Chapter 78

The two of them kissed all the way from the living room sofa to the bed.

He could feel the temperature of the man’s body growing hotter and hotter, yet at the final step, he was let go.

Ji Wei buttoned up his shirt to cover the hickey, sat up, and mustered the courage to ask, “When I turn twenty… it’ll be okay, right?”

He didn’t want Lu Shenxing to be uncomfortable.

After speaking, Ji Wei quickly lowered his head, so nervous that his palms were sweating. He heard the man pause for a moment before giving a low “mm.” With a red face, he slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, the time until his twentieth birthday felt exceptionally long.

When Lu Shenxing came out of the bathroom, he remembered the note Meng Hao had given him. He showed the note to Lu Shenxing and said with some unease, “I didn’t feel like I was being followed at all.”

Lu Shenxing raised an eyebrow at the note, his tone thoughtful. “It’s probably reporters.”

Ji Wei nodded at his words.

“If someone tells you something,” the man suddenly said, looking at him steadily, “don’t believe it. As for the rest—”

“Leave it to me.”

Ji Wei sensed the dangerous undertone in that sentence, but he still didn’t ask any more questions and softly said, “Okay.”

While streaming games that night, a new user named “Zhao Yue is Number One Handsome” sent him several small TV spaceships. Just as he was wondering about it, he received a WeChat message.

[Zhao Yue] What’s your address?

[Ji Wei] ??

[Zhao Yue] I’m coming to your place for dinner tomorrow. I’ve already paid for the meal.

Ji Wei: …………

This wasn’t a matter of paying for the meal or not. He secretly glanced at the man on the terrace making a phone call. The problem was that his idol didn’t seem to like Zhao Yue very much.

But Zhao Yue was a very patient person.

[Zhao Yue] Are you agreeing or not?

[Zhao Yue] I’ve already bought my plane ticket to Yancheng.

[Zhao Yue] Brother Ji.

…

Ji Wei could only reply with one message.

[Ji Wei] Hua Ting Residential Complex, Building A, Dongcheng District.

When Lu Shenxing finished his call and walked back into the bedroom, Ji Wei was still worrying about how to tactfully tell his idol about this.

He was extremely worried.

He thought about it from dinner all the way until bedtime.

After the man beside him turned off the lights, under the cover of darkness, Ji Wei’s courage grew a little. He braced himself and said, “Is it okay if a friend of mine comes over for dinner tomorrow?”

Lu Shenxing’s voice was tinged with a faint sleepiness, but it was still gentle. “It’s okay.”

“Is it Chen Yan?” the man asked.

“No.”

Ji Wei’s heart was pounding.

“Then who is it?”

“Zhao Yue.”

As he said those two words, Ji Wei closed his eyes in resignation. As expected, the atmosphere suddenly became oppressive. He could feel the low pressure emanating from the man.

“You want him to come?”

The sleepiness in Lu Shenxing’s voice had vanished.

“He invited himself,” Ji Wei said cautiously. “I’ve never had a friend over before. Just this once, is that okay?”

The man was silent for a while.

“Our Weiwei can invite as many friends as he wants.”

The anxiety that had been hanging over Ji Wei for most of the night finally lifted. The next second, the man wrapped his arms around his waist, bringing them extremely close. Warm breath fanned across Ji Wei’s neck as he heard the man add in a low voice, “But I’m the only one allowed in the bed.”

Ji Wei didn’t react at first, blankly considering the possibility of a second person before quickly dismissing the thought. Dealing with Lu Shenxing alone was already tiring enough; how could there be anyone else?

He said in a small voice, “Only you.”

“Good boy.”

The man kissed him.

***

The next day, Ji Wei told Huang Bo that a guest was coming over. He went out to buy groceries early in the morning, even though the house was still full of vegetables.

Ji Wei sighed and took a cup of yogurt from the jam-packed refrigerator.

He was a little bored during breakfast, so he took out his phone to browse Weibo. The downside of being married to a film emperor was probably that he would always see gossip about himself when browsing Weibo.

[Entertainment Industry Cousin] A certain variety show has been a hit recently, and everyone is really into shipping the real-life couple. But I’m quite curious, though they all say the Film Emperor is low-key and doesn’t create hype, I looked through his Weibo and there are only two posts about his partner. Think about it carefully. You can only say that what’s presented on camera isn’t necessarily real.

There were quite a few comments below.

[light] Although that’s true, Film Emperor Lu only has five Weibo posts in total.

[Wangzai Milk] It’s obvious he’s talking about Film Emperor Lu and Weiwei. As long as they’re sweet on the show, who cares about anything else?

[Pan-fried Small Yellow Croaker] …I suspect those who liked the blogger’s post haven’t watched The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. How can you fake being that sweet? Even though Film Emperor Lu’s acting is amazing, I have to say, this kind of state can’t be acted out. The way he looks at Ji Wei, his eyes are full of light.

Ji Wei was stunned when he saw the last comment. Was what the fans were saying true? Before he had time to think much about it, he suddenly received a news push notification.

—Famous artist Xu Sheng suspected of money laundering and forgery, arrested by police for questioning early this morning.

Because the case was still under investigation, no more details were disclosed, but Ji Wei had a faint feeling that Xu Sheng’s arrest was related to his idol.

He went to the study, turned on his computer, and searched for Xu Sheng.

Unlike the simple search last time, he spent three hours this time, conducting a detailed and comprehensive search, gradually piecing together a picture of Xu Sheng in his mind.

He was born in a remote mountain village and was discovered for his talent in painting by Mr. Lin Yiqiu, who sponsored all his tuition and miscellaneous fees from junior high to university. He was more like a semi-father than a teacher.

Ji Wei then switched to searching for Lin Yiqiu.

Just as Charles had said, he was born into the illustrious Lin family and never had to worry about money. He had studied painting in his early years, but after a student injured his hand, he never picked up a paintbrush again.

He couldn’t find any more detailed information.

All he knew was that the student’s surname was Ye.

The same surname as his mother.

Ji Wei was slightly surprised.

Lin Yiqiu had once been a teacher at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He thought he could go to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to have a look when he had time.

He turned off the computer. Zhao Yue had a brand endorsement event in the afternoon and wouldn’t arrive until the evening. After a simple lunch, he waited for Meng Hao to come for his lesson.

***

Zhao Yue, fully armed with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, walked into the Hua Ting residential complex. After all, as a top celebrity, he was constantly annoyed by being followed by reporters. He sighed with a sense of self-satisfaction.

However, based on his long experience.

He was being followed.

He was followed all the way to the front of the elevator.

He pulled his mask up properly, glanced at the high school student who was a head taller than him, took out the paper and pen he always carried, skillfully signed his name, and impatiently handed it over. “Stop following me. Take this and go.”

Meng Hao didn’t take it.

Zhao Yue cursed him internally for pushing his luck and pulled off his mask. “Still not leaving? A picture together should be enough, right?”

If he wasn’t afraid of his manager finding out he had secretly come to Ji Wei’s house to freeload a meal, he would have started cursing at a sasaeng fan like this directly.

Zhao Yue touched up his makeup and prepared for the photo.

Just then, the elevator dinged.

Meng Hao silently entered the elevator.

And closed the elevator doors.

Zhao Yue: ??!

***

Not long after Meng Hao arrived, Zhao Yue surprisingly showed up too.

Ji Wei hadn’t expected Zhao Yue to come so early. After greeting him, he went to the study to get a permanent marker. Huang Bo poured them some water.

“I’m Ji Wei’s butler, Huang Bo. I’ll be in charge of tonight’s meal. Does Mr. Zhao have any favorite dishes?” Huang Bo asked Zhao Yue.

Zhao Yue’s eyes lit up. “Hot pot!”

Then he remembered he was at someone else’s house. He coughed and said again, “Is hot pot okay?”

“No problem.”

Huang Bo said with a smile, then turned to look at Meng Hao. “Little Meng, you should eat here tonight too. Tell me what you want to eat, I can make anything.”

Meng Hao stood up and shook his head. “Thank you, but there’s no need.”

“You’re just too polite, kid,” Huang Bo sighed and went into the kitchen to get busy.

Only after watching Huang Bo leave did Meng Hao sit down again and take out his books to review.

Zhao Yue sat on the sofa, staring at him as if he were an alien. He couldn’t help but ask, “You actually don’t know who I am?”

“How could you not know me? I’m really popular.”

…

Perhaps annoyed beyond endurance, Meng Hao finally said coldly, “Oh.”

Zhao Yue: …

Just then, Ji Wei also came out of the study. After greeting Zhao Yue, he started the lesson.

Meng Hao was very attentive during the afternoon class, filling half a notebook with notes. Compared to his messy scratch work, it was incredibly neat.

[Why did I watch someone study for a whole afternoon?]

[I’m also pondering this question. Watching the little classmate improve actually gives me a sense of accomplishment, like raising a child.]

[I fell asleep three times listening to Weiwei’s lecture, but I still can’t help but click into the stream. A lookism admirer is just this humble.]

[I’m begging on my knees for Weiwei to stream something else at night. A house tour would be fine too! I’ve been eyeing this house for a long time, but I can only ever see the living room.]

Since the fans were all leaving comments, with the request for a house tour getting over seventy thousand likes, Ji Wei thought about it and agreed to do a house tour at night, though he couldn’t guarantee the time.

He glanced at Zhao Yue, who was playing games in the study. After all, he didn’t know how late Zhao Yue would be staying.

He invited Meng Hao to stay for dinner, but Meng Hao refused. After bowing to him, he turned and left. Ji Wei could only say goodbye to him.

“Where’s Senior Lu?” Zhao Yue asked, coming out of the study and looking around nervously.

“A-Xing went to see a director. He said he’ll be back late, so we should eat first,” Huang Bo replied. “We won’t wait for him.”

Zhao Yue walked to the dining table and sat down, feeling completely at ease.

Huang Bo had made the hot pot he had been craving, and he had also prepared a large table of Sichuan dishes to suit his taste, including boiled pork slices, fish-flavored shredded pork…

When Zhao Yue smelled the aroma, his stomach started to growl.

“I don’t know if it’s to your taste,” Huang Bo said, standing by the dining table with a smile.

Zhao Yue took a bite and was immediately conquered. “This is simply too delicious.”

“That’s great,” Ji Wei also smiled shyly, revealing two faint pear dimples.

Zhao Yue couldn’t help but feel jealous of Lu Shenxing. Not only was he married to Ji Wei, but even the butler at home cooked so well. Meanwhile, he could only gnaw on cucumbers under his manager’s supervision. The gap between people was too big.

However, he only dared to grumble silently to himself.

For the first half of the meal, Zhao Yue was exceptionally happy. Huang Bo’s cooking was too good. The sweet and sour pork ribs were crispy and tender, coated in a thick layer of sweet and sour sauce. He ate a whole plate!

He even started planning to come back for another meal.

But when Lu Shenxing returned, the atmosphere changed.

Lu Shenxing sat down at the table, glanced at him, and said politely, “Zhao Yue, long time no see.”

Zhao Yue hadn’t expected Lu Shenxing to come back and was suddenly so nervous he had trouble swallowing.

“You seem a little different,” the man said suddenly after staring at him for a moment.

Zhao Yue was startled and couldn’t help but ask, “How am I different?”

Lu Shenxing said unhurriedly, “You’ve gotten a lot rounder.”

Zhao Yue: “…”

Hearing Lu Shenxing’s words, he felt that the food in his hand was no longer fragrant. He now desperately wanted to go to the gym and run for two hours.

Therefore, when Huang Bo brought out the fish later, he only took a few bites before making his excuses. Huang Bo was still in the kitchen making dessert. Ji Wei was puzzled by Zhao Yue’s hasty departure. Wasn’t he eating just fine before?

Lu Shenxing calmly explained, “Celebrities are very busy.”

Ji Wei thought that made sense. As he was about to continue eating, he said, “I heard from Uncle Huang that you went to see a director. Was it Director Li? We thought you might not be back so soon, so we started eating first.”

The man gave a faint “mm,” then looked up into his eyes and said slowly, “I wanted to come back.”

His tone was so natural that it took Ji Wei a few seconds to react. He subconsciously wanted to lower his head, but then he remembered Chen Yan’s earnest advice.

—You have to be proactive when pursuing someone.

So, Ji Wei took a deep breath and asked with a trembling voice, “Did you… miss me?”

The air instantly fell silent.

Lu Shenxing seemed not to have expected him to ask that. After a moment, he said flatly, “I did.”

“A lot,” the man added with an ambiguous tone.

Ji Wei’s face instantly turned red. He immediately lowered his head to eat. The blush only started to fade after he had finished his meal.

Dinner ended earlier than he had expected. His idol was in the living room reading a script.

He prepared to give his fans a tour of the areas where he usually lived. It was a rather casual stream, so he just used his phone without even a mic.

“This is the study, where I usually stream.”

Ji Wei walked into the study. “The lighting is a bit dim, I hope you don’t mind.”

[He’s really streaming! Weiwei is so good to his fans. As an architecture student, I’m putting on my glasses. The design style is amazing. It’s just that the architectural structure of a large flat is too monotonous, but it’s also a price I can’t afford!]

[Wow, a whole wall of books!]

[Can we see the bookshelf?!]

Ji Wei moved the camera closer to the bookshelf.

[So many biographies and psychology books. Those must be Film Emperor Lu’s books!]

[The right side should be Weiwei’s. I see ‘History of Chinese Art Appreciation’!]

[Wuwuwuwuwu, it’s so nice that they live together. They even put their books together. Why are there still bloggers insinuating that it’s all for show?]

Ji Wei then introduced the other areas. He walked out of the study, passed through the dining room, and explained, “This is where we usually eat. Since there aren’t many people, the tables are all small square tables.” Walking into the living room, he pointed to where the whiteboard was. “This is where I usually have my lessons. The stream camera is placed behind the sofa.”

[Hahahahaha, the whiteboard feels so familiar!]

[I also did problems for a whole afternoon today!]

[I can’t, I get sleepy just looking at that whiteboard… ]

[Are you all so invested? I just use it as a sleep aid video!]

He passed by the sofa, preparing to go to the next area, when Lu Shenxing suddenly stood up. His idol’s handsome face appeared in front of the camera.

[Holy crap, holy crap! Look what I stumbled upon!]

[Ahhhhhh, holy crap, how is he even more handsome than on screen? A visual critical hit!]

[One moment I’m envious of Film Emperor Lu, the next I’m envious of Weiwei. I was about to say ‘please marry on the spot, I’ll bring the Civil Affairs Bureau,’ but then I remembered they’re already married!]

“This is my…” Ji Wei said out of habit, subconsciously introducing him. When he realized, his words caught in his throat. Just as he was about to move the camera away, the man lowered his eyes and said flatly, “He’s yours.”

“Lu Shenxing is yours, too.”