When the light shone into the quilt, Bai Shuijin’s eyes also lit up at the same time, as bright as the clear sky after rain.
“Laogong-ge, let’s sleep together.”
He nestled inside the quilt and patted the space beside him with his hand, his gaze sincere as he sent the earnest invitation.
“I already warmed up the bed, if you come in now the temperature will be just right.”
Bai Shuijin’s gaze only stayed on Wang Huanxiu’s face for a moment before moving to his abs in the next second.
‘Hello again, my favorite.’
But now was not the time to greet laogong-ge’s abs. His biggest curiosity was whether his butt was flat or not.
Actually, Bai Shuijin didn’t really care that much. After all, family should give the greatest tolerance. He had already thought it through. Even if laogong-ge’s butt was flat, he wouldn’t say a single opinion or comment.
After all, no one was perfect. Wang Huanxiu had money, looks, and power. So what if he lacked a butt!
It was just that Bai Shuijin had learned dance in his previous life, so he was a bit obsessed with people’s body shapes.
Seeing Wang Huanxiu standing at the bedside without moving, he crawled out of the quilt, “What? Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Wang Huanxiu’s eyes were terrifyingly dark, “How do you sleep here?”
“Of course by closing my eyes and sleeping.”
He reached out and grabbed Wang Huanxiu’s big hand, trying to pull him onto the bed, “Laogong-ge, I sleep very quietly. Be good, I definitely won’t disturb you.”
He kneeled on the bed and moved his legs backward, exerting force with his hands to pull Wang Huanxiu toward him.
Even though the other party was a villain and as cannon fodder he should be afraid, he loved this body too much. Nothing comforted him more than his laogong-ge’s perfect body.
Wang Huanxiu’s image perfectly matched what a domineering CEO should look like: cold, powerful, handsome, with a strong body and a healthy physique.
He used to like watching the male seniors play basketball at school, but now he liked watching Wang Huanxiu not wearing clothes at home, although the other party had a bath towel wrapped around his lower body.
Bai Shuijin’s gaze was very direct, as if he wanted to eat him up with that little mouth.
Wang Huanxiu felt subtle, and even thought the person in front of him was ridiculous. He didn’t know what little trick he was playing again, but eating him, that was wishful thinking.
He was already in a bad mood and didn’t have the patience to watch his small tricks. He pried open the hands pulling him, used a bit of force and flipped Bai Shuijin onto the bed. Bai Shuijin only felt the world spin, and when he got up again, Wang Huanxiu had already ignored him and lay on one side preparing to sleep.
Bai Shuijin could see his exhaustion. He went out at eight in the morning and came back at midnight, which was crazier than his fourteen-hour work days in his previous life.
He didn’t know how much work there was in the company, he just wanted the other party not to be so tired.
Even robots would short-circuit if they ran continuously.
Even while resting, Wang Huanxiu’s brows were still in a faint frown. Bai Shuijin crawled over, his pajama pants legs rolling up to his calves from the crawling and revealing smooth and delicate skin.
After climbing into the quilt, he lay down next to Wang Huanxiu. Since the other party was lying with his back facing him, the beautiful back muscles were completely exposed before his eyes.
Bai Shuijin stretched his hand to press and knead a few acupoints on his back, humming while exerting force, although lying down made it hard to apply force with his arms.
The person beside him suddenly turned around and grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip, “What are you doing?”
The other party’s aura and oppression came directly at him.
Wang Huanxiu’s impatience had clearly reached its limit. Not lashing out at Bai Shuijin was only due to his own self-restraint.
“Laogong-ge, I saw you were too tired, so I’m giving you a massage. Massaging these points can help you relax.”
“No need. Sleep on your own.”
His voice sounded especially cold in the dark night.
“Laogong-ge, you’re too tired, I don’t feel good.”
“What does my tiredness have to do with you not feeling good?”
“You’re not passionate toward me anymore.”
Wang Huanxiu: “…”
He couldn’t understand Bai Shuijin’s train of thought. When had he ever been passionate toward him?
Seeing him silent, Bai Shuijin reached out his arm to the back of his neck, pressing and kneading.
When he worked part-time before, he was an apprentice at a nursing home for a month and earning 3,500 yuan. He learned many massage techniques there, but because the place was remote and there weren’t many customers, it closed after a few months, and he had to change jobs and find a place that could allow him to work part-time.
Wang Huanxiu’s shoulders were wider than his, his legs were longer, he was taller, stronger, and with more muscles. When Bai Shuijin lay next to him, he was like a little chick.
The constant pressing on his neck and the feeling of his tendons relaxing made Wang Huanxiu’s brows slightly loosen.
“Laogong-ge, let me massage you a bit and then I’ll sleep, it’ll be quick.”
“This way you can sleep comfortably.”
“Laogong-ge, I’m just giving you a massage, I won’t do anything else.”
Wang Huanxiu stared at him for a few seconds, then closed his eyes. Bai Shuijin had been in the house for a while already. He didn’t care whether there was one more person at home, as long as he didn’t disrupt his routine, everything was fine.
A pleasant osmanthus fragrance lingered between the two of them, relaxing the nerves.
He seemed to have never smelled this scent before. It came from Bai Shuijin’s body. He didn’t know if it was the scent of shampoo or shower gel, but it smelled particularly good. As long as the other party didn’t make trouble, he could be kept in this house forever.
“Bai Shuijin.”
Bai Shuijin looked at the face that looked like an AI model, “What is it, Laogong-ge.”
“I’ve said before, no matter what you’re thinking, since you married me, just stay quietly.”
“Of course.” Bai Shuijin’s head wobbled on the pillow to show certainty, “Laogong-ge, don’t worry, I don’t have any ill intentions toward you.”
He swore earnestly. After getting an answer, Wang Huanxiu didn’t say more and closed his eyes to rest.
The hand on the back of his neck still pressed and kneaded gently. Wang Huanxiu didn’t know when he would fall asleep, since entering sleep was unconscious.
Other than being clingy, Bai Shuijin wasn’t bad.
As for whether the other party would really do anything harmful to him like Jiang You said, he couldn’t judge. But during this period, Bai Shuijin indeed hadn’t done anything.
Just like what he said just now, he had no ill intentions toward him.
He didn’t know how long passed when a small sound came from beside him.
“Laogong-ge, are you asleep?”
The other party leaned close to his ear and asked softly, the breath like feathers brushing his ear, which was both hot and itchy.
Wang Huanxiu didn’t respond.
“Laogong-ge.”
He called again, like a spoiled cat in the middle of the night.
“He really fell asleep.” Bai Shuijin muttered softly.
The other party confirmed he was indeed asleep.
Wang Huanxiu felt indifferent. Bai Shuijin checking whether he was asleep at this hour must be for something.
Thinking about how he suddenly wanted to sleep together today was indeed suspicious.
Was it the documents in the study, or the USB in his briefcase.
A moment ago, he swore he had no ill intentions. The next second, he showed his true colors.
The man didn’t move, wanting to see what Bai Shuijin would do.
In the next second, he felt the other party’s breath suddenly get closer, and a soft hand reached toward his lower back, touching through the fabric.
“…”
After feeling it for a moment, Bai Shuijin withdrew his hand. Wang Huanxiu kept his eyes closed, only to hear him sigh in relief as if a burden had been lifted.
“It’s perky, I feel at ease now.”
Then the mutton-fat jade nestled against his chest and fell asleep.
Wang Huanxiu: …
What a vigorous sexual harassment.
When Bai Shuijin woke up the next morning, the spot beside him was already empty.
The room was dim, as dark as night, quiet and suitable for sleeping. When Wang Huanxiu got up, he hadn’t opened the blackout curtains.
It was already nine in the morning when Bai Shuijin went downstairs. Wang Muguang was sitting on the sofa wearing a trendy hoodie and casual pants, looking at his phone. When he saw him coming down, he greeted him.
“Good morning, little shorty.” The handsome face showed a standard toothy smile. “Seeing me as soon as you wake up, you must be overjoyed.”
Bai Shuijin: …
This morning suddenly didn’t feel so good.
Bai Shuijin went to the dining room for breakfast, then carried a cup of black tea to the living room.
Even though he was on break at home, Wang Muguang still had work to handle. At the moment, he was holding his phone making a call.
“I understand, just directly send the script over.”
Bai Shuijin sipped his tea there, pricking up his ears to listen. After Wang Muguang hung up, he asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
There was nothing worth hiding, so Wang Muguang explained to him, “My agent and assistant will come later to bring me the script.”
Wang Muguang had accepted “Ye You Xing” , and before joining the crew, the script would first be sent to him so he could thoroughly read and familiarize himself with the role. About an hour later, staff from Wang Muguang’s studio arrived, but they brought not only the script for “Ye You Xing”, but also others he had taken.
In “Ye You Xing”, Wang Muguang played the villain’s younger self. When young, the villain was an honest person, whose family ran a dyeing workshop, but after offending a local bully, his family was ruined, and he ended up as a beggar on the streets, begging every day to feed himself and his gravely ill mother.
The villain’s past in the show was originally only conveyed through dialogue, but the director felt spoken lines couldn’t achieve the desired effect, so he decided to film some flashbacks of the villain’s youth to intersperse in the series.
The reason “Ye You Xing” became a hit was because every character in it broke out of the circle, and the villain’s actor was an older man with great mature charm.
He was the second most infuriating character in the drama, and was just behind the male lead and the newly debuted eye-catching second male lead.
It was just a guest appearance so the script wasn’t thick. Wang Muguang didn’t take long to finish reading it.
Afterward, he pulled the studio staff to act out a scenario, performing based on the script to simulate the filming on set ahead of time.
Bai Shuijin glanced over curiously, and immediately saw the beggar played by Wang Muguang begging for food while standing.
The lines were weak in emotion, the acting was superficial, and he couldn’t let go of his idol baggage.
He held a teacup in his hand, which served as his begging bowl. He held it with one hand, making it impossible for anyone to feel pity.
After the performance, Wang Muguang was very satisfied with himself, and the living room rang out with applause.
The agent and assistant clapped. “Mu-ge, that was amazing, it really *carved three parts into the wood.”
**An idiom meaning deeply penetrating or vivid and lifelike acting
“Really?” Wang Muguang smiled in satisfaction and turned to ask Bai Shuijin, “Little shorty, what do you think?”
The latter opened his mouth and said, “It carved three parts into the earth.”
“…”
The acting was exaggerated and pretentious. Bai Shuijin didn’t understand how they managed to compliment it, but it showed they worked hard to make money.
No wonder Wang Muguang couldn’t understand why netizens scolded him, after all, no one around him told the truth.
Receiving a negative answer, Wang Muguang felt ripples in his heart. Being denied clearly made this young master, who had always been praised, unhappy.
Eager to gain affirmation, he picked up another script. “Watch closely this time.”
He lifted his chin at Bai Shuijin, determined to get the other party’s praise.
This script was for a modern drama, and Wang Muguang’s character was a sexy supermodel in the fashion world.
He flipped to a small scene and used all his strength to perform in front of Bai Shuijin, reciting the lines clearly and articulately.
“How about it?”
This time he had enough confidence.
“How should I say this?” Bai Shuijin’s small face showed some distress. “It was quite sexy, but the sy is silent.”
“…”
He could call Wang Muguang’s acting the King Of Acting: not a single trace of it could be seen.
The smile completely disappeared from Wang Muguang’s face. When he didn’t smile, he actually resembled Wang Huanxiu a bit more, exuding a frighteningly strong aura.
He looked at the script in his hand, then at Bai Shuijin, as if he didn’t know where the problem was.
Bai Shuijin didn’t praise him like the agent, but spoke very directly, “Your acting doesn’t have any sense of immersion, and why do you have to take two scripts at the same time?”
The assistant spoke up, “What do you know? Good scripts have to be snatched. If Mu-ge doesn’t take them now, what if someone else does?”
Bai Shuijin ignored him and instead looked straight into Wang Muguang’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t get others later, you’re still young, there are plenty of opportunities. Isn’t it better to focus on one? Why can’t you focus on one thing?”
For an actor, the most important thing was to have acting skills and representative works, and to immerse themselves fully in their role.
Taking two roles at once, playing two completely different characters, especially when the acting skills were not yet mature, the chances of performing well were basically zero.
Looking at his face, Wang Muguang’s heart trembled, and he swallowed hard. It felt like being accused of being very unfaithful.
At first, the denial made him a little unhappy, but now facing the questioning, he truly couldn’t argue.
Thinking carefully, what the other party said wasn’t wrong. He couldn’t even play one role well, yet still wanted to take on two at the same time, it was indeed wishful thinking.
“And I believe that if you choose one role and work hard on it, refining it well, you will definitely be recognized.”
Wang Muguang: “Didn’t you just say my acting was disgusting and dead?”
Bai Shuijin: “But I believe it won’t be in the future.”
Wang Muguang pondered for a while, and made a choice among the scripts, picking the recent hit drama, “Ye You Xing”.
But as for how to improve his acting skills, there were only a few days before joining the crew, it was too late to hire a professional acting coach now.
Bai Shuijin, however, thought of someone.
Ten minutes later, the beggar at the gate of the villa district looked at Bai Shuijin who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
“…What’s the matter?”
Bai Shuijin explained his intention, which was to learn the experience of being a beggar.
What he said: Teacher, I’m here to learn.
What the beggar heard: Poor ghost, I’m here to snatch your job.
Nowadays, even being a beggar was something people scrambled to do. Although he could make a small fortune everyday since rich people easily exuded kindness, it was still absurd to hear someone wanted to steal the beggar’s job.
Wang Muguang would take a while before coming over. That narcissist spends a long time just picking clothes before going out. Bai Shuijin squatted next to the beggar, “Brother, is business good lately? How much do you earn in a day?”
“Not much, about this much.”
The beggar stretched out one finger.
“One hundred?”
“Ten thousand.”
!
So much! More than he earned in his previous life spinning around working all the time.
Bai Shuijin looked at the beggar’s broken bowl, “Give me back my two yuan.”
Beggar: “…”
Ten thousand a day, the huge amount shocked him greatly. He really wanted to ask, why still be a beggar if you earn ten thousand a day, but thinking carefully, there really wasn’t any other job that earned as much as begging here.
But compared to the beggar making a fortune every day, Bai Shuijin was very curious about what kind of people would give a beggar that much money.
After all, in his previous life, he barely survived, and even giving two yuan to a beggar was a huge expense to him.
Footsteps came from behind. Wang Muguang, who was wearing a windbreaker, long pants and sunglasses, walked out from the community.
He looked around, spotted Bai Shuijin, then quickly strode over to his side. When he got closer, he saw the beggar kneeling on the ground.
He was wearing thin clothes even in a temperature below zero degrees Celsius. Just looking at his clothes made people feel cold.
“So pitiful.”
Through the sunglasses, Wang Muguang’s eyes behind the sunglasses showed sympathy. He took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out all the cash inside, and threw it into the beggar’s bowl.
It was a whole two thousand yuan, and the cracked bowl swayed.
Bai Shuijin: “…”
The ones letting the beggar make a small fortune were people like Wang Muguang.
Kind-hearted, rich, and brainless.
After receiving the money, the beggar immediately performed a rap for Wang Muguang. “Sir, you’re simply the greatest good person in this world, thank you so much, thank you so much, may you be with Jesus.”
Wang Muguang gave him a pat. “Little shorty, he said I’m kind.”
“No, he meant you’re so kind it’s killing you.”
“He complimented me that deeply?”
“Because Jesus isn’t around anymore.”
“…”
Looking at the beggar’s flattering smile, Wang Muguang felt a little uncomfortable. Just this bit of money had moved the man so much…he couldn’t believe these people were living lives so miserable they might as well be dead.
Two thousand yuan was enough to make someone grovel and suffer in the middle of winter.
And for those two thousand yuan, the beggar taught them some essential skills for being a beggar. The first step was to throw away your dignity.
If you’re already begging, how could you stretch out your hand proudly while asking for money? The next step was to make yourself look pitiful. Even though beggars could earn a lot daily, they never wore warm clothes or shoes. They only ate a little bit of food each day, always hungry and cold.
Only when you’re truly pitiful will people feel sorry for you and show you kindness. That’s what being a beggar is: not eating enough, not wearing enough, no dignity, dirty and messy.
This gave Wang Muguang a shock to his worldview. For a moment, he really felt like he might not be cut out for this role.
How was he supposed to act this? Let alone going hungry, he had never even been hit before.
And he didn’t even look like a poor person.
Just as he was about to back out, a cheer exploded beside him. “If it’s that easy, then anyone could play a beggar!”
Wang Muguang was momentarily speechless, and the words he’d wanted to say to drop the script got stuck in his throat.
“If it’s that easy, Little Uncle, you’ll definitely play it well.”
**Here “Little Uncle” (xiǎo shū), is used casually to refer to a younger uncle-like figure.
Seeing Wang Muguang’s silent expression, Bai Shuijin narrowed his eyes slightly. “No way, no way, Little Uncle, you’re not saying you really don’t know how to act, are you?”
“Who says that!” Wang Muguang reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “This kind of little thing is very easy for me. Just watch.”
People like Wang Muguang, who were narcissistic, were actually the easiest to coax. Just praise them to the skies, put them up on a pedestal, and they would naturally start holding themselves to that higher standard. After all, the one thing they couldn’t bear was seeing others disappointed in them.
A strategy map started forming in Wang Muguang’s mind. He might not be a real beggar, but he could find other ways to experience what they felt. For example, running outdoors in short sleeves and not eating for a whole day.
He needed to feel the cold and hunger…to be immersed in the experience in order to truly empathize. And then there was putting aside his pride and groveling to others.
When Wang Huanxiu came home from work, he saw his younger brother sitting on a little stool in shorts and a T-shirt, while Bai Shuijin dropped coins into his teacup.
“Muguang, Muguang, who’s the smartest person in the world?”
“It’s you, it’s you, you’re the smartest person in the world.”
Wang Huanxiu: …
He wasn’t surprised these two could get along so well together.
He ignored them and went upstairs. At this time, Wang Huanxiu, dressed in a suit and tie, and Wang Muguang, who looked like a mentally retarded man, formed a sharp contrast.
Bai Shuijin also noticed the difference in aura between the two brothers. Although they were only four years apart, Wang Huanxiu was far more mature than Wang Muguang in both mindset and behavior.
While Wang Muguang was outside in the cold without a jacket, Bai Shuijin went to find the butler. Uncle Zhang was an old member of the Wang household and knew far more about the family than he did.
“Uncle Zhang, why are Little Uncle and laogong-ge so different in personality and intelligence?”
The butler couldn’t bear hearing that. “They’re not that different…Young Master Muguang is also very smart.”
Both children were outstanding.
There were many children in the Wang family. As the old butler, he had to keep things fair and balanced. Everyone was the same.
Listening to the butler’s hoarse defense, Bai Shuijin calmly replied, “Oh. Today he gave a beggar two thousand yuan.”
The butler fell silent. After a long time, he finally said, “Actually, back then, the master and Young Master Muguang were twins. But their brains were connected, so the doctor made one swift cut…and gave all the brain to the master.”
Bai Shuijin: …
Even though he knew it was a lie, it didn’t sound fake.
To experience hunger, Wang Muguang hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day. Even when it was time for dinner at night, he wasn’t enthusiastic. Before sitting at the table, he even went to the kitchen and smeared some soot on his face to make himself look more unkempt.
Wang Huanxiu and Bai Shuijin both had bowls of pearly white, fragrant rice. His bowl, however, was empty. It was cleaner than Bai Shuijin’s mutton-fat jade face.
Facing the delicious food on the table, he held the bowl in front of Bai Shuijin with trembling hands. “Have pity, I haven’t eaten in three days.”
Bai Shuijin gave him half a bowl of rice.
He had no side dishes, but he still wolfed down the rice. You could tell he was genuinely hungry. The 1.88 meter tall man hadn’t had a sip of water all day, and ran around outside in short sleeves all afternoon.
After finishing the rice, Wang Muguang started begging for the other dishes on the table.
He held his empty bowl and lifted it in front of Wang Huanxiu. “Have pity.”
The latter stared at him expressionlessly.
Wang Muguang hadn’t expected the other party to remain unmoved. It had to be that he wasn’t pitiful enough, that his acting hadn’t touched him yet.
His tone grew even more pitiful. “I haven’t had a full meal in so long.”
“It’s freezing cold, I’m hungry and poorly clothed, my hands are covered in chilblains…if I don’t get this hot meal, I won’t survive the winter.”
“I also have a sick, paralyzed older brother at home to support.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
If he keeps going, he really won’t survive this winter.
