Chapter 34

Ling Xiao’s role is the “Sea Witch.” Upon entering the cruise ship, a voice in his earpiece reminds him to hold Yan Zhao and the others back. So, Ling Xiao, without much conscience to begin with, crazily tripped everyone up. Unfortunately, he underestimated Yan Zhao’s wit and received a fatal shot.

Ling Xiao sighs, “Pretending to be mentally retarded is also a skill.”

Yan Zhao consoles him, “It’s okay, your acting is excellent, and we all think you played the role authentically.”

Ling Xiao mutters, “…” Thinking I can’t see through the subtle praise and hidden criticism?

After leaving the cabin, it was evening, and half of the sun sank into the sea, casts a golden and blue interweaving on the sea.

Yan Zhao gazes at the sea, momentarily lost in thought. In the face of such magnificent scenery, one can indeed feel like a mere grain of sand in the universe.

A flash of white light flashed. Yan Zhao turns around, and Ling Xiao, holding a phone, smiles at him. “I took photos for everyone; you’re the only one who didn’t notice.”

“Let me see what the photo looks like, if it’s ugly, you won’t be able to see the sun tomorrow.” Yan Zhao snatched his phone and checked the photo.

Don’t know whether it’s because the mobile phone camera is advanced enough or because Ling Xiao’s photography skills are really good. Yan Zhao looked at the photos of himself and the other four people and found that they were all quite artistic.

Yan Zhao said, “Send them to me.”

“Sure.” Ling Xiao replied, “For equivalent exchange, can you take a photo of me in return?”

Yan Zhao’s photography skills can be described as a disaster. In the words of Salt Soda, his most skilled way of taking photos is to just shoot randomly, taking advantage of his good looks to mess around as much as he wants. Now, the one being messed with has changed from himself to Ling Xiao, and the latter’s phone album also has gained a row of photos at a straight guy level.

Ling Xiao: “…How on earth did I, a tall man of 1.8 meters, get turned into a short-legged corgi by you?”

Yan Zhao shifted the blame and said: “Your camera has issues.”

Ling Xiao: “Then how did I manage to make you look so good?”

Yan Zhao: “I look ten times better in person, so your real legs are ten times longer than in the photos. Is this logic a problem?”

Ling Xiao: “…” Okay, flawless logic.

When the director saw that the guests had almost finished taking photos, he called out, “Everyone, stand together, let’s take a group photo!”

So the six people stood together, struck a pose, and the journey on the cruise ship came to an end.

The director treated the guests to a dinner, knowing that everyone has fought with pigs and wouldn’t want to eat with mud-covered bodies. They agreed on a meeting time to return to the hotel first and freshen up.

Yan Zhao came out of the bathroom, water droplets from his hair fell down and slid into his hoodie along his collarbone.

In the group chat, the photographer uploaded the photos that had not yet been edited. Yan Zhao clicked on them and saw that the sun was setting. With dim lighting making all six of them look haggard, resembling beggars on the street.

Photographer: I did my best.

Yan Zhao saved the photos and immediately sent them to Shen Yuanting to play the victim.

Shen Yuanting was probably busy, so he didn’t reply for the time being. Yan Zhao didn’t wait impatiently, browsed the fan group, and then left to the restaurant.

Yan Zhao’s guess was correct; Shen Yuanting had an important meeting today. When the meeting ended, it was already late at night.

Once in the car, he finally had time to check the messages on his phone.

There are a few unread messages in the prioritized chat.

Yan Zhao: [Image]

Yan Zhao: [Crying cat head.jpg]

Shen Yuanting opened the original image, the twilight cast a golden hue over everything in the frame. The young man’s black eyes seemed to hold stars, and his beaming smile even made the tiny speck of mud on his face look adorable.

As for the others, Sheng Xin was just a fool, Ying Hongyu was ordinary-looking, and the rest were automatically filtered out by him.

Shen Yuanting saved the image and typed a reply.

Shen Yuanting: [Quite good.]

Yan Zhao: …

Yan Zhao: [What filter did you use to tell such a lie?]

Shen Yuanting: [Do I need to lie?]

Yan Zhao: [Then what about this one? [Image].]

Shen Yuanting opened the image. If it wasn’t edited, this one should have been taken earlier than the previous one, with clearer lighting. In the photo, Yan Zhao was not looking at the camera but rather at the horizon, with a calm and serene expression. Behind him, a seagull happened to be flying by. Coupled with the splendid twilight, the whole picture was as delicately captivating as an oil painting.

It’s unclear whether this scenery was captured by chance or intentionally crafted.

Shen Yuanting: [Was this also taken by the photographer?]

Yan Zhao: [It was taken by another guest.]

Shen Yuanting: [Oh.]

Yan Zhao: [You haven’t commented yet?]

Shen Yuanting: [It looks better in person.]

Yan Zhao: [You’re being dismissive. [Wang Zai angry emoji].]

Shen Yuanting half-closed his eyelids, the light outside the car window sometimes dim and sometimes bright, his emotions were also unclear and gloomy.

He shouldn’t have been left alone.

Shen Yuanting initiated a video call. The other party answered without hesitation, and immediately connected.

In the video, Yan Zhao was wearing loose pajamas with a small V-neck design that revealed the delicate clavicle below his neck. Further down, there was a small patch of bright and eye-catching skin.

Shen Yuanting: “Have you already gone to sleep?”

Yan Zhao lay on the pillow: “No, I just changed clothes. Is it dark over there? Are you in the car?”

Shen Yuanting: “Yeah, working overtime.”

Yan Zhao: “Did you have a good meal?”

Shen Yuanting smiled: “Don’t worry, I’ve eaten well.”

Yan Zhao hummed twice and started talking about today’s filming: “I wrestled with a pig.”

Shen Yuanting was silent for a moment. He was confident in his hearing, but when he heard that word, he began to doubt if he had misheard: “You wrestled with what?”

“A little pig,” Yan Zhao said. “The director’s team is mischievous. They arranged a bunch of piglets to block us, and even braised a few for dinner.”

Shen Yuanting: “…”

He really couldn’t imagine the scenes of his little rose fighting with piglets.

Shen Yuanting furrowed his brow, but from Yan Zhao’s tone, he didn’t seem angry, and even found it a bit amusing.

Well, as long as he liked it.

Yan Zhao enthusiastically gave Shen Yuanting a spoiler of today’s plot, boasting about how triumphant he was when he defeated Ling Xiao, his tail almost pointed straight up.

He boasted, “I’m so clever.”

Shen Yuanting smiled, “Well, good job.”

The driver parked the car in the garage, and Shen Yuanting returned home. Wang Zai emerged from his nest and lay on his back, asking for a belly rub.

Shen Yuanting live-streamed petting Wang Zai to Yan Zhao, and Wang Zai purred, looking thoroughly content.

“I miss Wang Zai…” Yan Zhao gazed longingly, “Even though I’ve only been away for a day and a half.”

Upon hearing Yan Zhao’s voice, Wang Zai rolled over and got up, meowing at the screen in the video and even nudging the phone screen with his nose.

Shen Yuanting moved the phone away, saying, “We’ll meet tomorrow.”

Yan Zhao gave a slight smile, “Yes, I’ll be back home tomorrow.”

…

The next day, Yan Zhao boarded the returning plane, sitting next to Ying Hongyu, with Sheng Xin behind them. The other guests had their own schedules and didn’t travel with them.

Sheng Xin had a grim expression, continuously typing on his phone.

Yan Zhao messaged Ying Hongyu on WeChat: [What’s wrong with Sheng Xin?]

Ying Hongyu glanced at Sheng Xin and replied to Yan Zhao, [When he was doing laundry, he forgot to take out his protective amulet, and it got soaked and cracked.]

Yan Zhao: “There’s no need to be angry about that.”

Ying Hongyu: [He happened to have a WeChat contact of a Taoist master, so he took a photo and asked the master if this amulet was still effective. The master told him it’s a fertility amulet.]

Yan Zhao almost burst out laughing, then remembered he also had an amulet. He quickly unfolded the amulet, compared it to the patterns online, confirmed it was indeed a genuine protective amulet, and screenshot the conversation to send to Shen Yuanting.

Shen Yuanting: “Shall I get you one of those next time?”

Yan Zhao: “…”

Yan Zhao: “Give up on that idea.”

Without even having a sex life, talking about fertility, it’s like splitting hairs.

After the master reassured multiple times that the fertility talisman only affects women and promised to properly educate the disciples, Sheng Xin finally abandoned the idea of dismantling the Taoist temple.

After bidding farewell to them, Yan Zhao dragged his luggage back home. When he pushed open the door, a strong spicy aroma wafted in, making one’s mouth water.

Then, a small ball of fur with a black back and white belly emerged from the corner. Yan Zhao picked it up, and Wang Zai actively rubbed its head against his hand.

Where else could you find such an affectionate cat and a boss with such great cooking skills?

Yan Zhao stood outside the kitchen, holding Wang Zai. The semi-open design allowed a view through the low cabinet with plates of vegetables and dishes, where the man poured out the steaming hot boiled fish.

Shen Yuanting glanced at him. “Back already?”

His tone was calm, as if Yan Zhao hadn’t just flown off for a shoot. It seemed like a regular return from work, but Yan Zhao played along.

Yan Zhao said, “I want sweet and sour pork ribs.”

Shen Yuanting brought the dishes out. “Let’s have dinner.”

Yan Zhao nodded, went to feed Wang Zai, returned his luggage to the bedroom, and came back to the dining room, waiting for Shen Yuanting to join for dinner.

Shen Yuanting washed his hands and came out from the kitchen. The young man faced him, his eyes slightly raised, with long eyelashes. Each blink of his eyes stirred up tiny ripples in Shen Yuanting’s heart, spreading out in circles.

As Shen Yuanting approached, Yan Zhao turned and smiled at him.

Yan Zhao had been browsing Weibo and saw some silly cat emoji stickers, intending to share them with Shen Yuanting, but before he could speak, the man in front of him suddenly bent down and cupped his face—

Yan Zhao couldn’t help but close his eyes as a warm breath sprayed onto his cheek, but the soft lips didn’t touch his own; instead, they landed on his eyes, gentle and reverent. Yan Zhao’s eyelashes trembled as he felt the soft touch shift to his cheek, leaving delicate imprints on one side of his face.

He could clearly hear the beating of his heart and felt the blood rushing to his head, his face turning red as if about to bleed.

Shen Yuanting’s kiss slowly landed on the corner of his mouth, and his breath was almost stopping. He grabbed Shen Yuanting’s sleeve tightly, but the man did not go further, instead, he continued down from the corner of his mouth, kissing his chin.

Yan Zhao released the hand holding the man’s sleeve, held Shen Yuanting’s arm, tilted his head, and pressed against those thin lips that made him so furious.

‘If the mountain not yielding to me, I will yield to the mountain.’

Shen Yuanting paused, the sensation on his lips was soft and scorching, the young man’s tongue reached out to lick his lips, carefully prying open his teeth.

Shen Yuanting thought, whatever happens, Yan Zhao brought it upon himself.

One of Shen Yuanting’s hands moved from Yan Zhao’s cheek to the back of his neck, while the other held the young man’s narrow waist, deepening and prolonging the kiss.