Chapter 16

Yan Zhao returned home, loosened his tie, and let out a sigh.

Walking the red carpet is truly exhausting, with cameras and microphones pointed at you. Any slight mistake, and there will be gossip flying everywhere the next day.

He lay on the sofa to rest. The bed was too soft and not good for his spine. This was the softest and most comfortable place at home.

After a few minutes, the sound of a glass touching a water cup was heard.

Yan Zhao turned his head, and a cup of hot milk was placed on the coffee table.

Shen Yuanting stood beside him and said, “Skimmed.”

Yan Zhao sat up, took the milk, and gulped it down. The rich and creamy taste lingered on his tongue.

After finishing the milk, there was a white circle left around his lips, looking a bit comical.

Shen Yuanting said, “You look like you have a white beard.”

Yan Zhao lowered his voice and said, “Actually, I am Santa Claus. When I passed by the Jincheng City Zoo, the reindeer and the doe ran away. Give me 618 bucks to sponsor my trip back to Greenland, and I will give you the best gift next year.”

Shen Yuanting: “….”

Shen Yuanting asked, “Do you know what gift I want?”

Yan Zhao didn’t hesitate, “The competing companies to go bankrupt!”

Shen Yuanting furrowed his brows, and with a smile on his lips, he said, “No, I prefer to acquire them myself.”

Yan Zhao: “……..” You are so scary!

Yan Zhao wiped his mouth, thought for a moment, and then said, “You want a group of little Wang Zai!” Meowing around you every day!

Wang Zai protested with a “meow”.

Shen Yuanting patted its head, “No, keep guessing.”

Yan Zhao offered several answers in succession, all of which were rejected by Shen Yuanting.

Unable to come up with anything else, Yan Zhao frowned and asked, “What do you really want? Don’t tell me it’s some kind of male pregnancy technology. This is not allowed physically, and not allowed mentally!”

Shen Yuanting smiled, about to speak, but suddenly he bent down, closing the distance between them. Yan Zhao couldn’t help but hold his breath. It was too close, he could even see the man’s long eyelashes.

Shen Yuanting reached out and picked a red petal from Yan Zhao’s hair.

Yan Zhao recalled and said, “It must have stuck to me in the venue.”

There was a male singer received a large bunch of roses from fans, which was intentionally arranged into the shape of a sword. When he was playing around with his friends, Yan Zhao happened to pass by, and that’s when he must have got some of the flowers on him.

Shen Yuanting stared at the petals and said, “Let me tell you what I wanted.”

Yan Zhao perked up, waiting for his answer.

Shen Yuanting said, “I wanted a rose.”

What kind of answer was that?

Yan Zhao, puzzled, said, “Can I give it to you now? Oh, the Little Prince’s rose won’t do.”

“I don’t want his,” Shen Yuanting looked at Yan Zhao and smiled slightly.

The Little Prince’s rose is unique because he watered it.

My rose must also be unique.

It was getting late, and Yan Zhao planned to go back to his room for a bath and sleep early.

But he had one more question to ask.

Yan Zhao said, “Shen Yuanting, is the endorsement for Elegante from you?”

Today, Song Jing brought him the endorsement contract for Elegante, and he signed it.

But he also understood that no matter how extensive Song Jing’s connections were, and no matter how strong her methods were, she couldn’t possibly help him secure a cross-famous endorsement unless someone was backing him behind the scenes. And this person, other than Shen Yuanting, he had no other thoughts.

Shen Yuanting didn’t deny it: “You don’t like it?”

“No!” Yan Zhao said, “I just feel that you don’t need to do so much for me.”

Reciprocity is mutual; he hadn’t done anything for Shen Yuanting and couldn’t bear the other’s kindness.

The reason he didn’t refuse was that he felt after refusing, Shen Yuanting might give him something even better.

Shen Yuanting, on the surface, seemed courteous, but in reality, he was very strong-willed and wouldn’t allow anyone to go against his wishes. Once violated, he might not say anything on the surface, but his actions would definitely show it. This personality projected in a positive direction meant that if Yan Zhao rejected this opportunity, Shen Yuanting would spare no effort to invest in him, to the point where he would owe this favor for the rest of his life.

—…Isn’t that good too? Wait, what am I thinking, I need to calm down quickly and be an independent adult!

The smile on Shen Yuanting’s face gradually faded, and he said, “You don’t have to feel so much pressure. I’m not doing this for you, just to make myself happy.”

Yan Zhao: “….” Do you like to spend money when you play a nurturing game?

Shen Yuanting looked at him and said, “Moreover, I promised to endorse you.”

Yan Zhao was taken aback. When Tang Jingyan mocked him in the mansion, Shen Yuanting did say something like that.

But shouldn’t that have been a retort from Shen Yuanting? He had forgotten all about it, yet Shen Yuanting not only remembered but also intended to follow through?

Was he really worth it?

Yan Zhao fell silent for a moment and awkwardly said, “I’ll make you a cup of coffee… no, milk.”

Shen Yuanting always drank black coffee, and it just slipped out of his mouth. It was late at night, so why drink coffee and not sleep?

However, Shen Yuanting replied, “No, coffee is fine. Milk is of no use to me.”

Yan Zhao asked, “Oh… then, why do you usually drink coffee? Do you simply like the taste?”

Yan Zhao didn’t make handmade coffee, but he could still use the automatic coffee machine. He fetched the coffee beans from the cupboard, poured them into the coffee maker, and prepared water and milk.

Shen Yuanting waited quietly on the side.

Yan Zhao hadn’t changed into his home clothes yet and was still wearing the suit personally selected by Shen Yuanting—the brooch had caught his eye at first glance, with its finely crafted rose in full bloom, exuding a kind of bold beauty.

He watched Yan Zhao pour milk into the milk jug, his head slightly lowered, his eyes focused. As the milk approached the measuring line, his brow furrowed, as if doing something very important. Pressing the button, he smiled proudly as if he was done.

It was just making coffee, after all.

Shen Yuanting couldn’t help but laugh.

Yan Zhao handed the coffee to Shen Yuanting. He didn’t know much about coffee and didn’t understand why Shen Yuanting preferred this bitter yet acidic drink. But since Shen Yuanting liked it, he made it. There was a time when he even liked eating bitter gourd.

Yan Zhao nervously watched as Shen Yuanting took a sip and asked, “How is it?”

In reality, he was only responsible for pouring the ingredients. The taste of the coffee brewed by the machine had nothing to do with him, whether it was good or bad.

But he was still nervous, just like when he first started, singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and caring about the teacher’s evaluation.

Shen Yuanting revealed a truth: “Actually, this coffee machine hasn’t been used for two years.”

Yan Zhao: “………”

Shen Yuanting continued, “The coffee in the company is all brewed by my secretary.”

—I made the coffee for you, and you mention someone else. Can the machine I control not make it as well as he can?

Yan Zhao asked coldly, “Is your secretary a man or a woman?”

Shen Yuanting said indifferently, “I don’t know, I treat him as a subordinate, and I’ve never paid attention to his gender.”

Yan Zhao: “……..” Shen Juju, please act like a human being!!!

Yan Zhao said angrily, “I won’t make coffee for you in the future.”

Shen Yuanting, puzzled, asked, “Why?”

“I didn’t make it as well as your secretary does, so go ahead and drink his.” Yan Zhao turned away and walked towards the second floor. “I’m going to bed.”

Shen Yuanting grabbed him, smiling. “You can’t judge for me. What you brew is naturally better than his.”

“……….” Yan Zhao turned his back to him, paused, and let out an “Oh.”

The bedroom door slammed, and Yan Zhao leaped onto the bed, pounding the pillow.

When tired, he patted his face, as if the blush on his face was caused by his own beating.

………. Shen Yuanting, what are you doing!

*

After the official announcement of the endorsement, it was natural to go back for additional advertisement shoots.

Yan Zhao’s schedule these days was almost exploding. Right after recording a program, he would rush to another studio, busy to the point of almost flying. Every morning when he washed his face, he felt like he had lost a little weight compared to the day before.

Jincheng is a big city with serious traffic congestion. In order to reduce the time spent on transportation, Song Jing and the director of Elegante discussed and agreed that Yan Zhao would shoot the promotional advertisement right after finishing the hardcover photo shoot.

The filming location was an old church in the former French Concession, which was filled with the traces of time. Combined with the deliberate arrangement by the director’s team, it appeared even more old and dilapidated.

Following the script, Yan Zhao walked through the church. The makeup artist deliberately outlined his features to make him look more profound, resembling a wandering assassin with a dangerous charm.

According to the director, “Squeeze out his hormones as much as possible, we must make the audience swoon over him!”

Regardless of the audience’s reaction, at least a few more bottles of soda were added to the studio.

For the final segment of the shoot, the brand requested Yan Zhao to showcase their newly released rings for the season. The script instructed to do it “affectionately.”

Yan Zhao covered half of his face with his hand, gazing at the camera with only his right eye, his expression natural, as if his desired person was standing in front of him, rather than a row of shabby cameras.

The director was extremely satisfied and approved it in one go.

In the final shot, Yan Zhao took off the ring, then placed it in his mouth. Without the director’s command, he slightly adjusted the angle to allow the side camera to capture the gem on the ring more clearly.

Against the light, all the focus was on the gemstone, but once the audience noticed the figure hidden in the dimness, it was hard to look away.

The director thought: Some people are naturally suited for performing in front of the camera.

Afterwards, several staff rushed up to ask Yan Zhao for autographs, including a man. Yan Zhao had never tallied the gender ratio of his fans, but he was certain that male fans were few.

Zuo Tian exclaimed excitedly, “Zhao Zhao, I bought tickets to your concert. Luckily, I was quick, my friend didn’t manage to get one!”

Yan Zhao smiled and said, “I still have a few tickets, I’ll send one for your friend. It’s better for two of you to go together to the concert in Haicheng.”

Zuo Tian: “Oh, Zhao Zhao, you’re too kind. You don’t have to send the tickets to him. It’s too good for him!”

Yan Zhao bid farewell to the director and the others, then asked Xiao Dou to arrange for a spare ticket to be sent to Zuo Tian on another day.

That night, Yan Zhao received the original footage from the director, who said it was a keepsake for him.

Yan Zhao opened it and took a look. The Elegante filming crew had excellent technical skills, and the lighting was just right. Even without post-processing, the footage was already captivating.

‘Of course, I’m also very talented,’ Yan Zhao thought narcissistically, and then proudly lifted his laptop to go find Shen Yuanting.

Shen Yuanting seemed to be at work, with his computer on and files and a pen on the desk.

He heard a sound and turned around.

Yan Zhao showed him the laptop screen and said, “I took this.”

The video had a gray tone, the young man was wearing a long trench coat, and his fingers casually swept across the long table of the church… At the end, he slightly opened his lips, as if what he was holding not a ring, but the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, tempting someone to commit a crime.

“….” Shen Yuanting pondered, “Aren’t you cold? It’s snowing today.”

Yan Zhao: “…Huh?”

—I asked you to praise me, and you said this? You are a straight man, no, you are not a straight man at all. Why would you even ask such a question? Isn’t understanding romance a natural skill for most male creatures?!