Chapter 5

Yuan Heng looked at him without any hesitation. Xiao Ziyu wore a lavender cashmere sweater over his shirt. His long hair was loosely tied with a rubber band. A few strands of hair refused to give in and fell on his cheeks, just covering a red mole under his eye. I don’t know if it was because I felt a little hot after walking for a while, but my sleeves were pushed up a little, revealing a thin layer of pink on my wrist bones.

Yuan Heng stretched out his left hand and shook it with him. The two of them faced each other as if looking in a mirror. His broad palm wrapped around the back of Xiao Ziyu's hand and squeezed it, and his thumb rubbed across the wrist joint as if with success.

Xiao Ziyu was a little stunned. The handshake gesture he saw in the book clearly required everyone to extend their right hand. Did he remember it wrong?

"Why don't you go to the front and play with everyone?" Yuan Heng asked.

Xiao Ziyu shook his head. He didn't know the Meng family well enough, and it was easy to make mistakes if he spoke too much. If Meng Leyu caught him with something, his life would be even more difficult.

The first thing he said was very polite: "I don't really like crowds."

This is true. He has been the prince for three years, and even when he was inseparable from Yuan Heng, he rarely showed up to participate in palace affairs.

"Well, it's quiet to walk around with the sweeping robot." Yuan Heng moved his feet away, and without the obstruction, the robot continued to work hummingly.

Xiao Ziyu was not ashamed of his lack of knowledge, and said calmly, "I just feel curious."

The two men walked back to the front yard while chatting and were stopped by the female relatives. Xue Jinling went forward to hold Xiao Ziyu's hand and said affectionately, "This child is really well-behaved. He is even prettier than in the photo."

Xiao Ziyu's eyes curved slightly: "Hello, Aunt Xue."

"Hey, you're so sensible." Xue Jinling led him to look at Yuan Heng, "How was it, did you just chat? Do you like my Heng'er?"

This question is too straightforward. Love is not something that can be easily mentioned. Xiao Ziyu glanced at Yuan Heng, but found that he was tightening his lips and ignored Xue Jinling's enthusiasm. He could only avoid the main point and said: "Mr. Yuan is a handsome man with polite conversation. I have benefited a lot from him."

"Oh, you sound so literary, even using ancient Chinese," Xue Jinling laughed, "I think you two are a perfect match."

Xiao Ziyu pursed his lips. How could he be so literary? He was clearly learning to speak vernacular.

"It's just that he recently had to act with me in the play 'Maple Grove Evening' and I read a few lines," Meng Leyu rolled his eyes in disdain, "Who are you showing this accent to?"

Mrs. Meng came out to smooth things over, "Zi Yu is right. Yuan Heng is handsome, filial and capable. Old Meng and I are relieved that he can enter the Yuan family."

Yuan Heng did not comment and stood aside gracefully.

Xiao Ziyu glanced over secretly and saw that he was no longer as relaxed and joking as before, but seemed to be wearing a smiling shell. He couldn't help but wonder secretly whether Yuan Heng remembered him.

"Okay, the barbecue is almost done. Don't stand here. Let's go eat first." Meng Yanzhi said, and then moved closer to Yuan Heng. "The wagyu beef was airlifted from Japan. We just picked it up this morning. Young Master Yuan, try it and see if it suits your taste."

Yuan Heng didn't look at the marbled beef. He stared at Xiao Ziyu's profile and gave the answer first: "Of course it suits my taste."

Like open-air barbecue and hotpot, eating together can easily promote bonding.

Aunt Wang gave everyone aprons so they could grill and eat at the same time. Yuan Heng is a considerate person. He is familiar with the affairs of the company and can even give a few words on how to maintain the beauty of the female family members. The suit jacket was taken off and put aside, revealing the light grey vest underneath, which wrapped around the waist and abdomen. The core was lean but not tight. The sleeves of the shirt were folded twice, and the elbows were casually placed on the knees. The veins of the forearms were clearly visible when they hung naturally.

Xiao Ziyu had seen this roasted meat in Daliang before, but it was mostly eaten by poor people who lacked pots and pans. But after hundreds of years, the situation has been reversed, and the rich people are willing to endure the pain of the smoke and fire.

In my previous life, I took too many medicines and had a lot of dietary restrictions, so my taste became bland over time. Xiao Ziyu took a string of mushrooms and tossed them over and over again. He had trouble listening to what others said, and he didn't dare to relax. In case Yuan Heng still had memories of his past life, he couldn't reveal any flaws in front of him.

What you fear will come true. Yuan Heng was obviously chatting and laughing with others, but his peripheral vision kept catching him and suddenly reminded him, "It's a mess."

"?" Xiao Ziyu subconsciously raised the skewer in his hand, and it was not burnt. The mushrooms brushed with oil were sizzling and half burned.

"It's on fire!" Meng Leyu screamed, "Are you a fool? Why are you so clumsy!"

Xiao Ziyu was startled with a hysterical look, his wrist trembling slightly, and was about to throw sparks onto the cutlery in front of him, when a hand reached out from the side, held his wrist steadily, and took the burning skewer.

Xiao Ziyu had no time to be afraid, his eyes were fixed on the fingers that were pinching him. In his previous life, Yuan Heng liked to hold his hand like this. When he was happy, he would pull him stickyly. When he was angry, he would grab both of his wrists with one palm, press them to the top of his head, and watch him bounce and struggle like a fish.

There was not much time to reminisce. Yuan Heng had already loosened his grip and handed over a skewer of roasted bird: "Eat this first."

Xiao Ziyu raised his head and met his curved lips. Yuan Heng said naturally, "It seems that Master Xiao is well taken care of. I will take care of the kitchen."

"Oh, Mr. Yuan is really careful." Mrs. Meng smiled and patted her husband, "Why don't you learn from him?"

Xiao Ziyu was always nervous, not knowing whether the other party was truly enthusiastic or just pretending to be kind, so he simply lowered his head and ate the skewers in silence. I don’t know what kind of roasting method this is, but the chicken is tender and slightly sweet, paired with juicy water chestnuts. There is no smoky smell of roasted meat at all, and it is very delicious.

Roasting a bird requires a high degree of heat. Yuan Ye waited for ten minutes, but was interrupted by his brother. He got angry and said, "Brother, I want to eat a bird lantern."

Xiao Ziyu looked in the direction of the sound. His mind had just been focused on the confrontation with Yuan Heng and he hadn't noticed his inconspicuous brother. But now he looked carefully and saw the half-eaten skewer in his mouth. The face was clearly that of the Eighth Prince.

When he entered the palace at the age of eighteen, Yuan Heng had just come of age, and the eighth prince Yuan Ye was only eleven or twelve years old. The child had not yet fully developed, with round, dark eyes, chubby baby fat on his cheeks, and a delicate and delicate appearance.

He was neither too old nor too young, and there were no other princes or princesses of the same age as him. Xiao Ziyu could perform magic tricks that were not seen in the palace, and he could dance and sing. So he would run to his eldest brother's place every day to play with Xiao Ziyu.

Afterwards, Xiao Ziyu lived in seclusion and rarely went out, and they met less often. Later, he was simply imprisoned in the deep garden of the East Palace by Yuan Heng, and Xuan Ya could only see him occasionally.

I never expected that the pink-ball-like child back then would look like this when he grew up.

His face gradually developed the same lines as his brother's, with a straight nose and the heroic spirit of a young man, and the corners of his eyes drooping slightly after growing out, handsome but with a bit of silliness...

Staring at someone for a long time is impolite. Xiao Ziyu lowered his eyes and thought. The eighth prince is still cute, but he looks a little dull.

Yuan Heng glanced at his brother and put the bird lantern on the grill. As a result, Yuan Ye was stunned for a while and then gave in. "Forget it, I'll bake it myself."

Xue Jinling glanced over casually and said jokingly, "Our second child is just afraid of his brother. He usually doesn't listen to anyone, but he is so well behaved in front of Heng'er."

Yuan Ye also felt embarrassed, but his elder brother's bloodline was too strong, so he had to drag someone else to be embarrassed with him: "Le Yu, what male role do you play in "Maple Forest Evening"? "

Meng Leyu rolled his eyes. He played a thankless supporting role, the Little Medicine Fairy, in the play. However, Chaoyang Culture was one of the investors of "The Maple Grove Evening" and was quite interested in this TV series. As an artist of Chaoyang Culture, he had hoped to become familiar to Mr. Huang and get the leading role in a small-budget drama, but now all his plans have gone to waste.

Anyway, he doesn't have many scenes, so we can just shoot a few frontal shots and let Xiao Ziyu act in the rest.

Meng Leyu didn't know how to explain it to him, so she simply said, "It's just a minor supporting role, and I don't have much time to act recently, I have to run announcements."

The announcement was made by his father, who endorsed dog food.

"Oh, so you want to use a body double?" Yuan Ye felt that he had understood something of the essence of the entertainment industry. Before he could continue, his brother took away the conversation.

Yuan Heng cut a lamb steak and rolled it into the pancake, his posture elegant and handsome, "Who should I choose as my replacement?"

"It's me." Xiao Ziyu raised his eyes and said.

After a few days of getting to know him, he learned that Meng Leyu would often bring "Xiao Ziyu" to the crew. "Xiao Ziyu", who normally had difficulty recognizing a single word, had a natural gift in terms of physical coordination.

I can learn simple movements once taught, and I can imitate the techniques of a professional teacher just by watching them once, and I have even been suspended on wires a few times.

He can't speak, never complains or says he's tired, and doesn't know how to express when he's hurt. When filming, he's more dedicated than the director, just like a hardworking black worker who never complains.

Meng's parents had no objection to Xiao Ziyu's filming, and everything was up to Meng Leyu. On the contrary, when Wang's mother was changing his clothes one time, she saw the bruise under his ribs and kept complaining about it for a long time out of heartache.

Xiao Ziyu already had a general understanding of photography. In the past, people would go to opera theaters to listen to music and watch plays when they had free time, but now they look at screens and watch pre-recorded images.

Actors and actors have the same origin. Although Xiao Ziyu is just a stand-in who doesn't have to show his face or speak his lines, he can be said to be doing his old job.

Having spent half his life in opera, he knows the importance of having skills. Performing on stage is a "career" he wants to pursue for himself in modern society. Only if you have the ability can you break away from the control of the Meng family.

Yuan Heng frowned slightly without leaving any trace, "Being a stuntman is a hard job. It seems that Master Xiao is not a good person by appearance."

"Now that I am conscious and an adult, it is not good for me to rely on my family anymore. It is better for me to have something to do." Xiao Ziyu answered without any mistakes.

Yuan Ye was chewing the egg yolk and felt something was wrong. He always felt that his brother seemed a little unhappy after Xiao Ziyu finished speaking.

The meal was quite enjoyable. Yuan Heng and Yuan Ye were going to visit their father at the nursing home in the afternoon, so they stood up and prepared to say goodbye.

Before leaving, Mrs. Yuan asked for a lock of Xiao Ziyu's hair, saying that she wanted to go to the temple to find a master to tie a lock of hair for him and Yuan Heng, as a ceremony to marry the bride and groom.

Xiao Ziyu used scissors to cut off a strand and handed it to her. Xue Jinling wrapped it with red cloth and finally felt relieved: "Now that things have been settled, Ziyu, do you want to go to Blue Sea with Yuan Heng to stay for a few days? It will be good for young people to get to know each other."

Lanhai is Yuan Heng’s own apartment. He bought the house before he graduated from university. Over the years, he has spent more time living outside than at home.

Mrs. Meng was eager for her son to get married quickly, but she still said a few words to please him: "It depends on Ziyu's own wishes as to whether he wants to live together."

Yuan Heng seemed to have no objection to his stepmother's proposal, and his eyes fell indifferently on Xiao Ziyu. I had just eaten barbecue skewers and drank some beverages, so my two thin lips were still moist, and the red mole under my eye seemed to have been moisturized, too, becoming smaller and particularly eye-catching.

"In matters of marriage, one should listen to the opinions of elders, but I have just recovered from a long illness and would like to spend more time with my family. Thank you, Mrs. Yuan, for your kindness." Xiao Ziyu raised his chin slightly and let everyone look at him. He still didn't know whether Yuan Heng had any memories of the past or whether he would recover his memories. Naturally, there was no way he would go to his den of wolves again.

Yuan Heng's eyes moved down to his collarbone before he slowly withdrew them. After being rejected, he still looked like a gentleman: "It's okay, Lan Hai will reserve a room for you, and you can come over anytime when you are ready."