The dining table was as silent and solemn as a college entrance examination room. In the examination room, there was the sound of pen tips rubbing against paper; at the table, there was the sound of Bai Shuijin shoveling rice.
Wang Muguang held out his empty bowl, looking at Wang Huanxiu expectantly. His hands holding the bowl trembled slightly…a small detail he deliberately added. Imitating the lines of the beggar he met today, he said: “Kind soul, may you be with Jesus.”
Wang Huanxiu put down his chopsticks and looked at him with a scrutinizing expression. “Do you know where Jesus is?”
“In heaven.”
“Say one more word and I’ll send you there too.”
“…”
Bai Shuijin’s mouth was stuffed with rice. He used to think Wang Huanxiu’s sharp tongue was only aimed at him, but now he realized it targeted everyone equally.
His cheeks puffed out as he scooted his stool closer to Wang Huanxiu. “Laogong-ge, you’re so good with words, so lovable.”
“…”
Although both Wang Huanxiu and Wang Muguang were villains, it seemed the author gave them different character settings during creation, so their ways of thinking were worlds apart.
Take the matter of being with Jesus: Wang Muguang longed to walk alongside Jesus, while Wang Huanxiu chose a more unorthodox path…he focused on sending others to walk alongside Jesus.
The same sentence, different people, and it meant entirely different things.
Wang Muguang hadn’t expected his brother to be so cold and indifferent. He didn’t even give him a single bite of food, there was no compassion at all!
“Big Brother,” Wang Muguang looked devastated. “I feel like I can’t see through you anymore.”
It was like the person in front of him was no longer the good older brother he once knew. A thick fog had descended between the two brothers, thin as gauze, yet impossible to wave away.
Wang Huanxiu ignored him and turned to the servant beside him. “Take away his bowl and chopsticks.”
Wang Muguang was startled and hurriedly protected his bowl. “No no no! Big Brother hasn’t changed, not even a bit. I’m the one who changed…my myopia increased by a hundred degrees.”
Bai Shuijin: …
As expected, in the face of absolute power, any hurtful words were insignificant.
After dinner, the clock struck eight. “Ye You Xing” was updated every weekend at 8 p.m., and now was exactly when the drama aired.
For the sake of laogong number n, Bai Shuijin watched it faithfully every weekend. Since Wang Muguang would soon be acting in it, he also sat on the sofa with Bai Shuijin, waiting.
The TV was playing the opening theme. When Bai Shuijin saw Wang Huanxiu heading upstairs again, he quickly spoke up, “Laogong-ge, watch TV with us, we’re one short.”
“Yeah, Big Brother, join us.”
Faced with the sincere invitation of the two, Wang Huanxiu initially wanted to ignore them, but after thinking about the likely result…being pestered until he had a headache…he sat down on Bai Shuijin’s left side.
Wang Muguang had only returned yesterday. Before this, he had been flying all over the world for work and hadn’t been back for over half a year. The two brothers hadn’t seen each other in so long, so they must have a lot to talk about.
Bai Shuijin was understanding and offered, “Laogong-ge, I’ll switch seats with you. You sit with Little Uncle and catch up.”
He blinked at Wang Huanxiu. He was very considerate.
Wang Huanxiu looked down at him and then turned his gaze to the TV. “You sitting here doesn’t stop me from talking to him.”
Bai Shuijin: “Really?”
“Yes, there’s no need, you’re very thoughtful.”
Bai Shuijin was confused.
Wang Muguang let out a snort. “Can’t you tell, shorty? He’s calling you short.”
“…”
So his height is very thoughtful?
The three of them sat in a dip formation. No matter who talked to whom, there were no obstacles.
Damn these brothers. Sometimes he really wanted to go all out against these tall people.
Once the opening theme finished, the episode officially began. Bai Shuijin watched intently. When the second male lead’s handsome face appeared in a very prominent close-up, he couldn’t help but sigh, “So handsome.”
Then he remembered that Wang Huanxiu was sitting next to him. He turned his head and pouted his lips. “Laogong-ge, I was talking about you.”
Wang Huanxiu: …
Bai Shuijin’s mouth could say anything.
“What about me?” Wang Muguang popped up. “Aren’t I handsome?”
“You’re quite handsome too. If your acting were a bit better, you’d be even more handsome.”
Wang Muguang felt very pleased with the compliment. In fact, after finding out yesterday that his big brother got married, he had gone back to his room and looked up their wedding news.
The photos in the articles could almost be described as tragic… the clown face had no resemblance to Bai Shuijin.
He also called a friend to ask. They said the old man had been pressuring his brother to get married, and at the time, Bai Shuijin had been showing up every day with a loudspeaker shouting that he wanted to marry Wang Huanxiu. So his brother just married him.
Not only that, his friend had confidently described Bai Shuijin as ridiculous, tacky and tasteless, a complete clown.
But after spending two days with him, Wang Muguang didn’t think that way. He thought this shorty was quite cute…with a cute appearance and a cute personality.
He seemed to really enjoy talking to people, though the main target of his chatter was clearly his brother. It was obvious he really liked his big brother.
But Wang Muguang was not the kind of person to be ignored. He forced his way into the conversation, forming a solid iron triangle of the three of them chatting together.
After the episode ended, Wang Huanxiu didn’t stay any longer. Even though the two of them tried to keep him, he went upstairs to work without hesitation.
While waiting for the next episode to air, Bai Shuijin opened his phone and clicked on the “You Ye Xing” Weibo tag to discuss the plot with other fans.
Seeing how enthusiastic he was about the drama, Wang Muguang also leaned in to look at his phone screen.
“Shorty, who’s your favorite in this drama?”
On the screen, Bai Shuijin had already typed out a long paragraph, though he hadn’t sent it yet;
“Wuuu, the male lead laogong is so handsome today. I also love the second male lead laogong. The third male lead laogong didn’t appear in this episode, I don’t know if he’ll show up next time, but it’s okay, distance creates beauty…”
Wang Muguang: …
He’d caught him red-handed cheating.
Anyone who was handsome in the show got a mention in Bai Shuijin’s comments, which indirectly answered his question.
Favorite? There was no such thing. Bai Shuijin loved all of them equally, and he wanted them all.
Wang Muguang found it amusing. He hadn’t expected Bai Shuijin, who looked cute and well-behaved, to be saying such wild things online. But he didn’t think too much of it. After all, he had a lot of such nonsense talk online. “Aren’t you being too greedy? One isn’t enough? You want them all?”
Bai Shuijin thought for a moment. “I can redistribute the characters I like. That way it won’t seem greedy.”
“Distribute to who?”
“Of course, to family.”
Good things were meant to be shared with family. He understood the principle of not letting fertile water flow to outsiders.
“It’s better for everyone to have fun than just enjoying it alone.”
Wang Muguang waited for his answer. “Go on, how would you split it?”
Bai Shuijin pulled up a group photo of the male actors from “You Ye Xing” and pointed to male leads one to four.
“One for me, one for my mother’s son, one for my little uncle’s sister-in-law, and one for my laogong-ge’s wife.”
“…”
A genius at distribution.
“Everyone to have fun” meant everyone watching you have fun.
Bai Shuijin was very satisfied. This way, it didn’t look like he was greedy at all.
Wang Muguang looked at the photo of the second male lead on his phone. This actor was a newly debuted rookie. Coincidentally, he had debuted on the exact same day as Wang Muguang, just a different year.
Because of that coincidence, netizens had randomly linked the two of them together, creating waves of fanwars, and behind the scenes, the rookie’s company was clearly pushing a tied-in marketing strategy.
Wang Muguang had a huge amount of traffic. The rookie gained unprecedented exposure just by being associated with him. But from being compared day in and day out, Wang Muguang had recently been on the verge of breaking down and he spent every night venting on his small account.
Only he knew that every time he finished venting, he would drive a large water pump, leaving a large patch of his pillow soaked with tears.
Wang Muguang pretended to ask casually, “Shorty, between me and your laogong, who’s more handsome?”
Bai Shuijin answered without hesitation, “Of course it’s you, Little Uncle. You’re more handsome.”
He hadn’t expected someone as narcissistic as Wang Muguang to ask such a question.
Wang Muguang: “Really? You have good taste.”
Wang Muguang would join the crew in five days, but his scenes officially started on the sixth day. He planned to arrive a day early to get a feel for the set.
“You Ye Xing” was a martial arts drama, set against a rich backdrop of spring landscapes and mountains. The filming location was in Nancheng, where the weather felt like spring all year round.
Two days before joining the crew, Wang Muguang received a call. His assistant and a friend had gone skiing, but his assistant slipped and injured his leg and was now in orthopedics. His calf had been put in a cast, and he couldn’t accompany him for this job.
When the assistant called, he had just gotten the cast. He cried so miserably on the phone, it didn’t sound like a broken leg but like his entire body had been put in a cast.
Wang Muguang sighed with pity, “He must be heartbroken that he can’t work with me.”
Bai Shuijin: …
‘Wasn’t it just that his leg hurt?’
Now that Wang Muguang’s laid-back assistant couldn’t go, he was down one helper. Bai Shuijin instantly thought of the social practice report that had been signed by the other party.
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for social practice? And he could go see his laogongs too.
After Wang Muguang hung up, he looked up to find Bai Shuijin standing next to him, eyes sparkling.
“What’s with that look? Did I charm you again?”
“No. Little uncle, your assistant can’t go with you to the crew because of the fracture, right?”
“Yeah, it looks like he’ll be on leave for three months.”
Bai Shuijin was itching to go. “Then take me with you.”
“What would you do there?”
“I’m going to visit family.”
“…”
He already recognized that bunch of good husbands.
Afraid the other party wouldn’t take him, Bai Shuijin even pulled out his social practice report form. “Look, you already signed this.”
Wang Muguang was stunned. “When did I sign this damn thing?”
“When we first met, you insisted on giving me your autograph.”
Speaking of that first meeting made Wang Muguang feel slightly embarrassed. “It’s not like I can’t take you, but let me be clear, you’ll be going as my assistant. You’ll have to work.”
“I know, I know.” Going through the full process, Bai Shuijin said, “I’ll definitely complete all my tasks and won’t hold you back.”
And he didn’t forget the key point. “Little Uncle, does your studio have a stamp? Find time to stamp this for me so I can hand it in to the counselor when we get back.”
.
Wang Muguang only had a small guest role. Three days of shooting would be enough. That night at dinner, Bai Shuijin told Wang Huanxiu that he’d be going on a business trip with Wang Muguang.
“Laogong-ge, I’m going to the film set with Little Uncle in a few days.”
Wang Huanxiu didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Mm.”
After Bai Shuijin scraped the last of the rice from his bowl, he looked up. “Laogong-ge, even though I’ll only be gone for a few days, I won’t forget to miss you every day.”
“No need. ‘Too happy to think of home’ suits you better.”
With Bai Shuijin going with Wang Muguang, his life would be peaceful for a few days.
At the table, Bai Shuijin kept expressing his reluctance to part. But Wang Huanxiu’s reactions remained indifferent, as if he were pouring water into a bottomless pit, and no matter how much he poured, it never filled up, never echoed, vanished without a trace.
This made Wang Muguang uncomfortable and he couldn’t help feeling dissatisfied.
After Bai Shuijin left the table, Wang Muguang said, “Big Brother, aren’t you being a little too cold to Shorty?”
Wang Huanxiu lifted his eyes to glance at him.
The dark gaze made Wang Muguang shrink his neck a little. Remembering Bai Shuijin’s pitiful look, he added, “Can’t you at least say you’ll miss him too? He looked so upset he could barely eat.”
Wang Huanxiu looked at the bowl beside him…it was so clean like it had been licked by a dog.
“…”
‘…Couldn’t eat, huh.’
He didn’t feel the need to cater to Bai Shuijin’s feelings. As for Wang Muguang’s complaints, he ignored them and went straight upstairs after dinner.
Entering the study, there was a silver fruit plate on the desk, placed shoulder to shoulder with a mechanical globe.
This fruit plate was the one Bai Shuijin always hugged while watching TV. It was basically his personal plate at home. The fruit inside gave off a fresh fragrance. No one knew when it had been placed there.
But it definitely wasn’t there when he came downstairs to eat.
While Wang Huanxiu worked, the sweet scent of the fruit lingered in the air. Its fresh aroma was more natural and pleasant than any chemical fragrance.
Maybe…since he hadn’t responded, Bai Shuijin had really gotten upset.
Thinking of this, Wang Huanxiu was distracted for a moment. Then he suddenly noticed the ink words on the document.
The file had been stuck on page ten for five minutes. He frowned and cast aside the thoughts from his mental world.
Bai Shuijin said he’d go to the film set with Wang Muguang in a few days. He mentioned the tenth. And tomorrow was February tenth.
After working, Wang Huanxiu returned to the bedroom, took a shower, and got into bed at midnight, ready to sleep.
He had a meeting the next morning.
The room was quiet, but the man couldn’t fall asleep that night.
He was wide awake.
But he didn’t want to look at his phone either. His phone had no entertainment apps. Every time he opened it, it was flooded with endless work messages. The occasional personal call was mostly from the old house.
All about dividing up the Wang family’s interests. His life had been this hectic since childhood.
He used the remote to open the blackout curtains, and the huge two-story-high glass window came into view.
It was still night outside, with light snow falling. It was only 4 a.m, and the moonlight and stars were the only sources of light.
It was quiet, so quiet that the sudden footsteps outside the door sounded especially loud. Then came the mechanical click of the bedroom doorknob.
A round head cautiously appeared in the doorway. Then came soft footsteps as someone tiptoed in and walked over to the bed.
“Laogong-ge, are you asleep?”
The voice was soft and nasally. It seemed he had just woken up and quickly put on clothes to come over.
Bai Shuijin looked drowsy and kept yawning. He hadn’t expected Wang Muguang’s flight to be so early. He was still groggy when he got out of bed.
But just as he was about to leave, he remembered he hadn’t said goodbye to his laogong-ge.
Wang Huanxiu opened his eyes and looked at the person who suddenly appeared in front of him.
Bai Shuijin was bundled in a thick down jacket and a knitted hat on his head. When he saw Wang Huanxiu awake, he didn’t say anything. He just bent down and hugged him.
The hug came without warning and Wang Huanxiu’s eyes widened. Bai Shuijin wrapped his arms around his neck, and since Wang Huanxiu was lying down, most of Bai Shuijin’s body pressed down on top of him.
“Laogong-ge, I’m going on a business trip.”
Wang Huanxiu stiffened.
His body radiated heat. Bai Shuijin was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open and didn’t bother supporting himself, so his face rested directly against Wang Huanxiu’s, the soft skin gently rubbing against his cheek.
“Laogong-ge, I’ll miss you during my business trip. Will you miss me?”
He was like a baby bird about to leave the nest, full of reluctance.
Wang Huanxiu didn’t answer for a long time.
“Laogong-ge, will you miss me?”
“…Yeah.”
The man put his strong arm around his waist and hugged him gently.
Hearing that he would be missed, Bai Shuijin was satisfied. After saying goodbye, the baby bird fluttered away, leaving Wang Huanxiu lying in bed, the feeling of that soft touch lingering on his face.
The plane took off at 6:43 a.m. As soon as they boarded, Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang pulled up their hoods and fell asleep. They only woke up once during the in-flight meal. They were so “quiet and well-behaved”, like two living pigs.
When they woke up again, the plane had already landed in Nancheng.
Nancheng was part of the Jiangnan region, with a long rainy season, but temperatures that felt like spring all year round.
Today was a sunny day. Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang came down wearing sunglasses, thick down jackets in their arms. Both had dressed for cold weather, but after landing, they were nearly roasted alive.
After getting on the shuttle to the VIP lane, Wang Muguang looked at the scenery of Nancheng outside the window.
“Spring is not late…fuck!”
Before he could finish his words, he tripped over his feet and spun into a fall.
Bai Shuijin quickly dodged aside, afraid he’d get dragged down too.
He looked at Wang Muguang who was lying on the ground in such an embarrassing state.
“One line about spring not being late and now your face is part of the Jiangnan landscape.”
“…”
Before reaching the exit, Bai Shuijin tugged Wang Muguang over to take a photo at the airport for a travel post he planned to send to Wang Huanxiu later that night.
They took a car to the filming location. The people hadn’t arrived yet, but Wang Muguang’s luggage had already reached the hotel where the crew was staying.
The crew staff confirmed again and again that all seven suitcases belonged to Wang Muguang. Those who knew he was staying three days found it understandable; those who didn’t might’ve thought he was staying for months.
All the actors’ makeup was done in a large shared makeup room at the hotel.
Since most scenes were shot outdoors, there wasn’t a fixed location for makeup or touch-ups, only the makeup artists followed along.
Wang Muguang was here today mainly to get a feel for the atmosphere on set. Tonight’s shoot would be a big night scene involving the main cast with heavier roles.
By the time Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang reached the hotel, they’d changed into lighter clothes they bought locally. Bai Shuijin even wore a yellow hat to block the sun.
His mutton-fat jade couldn’t afford to get tan even a little.
In order to quickly establish good relationships with the people in the crew, Wang Muguang bought milk tea and small cakes for everyone.
As his assistant, Bai Shuijin took on the duty of distributing the drinks.
The sweet scent of milk tea wafted to his nose, and he’d already decided that after passing them out, he’d use a fat straw and slurp a whole cup for himself.
While others delivered to the behind-the-scenes staff, Bai Shuijin followed Wang Muguang into the actors’ makeup room.
It was afternoon now. Since the filming site was a drive away, the actors filming the night scenes were already in the makeup room.
The moment the door opened, various handsome men in ancient costumes competed to give his eyes massages.
Bai Shuijin pointed into the makeup room and said to Wang Muguang, “Blindfold me and throw me in to play hide-and-seek. I’m not joking.”
Wang Muguang: “…”
Bai Shuijin’s face was flushed with excitement. Since childhood, his favorite thing to look at was handsome guys.
He already looked like a primary school kid on a field trip, with a white T-shirt, yellow shorts, and a frilly hat. Wang Muguang found him cute, and suddenly understood why his big brother always said Bai Shuijin was clingy.
Sometimes his words really did sound like he was acting spoiled.
But tossing him in to play hide-and-seek was absolutely out of the question. Wang Muguang yanked him back. “Did you forget you’re married?”
He had brought his big brother’s husband with him. If they went back only to find the other party had lured in a bunch of men, wouldn’t he get beaten to death?
Too dangerous. All danger had to be strangled in the cradle.
“No matter how handsome, it’s just skin and bones. It’s the soul that matters. Like me.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
He didn’t understand what kind of nonsense Wang Muguang was going on again.
Seeing that he wasn’t moved, Wang Muguang continued, “Besides, nowadays a lot of scams and tricks use good looks to lure people in.”
He lectured seriously, “Male beauty economy is very dangerous right now. We have to say no to improper temptation…”
“Not enough!”
“…”
Wang Muguang’s reputation in the industry was in a delicate place. Not exactly good, but not bad either. His background was so strong no one dared offend him, but his narcissism made him hard to tolerate.
Still, when he appeared at the door of the makeup room, someone came to greet him…it was the assistant director of the crew. He had just been briefing the actors on that night’s plan, but dropped everything to come out when he saw Wang Muguang.
“Teacher is here. Welcome, welcome.”
‘Teacher?’
‘Where was the teacher?’
Bai Shuijin looked left and right. Other than himself and Wang Muguang, there was only a little yellow dog at the door.
He leaned in toward Wang Muguang’s ear. “Little Uncle, since when can any cat or dog be called “Teacher”?”
“…”
After the two entered, Bai Shuijin fulfilled his assistant duties, handing milk tea to each actor.
To the male lead, Bai Shuijin’s eyes sparkled. “I follow this drama every day. Your acting is amazing.”
To the second male lead, “You’re so handsome, gege, especially that fight scene in the last episode.”
To the third male lead, “Will you have more scenes coming up? I really want to see more of you.”
Bai Shuijin was bright and sunny, and his looks were not inferior to anyone else in the room. While handing out milk tea, he also took selfies with the actors.
Shen He, the second male lead, looked at him. “Did you come with Teacher Wang? It’s the time I’ve seen you today.”
Bai Shuijin nodded. “Mm, I’m his assistant.”
Shen He’s eyes lingered on him. He wanted to chat more, but seeing Bai Shuijin walk away, he dropped the idea.
After finishing the photos, Bai Shuijin returned to Wang Muguang’s side and eagerly opened WeChat to send all the pictures he’d taken to Wang Huanxiu.
He meant to add a caption like “all are family”, but his fingers acted faster than his brain and what he sent out was: “all are laogongs”.
Bai Shuijin: !
During Wang Huanxiu’s afternoon meeting, his phone kept buzzing. Bai Shuijin’s message came just during a break, so he picked it up and glanced at it.
He saw that Bai Shuijin had sent no fewer than forty photos, and in each of them he was looking at the camera with a bright smile on his face.
They looked like travel check-ins. Even when not by his side, Bai Shuijin still managed to insert himself into his life at every moment.
But as the photos progressed, the backgrounds shifted from scenery to people. Then more and more people appeared. And in the last photo, Bai Shuijin was directly sitted in the middle of a bunch of male actors.
Bai Shuijin: “All Are Laogongs”.
[Bai Shuijin retracted a message.]
“…”
Wang Huanxiu couldn’t help but think of the 4i trio in front of Bai Shuijin’s university that time. Back then, Bai Shuijin had solemnly sworn that nothing like that would happen between the two of them. He had promised not to spare even a glance for other handsome guys.
Looking at the beaming, radiant Bai Shuijin in the photo, Wang Huanxiu’s deep eyes darkened.
Very good. It turned out to be more than just one glance.
