Lace Skirt

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“How coincidental.” Nancheng isn’t small, and yet these two ran into each other.

In this small building, Chi Yao stared at the other person, wondering why he wanted to see himself.

This piqued Chi Yao’s curiosity. He crossed his arms and straightforwardly asked, “Aren’t you with Shen Ling anymore?”

Lu Qing was confused upon hearing this, looking at Chi Yao and then at Xu Dong.

“No, after that day, he told me to leave.” Xu Dong replied.

“And he even…”

Xu Dong paused, not to keep them in suspense, but then continued, “He let some rumors out, and no one contacted me for any acting jobs. My company directly shelved me.”

Chi Yao was taken aback; he didn’t expect this to happen.

“Then I’m sorry.” This was Chi Yao using this person to cut off his connection with Shen Ling.

“It’s completely not your fault; it’s my own problem. I was greedy for money.” If he hadn’t been greedy, he wouldn’t have met Shen Ling in the first place.

“Do you still want to enter the entertainment industry?”

Chi Yao asked, and his attitude seemed to suggest that if Xu Dong nodded, he would help him get in.

If this had been half a year ago, Xu Dong would have nodded without hesitation, but now he wouldn’t. He realized that perhaps he really wasn’t suited for that circle, and he was already quite satisfied with his current life.

“No, I’m not interested anymore. This is nice; no one is constantly watching me, and it’s quite good.”

Xu Dong shook his head; his interest in the entertainment industry had faded.

Chi Yao nodded. If this person wanted to go, he would lend a small hand, but whether he could go far would still depend on him.

Chi Yao then asked what the guy had been doing lately. Xu Dong said he opened a personal studio to design clothes.

“Can you make children’s clothing?” Chi Yao suddenly asked.

Xu Dong quickly nodded after a few seconds, “Sure, I can do that.”

“Then come to my house one day and make a few sets of clothes for my son.” Chi Yao smiled.

Xu Dong felt like something heavenly had just dropped into his lap.

He had initially thought that Chi Yao would hold a grudge against him, considering he had become Chi Yao’s stand-in, causing a direct fallout between Chi Yao and Shen Ling. Yet, it seemed Chi Yao didn’t mind the past at all.

Xu Dong felt a bit excited. Even if he didn’t make any money, he had to do a good job making clothes for Chi Yao’s son.

Suddenly, Xu Dong thought of something.

After hesitating for a moment, he said to Chi Yao, “Young Master Chi, I’ve met Fu Rong.”

“Fu Rong?” Chi Yao was unaware of this.

Fu Rong had never mentioned it to him.

“About a year ago, I wanted to come find you. At that time, I had some issues and wanted to ask you for some answers, but I was stopped by another person who later sent me away.”

“I went to a place in between, and there I met General Manager Fu. He seemed quite confused and mistook me for someone else.”

“He mistook you for me?”

“He even directly grabbed my clothes, looked at my back, and asked if I had any tattoos.”

Later, Xu Dong heard that Chi Yao originally liked Shen Ling and had been pursuing him; he was a rival to Fu Rong.

Xu Dong thought about the time Fu Rong mistook him for Chi Yao.

But no matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense. Was there another person who looked similar?

Does this mean that the current Chi Yao is also that person’s stand-in?

Once this thought crossed Xu Dong’s mind, he found it hard to calm down. He felt it necessary to talk to Chi Yao about this. If there was any other truth, Xu Dong thought it would be a way to help Chi Yao, so he wouldn’t continue to be kept in the dark.

It took a while for Chi Yao to respond to Xu Dong’s concerns, and he simply waved his hand dismissively.

“You don’t need to worry about that; it won’t happen.”

“But…” Xu Dong thought Chi Yao didn’t want to accept this fact.

“The person he’s looking for is me; he doesn’t see me as anyone’s stand-in. There is no other person; it’s just me.”

“As for the specific reasons, I won’t elaborate.” Chi Yao didn’t go into detail, but with that look in his eyes, Xu Dong immediately understood that his worries were unfounded.

That’s good. He really feared that Chi Yao had been deceived by Fu Rong.

It’s fine if it isn’t true.

“Wait, wait…” Lu Qing, who was nearby, was completely stunned by their conversation. He understood every sentence, but when put together, he couldn’t make sense of it.

Chi Yao smiled and said, “You don’t need to understand; it’s better if you don’t.”

Chi Yao squinted playfully, but then his gaze suddenly became sharp.

Lu Qing’s heart tightened, and he forced a smile: “Alright, it’s good that you two don’t have any conflicts. I was actually worried at first; if something happened, who would I side with?”

Chi Yao didn’t reply, lowering his head to sip his tea.

They ordered food, and it was served quickly. The three of them ate together. Lu Qing genuinely liked Chi Yao; his acting was so natural that it showed no signs of post-editing. That kind of talent was something Lu Qing envied.

He approached Chi Yao in hopes that Chi Yao could give him a bit of help. Chi Yao’s understanding of characters was profound, and during their first shoot for a web drama, Lu Qing was captivated by Chi Yao’s acting.

In his eyes, as long as Chi Yao was willing, he could quickly win the title of Best Actor.

Such a person, even if he didn’t enter the entertainment industry, Lu Qing still wanted to be friends with him.

“In a while, it’s my birthday; can I invite you?”

Lu Qing asked first.

“If I have time,” Chi Yao replied.

“We can adjust the time to accommodate you; that’s not a problem.” Lu Qing said this to adapt to Chi Yao’s schedule.

Lu Qing’s attitude was very friendly.

Chi Yao smiled and nodded.

After they finished eating, since it was still early, they went for tea and unexpectedly ran into Feng Ming and the others.

So they all sat together. Feng Ming and the others noticed that Xu Dong actually looked like Chi Yao.

They teased Chi Yao about his unusual taste in friends, saying he had found someone who looked so much like him.

Xu Dong wasn’t particularly pleased about being compared to Chi Yao. He just thought that he needed to make more changes to his appearance when he got back. He didn’t want to be associated with Chi Yao’s looks; in terms of temperament, he wasn’t even one-tenth of Chi Yao.

Chi Yao’s unique aura was innate, making people envious and jealous.

With so many people around, it was quite lively. Although Lu Qing didn’t appear overly friendly, once he started talking, it was clear that he had a good character. Feng Ming had a favorable impression of Lu Qing.

After learning that Lu Qing was an actor filming a web drama and not particularly famous, Feng Ming, who wasn’t involved in the entertainment industry, thought it would be nice to make a friend in that circle.

He valued character over status when it came to friendship; if they got along, they could hang out together; if not, they would just go their separate ways.

They exchanged phone numbers to hang out later.

Feng Ming then sat next to Xu Dong, casually resting an arm on his shoulder. Chi Yao was sitting opposite them, and Feng Ming raised his chin.

“Speaking of which, I’ve always wanted to see you in women’s clothing.”

“But I guess, if that day really comes, it will probably be when I’m lying in a hospital bed.” That would be when Chi Yao beat him up and sent him to the hospital.

“You won’t get to see my women’s clothing, but how about this person?” Feng Ming’s eyes were sparkling with interest.

“You should ask him, not me.” He wasn’t Xu Dong, nor was he anyone related to Xu Dong.

“That’s true. So, can you?” Feng Ming turned to Xu Dong.

Xu Dong chuckled shyly, and to be honest, he had worn women’s clothing before, but he didn’t want to nod here.

However, the person next to him had a smile that carried a slightly aggressive undertone.

Though he seemed gentle, their identities were still different.

Xu Dong clenched his fingers, his lips parted, ready to say yes, when suddenly Chi Yao kicked the table.

The table shook violently, nearly knocking several teacups to the floor.

If they fell, it would only wet the clothes of the people sitting nearby; that scene would be quite amusing.

Feng Ming laughed, “Chi Yao, what’s this about?”

What does that mean?

Feng Ming told Chi Yao to just speak up instead of kicking the table.

He didn’t like others seeing him in women’s clothing, but that person next to him wasn’t him.

“It’s nothing else.” Chi Yao just smiled without explaining.

“I—I don’t want to wear women’s clothing,” Xu Dong hurriedly interjected as he saw the two about to argue over him.

“Right, that’s the way to go! If you don’t like it, just say so. Don’t pretend to like it.” Feng Ming patted Xu Dong’s shoulder.

He took his hand away and rested it on the back of the chair, his gaze carrying a deeper meaning.

“Still, I’m looking forward to your women’s clothing, Chi Yao. The fake can’t compare to the real.” Feng Ming said, lifting his chin.

“Then just wait. Maybe one day when I’m in a good mood, I’ll wear it for fun,” Chi Yao replied.

The two wouldn’t get into a heated argument over such a trivial matter. Chi Yao kicked the table simply because he couldn’t stand Xu Dong’s submissive demeanor. After all, if they looked so similar, Xu Dong should at least learn a bit from his character.

“Alright, I’m a patient person above all.”

Feng Ming twisted his neck.

To be honest, Feng Ming’s words really reminded Chi Yao of something—a bit of a surprise, perhaps.

He liked to try something different; the unusual was more exciting.

That evening, after returning home, Chi Yao ordered custom-made clothes online, specifically dresses, and paid extra for expedited processing.

The dress arrived quickly by mail, and the servant brought it in, placing it in the living room.

Fu Rong noticed the package but didn’t think much of it, assuming Chi Yao had bought something for their son.

That evening, one of the black lace short dresses appeared right in front of Fu Rong.

When he saw the person in the short dress, Fu Rong almost thought he’d entered the wrong room; otherwise, how could there be a woman in the bedroom he shared with Chi Yao?

Then the “woman” turned around, and Fu Rong saw a familiar face. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, even thinking for a moment that Chi Yao had invited someone over.

Fu Rong walked closer. Chi Yao was sitting on the bed, smiling up at him without saying a word. Seeing Fu Rong’s surprised expression, Chi Yao parted his knees slightly.

The hem of the dress was very short, ending more than ten centimeters above his knees, revealing pale, delicate skin beneath the dark fabric.

Chi Yao tilted his head slowly, his voice softened and a bit higher, as he asked Fu Rong, “Guess—am I wearing anything underneath?”

Fu Rong’s gaze darkened, and he pursed his lips. “Yes,” he answered.

“Wrong guess,” Chi Yao replied.

Fu Rong moved closer to Chi Yao, his fingertips inching up along the lace hem.

“What I meant was, if you were wearing something, I’d take it off…”

Chi Yao couldn’t help but laugh at Fu Rong’s words, his whole body trembling with laughter.

“Do you like this surprise?”

Chi Yao wrapped his arms around Fu Rong’s shoulders, pulling him closer.

“I do!” Fu Rong leaned down, kissing Chi Yao’s bare shoulder.

“That’s good,” Chi Yao said as he lay back, looking up at Fu Rong’s handsome face just inches away. “I’ll wear this for you more often, how about that?”

“Good.” Fu Rong kissed Chi Yao’s lips, their eyes meeting in a gaze filled with deep affection and warmth.