Chapter 38 – 038

“No need.” Gu Xian, feeling underestimated, shook his head dismissively. “Do you really think I can’t handle that little idiot Gu Leyu?”

Xie Yunjing casually continued twirling his hair. “Isn’t it because he’s your brother, and you’re hesitant to go too hard on him? What about Fengxing Media?”

“Oh, please.” Gu Xian took a sip of his soy milk with disdain. “If it really had any serious impact, you would have already taken down the trending topic.”

He let out a cold laugh, casting a sidelong glance at Xie Yunjing. “Besides, you’re actually quite enjoying this trending topic, aren’t you?”

Xie Yunjing smiled nonchalantly. “Indeed. After all, the more people know we’re married, the fewer rivals I have.”

Gu Xian felt the urge to roll his eyes again. “Can you stop already? Have you gone mad reading all those fluff pieces?”

“From the heart.”

Gu Xian: “…”

Gu Xian slapped his hand away and ran his own fingers through his hair. “The production crew just happens to be lacking early buzz due to no promotions. If Fengxing Media is willing to generate hype for us for free, why not take advantage of it?”

《The Legend of Song Mountain》 was destined to compete head-to-head with Fengxing Media’s knockoff, 《The Legend of Le Mountain》. Naturally, Fengxing Media wouldn’t miss any opportunity to undermine 《The Legend of Song Mountain》.

To prevent the production from descending into chaos with Fengxing Media before the filming even wrapped up, all members of the crew signed confidentiality agreements. Until 《The Legend of Song Mountain》 officially premiered, no one was allowed to leak any materials from the production without authorization, except for official promotions by the crew.

Since the production team had no material leaks, Fengxing Media had no evidence to work with. No matter how much effort they put into their snide remarks and sarcasm, it would all amount to nothing. When 《The Legend of Song Mountain》 eventually released a high-quality final product, that would be the ultimate way to shut them up.

Unfortunately, his and Xie Yunjing’s situation wasn’t covered under the confidentiality agreement.

“Are you planning to just leave Gu Leyu like that?” Xie Yunjing’s gaze took on a hint of scrutiny. “Or is it that you actually can’t bear to do it?”

Gu Xian scoffed. “What’s the problem? Is that not allowed? Anyway, even if Gu Leyu does stir up trouble, he wouldn’t dare mess with you, Young Master Xie.”

Gu Leyu’s sudden change of heart, boasting about his “fairy-tale love story” with Xie Yunjing, was most likely because the Gu family had some matter where they needed to ride on the Xie family’s coattails.

“If Gu Leyu wants to stir up trouble, let him. I refuse to believe he can come up with anything sophisticated. So far, what he’s done hasn’t caused any harm.” Gu Xian used his gaze to remind Xie Yunjing, who had just admitted to secretly enjoying the trending topic.

“Besides, compared to him—” Gu Xian dismissed the incoming voice call request on his phone. “Your cousin is looking for me again.”

Gu Xian ignored the string of questions Xie Huaihong had sent long ago. He first wandered through other chat groups before finally replying to Xie Huaihong’s furious questions like, “Why are you rejecting my calls?” and “What’s the meaning of this?”

Your Brother Xian: Just woke up.

Your Brother Xian: Thought it was my alarm.

Xie Huaihong’s rapid-fire messages came to an abrupt halt.

Xie Yunjing let out a muffled laugh, easily imagining Xie Huaihong being so flustered that he could barely breathe.

After a long while, Xie Huaihong finally sent over a familiar link.

Xie Huaihong: What’s going on here?

Your Brother Xian: How should I know? I’m still wondering who’s got too much time on their hands to cook up something like this.

Xie Huaihong: Don’t play dumb! I’m asking what’s going on between you and Xie Yunjing!

Your Brother Xian: What could possibly be going on? Don’t tell me you actually believe this nonsense meant to fool kids?

Xie Huaihong: How do you explain the photos? I had them checked, and there’s no trace of Photoshop. They’re the original files! Why does Xie Yunjing keep going to your production set?

With the “culprit” right next to him, Gu Xian shamelessly shifted the blame onto Xie Huaihong.

Your Brother Xian: Isn’t it because of you?

Xie Huaihong: I followed your advice and backed down after you said Xie Yunjing was suspicious of me.

Backed down.

Gu Xian actually admired Xie Huaihong’s confidence.

Your Brother Xian: Come on, you’re Xie Yunjing’s cousin. Don’t you know how cunning he is? Do you really think his suspicions are that easy to dispel?

Your Brother Xian: Sure, you backed down, but he’s still suspicious of me, so he keeps coming to the set every day to keep an eye on me. Those photos were taken by some gossip-loving girls. They’re into this kind of thing—shipping CPs, you know? If they started shipping you with your assistant, even if your assistant was just standing next to you, they’d still manage to take pictures that create the vibe.

Your Brother Xian: Don’t be fooled by how those photos make it look like Xie Yunjing is all close and cozy with me. In reality, he’s just putting on a show for others. While people think he’s being affectionate with me, he’s actually whispering threats in my ear, saying that if he finds out I leaked his info, he’ll fill me with cement and dump me into the ocean!

Your Brother Xian: Honestly, I don’t even want to deal with this anymore. If you’re feeling stingy or don’t want to go through with this business, just say so. Don’t use all this nonsense to accuse me unfairly.

Xie Huaihong’s “typing…” indicator popped up again and again, clearly stuck in a dilemma after being completely thrown off by Gu Xian’s tirade.

Xie Yunjing, seeking to clear his name, defended himself: “When did I ever say I’d dump you into the ocean? I was clearly asking if I could kiss you.”

Gu Xian shot him a glare, just as he was about to check Xie Huaihong’s long-awaited reply. Suddenly, a warm breath brushed against his face.

“Can I kiss you?”

Gu Xian immediately raised his elbow to push against Xie Yunjing. “No.”

Gu Xian’s elbow was pressed against Xie Yunjing’s stomach, which should have been uncomfortable, but Xie Yunjing didn’t back off at all. Instead, he leaned in even closer.

“Some things are better eased than blocked.”

“Heh.” Gu Xian raised his eyes, meeting Xie Yunjing’s restrained gaze with an arrogant and defiant smirk. “Choke on it.”

In the end, Xie Huaihong remained confident, and since the intel Gu Xian provided was largely accurate, he couldn’t bear to lose such a reliable source. Thus, his “business” arrangement with Gu Xian continued as before.

Neither Gu Xian nor Xie Yunjing bothered dealing with the trending topic, letting it sit there until the evening’s peak internet traffic hours. This left Li Yuqiu, who had just finished catching up on sleep, completely baffled.

Muzi Qiu: Are you the one kidnapped by Xie Yunjing, or did you kidnap him? Are you two really not planning to take down the trending topic?

Your Brother Xian: Promotion, you know? Haven’t you noticed Fengxing is helping boost the popularity of our 《The Legend of Song Mountain》?

Gu Xian brushed off Li Yuqiu’s questions and turned to address the person strolling past him yet again. “Xie Yunjing, can you put on some clothes?”

Xie Yunjing looked down innocently. “But I am wearing pajama pants.”

“…” Gu Xian stared speechlessly at the ceiling. “Don’t play dumb with me! I’m talking about putting on a shirt!”

Xie Yunjing sat down beside Gu Xian. “But I don’t feel like wearing one.”

Gu Xian raised his eyebrow mockingly. “Oh, so the rules set by you, Young Master Xie, apply to everyone else but not to yourself? You’re the one who made the rule ‘no streaking in front of each other, even at home.’ The signed agreement is still in the drawer of my bedside table. Do I need to pull it out to cure your senile dementia?”

“To be precise, not wearing a shirt doesn’t technically count as streaking.” Xie Yunjing propped his hands on either side of Gu Xian, leaning in slightly. “Besides, we agreed that exceptions could be made when necessary for daily life, didn’t we?”

Gu Xian glanced at the defined lines of Xie Yunjing’s muscles and sneered. “Then explain to me how not wearing a shirt and constantly parading around in front of me qualifies as a daily necessity?”

“Of course, it’s a necessity,” Xie Yunjing replied righteously. “After all, I need to seduce you.”

Author’s Note:

Xiao Xie: A man who’s been holding back for too long is capable of anything 🙂