Chapter 27
After the call, Shang Zhier lost his appetite. He and Yan Huai left the hotel and took a stroll on the streets of the small town.
The phone call just now lingered between the two of them.
Shang Zhier glanced at him and asked, "Do you feel regretful and unwilling for not winning the Best Actor award?"
"It's okay actually," Yan Huai shrugged. "When I first debuted, I used to think it was a shame that I didn't win an award even though I acted so well. I thought the judges had no vision, or I wasn't lucky enough. I always had all kinds of excuses to comfort myself."
"Looking back at my previous work now, it was a complete mess. It's normal that I didn't win any awards. After the Cao Wei incident, I really wasn't that obsessed with acting anymore. I really wanted to quit the industry and never expose myself to the public again. Not only did I have to bear the pressure of negotiating with investors, but I also had to endure the abuse."
Shang Zhier turned around and said, "So, when the paparazzi took a sneak shot of me, you immediately blocked my face."
"Yeah," Yan Huai said.
There is a small shop selling potato pancakes near the intersection. There are not many people here now and it is about to close.
"You sit here and wait, I'll go buy two." Shang Zhier smiled, "Wait."
Yan Huai looked around and sat down on the bench.
Soon, Shang Zhier came running over with two potato pancakes.
He held out the paper bag to Yan Huai and said, "Try it."
"Shang Zhier." Yan Huai called him.
"Um?"
"Why did you help me at that time?" Yan Huai couldn't help but ask the question that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.
Shang Zhier bit off a piece of potato cake and said, "Why? Do you remember high school? You helped me."
Yan Huai lowered his head and whispered, "Will you remember things from high school for that long?"
"I will never forget it in my life." Shang Zhier said firmly.
After returning to the hotel, Yan Huai lay on the bed in a daze, almost falling asleep.
Shang Zhier pressed up from behind, kissed his eyes, and flicked his eyelashes with his fingers.
"What are you doing?" Yan Huai shrank his head. "I'm so sleepy. Stop it."
Shang Zhier chuckled and bit his ear, saying, "Still sleepy, after sleeping for so long."
"I did three hours of physical work," Yan Huai said confidently, "and it's only natural that I should sleep to replenish my energy."
Shang Zhier buried his head in his back, unable to stop laughing, and said, "Didn't I do three hours of manual labor?"
Yan Huai opened his eyes and glared at him.
"Okay, okay, you've worked hard. Let me massage your waist." Shang Zhier lifted the quilt and rubbed it gently. "How is it? Are you satisfied with the strength?"
Yan Huai didn't even raise his head: "Just make do."
"Look at the time." Shang Zhier reminded him.
Yan Huai touched the phone on the bed, "24 o'clock sharp."
"Happy birthday." Shang Zhier got out of bed and took out a square box from the suitcase.
Yan Huai turned on the light and was surprised to see the size of the box.
"I was wondering why your luggage was overweight? You carried such a big suitcase." He sat on the ground.
Shang Zhier placed the box on his lap and said, "Open it and take a look."
Yan Huai carefully opened the box. Inside lay twenty or so little wooden figures, painted in various colors. At first, he couldn't recognize them. It wasn't until he saw Xiang Shui, carrying a schoolbag, that he suddenly realized. These little wooden figures were characters he had played.
He took out the little wooden man and held it in his palm.
Yan Huai was extremely happy. He lowered his head and stared at it carefully. The little wooden face was carved to look lifelike, with a smooth surface and no barbs. It was even more adorable with the paint.
"What did you do?" Yan Huai's eyes were sore. "Where do you find the time?"
Shang Zhier said, "Actually, many of these were made before, but I don't have your address, so I don't know how to send them to you. Look at that one, it's the first wooden figure I made. It's quite crude, not as refined as the ones that came after."
Yan Huai picked it up. This was his first role.
You can tell it was done by a beginner, the face is a little crooked.
"You..." Yan Huai was at a loss, tears just streaming down his face.
Shang Zhier held him in his arms, wiped his tears, and coaxed him: "Why are you crying? It's okay."
Yan Huai thought about January of this year, but he only gave Shang Zhier a frog and a heart folded from paper, and the thermal paper used for cash register receipts.
He was so casual and didn't care at all.
Endless regret welled up in his heart. He regretted so much, so much...
"Don't cry, baby." Shang Zhier kissed his tears.
Yan Huai touched his right hand, which was covered with calluses and scars from knife cuts.
"Does it hurt?" Yan Huai asked.
"It doesn't hurt," Shang Zhier said with a wicked smile, "Having calluses is actually beneficial in some ways."
Yan Huai reacted, his face flushed, and he called him shameless.
"Why do I need face? I need you."
Yan Huai placed the wooden figures neatly on his bedside table and took out his phone to take a photo. He logged onto Weibo, where the company had posted his birthday. Many people in the industry sent him well wishes, and fans also left comments in the comments section.
He uploaded the photo he had just taken and added a small love heart.
Once it was posted, the number of comments, likes and reposts increased rapidly.
--Who sent the wooden man?
--Wow, that's really thoughtful. These are all roles that Bao Bao has played.
--Is it He Xuan? @He Xuan.
The tone of the comments changed immediately, and everyone was @贺煊.
He Xuan replied in the comment section: It’s not me, hahahaha, but I know who it is, but I won’t tell you!
--Who is it?
--I squatted too, and someone kicked me.
--Just stay put and wait, I'll kick you out.
--Don't squat yet. Why is there a little heart? It's not He Xuan. Has the CP I'm supporting died?
The discussion in the comment section was very interesting. Yan Huai was refreshing it with his secondary account when He Xuan called.
"I'm at the airport, aren't you coming to pick me up?" He Xuan said as he walked.
Yan Huai replied: "Why don't you book a flight for the afternoon? I'm so sleepy."
"I squeezed time out of my incredibly busy schedule," He Xuan said, "and flew all the way to Switzerland to attend your wedding. You should be thankful. It's a blessing to be able to book a ticket for the evening."
Yan Huai laughed: "Okay, okay, I'll pick you up."
"Why are you here?" He Xuan asked.
Yan Huai teased him intentionally: "I'll take the subway. Taking a taxi is so expensive."
"Fuck you, do you have any conscience?" He Xuan yelled, "You came to pick me up and you couldn't even take a taxi!"
He Xuan suddenly lowered his voice and whispered, "Is Shang Zhier jealous and won't let you pick me up?"
"How is that possible? I'm just kidding." Yan Huai said, "The subway stopped running in the early morning. I must have taken a taxi. Are you stupid?"
He Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and sent the address.
When Yan Huai and Shang Zhier arrived at the airport, he was eating a hamburger with relish.
"This!" He Xuan waved his hand.
Yan Huai took over his luggage. Although Shang Zhier was a little jealous, he was reluctant to let Yan Huai carry such a heavy thing, so he had to carry He Xuan's bag reluctantly.
"You don't know how people looked at me just now. They thought I was a homeless person and threw a coin into my cup." He Xuan took out the coin and showed it to the two of them.
Yan Huai nodded: "That's good, keep it as a lucky coin."
He Xuan left in a hurry. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a hole in it and jeans with holes in them. The distressed finish made them look like they were picked up from a trash can.
As Shang Zhier opened the car door, He Xuan jumped in and sat in the back seat.
Yan Huai was about to squeeze into the back seat with his bag, but Shang Zhieryi grabbed his wrist. "Huh?" Yan Huai looked at him.
"You sit in the front." Shang Zhier said.
Yan Huai was extremely sleepy and went straight to sit in the front.
Shang Zhier glanced at He Xuan and closed the car door.
The two men stared at each other in the back seat without saying a word. Yan Huai stared at the rearview mirror from time to time to see if they would make any moves and prevent them from fighting in the car.
After arriving at the hotel safely and peacefully, Shang Zhierben thought that he could finally separate the two of them, but he learned from the front desk that there were no extra rooms available.
"Let's look at other hotels." Shang Zhier said.
Yan Huai looked back and saw Shang Zhier's face was extremely dark. He hurriedly said, "Let him sleep on the sofa and stop tossing and turning in the middle of the night."
Shang Zhier's mouth was straight and he managed a forced "hmm".
The three of them stood in the elevator, the atmosphere was awkward.
"Go take a shower first." Yan Huai pointed to the bedroom, "There is only one bathroom."
He Xuan answered readily, "Okay."
Seeing that Shang Zhier still had a cold expression, Yan Huai patted his head and said, "Be good, let him find a hotel tomorrow."
"All right."
Shang Zhier had no choice but to accept the fact that He Xuan lived in the same house with them.
He lay on the sofa, his long legs casually crossed. He looked up and saw He Xuan emerging from the room wrapped in a towel. Shang Zhier's mouth twitched. "Still ruthless? He's actually using seduction as a tactic! How despicable!"
He Xuan walked to the sofa, holding a towel in his hand, and said with his head down: "Move your legs? You're blocking my way."
Yan Huai grabbed Shang Zhier and placed a blanket on the sofa. "There's air conditioning in the living room. If it gets hot, turn it on yourself."
He Xuan lay on the sofa. "Okay, you two can do whatever you want tonight. I won't eavesdrop. I even prepared earplugs. Isn't that considerate?"
Yan Huai pushed Shang Zhier towards the bedroom. Upon hearing this, he turned back in shame and anger: "I'm not that horny!"
Shang Zhier laughed, then turned around and said, "Then you might not be able to sleep well all night."
The door slammed shut.
He Xuan was laughing wildly outside. He didn't expect Shang Zhier to be so unable to withstand the provocation.
Yan Huai tugged at his pants and said hurriedly, "Just go to sleep."
Shang Zhier gritted his teeth and said, "He still won't give up."
"How is that possible?" Yan Huai pulled him and lay on the bed. "He just got a girlfriend. You should be at ease. Don't always treat him as a rival in love."
Shang Zhier retorted in his heart that he was originally a love rival, and a very threatening one at that.
"Good night." Yan Huai put on the eye mask.
Shang Zhier said, "Did you forget something?"
"What?" Yan Huai rubbed his eyes.
"Goodnight kiss." Shang Zhier pointed to his lips.
Yan Huai laughed angrily, "You are so annoying." He held Shang Zhier's face and kissed him hard.
In a daze, Yan Huai pushed Shang Zhier away, but soon Shang Zhier clung to him like a snake. Over and over again, Yan Huai said, "Don't hug me, I'm too hot."
Shang Zhier turned on the air conditioner and continued to hold him in the spoon sleeping position.
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