Chapter 24

When Ji Wei woke up the next day, he found himself lying on a hotel bed, still wearing the clothes from yesterday. He pinched his temples; his head was throbbing.

He seemed to have gotten drunk yesterday?

And he had a dream…

Thinking of Lu Shenxing in his dream, Ji Wei sat up in bed with a serious expression. He needed to seriously reflect on what he had been watching lately to have such a dream.

He casually picked up his phone from the pillow and was surprised to find his private messages were full. Everyone was asking what had happened at the meet-and-greet yesterday.

Because Wen Zheng had quit streaming.

[World Destroyer]: Holy crap! What on earth happened with you guys yesterday? How did God Wen quit? I heard his family’s business is also done for, and they’re planning to emigrate. The other streamers are all tight-lipped. Is it related to you?

[Ji Wei Who Plays Games]: How is that possible? I’m a lightweight who passes out at the first drop of alcohol. I had a little to drink at the party yesterday and have been asleep until now.

[World Destroyer]: But Wen Zimu is frantically trying to dig up your real-life information. Anyway, be careful. Don’t go out alone recently.

Wen Zimu?

Ji Wei was puzzled. Just then, Ying Guanxiao pushed the door open and came in, handing him a new set of clothes. “Weiwei, hurry up and change. The recording for National Style starts at nine. We have to rush to the airport at seven.”

Only then did Ji Wei remember that today was the recording day for National Style. He got off the bed and took the clothes. “Brother Ying, why are you here?”

Ying Guanxiao slapped his own head. “I just remembered you got drunk at the party yesterday.”

“Old Lu brought you to the hotel. He got up earlier than you and went down to the restaurant for breakfast. Try on the clothes and see if they fit. If not, I’ll have an assistant buy another set,” he explained.

So it was his idol who had brought him to the hotel.

No wonder he dreamed about his idol.

Ji Wei went into the bathroom to change.

Ying Guanxiao had given him a well-tailored shirt and pants set, slightly cinched at the waist. He had been worried it wouldn’t fit, but it was surprisingly perfect when he put it on.

However…

Facing the full-length mirror, his fingers touched his lips, and he hissed in pain.

He had bumped it on something and broken the skin.

Ying Guanxiao was still waiting outside the room, so he didn’t dally. He quickly straightened his clothes and came out. “Thanks, Brother Ying, the clothes fit perfectly.”

Ying Guanxiao sized up the young man. The clean white shirt and pants made him look vibrant and full of energy.

The clothes also fit perfectly.

Both the sleeve length and the waist width were just right, so right it was as if Lu Shenxing had used a ruler to measure the boy… inch by inch.

At this thought, he cursed “old pervert” under his breath.

Ji Wei didn’t hear clearly and thought he was being spoken to. He asked with exceptionally clear eyes, “Brother Ying, what did you just say?”

Ying Guanxiao adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and quickly shook his head. “Nothing. I said Old Lu bought these clothes for you, so you should be thanking him.”

Ji Wei nodded and smiled at him. “But thank you anyway, Brother Ying, for bringing me the clothes.”

The way Ying Guanxiao looked at Ji Wei immediately changed. He sighed deeply. How did such a good kid get targeted by Lu Shenxing?

The two took the elevator down. Lu Shenxing was already waiting in the car, his long legs crossed as he sat by the rear window.

Ying Guanxiao got into the driver’s seat, fastened his seatbelt, and turned the key to start the car.

Ji Wei stole a glance at Lu Shenxing.

The man had his head down, his gaze lowered to a book resting on his lap. Bright light streamed in from the sunroof, casting his sharply defined face half in light and half in shadow.

Ji Wei couldn’t help but think of last night’s dream, and his face quietly turned red. After a moment’s hesitation, he opened the door to the front passenger seat.

Ying Guanxiao was a little puzzled that he didn’t sit with Lu Shenxing, but he didn’t ask any questions and started the car, heading for the airport.

The car drove for a while.

The heat on Ji Wei’s face didn’t subside; instead, it grew redder with each passing moment. He took out his phone and logged into his Weibo side account to vent his feelings.

[Brother Lu’s Little Fanboy]: I dreamed about kissing Film Emperor Lu last night. I’m so ashamed. Can someone come and curse me out?

Not long after he posted it, several replies appeared.

[Emperor Tangerine]: What’s there to be ashamed of? Wasn’t Film Emperor Lu voted the man all of China wants to sleep with by the media?

[Bamboo Rat Three Yuan a Pound]: Our fandom actually has such an innocent fan? Congratulations, congratulations!

[If It’s Not Sweet, It’s Free]: You’re lucky you haven’t been to Lofter. It’s full of Film Emperor Lu’s fanfiction. You might feel like your eyes have been tainted if you read it.

[Lu Shenxing’s Official Fan Club]: Oh, isn’t this the poster who said “not cold and very big” last time? Getting all innocent over a kiss. The rumor was obviously made up. We urge all fans not to spread or believe rumors!

…

After reading through the comments, Ji Wei suddenly felt he was overreacting. To quote one of the comments, “a fan who doesn’t want to sleep with their idol is not a good fan.” Besides, all he did was kiss him.

Dreaming isn’t a crime…

The psychological burden the young man had been carrying all morning finally vanished!

He glanced in the rearview mirror, wanting to see what Lu Shenxing was doing. Unexpectedly, in the mirror, the man had closed the book on his lap and was also looking at him, his expression incredibly focused.

His back, being firmly watched by the man, couldn’t help but feel a little hot. His straight spine trembled slightly, like a zither string vibrating gently at a touch.

The scorching gaze didn’t disappear until he got out of the car.

Only then did Ji Wei feel relieved.

The program’s crew was already waiting outside the airport. He and Lu Shenxing walked toward them.

A few fans, all young girls, approached them. Strangely, they didn’t ask for photos or autographs. Instead, they shyly handed a thick book they were holding to Ji Wei.

Ji Wei took the heavy book. He was about to say thank you, but when he looked up, they had already run off and disappeared. He had no choice but to let it go.

The title was quite artistic, called Seven-Day Prisoner. He had never heard of it, so he assumed it was a recent work of traditional literature.

He casually flipped open a page and glanced at it. The next moment, he froze as if rooted to the spot. He took back his previous thought. What traditional literature? This was all fanfiction about him and Lu Shenxing.

To be precise, it was… explicit fanfiction.

[Lu Shenxing closed in on Ji Wei step by step. Cornered with no way to retreat, Ji Wei was asked in a cold, harsh voice, “Ji Wei, what will you use to repay the debt you owe me from five years ago?” The young man could only let him do as he pleased, unable to resist, thinking bitterly that this was his repayment…]

The various positions in the book made Ji Wei’s face flush red. He was so hot it felt like steam was about to rise from his head. With the speed of lightning, he slammed the book shut.

Lu Shenxing was a head taller than Ji Wei, so he had a clear view of the young man’s nervous reaction. The man glanced down at him and asked, “What book?”

Ji Wei answered guiltily, “…A proper book.”

But before he could react, the man had snatched the book from his hands. The man flipped it open to a page, which happened to be the scene where the young man was pressed against a wall. His expression gradually became peculiar, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice. “This is what you call a proper book?”

Ji Wei braced himself and explained, “This is just nonsense written by fans. Don’t overthink it.”

“I’m not overthinking it. I’m just—” Lu Shenxing closed the book, paused, and said, “learning from it.”

He emphasized the word “learning.” Ji Wei coughed heavily, nearly choking.

He had only known that his idol loved to read, but now he knew his idol would read anything. There was really no need to learn from this kind of book.

But Lu Shenxing showed no intention of returning the book to him.

He could only hesitate, at a loss for words.

The two walked over to the crew’s location. One of the staff members looked at Ji Wei with concern and asked, “Is the weather in Jiangzhou too dry? How did your lip get cut like that?”

Ji Wei touched the broken skin on his lip and shook his head. “I bumped it on something last night.”

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt Lu Shenxing’s gaze on him turn strange.

He’s probably just concerned about me.

Ji Wei thought for a moment, glanced at Lu Shenxing, and deliberately added, “It’s nothing serious.”

Lu Shenxing suddenly let out a soft laugh. He lowered his dark eyes, obscuring the emotions flowing within them.

“Huh, how come Film Emperor Lu’s lip is also cut?” another sharp-eyed staff member noticed.

“I was bitten by a small thing,” Lu Shenxing said, looking up. He glanced at Ji Wei, seemingly unintentionally, and added in a low voice, “And it turned around and forgot all about it.”

His tone was quite resentful.

“Bitten by a pet you’re raising, huh?” the staff member laughed.

Ji Wei immediately stared nervously at Lu Shenxing’s pale lips. Fortunately, like his, it was just a shallow scrape. From his experience, it wasn’t a big deal.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s fine. We brought a makeup artist with us. We can apply makeup as soon as we get off the plane. I guarantee not a single mark will be visible on camera,” the staff member reassured them.

The group headed toward the boarding gate.

The flight’s destination was Suihai. It took an hour by plane and another half an hour by ferry to reach their destination. As soon as they landed, the makeup artist started applying makeup on him and Lu Shenxing.

Just as the staff member had said, not a single trace was visible.

The other guests hadn’t arrived yet. Lu Shenxing stood by the sea, feeling the breeze. Ji Wei was only a few steps away from him and said apologetically, “I must have caused you a lot of trouble taking me to the hotel yesterday.”

“No trouble.”

The man’s tone was gentle, betraying no emotion.

It was a very polite answer.

Ji Wei was about to say thank you when the man slowly added, “I just had to take a few extra cold showers.”

“Because it was hot?”

Ji Wei’s attention was captured.

Yesterday in Jiangzhou, it was only twenty degrees. When the wind blew, he felt a bit chilly walking down the street in long sleeves. It was far from hot.

“Extremely hot.”

The man’s voice was deep, with a barely perceptible hoarseness at the end.

Ji Wei thought for a moment. It was probably because Lu Shenxing was from the north and wasn’t used to the south’s stuffy, humid weather. He hadn’t felt hot at all yesterday.

Lu Shenxing’s dark eyes stared at him for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Little one, don’t get drunk in front of men in the future. Terrible things can happen.”

“What terrible things?”

Ji Wei’s eyes showed his confusion.

The most terrible thing that happened yesterday seemed to be scraping his lip. Chen Yan and the others often came back drunk in the middle of the night and were perfectly fine.

Lu Shenxing slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over him from bottom to top with a profound depth that made Ji Wei’s heart flutter. Only then did he slowly let out a breath. “Want to know?”

Ji Wei nodded, and then he heard the man let out a lazy laugh, tinged with a seductive quality.

“Come here, and brother will teach you.”