Guan Ciyan placed his hand on Jian Yang’s shoulder, slowly sliding it down to his waist. Soft and slender—just the right amount of flesh in all the right places.

He kissed the top of Jian Yang’s head. “Too happy to think straight?”

Jian Yang didn’t react for a long time. Guan Ciyan assumed he was still sulking. “I only have you in my heart.”

He waited for Jian Yang to get all excited and jump up and down. Instead, Jian Yang remained unnervingly calm.

“Jian Yang? Jian Yang?” Guan Ciyan patted his shoulder.

No response.

“Jian Yang.”

The person in his arms let out a faint snore.

…He fell asleep.

Jian Yang had fallen asleep during his confession.

Even when Guan Ciyan lost a major contract, he wasn’t this shocked. The crystal chandelier reflected their intertwined figures. Guan Ciyan silently thought—the entire confession just now must have been reflected in that light.

What was he even doing?

He was confessing to Jian Yang.

To a young actor who had secretly loved him for years. To someone working under him.

If this got out, the entire industry would laugh at him for three years.

No—three years just to confirm the rumor.

Guan Ciyan mischievously pinched Jian Yang’s waist a few times. Jian Yang grumbled in protest before falling back into deep sleep.

“I give up on you.”

Guan Ciyan carefully placed him on the bed. Jian Yang’s flushed face rested against the pristine white pillow, his breath carrying the faint scent of alcohol as he slept soundly.

Such peaceful sleep—Guan Ciyan hadn’t experienced that since childhood. He pressed his cheek against Jian Yang’s, closing his eyes to feel his steady breathing and warm body heat.

There was also the scent of cologne lingering on his clothes. And beneath that—a deeper, cleaner fragrance, uniquely Jian Yang’s, like sunlight.

“Yang Yang,” Guan Ciyan whispered the nickname like a thief confessing a secret.

“So well-behaved.”

Reluctantly, he brushed against him one last time before preparing to leave. But just as he was about to pull away, Jian Yang suddenly hooked a finger around his collar. “Don’t be with anyone else.”

“I can make a lot of money.”

“What are you dreaming about?” Guan Ciyan tapped his forehead.

Jian Yang mumbled, “Make money… take care of you…”

“Pay for your treatment…”

Jian Yang rarely drank. His head was spinning, aching. He desperately wanted to sleep, yet he clung to the last shreds of consciousness. The original story’s plot weighed on his chest like a boulder, scenes playing out in his mind on repeat.

In the end, he and Guan Ciyan both died, without even a burial site.

Guan Ciyan thought he was just talking nonsense. He wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. Instead, he cupped Jian Yang’s face. “You’re going to take care of me?”

“I… will protect you.” Jian Yang forced his eyes open for a brief second, saw nothing clearly, then shut them again.

Guan Ciyan lowered his head and captured those rambling lips. Gently sucking, his tongue traced along the seam, savoring the softness.

Even softer than his waist.

Guan Ciyan lost control. He had meant to stop at a taste, but he was bewitched, pressed against him like he couldn’t let go.

He traced his tongue along the lips, prying slightly until it touched teeth. He bit down lightly, kissing along the corner of Jian Yang’s mouth to his ear. “Yang Yang, open your mouth.”

Whether or not Jian Yang obeyed was unclear. Guan Ciyan cradled his face, slipping inside to explore, marking him with his taste.

“You troublemaker.” Guan Ciyan’s voice was husky, his breathing heavy as he finally pulled away and left the room.

This—this was practically crossing a line without confirming their relationship.

But Guan Ciyan didn’t regret it. He was simply exercising his rights as Jian Yang’s future boyfriend.

They would be together, sooner or later.

Jian Yang would understand his feelings.

Back in his own room, Guan Ciyan took an hour-long shower. The lingering sensation of his first kiss clung to him like a ghost—intoxicating, unforgettable.

That stubborn person had the softest lips.

That sleeping face—too adorable to let go.

Guan Ciyan crossed out his morning schedule. For once, he had a good dream.

The next morning, his assistant called. “Chairman Guan, President Lin from Fang Corporation has been trying to schedule a meeting with you for half a month. He caught a flight last night just to—”

“Let him wait.”

The assistant was stunned. He racked his brain for a good excuse—how do you stand up the CEO of a publicly traded company?

“…How about this?”

The assistant carefully controlled his expression when Guan Ciyan turned around with a tie in his hand. “Chairman Guan, do you need to meet someone important? I can call a stylist for you.”

“No need.”

Guan Ciyan thought to himself: Someone important?

Because he was important, a stylist’s taste wasn’t good enough. He had to choose for himself.

The assistant’s taste wasn’t good enough either.

Guan Ciyan spent half an hour adjusting his outfit in front of the mirror, midway sending his assistant to buy a new cologne. Casual yet sophisticated.

Arriving at Jian Yang’s door, he took a deep breath. “It’s me.”

The door opened. “You’re up early to—”

The smile froze on Guan Ciyan’s face.

“…Sir, did you leave something behind?”

A middle-aged housekeeping lady stood at the door, staring at him.

Guan Ciyan’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes darkening. “Where is the guest in this room?”

“He checked out early this morning.”

—

At that moment, Jian Yang was fast asleep on a plane.

He had set over a dozen alarms just to make sure he’d get up in time for his flight. No washed face, no brushed teeth—just rolled straight from bed into a car. At airport security, he wore two masks, completely dazed, and then promptly fell asleep again after boarding.

By the time he landed, it was only 9:30 AM—plenty of time to get ready for filming.

After finishing his morning scenes, Jian Yang finally remembered he hadn’t told Guan Ciyan he’d left. He pulled out his phone but hesitated.

Guan Ciyan almost never reached out to him first.

They had only seen each other briefly last night. He was probably busy with work. Messaging him now felt unnecessary.

Besides, Guan Ciyan never actually promised he wouldn’t go to someone else.

More than that, Guan Ciyan was locked in a power struggle with his family. He needed useful people on his side.

Whereas this drama, Wen Ye, was Jian Yang’s only chance at success. To Guan Ciyan, it was just one of many S-tier projects in his portfolio.

Jian Yang scrolled through trending searches, admiring his own red carpet photos from the night before.

Damn, the organizers really knew how to take pictures. And his fans? Absolute editing geniuses. They made the whole event look like he was the center of the universe.

The guy who walked the red carpet with him? His popularity was skyrocketing too. Their CP (couple pairing) was trending at an overwhelming pace.

“For my sake, can’t they just get married already?”

“I’m their child, and I’m officially requesting to be born.”

Jian Yang laughed as he watched and even called Dong Dong over to watch with him.

On the other side, in his spacious office, Guan Ciyan asked Jiang Ke, “Did the company approve this person hyping up a CP (couple pairing) with Jian Yang?”

Jiang Ke saw the screen full of comments about having babies and had only three words in mind: The sky is falling.

Other people might not know, but as a woman, how could she not see what Guan Ciyan truly felt about Jian Yang? There were so many artists under Fu Yu Sheng Tang, but when had Guan Ciyan ever paid attention to anyone else’s gossip?

“Chairman Guan, are you referring to Fu Yu Sheng Tang, or to Jian Yang’s own company?”

Guan Ciyan was momentarily speechless.

He had personally promised that Fu Yu Sheng Tang would not interfere in Jian Yang’s career. “What do you think?”

Jiang Ke steadied herself. “The video you’re watching now was edited by Jian Yang himself.”

Guan Ciyan’s gaze instantly turned sharp, and Jiang Ke felt a chill rush over her, making her instinctively blink.

“He edited this? For what reason?”

“Jian Yang said that since he doesn’t intend to be a traffic-driven idol in the future, he doesn’t need to worry about maintaining a single image. Having CP fans means his acting skills are convincing. To be fair, he even edited videos for a dozen other CP pairings.”

Guan Ciyan clicked into the ranking list, where CP votes were still hanging high. The screen was filled with comments about having babies, second children, even ten children.

There were even all kinds of photoshopped marriage certificates. He hadn’t even confessed yet, and Jian Yang already had over ten marriage certificates, spanning four countries.

Absolute chaos.

“Make sure the artists don’t get caught up in too many gossip scandals,” Guan Ciyan said.

Jiang Ke replied, “They won’t. Jian Yang is very skilled at guiding his fans. Now that he manages his own Weibo account, there haven’t been any fan wars or arguments.”

“Book me a flight. I’m going over today.”

The executive assistant was shocked. “Chairman Guan, President Lin from Fang Corporation just arrived at the office!”

“Send him back.” Guan Ciyan stood up, ready to head to the airport.

“Chairman Guan,” the assistant quickly checked flights, “the earliest one is in two hours. That at least gives you some time for President Lin.”

Guan Ciyan was about to speak.

The assistant cut in first, “Booking a private flight takes longer now, and our company’s plane isn’t available either.”

Guan Ciyan: “Book a ticket for yourself as well. You’ll be handling work there with me.”

The assistant, after arranging a meeting room for President Lin, hurried to find Jiang Ke. “Just who is this young master?”

“I thought he was just the neglected youngest son of the Jian family?”

Jiang Ke frowned. “Jian Yang has no ties to the Jian family anymore. He cut them off a long time ago, so don’t refer to him that way again.”

“The Jian family doesn’t want him either? Then what’s Chairman Guan after??” The assistant looked dejected. “You don’t even know how many times I’ve had to reschedule plans because of him. And today, President Lin is not someone easy to brush off.”

Jiang Ke gave him a sympathetic look. “Strictly speaking, Jian Yang isn’t some pampered young master. There’s a high chance… he’s actually our other boss. Oh wait, correction—he’s already my boss. And he’s just a step away from becoming yours too.”

The assistant’s jaw nearly dropped. “You mean… he… he he he… he’s going to win over Chairman Guan?”

“To be more precise, it’s not him chasing Chairman Guan. It’s Chairman Guan chasing him. Didn’t you see Chairman Guan’s face when he watched those CP videos? Maybe you should focus less on work and consider dating yourself.”

The assistant’s eyes lit up. “If—and I’m just saying if—Chairman Guan really starts dating, does that mean our workload will finally lighten a little?”

Jiang Ke couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth—their other boss, Jian Yang, was just as much of a workaholic as Chairman Guan. Their work ethics were practically identical.

Meanwhile, Bai Shun arrived on set with snacks. Jian Yang was enjoying a small cake when he saw Bai Shun go over to Wen Ye again. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but after just a few words, Wen Ye disappeared back under the black cloth covering the monitors. Bai Shun looked up in disappointment, meeting Jian Yang’s gaze.

With a helpless smile, he shook his head.

Jian Yang smiled back. Bai Shun decided to come over and chat.

“Why do you keep visiting the director? Aren’t you busy?”

“I am. Who isn’t? But when you want to see someone, you’ll always find the time.”

Bai Shun’s relentless pursuit was no longer a surprise to the crew. The only problem was that Wen Ye’s attitude remained indifferent. At first, everyone was entertained, but now, they were starting to feel sorry for the film emperor.

“Yeah, no matter how busy you are, you can always find time.” Jian Yang gazed into the distance.

Bai Shun chuckled. “What? Your man isn’t coming to see you?”

“No, we just saw each other last night.” Him and that other little celebrity, being all lovey-dovey.

“Really?” Bai Shun was surprised. “Then why are you back so early? Guan Ciyan isn’t up to the task, huh?”