Chapter 97 – Bedtime stories and love rival

Jie Jie: Sorry for the delayed update, it was quite a busy day (*_ _)人

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The words fell for a long time and An Xumo still did not have any obvious reaction. From the time he heard An He’s name, his state has been very slow, like a cub that has been frozen for too long, moving his tail takes a lot of effort.
 
Zhou Jinchen didn’t pursue the question nor did he repeat it. He even slightly relaxed the strength of his hands so that the boy in his arms could be held more comfortably.
 
An Xumo’s body is still shivering uncontrollably, Zhou Jinchen reached over along the side of his body and held the boy’s cold and trembling fingertips.
 
He passed on his temperature in silence.
 
After a long time, the man opened his mouth again, and the hoarse voice caused a slight tremor in the cool air.
 
He asked, “Is it okay?”
 
An Xumo moved, Zhou Jinchen lowered his eyes to look at him, the boy’s gaze is still somewhat empty as if a touch can dissipate in the air.
 
His voice was even lower than Zhou Jinchen’s, as if his vocal cords had just been sharpened by gravel.
 
“Or……no need,” An Xumo slowly moves his eyes away, “I, myself can also……”
 
Zhou Jinchen did not retreat because of the obvious resistance in the other party’s words.
 
“Everyone should live for themselves,” he tightened his fingers and gently rubbed the cold, stiff, and thin fingers in his hands, “but this doesn’t prevent us from absorbing sunlight from the outside world.”
 
Perhaps the words poked the deepest part of the heart, An Xumo was silent and did not continue to resist.
 
It was late at night and the empty porridge bowl was left on the table. There was a gap on the door of the living room, the sound of footsteps slowly extended to the bedroom, and the two people returned together to An Xumo’s room.
 
The lights in the room came on and the warm orange light fell down, giving a soft layer of gold on An Xumo’s black hair. Zhou Jinchen tucked him in the quilt and, like coaxing a child, touched An Xumo’s forehead.
 
“Do you still feel uncomfortable?”
 
He still remembered how his younger brother looked when he had his last attack.
 
An Xumo closed his eyes and exhaled one word in a soft voice.
 
“Cold.”
 
Zhou Jinchen looked around. He went to the cabinet and found a duvet. The double-layer warm, snow-white, soft quilt was warm enough that after wrapping the person tightly, Zhou Jinchen picked up the round boy and hugged him in a relaxed manner.
 
The body heat and duvet together make the warmth.
 
The lights in the room turned dim and the dim light set off a drowsy atmosphere. The boy was wrapped in a thick duvet and his thin chin was covered a little, leaving only the cold, soft, cheek that is gently pressed on the man’s hard shoulder blade.
 
An Xumo’s hair is very soft, close to the side of a person’s neck, the touch feels like a fluffy little animal. Zhou Jinchen held him in his arms; the other person’s weight doesn’t feel much heavier than that of a kitten.
 
The moon hung high and in the quiet night, Zhou Jinchen who has never liked to talk opened his mouth at this time and told the story of a long time ago, little by little.
 
There is a small dumpling that was born fair and his looks carved by jade, very cute. He likes to laugh, rarely cries, well-behaved, and easy to coax, and everyone who sees him likes him to the point they can’t help but want to reach out to tease.
 
Later, the little dumpling slowly draws out a long strip and softly chased after a person and called him brother. He is very satisfied. He can read a book in his arms all afternoon and be happy for a long time with a piece of milk candy.
 
After the incident, Zhou Jinchen’s memory was also intermittent, vaguely covered with a veil. However, since sorting out his thoughts, he began to recall these memories of his early years.
 
Therefore, these stories that came out of his mouth, even if they are trivial, they are incomparably true and vivid.
 
There was no lighted clock in the room and time ran away quietly in the magnetic voice. Don’t know how long has passed, the boy in his arms hasn’t moved. Just when Zhou Jinchen thought the other party had fallen asleep, a cool feeling quietly came from his shoulder.
 
“……”
 
Zhou Jinchen’s voice couldn’t help but pause.
 
Unlike the last time in the hospital, the boy’s crying this time was extremely quiet. He even made an effort to slow down his breathing but he couldn’t control his tears and quietly wet Zhou Jinchen’s shoulder.
 
The air was filled with depression, like a hand reaching out from the darkness, firmly holding a person’s heart. The repressed breathing with nasal sounds came from his bosom, passed upward to the ears, and pierced into the bottom of the heart.
 
Zhou Jinchen didn’t pause for long and continued to tell the story.
 
After preparing to lay all cards on the table with An Xumo on the identity of An He, Zhou Jinchen retrieved the suggestion from Li Qiucheng who is connected remotely. At present, An Xumo’s situation is a little better than expected.
 
It’s much better to be able to vent out than hold back until the panic attack sets in.
 
The night was shrouded in darkness; the low magnetic voice weaves into a warm and firm net bed. A man who has never told a bedtime story, accompanied by a boy who has never heard a bedtime story, spent a quiet early autumn night.
 
—-
 
The next morning, Tang Tang who flew in from S City, came over with her luggage in a dusty manner.^[1]travel-wornShe was startled before entering the alley, and after stepping into the courtyard, she was once again surprised.
 
This location, this area, this decoration……
 
Poverty limits the ability of working people to dream.
 
An Xumo took a leave of absence from school in order to take a set of cover photos. This photoshoot wasn’t only An Xumo’s first activity since school started but also the highest standard of the magazine he received. That’s why Tang Tang made a special effort to come over.
 
After getting off the plane and taking a taxi, it was already late when Tang Tang arrived. Yet, An Xumo seemed to have just woken up with distinct sleepiness written on his face.
 
However, he seems to be in good shape and his body doesn’t have the same strong sense of fatigue as before. Although she had kept in touch before, when she saw it with her own eyes, Tang Tang was really relieved.
 
It seems that the learning atmosphere of P University is quite good and Xiao Mo has obviously relaxed a lot.
 
Tang Tang naturally doesn’t know that it’s not just school life that made An Xumo improve evidently. On the other hand, the man with the greatest credit has no intention to show it, he is concentrating on choosing breakfast for his younger brother.
 
“Brother,” An Xumo called out to him, his voice still somewhat restrained, “I’m not hungry……”
 
He went to bed so late last night that he naturally had no appetite when he was woken up in the morning. The only progress was that he could call out his brother smoothly.
 
“Long ride on the road.” Zhou Jinchen only said and pushed the things in the tray over.
 
After breakfast, the people set off. When he got into the car, An Xumo still didn’t react until the car was getting closer to the destination. It was only then did he look at Zhou Jinchen as an afterthought.
 
The man sitting beside him immediately noticed his sight, “What’s wrong, carsickness?”
 
“No,” An Xumo shook his head, he hesitantly said, “Brother, do you want to come too……?”
 
Zhou Jinchen looked at him, “Tang Tang didn’t tell you about today’s work?”
 
“Yes.” An Xumo said, “She said to shoot the cover for Ming Entertainment.”
 
Zhou Jinchen raised his eyebrows and his magnetic voice carried some imperceptible pleasure.
 
“Double cover.”
 
An Xumo froze for a moment, “……Double?”
 
As for whom the other person is, one should be able to guess when one thinks about it.
 
The cover that An Xumo is going to shoot this time belongs to Ming Entertainment. The Ming Entertainment magazine is one of the top five fashion magazines and the candidates for the covers of the top five magazines are the most popular artists and models nowadays. They represent the top fashion resources and commercial value. With Ming Entertainment’s men’s magazine, Zhou Jinchen has been able to win five major magazine slams but for An Xumo, this is the first time he has been on the top five.
 
Top fashion resources are not much easier than the big director of a movie. The team had already prepared for a long-term attack but they did not expect to receive the invitation of Ming Entertainment at all. At that time, Tang Tang looked at it three times in a row to confirm that it was true. 
 
But sitting in the car, next to the man, An Xumo was vaguely aware of something.
 
He remembered the expensive gifts given to the media in his name on his eighteenth birthday and also remembered that in the magazines he had brought before, Zhou Jinchen’s covers were all single covers.
 
He has access to this resource……I think it’s because of my brother ba.
 
Last night’s encounter removed the huge stone engraved with the word ‘mother’ from the bottom of An Xumo’s heart, taking the load off and stripping away the sharpest pains. And after the emotions gradually returned to normal, An Xumo couldn’t help but feel a little shaken by the ‘stimulated romance as therapy’.
 
Perhaps…..
 
It’s just that for now, he doesn’t dare think about it deeply yet.
 
The vehicle passed without hindrance. After arriving at the Ming Entertainment Group’s building, the prepared working group soon rejoined the road with the two. What they are going to shoot this time is not a studio film, but a location and the shooting time last about two or three days. According to the person in charge, there are even filming plans for horseback riding. (E/N: Lol. Covering the other horseback riding memory. T/N: Lmao. True.)
 
The group left B City and headed north to N City where the venue was located. The theme color of this shooting is autumn yellow and the scene is mainly selected in two places. One is the Ye Mountain covered with maple trees and the second is the grassland where the grass leaves turning yellow. The Ye Mountain has wooden houses and the grassland has fences. It has both natural scenery and man-made fire, the filming effect is expected to be good.
 
The team first drove to the grassland, which is a privately contracted place. To be precise, it’s actually a horse farm and the horses to be rented are also kept in this place. The working group had already negotiated a contract with the owner of the horse farm and after the gatekeeper let them go, they drove into the open, endless meadow.
 
The scenery was magnificent all around, An Xumo kept looking out the window as soon as the car pulled in. The team stopped at the selected location and the working group counted the equipment while the boy walked around the perimeter.
 
The soft, grass leaves swayed in the wind, like a golden ocean. When one is in the middle of it, one’s mood will naturally brighten.
 
When An Xumo returned after looking around, the costume team was already dismantling the props. He immediately saw the long box placed in the pile of props. After seeking permission from the staff, he carefully took the thing over.
 
On the soft and smooth brocade lay a black and shiny hard long whip. The long whip has smooth lines and cold luster, and the hard body of the whip is the length of a man’s arm. With a leather-wrapped handle on one end and a flat whip beat on the other. ^[2]T/N: Oya? What is this k*$#y thing!! HAHAHAHA. E/N: Is this foreshadowing HAHAHAHAHA. T/N: Apologies for our corrupted minds lmao but I’m sure everyone thought of it too~~ *winks
 
An Xumo had never seen such a thing but was attracted by it at first glance.
 
“What is this? Is it also for shooting too?” He asked the staff on the side.
 
The little brother nodded, “Yes, this is a horsewhip.”
 
Seeing An Xumo’s eyes light up all of a sudden, the little brother hurriedly added, “but this is not for you.”
 
“Huh?” An Xumo was stunned for a moment.
 
The little brother pointed to the man standing next to him, “It’s for Mr. Zhou.”
 
Zhou Jinchen, who was envied by his own younger brother, did not notice this matter.
 
His attention at this time is focused on a young man talking with the person in charge.
 
An Xumo, who had put down the box, came over and followed Zhou Jinchen’s line of sight, also noticed the figure.
 
“Yi?” An Xumo said in surprise. “That seems to be my classmate in P University. I didn’t expect to meet him here……”
 
Before the boy could say the other person’s name, Zhou Jinchen had already silently pronounced the three words.
 
The one who hugged his younger brother on the back of the horse, draped his coat over Xiao Mo, and almost had a scandal with Xiao Mo,
 
Yin Hanxing.