Chapter 401 Combining 401 and 2
Four hundred and one:
Qin Cheng: ...
Qin Cheng never expected that he would let something slip here.
The main problem is the rapid-fire question-and-answer format. It doesn't require thinking; it's all subconscious, instinctive reactions. How could he have imagined that Ye Qingxi would add a fatal question about open or secret crushes to a seemingly meaningless topic like hotpot or stir-fry?
Qin Cheng: ...
Qin Cheng's mind raced. He smiled and said to his younger brother, "I remember."
"It just slipped out of my mouth. I chose the later ones for the previous ones, so I just subconsciously said the later ones for this one."
"Really?" Ye Qingxi asked doubtfully.
Qin Cheng nodded. "Otherwise, who do you think I would have a crush on?"
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi felt that there really wasn't anyone worthy of her brother's crush.
His brother is handsome, academically gifted, and the eldest son of the Mu Group. With those qualities, it's more likely that other people would have a crush on him.
"Anyway, brother, remember this: with your looks and qualities, it's an honor for whoever you like. So you don't need to have a crush on her; just tell her directly."
Qin Cheng: ...
Qin Cheng smiled.
He thought to himself: That's not necessarily true.
His conditions may indeed be good, but Ye Qingxi's conditions will only be better.
From a young age, Ye Qingxi was the one who stood out the most among all the children.
Twenty-one-year-old Qin Cheng already knew what kind of flower he was blooming in, knew in which aspects he was better than his younger brother, and also knew in which aspects Ye Qingxi, no matter how hard she tried, might not be able to catch up with him.
But that didn't stop Ye Qingxi from always being sparkling, radiant, and dazzling in his eyes.
It is the most brilliant ray of sunshine in the Mu family.
It would be her honor to be liked by him.
"Okay," Qin Cheng replied cooperatively.
Ye Qingxi felt a little relieved. Thank goodness, he was really scared to death.
If his brother also has a crush on someone, their family will truly be a family full of people secretly in love!
There's no need for a family to be so perfectly aligned in this regard, is there?
Startled, Ye Qingxi ate a bite of beef to calm herself down.
After this little incident, the two resumed their rapid-fire Q&A session.
This time, Qin Cheng was very careful and made no mistakes.
Then it was his turn to ask Ye Qingxi.
The two played until they had almost finished eating the hot pot before they stopped.
The rain was still falling outside the window, and the night was getting darker. Ye Qingxi was too lazy to go out in the rain, so she stayed at home with Qin Cheng and watched a movie.
Unfortunately, the movie was rather dull for him. Ye Qingxi hadn't watched for very long before his eyelids grew increasingly heavy, and he eventually drifted off to sleep amidst the sounds of rain and the movie's dialogue.
Qin Cheng turned his head, and you could see his youthful yet handsome face under the movie lights.
He was really happy to see Ye Qingxi again.
The thought of him leaving again made him wish he could freeze time at this moment.
As he was watching, Ye Qingxi's head suddenly shifted, pulled by gravity, and fell onto his shoulder.
Qin Cheng was stunned for a moment, and for a moment he felt the world go silent.
The torrential rain outside the window, the movie inside, and the sounds of the movie all around, seemed to vanish without a trace at that moment.
All that remained was the sensation of Ye Qingxi's soft, fluffy hair brushing against his neck.
All that remained was the warmth of his head resting on her shoulder.
Qin Cheng sat back on the sofa, letting Ye Qingxi lean against him and use him as a pillow.
He did nothing and said nothing.
They quietly enjoyed this seemingly stolen intimacy, unknown to anyone, not even Ye Qingxi herself.
Ye Qingxi finally woke up just before the movie ended.
He groggily opened his eyes and saw that the credits were already rolling. He paused, stunned. "It's over...it's over??? It's already over?"
"Hmm," Qin Cheng replied.
"I slept for way too long," Ye Qingxi remarked.
He felt like he had only seen the beginning.
"No way." He stubbornly pulled the progress bar back to the last part of his consciousness and started watching again.
Five minutes later, Ye Qingxi rubbed her face hard and propped up her eyelids with her hands.
Qin Cheng: ...
"No." Ye Qingxi stood up and went to the bathroom to wash her face.
He gave up.
Sometimes, people don't need to obsess over a single movie.
Perhaps he's really not suited for this legendary classic film today.
So after leaving the bathroom and returning to the living room, Ye Qingxi changed to a fast-paced popcorn movie.
Sure enough, this time he wasn't sleepy and watched the whole movie with great enthusiasm.
"Not bad," Ye Qingxi said. "Although some parts are quite obviously paid homage to, overall it's acceptable."
Qin Cheng thought so too.
Since he started living with Ye Qingxi, he has watched many movies with her and has unknowingly developed a habit of watching movies. So much so that after going abroad, he bought the relevant equipment so that he could watch a movie when he was relaxing and miss the person who inspired him to have this hobby after watching it.
That night, the two slept together again.
As Ye Qingxi listened to the rain outside the window, she inexplicably thought of the year Qin Cheng graduated.
I remembered that night when he came in the rain, wanting to see if his balcony window was closed.
With these feelings in mind, he walked to Qin Cheng's balcony.
Qin Cheng's balcony window was already closed. Ye Qingxi smiled and turned to look at Qin Cheng.
He said, "Your balcony window is closed."
In an instant, Qin Cheng felt as if those words had pulled him back to a year ago.
He looked at Ye Qingxi, his heart pounding.
He tried to control his racing heart, smiled, and said, "Mm."
Ye Qingxi turned to look at the pedestrians outside the window. He wondered if it was raining where they were, and if the flowers on his balcony were blooming yet.
Hopefully, they haven't bloomed yet.
After spending two days with Qin Cheng, Ye Qingxi prepared to meet Feng's parents.
Feng's parents had been looking forward to him for a long time.
Upon seeing him and Qin Cheng, Feng's mother warmly grabbed Ye Qingxi's hand and wouldn't let go.
Ye Qingxi smiled and made a special call to Mu Shaowu so that Mu Shaowu and Feng Que could also chat with Feng's parents.
The parents looked at their son and daughter-in-law in the camera lens, then at their grandson outside the lens, and couldn't stop smiling.
When Ye Qingxi arrived, she took the Zhong family's private plane. When she returned, for convenience, she followed Feng's mother's advice and took the Feng family's private plane.
Zhong Yan naturally accompanied him, so on the last day of the holiday, Zhong Yan flew over specifically to prepare to return to China with Ye Qingxi.
When the two met again, they both had a lot to say.
Ye Qingxi told Zhong Yan what she had seen and heard in the past few days, and Zhong Yan then told Ye Qingxi about what had happened between him and Pei Liang after he left.
Ye Qingxi listened and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow~ that junior is really tea-faced."
“Right?” Zhong Yan said, “He’s so ridiculous. He acts like I’m some kind of wicked stepmother, Pei Liang is some kind of Cinderella, and he’s the prince who saves Cinderella and speaks up for her. He doesn’t even think about what business it has of his.”
“That’s right,” Ye Qingxi said.
After he finished speaking, he laughed again, "But he really does want to be a prince."
"ah?"
“I told my brother about him that day, and my brother said he probably likes Pei Liang.”
Zhong Yan: !!!
Zhong Yan instantly understood, "So, after all this time, he's just standing up for the person he likes because he feels sorry for her!"
"Exactly! He would cook for Pei Liang every day, but you, on the other hand, make Pei Liang cook for you every day and act like it's your due. You don't even wash the dishes after eating. If it were you and someone you like, you would definitely feel uncomfortable too."
Zhong Yan said matter-of-factly, "Well, I really have never washed dishes since I was a child."
"Besides, when I met Pei Liang, he was still nobody. Is it really necessary for him to be uncomfortable here now?"
"Isn't it because he likes Pei Liang? If he likes her, he'll naturally mind."
Zhong Yan: ...
"He would be better off using this time to study. He's here to study abroad, not to date."
"Who can blame me when a super handsome guy with all the perfect qualities lives under my roof now?"
Zhong Yan: ? ? ?
"Handsome guy? Pei Liang?"
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi patted her childhood friend on the shoulder, "Objectively speaking, all four of us are good-looking."
"I just think we're both good-looking."
Ye Qingxi: ...
"Then thank you for thinking I'm good-looking too."
Zhong Yan said magnanimously, "That's an objective fact. You've been good-looking since you were little. Otherwise, how could you have been famous since childhood?"
Ye Qingxi: "Of course, it's because of my excellent acting skills."
Zhong Yan smiled and said, "You're excellent in every way. Your acting is excellent, and you're also very good-looking."
Hearing his words, Ye Qingxi thought that he truly deserved to be called his good friend, able to praise him even with his eyes wide open.
After Zhong Yan finished speaking, she picked up her phone and began editing a WeChat message.
Ye Qingxi leaned closer and saw him type: "Does your roommate like you?"
Ye Qingxi: "So direct?"
"Otherwise what?" Zhong Yan looked at him. "The sooner he knows, the sooner he can move out, the better for both of them."
Yes, Ye Qingxi nodded. Judging from Pei Liang's behavior, he definitely didn't have any special feelings for his junior.
Rather than continuing to live with the other person and letting their affections grow, it would be better to have them move out, stop wasting your time on them, and focus on your studies.
"I hope this junior can let it go soon," Ye Qingxi said.
The car stopped in front of the Feng family's manor.
Zhong Yan and Ye Qingxi got out of the car, and Qin Cheng helped them with their luggage. The three of them then entered the Feng family's manor together.
Although Zhong Yan wasn't very familiar with the Feng family, she had met Feng's parents a few times, so she wasn't reserved and greeted them generously.
He was Ye Qingxi's good friend, so Feng's parents naturally treated him very politely.
Seeing him arrive at this time, she asked with concern, "Have you eaten? Would you like something to eat?"
"Have something to eat," Ye Qingxi said. "I'll have something to eat too."
“Okay,” Zhong Yan replied.
Madam Feng immediately instructed the steward to give the orders.
Ye Qingxi then took Zhong Yan on a short tour of the Feng family's manor.
After finishing their meal, the two returned to their room to rest.
Zhong Yan opened her suitcase and handed him the gift she had bought for him.
“These belong to Qin Cheng.” He took out a few items.
“I didn’t originally plan to buy it for him, but Pei Liang said that when I come over, he and you will definitely come to pick me up together. When we meet, we are all friends, and it wouldn’t be right to only buy something for you and not for him, so I bought him a few things too.”
Zhong Yan stuffed the item into Ye Qingxi's hand, saying, "Give it to him in a bit."
"Why don't you give it to him yourself?" Ye Qingxi said.
"I'm too lazy to go over there. Aren't you going to his place later? You can give it to him then."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi shook her head, "I'm not going to his place."
He said, "I'll sleep with you tonight."
Zhong Yan: ? ? ?
Zhong Yan tilted her head. "You, sleep with me?"
"Okay." Ye Qingxi nodded. "That way we can get up together tomorrow morning and set off together. What, you don't want to sleep with me?"
“Of course not,” Zhong Yan said. “It’s just that this is your last night here, and you’re not staying with your brother? Aren’t you going to stay with me?”
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi didn't think there was anything wrong with his arrangement—compared to Qin Cheng, Zhong Yan was less familiar with the Feng family and might feel more constrained living with them, so as a half-Feng family member, he should naturally stay by his side to make him feel more comfortable.
But now, after Zhong Yan said that, he felt that after this parting, he didn't know when he would come back again, and unconsciously the scales in his heart quietly tipped towards Qin Cheng.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhong Yan smiled and said, "Right? What I said makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?"
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi raised her eyelids and glanced at him.
“Go ahead,” Zhong Yan said. “Anyway, I’m going to sleep soon, so it doesn’t matter.”
"If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime."
“That’s right.” Zhong Yan said without any politeness, “I definitely won’t let you get away with this.”
Ye Qingxi smiled.
He turned around, took out the gifts he had bought for him over the past few days, and gave them to him. Then he put away the gifts Zhong Yan had bought for him, picked up the things Zhong Yan had bought for Qin Cheng at Pei Liang's suggestion, and left the bedroom.
Qin Cheng was already getting ready to sleep.
I had just finished showering and was drying my hair when I heard a knock on the door.
Qin Cheng opened the door with a puzzled look and saw Ye Qingxi standing outside.
“Surprise!” Ye Qingxi exclaimed.
Qin Cheng: ?
Qin Cheng stepped aside to let him in to speak.
Ye Qingxi handed over what she was holding, saying, "This is a gift Zhong Yan bought for you."
Qin Cheng: ?
"He actually bought me a gift?"
That's incredible.
"Pei Liang reminded me," Ye Qingxi said.
Qin Cheng: That's what he said.
"Thank you to him then." Qin Cheng accepted it.
"You're welcome," Ye Qingxi said. "And also..."
He turned around and silently walked into the bedroom.
When Ye Qingxi reached the bedside, she sat down.
"Hmm... I've been thinking about it, and I think we should sleep together tonight."
Qin Cheng: !!!
"You're not sleeping with Zhong Yan anymore?"
“Zhong Yan and I can sleep together when we go back, but then I won’t see you anymore,” Ye Qingxi said honestly. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back next time.”
Qin Cheng: ...
Qin Cheng felt a pang of sadness upon hearing his words.
After this parting, they won't see each other again until summer vacation.
"Okay," he said softly.
Ye Qingxi laughed, then suddenly realized something and said, "Don't move."
Qin Cheng: ?
Ye Qingxi stood up and quickly took out a hair dryer from the bathroom.
"It's rare that your hair isn't dry, let me blow-dry it for you."
Qin Cheng: ...
Qin Cheng hadn't expected that the reason he told him not to move was because of this.
Surprisingly, he still remembered this.
"Come over here quickly," Ye Qingxi called out.
Seeing the excitement on his face, Qin Cheng didn't refuse and walked over.
He sat down next to Ye Qingxi and felt the warm breeze blowing through his hair.
"Is this temperature okay?" Ye Qingxi asked.
"Hmm," Qin Cheng replied.
Ye Qingxi picked up his hair and patiently began to blow-dry it for him.
When they lived together, he always thought of returning the favor by drying Qin Cheng's hair, but Qin Cheng would always dry his hair before appearing in front of him after taking a shower.
Until they parted ways, he had never properly blow-dried Qin Cheng's hair, but now, he finally had the chance.
Ye Qingxi let down a strand of his hair and picked up a new one; his brother's hair was actually stiffer than he had expected.
He thought his hair would be very soft, even though he was such a good-tempered person.
However, Ye Qingxi thought again that his good temper seemed to only apply to him. For most people who didn't know him well, they probably didn't think he had a good temper.
He carefully dried Qin Cheng's hair before turning off the hairdryer.
"Alright." Ye Qingxi patted his hair. "It's dry now."
Qin Cheng smiled and said to him, "Thank you."
"You are welcome."
Ye Qingxi looked at him, feeling a pang of sadness. "I'm leaving. Take good care of yourself."
"Okay," Qin Cheng replied. "You too, take good care of yourself."
"Okay." He looked at Qin Cheng. Even though almost a year had passed since they parted, he still felt sentimental at this moment.
Ye Qingxi turned her head and put the hair dryer back in the distance, so that Qin Cheng wouldn't notice her sadness.
"Let's go to sleep," he said in a cheerful tone.
Qin Cheng nodded.
The two lay down on the bed, one on each side.
The Feng family's manor was very quiet.
Ye Qingxi lay asleep in the quiet night, slowly closing her eyes.
After Qin Cheng fell asleep, he turned to look at him.
He couldn't bear to sleep, so he just stared at the silhouette of the person he cherished in the darkness.
He wanted to hug him, but he didn't want to fuel his own greed.
So he just watched.
A young man's love is like a river in the dark night, its waters flowing ceaselessly, traversing mountains and valleys, splashing violently, yet no one sees it.
Everyone was asleep in the darkness.
Only the moonlight shines on this river, whether it is turbulent or calm, illuminating the shimmering surface and the eddies and undercurrents at the bottom.
But nobody knows.
Only the passing wind knows, only the silent moonlight knows, only the one who secretly loves knows.
The next morning, Ye Qingxi was woken up by Qin Cheng.
He sat up, washed up, changed his clothes, and went to call Zhong Yan.
After having breakfast together, the Feng family's driver took them to the airport.
Feng's father had something to do today, so only Feng's mother and Qin Cheng accompanied them.
Looking at Ye Qingxi, Feng's mother had the driver help her carry the prepared items onto the plane, and then instructed, "Remember to come and visit again when you have time."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely come when I have time."
After Ye Qingxi finished speaking, he gave her a big hug.
Phoenix's mother smiled and hugged him. She didn't let go for a while.
Ye Qingxi was released by her, looked at her brother, and then gave her brother a hug as well, treating him the same way.
Qin Cheng felt his embrace and slowly hugged him back.
"Let me know when you get off the plane," he said.
"Okay." Ye Qingxi looked at him. "You too, let me know when you get to the apartment."
"good."
Ye Qingxi took one last look at him before reluctantly turning around and boarding the plane with Zhong Yan.
And so their seven-day May Day trip came to an end, concluding their visit to relatives and friends.
At this moment, Zhong Yan suddenly missed Pei Liang and wondered what he was doing.
Before the plane took off, he texted him: "We're going back."
Pei Liang replied quickly: 【A headwind all the way.】
Zhong Yan smiled and was about to ask if his junior had moved out when she heard the captain tell her to put her phone in airplane mode.
He had no choice but to put the question aside and plan to ask it when he got back.
Ye Qingxi took out her tablet, ready to watch a movie.
Unfortunately, he and Zhong Yan fell asleep before they had even finished reading half of it.
When they woke up again, the two had a meal before watching the movie again.
I slept on and off like this, and finally, as night fell in China, the plane landed.
Both the Mu and Zhong families sent people to pick them up.
Ye Qingxi yawned, said goodbye to Zhong Yan, and got into Li Wei's car.
He met Mu Shaowu after returning home.
"You're finally back. How was it abroad?" Mu Shaowu looked up from the computer and asked him.
"It's alright," Ye Qingxi said. "My grandparents' manor is quite fun."
Just then, Feng Que returned home and overheard this. He laughed and said, "Really? Then let's go there to celebrate the New Year this year. The weather will be warm then."
Ye Qingxi shook her head repeatedly.
What about his grandfather?
His grandfather definitely didn't want to spend the New Year at someone else's house.
And even if his grandfather went, his uncle, aunt and cousin couldn't all go with him, could they?
So it's best to stay at home.
Only in this way can everyone be together, and only then can it be considered a reunion.
Looking at his unwavering demeanor, Feng Que sighed, "This child really is very attached to his home."
"And what about summer vacation? How's summer vacation?"
When Ye Qingxi heard him mention summer vacation, she quickly raised her hand and said, "Report, I want to make a movie this summer vacation."
Phoenix Palace: !!!
Mu Shaowu: !!!
Both of them were shocked. "What did you say?"
Ye Qingxi had already made up her mind: "We'll be starting our internships in our senior year, and I don't really want to intern at my family's company, so I plan to use this time to make a movie."
"I've already decided on the subject matter for the film. I want to make a youth film, a low-budget one with minimal investment, which I can fund myself. So, to make the shots look better, I think summer is the most suitable time to shoot. Perfect timing, if we finish filming this summer, it can be released next summer."
Phoenix Palace: ...
Mu Shaowu: ...
The two were dumbfounded. Good grief, he even planned to invest himself.
Feng Que asked curiously, "Tell Daddy your thoughts in detail."
Mu Shaowu felt sorry for the child and said, "Let him rest first. It won't make a difference if he rests for a little while. I'll talk to you after he's rested."
“Okay,” Feng Que replied.
Ye Qingxi was indeed a little tired. "Then I'll go upstairs first. We'll talk again tomorrow. Good night."
"Good night," Mu Shaowu said to Feng Que.
Ye Qingxi pulled her suitcase and walked into the elevator.
Feng Que watched him leave before turning to his wife, "Is Xiao Xi really going to make a movie?"
"It seems so."
Feng Que said proudly, "He truly lives up to his reputation as my son; he has just my style."
"I was the same way back then. I had this idea before I even graduated from university, and I made a movie right after I graduated."
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?
Mu Shaowu looked at him, "Whose son? Whose demeanor does he have?"
"Your son, your son," Feng Que said quickly. "He truly is your son; he has the same demeanor as you did back then."
Mu Shaowu smiled and said with satisfaction, "That's more like it."
"However, I'm not good at acting, so you should communicate with him more and help him out."
“Of course.” Feng Que said without hesitation, “If he’s willing, I can be his assistant director.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Shaowu burst into laughter, "Have you ever been an assistant director?"
“No, not really,” Feng Que said. “But for the sake of our son, it’s not impossible.”
"I'm afraid our son won't need you," Mu Shaowu said.
Feng Que nodded. "Very likely."
After all, his son seemed very talented.
If I were to actually become his assistant director, I fear I would hinder his brilliance and make others think that his achievements were all due to him as the assistant director.
"I never imagined that in the blink of an eye, Xiao Xi would be old enough to make movies," Feng Que remarked.
“Isn’t that right?” Mu Shaowu said. “I still remember how he looked when we were filming. He was so short, and he only got to me.”
Mu Shaowu gestured.
Feng Que nodded, "Back then, I just thought he was a good actor and it was a real pity that he wasn't acting. I never expected that he would not only develop in acting but also in directing. He's really amazing."
Mu Shaowu: ...Stop talking, if his dad finds out, he'll be even more upset.
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