divine light, with no regrets in this life. Excited, he smirked provocatively, saying, “Huh, your acting isn’t bad!”

Yan Zhao replied, “Oh, thanks,” not particularly pleased to be praised by someone who stumbled so many times.

Realizing his tone wasn’t right, He Shengqi quickly tried to rectify, showing a menacing look and said, “I mean, your acting is better than I expected!”

Yan Zhao, “???”

What did he mean? Why did he glare at me when he complimented me?

Is he challenging me??? Does he want to have an acting showdown with me???

Yan Zhao’s competitive spirit was aroused and he said coldly: “It’s too early to praise, I’m still a little off.”

He Shengqi exclaimed, “Oh!”

Even when not at his best, he acts so well. Truly worthy of being a male god!

In the following scenes, He Shengqi realized what a difference Yan Zhao’s “good condition” made… His acting was effortlessly natural, every move and gesture perfectly in sync with the character’s setting, while He Shengqi’s side seemed overly forced, crossing the line of moderation.

He Shengqi was crying in his heart, ‘Male god, please be nicer to me, I really didn’t mean it!’

Director Liu watched the monitor and couldn’t stop laughing. Both actors were giving stellar performances, and the filming results were outstanding.

As for He Shengqi, despite being forever in the supporting role, he was still the uncrowned king. But when it came to script delivery and emotional nuance, Yan Zhao was undoubtedly at the top of the industry.

Director Liu replayed the scene they just filmed. Yan Zhao, with his hair tied high and dressed in a red robe with golden embroidery, looked stunning and flamboyant. With a hint of arrogance and confidence in his slightly upturned peach blossom eyes, he uttered, “In terms of talent, I may temporarily step back to third place in the world, but in terms of appearance, I am undoubtedly the first.”

His words were arrogantly bold, and his proud yet confident gaze epitomized the renowned young talent he portrayed.

Director Liu remarked, “Beautifully done, beautifully done. Looks like I can relax as a director.”

…

After finishing filming, they headed home.

Outside the car window, the ginkgo trees had begun to turn yellow, transitioning from tender green to golden.

Yan Zhao called out to Xiao Dou, “Wait, let’s grab some breakfast.”

The car parked by the side of the road, and Yan Zhao stepped into the cake shop, treading on fallen leaves.

The shop was mainly decorated in white and pink, with a warm atmosphere and cheerful instrumental music playing. Inside the display case, there were various freshly baked desserts, filling the air with the sweet scent of cream.

Yan Zhao picked three slices of cheesecake, one for his late-night snack and two for Xiao Dou and Zhong Ling. He also grabbed a bag of whole wheat bread for tomorrow’s breakfast.

After paying, he turned around and happened to see an extremely beautiful woman, slightly bowing as she selected cakes.

She was wearing a new dress, still eye-catchingly bright red, her black hair flowing like seaweed.

Sensing Yan Zhao’s gaze, she looked up, her light-colored eyes were somewhat similar to Shen Yuanting’s, only Shen Yuanting’s features were a bit sharper.

Yu Wei glanced at the cakes in his hand and said, “The orange cheesecake from this shop is very famous. Are you buying it for Ting Ting?”

Yan Zhao replied, “It’s too sweet; he doesn’t eat it.”

Yu Wei said, “Oh, Ting Ting likes oranges, my mistake then.”

Yan Zhao thought, Does Shen Yuanting like oranges? He seems to eat all kinds of fruits. Besides seasonal fruits, most of the fruits in the house are the ones Yan Zhao likes. It’s hard to figure out the owner’s preferences.

I’ll have to ask him about it later!

Yu Wei smiled and casually tucked her hair behind her ear, saying, “But you’ve been with him for so long, and you still don’t know his taste?”

Yan Zhao wasn’t sure if he was being too sensitive or genuinely perceptive, but he caught a hint of provocation from that simple statement.

Yan Zhao: “Auntie reminded me that he always follows my lead in everything, which isn’t quite right.”

Yu Wei glanced at him with a hint of a smile: “He’s quite similar to Shen Zhuo in that aspect.”

Yan Zhao: “…” He couldn’t connect Shen Yuanting with that arrogant father-in-law.

He changed the subject: “Auntie, have you been in contact with Yuanting these days? Would you like to meet up sometime?”

Yu Wei looked surprised: “Why would I want to meet him?”

Yan Zhao: “Do you not miss him?”

Yu Wei smiled: “I haven’t thought about him in over ten years, it wouldn’t make sense to suddenly want to see him just because I’m back in the country.”

Yan Zhao: “…”

Based on their brief encounters, he couldn’t quite understand this woman’s thoughts.

Yu Wei picked her desserts, passing by him, a hint of bitter incense lingering in her hair: “You could also interpret it as… I dislike him, so I don’t want to hear anything about him.”

Her words lacked credibility, as if she deliberately wanted to provoke Yan Zhao into asking.

But Yan Zhao ignored her, after all, there’s no rule in the world that relatives must have affection for each other.

Yan Zhao: “In that case, please refrain from appearing in front of him.”

He knew it wasn’t right for him to interfere with Shen Yuanting and Yu Wei’s relationship, but Yu Wei’s tone…

He just couldn’t stand seeing Shen Yuanting getting upset.

Yu Wei glanced back at him with a smile: “Ah, it’s not up to me to decide that.”

As the young man wearing a duckbill cap and mask left, Yu Wei scanned the QR code to pay, coincidentally seeing a message from her boyfriend, gentle in tone, always putting her first.

Yet Yu Wei felt somewhat indifferent, so she messaged her new boyfriend, whom she had been dating for only three months: According to the agreement we made when we started dating, I’m not interested in you anymore, let’s break up.

…

Wang Zai hugged his little fish plushie, the fish head in his mouth, his hind legs kicking rapidly like a propeller as he spun around on the floor, amusing himself.

Yan Zhao nestled on the sofa, holding a small cake, forked a small piece into his mouth, his gaze lingering on Shen Yuanting.

Shen Yuanting paused from reviewing the documents, and asked, “…Why are you staring at me like that?”

Yan Zhao had his feet on the man’s thigh, asking, “Do you want some cake?”

Shen Yuanting replied, “No, it’s too sweet.”

Yan Zhao nodded and then asked, “But this one is orange-flavored.”

Shen Yuanting replied, “…It’s still cake.”

Yan Zhao continued, “So, do you like oranges?”

“You can guess,” Shen Yuanting said, setting down his pen and running his hand up Yan Zhao’s delicate ankle, tracing the curve of his calf. The skin under his palm was slightly cool, as smooth as porcelain.

“I’m not guessing,” Yan Zhao said, retracting his leg and moving closer to him, then offering him a piece of cake, coaxing him to open his mouth, “Ah—”

The cake had cream, orange pieces, and crushed nuts on top, with cheese and sliced oranges in the middle. Shen Yuanting lowered his gaze and bit into the sweet treat.

After swallowing, he said, “I want more.”

“But I thought you didn’t like it?” Yan Zhao questioned.

Shen Yuanting said, “I’ll eat if you feed me.”

Yan Zhao smiled at him, fed him a few bites, and placed the cake on the coffee table. “I… ran into Aunt today.”

“Tang Jingyan?”

“Yu Wei.”

Shen Yuanting was silent for a moment. “What did she say to you?”

“I mentioned that you don’t like things too sweet, and she said you like oranges.”

“And then?”

“And that was it.”

The conversation with Yu Wei later made him uncomfortable, so he didn’t mention it to Shen Yuanting. But he felt Shen Yuanting would understand.

“You don’t need to worry about what she says,” Shen Yuanting reassured him.

“Okay,” Yan Zhao replied.

Wang Zai finished playing with the toys, took the little fish back to its nest, and silently walked to the coffee table. He reached up with his front paws to grab the desserts on the glass top.

Shen Yuanting removed the cake, saying, “You can’t eat this.”

“Meow!” There was only one piece left, and you won’t even give it to the cat!

Wang Zai felt extremely wronged, circled around the sofa, then ran back to the room, angrily pawing at the automatic feeder.

Shen Yuanting held a small fork and brought the cake to Yan Zhao’s mouth, saying, “Open your mouth.”

As Yan Zhao took a bite, he raised his eyelids and mumbled, “You said you’d eat if I fed you?”

“So what?” Shen Yuanting replied.

Yan Zhao stuck out his tongue, teasing the man playfully.

Shen Yuanting’s breath hitched, leaning in and capturing his tongue with his mouth.

After the kiss, Shen Yuanting had already untied the drawstring on Yan Zhao’s casual pants.

He held onto both himself and Yan Zhao tightly, burying his face in Yan Zhao’s shoulder, inhaling the faint citrus scent from his hair.

The skin beneath his breath gradually flushed red, and Yan Zhao tensed his muscles, emitting a faint hum in response to his movements.

Shen Yuanting: “I like the scent of your shower gel. Don’t change it in the future.”

Yan Zhao raised his eyes, tears glistening in them, looking dazed. “Okay…”

Shen Yuanting: “… No, you can use whatever you want.”

Anyway, I just like you.