Qiu Yuan simply discussed matters about the movie with Xin Hexue.
He added Xin Hexue’s contact information and sent the script document. “There’ll be auditions and casting at the end of this month. I’ll inform you of the time and place. Let’s stay in touch.”
Qiu Yuan stared at Xin Hexue a moment longer. Even with his sunglasses on, the gaze was so intense that it was impossible not to notice.
“Mr. Qiu Yuan, what’s the matter?” Xin Hexue touched his cheek. “Is there something on my face?”
“No, nothing.”
Qiu Yuan’s thin lips curved slightly, his tone ambiguous. “I watched Teacher’s work.”
He was referring to the film directed by his Teacher, Yun Zhiming, which was shot in District Twelve.
The theme of the movie was a redemption story. The protagonists were a teenager from the chaotic slums of District Twelve and a broken robot discarded at a scrapyard in District Twelve. The story revolved around their strange adventures in the lower district. In the end, the boy gained the favor and sponsorship of a wealthy businessman, entered the upper district to complete his studies, and moved forward with the goal of becoming a specialist in bionic manufacturing. The robot was also refurbished with new parts and transformed.
It turned out to be a light comedy with a bit of humor.
When Qiu Yuan first watched it, it didn’t leave much of an impression on him.
The lead actor’s performance was stiff.
He was good-looking, but he looked more like a wooden beauty, and his performance was not as realistic as the robot next to him.
But after seeing Xin Hexue in person at the resort, Qiu Yuan realized things might not be so simple.
Just the spirited glint in his eyes during archery was dazzling enough.
Could that kind of gaze really belong to a young man from the slums of District Twelve?
According to the information he’d received, it seems that even a year ago, Xin Hexue was still being used as a blood bag to fund his adoptive father’s gambling.
He was very curious about Xin Hexue’s background, his goals, and even his true identity.
He didn’t believe a person could change so drastically in such a short time.
But before he could probe any further, Xi Zhengqing returned.
He first asked Xin Hexue why he hadn’t waited where he was, then turned to Qiu Yuan with a half-mocking smile. “It looks like you’ve already exchanged contact information?”
Qiu Yuan had no choice but to drop the topic and respond with a businesslike tone. “I had a short chat with him. I’m very satisfied with his appearance and conditions, but you know how I work…strictly by the book. There will be an official audition…”
He shifted his posture, avoiding Xi Zhengqing, and addressed Xin Hexue directly, “If there’s no problem, then let me just say in advance..it’s a pleasure working with you?”
‘Pretending.’ Xi Zhengqing watched coldly.
Who didn’t know Qiu Yuan loved to break the rules?
Xin Hexue remained calm and politely thanked Qiu Yuan. “I’ll attend the audition on time. Pleasure working with you.”
………
Xi Zhengqing accompanied Xin Hexue for a walk on the deck.
The soft sea breeze brushed against them. No matter which direction they looked, there was only the endless ocean. Sunlight shone down from above, and shimmering waves rippled across the surface.
“The Xi family has always planned to start an entertainment company and enter the film industry. If you’re thinking of pursuing acting as a career, would you consider signing with our company?”
As the weather got warmer, Xi Zhengqing rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows, revealing strong, muscular arms.
He continued, “At that time, we can assign you the best agent and assistant team.”
If Xin Hexue agreed, he’d acquire an entertainment company the moment they returned.
Xin Hexue smiled at him, his black hair tousled by the wind. “Thank you, Zhengqing.”
He didn’t give a clear answer, only said that he still needed to think about his future work.
Xi Zhengqing respected his choice. He reached out and gently tucked the messy strands of hair behind Xin Hexue’s ear.
“What a coincidence, Young Master Xi. I didn’t expect to run into you here. What a pleasure!”
Someone ruined the moment with small talk.
Xi Zhengqing withdrew his hand and smiled politely but perfunctorily. “So it’s President Chen. It’s a pleasure.”
President Chen seemed slow to catch onto his perfunctory attitude. He had recently signed a parts production deal with a bionic manufacturing company and naturally knew that, while outsiders still called him “Young Master”, most of the power of the Xi family power had already shifted to this heir.
He continued to try to curry favor with meaningless talk like, “The sky is so blue,” and “This cruise ship is really a cruise ship.”
Just as Xi Zhengqing’s patience was about to run out, President Chen suddenly seemed to have suddenly opened up his Ren and Du meridians. He glanced at Xin Hexue in surprise and said to Xi Zhengqing, “Young Master, is this your boyfriend? He is so handsome. What a good match!”
Xi Zhengqing’s expression shifted from gloomy to bright and he coughed lightly in embarrassment. Seeing that Xin Hexue didn’t seem offended, he explained to President Chen, “You misunderstood. We’re not like that. I’m still pursuing him.”
Compared to last time when the suit designer misunderstood, Xi Zhengqing was more confident now. He no longer hid it and openly stated that he was still in the pursuit stage.
Xin Hexue’s ears turned a faint red and he whispered to Xi Zhengqing, “I’m a little tired. I’ll go back to the room to rest.”
Every invited guest had their own cabin on the cruise ship.
Xi Zhengqing’s smile grew even brighter. “Alright, go take a nap. I’ll come get you at dinner.”
Xin Hexue: “Okay.”
He gave a polite nod to President Chen before leaving.
………
The third level of the cruise ship had a grand and luxurious banquet hall.
The guests were not just children of financial magnates. There were also political figures, artists, and wealthy businessmen… All the key figures from the core zone.
There were crowds of people, glasses clinked, and dancers floated across the floor.
The symphony orchestra played ecstatically in the background. Notes flowed from their bows and spilled onto the fluttering hems of evening gowns.
The long tables and classical flower arrangements in the corners gave everything a luxurious feel of the Golden Age of the last century..
Porcelain plates held walnut brownie cakes, crystal vessels displayed torch-like foxtail lilies, and chefs stood beside the buffet counter, waiting for guests to place orders for freshly prepared dishes.
Flowers bloomed in brilliance, flames danced in the oil, and lamb chops with sea salt sizzled in the pan.
Xi Zhengqing had originally been by Xin Hexue’s side but left temporarily to speak with an important business partner.
The host of the banquet seemed to seize the perfect moment and slowly approached Xin Hexue.
Qiu Yuan leaned against the bar. He opened a bottle of wine and poured the orange-red liquid into tall-stemmed glasses. He pushed one toward Xin Hexue. “Want a drink?”
Xin Hexue lowered his head and glanced down at the drink.
With past experience in mind, he kept his distance from alcohol.
Qiu Yuan raised an eyebrow. “No poison, no drugs.”
Then, as if to prove it, he tilted his head back and finished his glass.
“It’s liqueur. Fruity, and not strong.”
Xin Hexue frowned slightly and hesitantly picked up the glass.
Qiu Yuan only saw the tip of the red tongue lightly touching the wine.
Xin Hexue lifted his eyelids and met Qiu Yuan’s gaze through the sunglasses. He put down the glass perfunctorily, indicating that he had tried it, “Mm.”
It tasted like citrus.
Xin Hexue tapped his fingertips gently on the marble bar counter.
The lingering taste of wine lingered on his tongue, and his gaze drifted to the tall glass sitting dangerously close to the edge of the counter.
K felt that the cat was scheming to push the glass off the bar.
Qiu Yuan stood up straight and made a gentlemanly gesture. “Handsome sir, may I have this dance?”
Xin Hexue stood from the barstool. “I’m not good at ballroom dancing.”
Before coming, Xi Zhengqing had given him some ballroom dancing lessons.
Of course, Xin Hexue was already very good. After all, the ballroom dances of his home planet and here shared similarities.
But that wouldn’t stop him from casually stepping on Qiu Yuan’s foot during the dance.
As the soft music began, the two held hands, and Qiu Yuan got straight to the point. “What is your goal?”
Left step, stomp.
[Qiu Yuan love value +1]
Right step, stomp.
[Qiu Yuan love value +1]
‘Are you sick?’
Xin Hexue replied calmly, “I don’t know what you’re asking.”
Qiu Yuan showed no change in expression. As the music led them apart, he leaned close and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “You’re very clever and well-hidden. You’ve played Xi Zhengqing like a dog. I didn’t know much about Pei Guangji’s situation before, but maybe he was the same…revolving around you.”
As the melody rose, their right hands joined again, with their left hands on the shoulder. Qiu Yuan stepped forward and drew closer. “Why? What do you want out of this?”
Under the candlelight, Xin Hexue’s dark pupils were given in a faint glow, and his gaze fluid.
“So only you elites get to treat me like a toy, lie to me at will, but I’m not allowed to toy with you?”
“You’re the ones who insisted on provoking me.”
As he spoke, he tilted his head slightly.
The corners of his eyes were tinged with a drunken red, like plum blossoms in snow.
The music became sweet.
A step forward to the left…stomp.
A step back to the right…missed.
Xin Hexue looked as if he’d missed a beat in a rhythm game and was momentarily frustrated.
[Qiu Yuan love value+1]
Their palms touched, and as they stepped forward again, Qiu Yuan asked tentatively, “Are you really Xin Hexue?”
Xin Hexue’s lips curved into a smile and the unique scent of green sandalwood clung to Qiu Yuan.
“Is there another me in the world?”
“Are you standing up for your childhood friends?” Xin Hexue spun lazily, “Because they were played by an orphan picked up in the garbage dumps of District Twelve?”
When he mentioned his origins, there was no emotional fluctuation…no resentment nor unwillingness.
Dark and damp tentacles crawled from the ground, creeped up Xin Hexue’s polished leather shoes and tried to slip into his trouser legs.
Xin Hexue: [K.]
There was a faint electric buzz and Qiu Yuan’s eye twitched.
This time, the neural link between him and the tentacles hadn’t been severed, so the shock surged through his brain sharply.
He could now confirm who had electrocuted his two tentacles at the Pei manor.
‘District Twelve garbage dump…’
‘Electric shocks…’
He got stepped on again.
As the song ended, Xin Hexue brushed past him and left the dance floor calmly.
Qiu Yuan suddenly turned back. “In some ways, we should be the same kind of people.”
Xin Hexue lowered his lashes, then looked back up at him with eyes like a wary feline.
[Qiu Yuan love value +10]
Qiu Yuan said meaningfully, “I won’t hurt you. You can trust me a little more.”
………
After studying the Qiu family’s background, Xin Hexue intentionally crafted a new persona in front of Qiu Yuan.
He led Qiu Yuan to suspect he was also a mutant species. One who, like Qiu Yuan, grew up in human society and completely identified as a human, but was wavering because of his mutant abilities.
They were different from those cruel, deformed mutants. They had human bodies and minds. They were also different from the arrogant, ignorant elites of the core zone. They stood at the center of the game with indifference and clear minds.
So he and Qiu Yuan were on the same side. They were the same kind of people.
At this point, the two isolated islands drifting in the ocean finally came together.
What made him slightly different from Qiu Yuan was that he had no power or influence. He had originally drifted into the District Twelve garbage dump and now that he has been brought into the core zone, he was more like a rootless duckweed.
Under such circumstances, if nothing unexpected happens, Qiu Yuan will of course include him in his side and protect him.
As for pretending to be a mutant species, Xin Hexue wasn’t worried about being exposed.
His voice was softer than usual. [Gege, you’ll protect me, right?]
K reset from useless husband mode to good brother mode.
[…Mm.] K said. [Protecting the host is the system’s duty.]
With K’s electric shock skill, it was effortless for Xin Hexue to disguise himself as a mutant species.
Even without any non-human traits, what kind of normal person could release 100,000 volts?
That left only one explanation, he was a mutant.
Besides, after Qiu Yuan identified him as one of his kind, even if Xin Hexue slipped up, Qiu Yuan would naturally make excuses for him.
Humans who were too lonely tended to huddle together for warmth.
Xin Hexue was led by a waiter to the top level of the cruise ship.
The waiter said Xi Zhengqing was waiting for him.
So Xin Hexue went up.
The lights on that floor went out in an instant.
There was a generator on the cruise ship, and the power system was stable. It wouldn’t suddenly lose power.
The waiter had already quietly slipped away.
Xin Hexue didn’t know what trick Xi Zhengqing was playing, but he waited patiently.
He tentatively took two steps forward into the darkness. “Zhengqing? Are you here?”
After those two steps, small star-like lights lit up all around, flickering as if stars had fallen from the sky.
Xi Zhengqing took his hand and led him forward. Facing the sea breeze, the sky and sea were the same shade of blue, with moonlight cascading down.
The Alpha took out a velvet ring box, opened it, and inside was a pair of rings. Smiling gently, he said, “They’re just couple rings for now. I hope you won’t mind that I secretly measured your ring size while you were asleep.”
“I promise I’ll be a hundred times better than Pei Guangji. I won’t make you sad. I won’t leave you lonely. Will you… say yes?”
Xi Zhengqing’s tone was solemn and a little nervous.
Xin Hexue’s eyelashes trembled. “I…”
Xi Zhengqing could tell from Xin Hexue’s recent attitude toward him that he wasn’t completely unmoved. He was hesitating. As long as he took a few more steps forward…
“You don’t have to worry. I’ll handle things with him, and I’ll help you pay back that million too.”
Xin Hexue’s eyes sparkled.
He knew the final, crucial ten points of love value from Xi Zhengqing were likely to be maxed out tonight.
Because of that, Xin Hexue’s heartbeat even sped up with joy.
“Pa! Pa! Pa!”
Suddenly, there was the sound of someone clapping.
The sound echoed through the floor.
Xi Zhengqing suddenly turned his head. “Who?!”
Qiu Yuan walked out while clapping and called to the people behind him, “The moon on the top deck is so beautiful! Everyone, come take a look. Keep the music going, keep dancing!”
He stepped aside, and the crowd behind him surged forward like flowing water, bustling as they squeezed up to the top deck to admire the moon.
Xi Zhengqing held his breath in his throat.
He glared at Qiu Yuan.
The look in his eyes was obvious…
Didn’t we agree you would take care of this? Why are you here to cause trouble now?!
Before the banquet, Xi Zhengqing had already told Qiu Yuan to leave the top deck of the cruise ship to him that night and to make sure it was cleared.
Amid the dense crowd.
A tall Alpha silently stepped out. His thin lips were pressed into a straight line. His aura was calm and sharp, carrying a natural sense of pressure.
He had an impressive height, and as he casually walked forward, he immediately drew the attention of the chattering guests.
“Young Master…Pei?”
“Young Master Pei?!”
Many of the people here had just attended the coming-of-age banquet for Pei Ying hosted by Old Master Pei. Now they looked at each other in bewilderment, completely confused as to when Pei Guangji had regained consciousness.
Xin Hexue shifted his gaze and saw Qiu Yuan in the distance, raising his wine glass toward him with a roguish smile, which was really infuriating.
Qiu Yuan was the one hosting the banquet. There was no way he didn’t know who was on the guest list.
He did this on purpose!
Maybe he didn’t step on his foot hard enough during the dance earlier.
Xin Hexue gritted his teeth.
He stood where he was, his mind racing.
Within seconds, Pei Guangji had already approached him.
The Alpha’s face was indifferent and unreadable as he extended the wine glass straight toward him.
Xin Hexue frowned.
Was Pei Guangji so furious that he wanted to pour wine on him in front of everyone to humiliate him?
The wine glass simply stopped in front of Xin Hexue, and Pei Guangji said in a low and deep voice. “May I offer you a drink?”
But Pei Guangji’s words made Xin Hexue’s pupils widen.
The Alpha looked a little awkward, but hy still asked, “Have we met somewhere before?!”
