It was already evening when we finished filming the scene in the hospital. By the time the doctor had finished treating and bandaging the wound, it was already completely dark outside.
The crew did not stay any longer and went straight back to the villa. When they finished dinner and went their separate ways, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening.
"Brother Cheng, this is anti-inflammatory. Take one first."
As soon as Douzi entered the room, he went straight to the coffee table and busily opened and examined the medicine prescribed by the doctor. After reading one box, he studied another box and muttered, "Is this... a painkiller? It's best not to take too much of this. How about putting it aside for now, in case the pain gets worse? You can take the anti-inflammatory medicine tonight."
Jiang Que watched him worrying, smiled helplessly, and reached out to take it: "Let me do it, I'll watch him eat later."
"Hey, could you guys stop talking like I'm a three-year-old?" Song Yecheng said with a smile, "I'm not illiterate. How could I not know how to take the medicine?"
Douzi laughed foolishly for a few times, left the medicine and the prescription on the coffee table, then picked up his things and prepared to go back to his place.
Jiang Que stood up and sent him out.
This was nothing big, just a courtesy, but the strange thing was that Jiang Que didn't stop after he walked out of the door, he continued to walk him to the gate of the courtyard.
Douzi was a little puzzled, thinking he had something to tell her, so he waited eagerly at the door. Jiang Que stared at him for a long time, as if he was about to say something, but couldn't. Finally, he could only utter, "...Bye."
Douzi blinked blankly, and could only mumble "bye-bye". He waved goodbye and left scratching his head.
Jiang Que watched him walk away, curled his lips in an ambiguous manner, and then turned around and walked back.
When I returned to the house, Song Yecheng was standing in front of the cupboard holding a bag of cat food.
Seeing this, Jiang Que hurriedly said, "I'll do it."
"No need," Song Yecheng turned his head and raised his chin towards Baimao, "I've already fed him."
Jiang Que turned around and saw that the food box in front of Baimao was indeed filled with food and water.
Song Yecheng put the bag back on the upper shelf of the cabinet, closed the cabinet door, turned around and asked, "Are you going up?"
Jiang Que nodded, walked to the side and turned on the floor lamp next to the white-haired nest, leaving it a little lit. Then he turned off the main light in the living room and went upstairs with Song Yecheng.
When he reached the second floor, Song Yecheng walked along the corridor to his door, opened the door and turned on the headlights. Just as he was about to turn around and say good night as usual, he turned around and found that Jiang Que did not go to the opposite side, but followed him to the door of this side.
"What's wrong?" Song Yecheng asked puzzledly.
Jiang Que raised his head slightly: "...Do you want to help?"
Seeing that Song Yecheng didn't seem to understand, he added: "Just... washing your hair and taking a bath or something?"
He pointed at Song Yecheng's injured right hand: "Isn't your hand not allowed to get wet?"
This was what he had been hesitant to say when he sent the beans out just now.
After all, it would be uncomfortable to go to bed directly after sweating in such a hot day. He wanted to ask Douzi, "Aren't you going to help him take a bath?" But then he thought that Douzi was just an assistant, not a nurse, and he didn't know whether this was part of Douzi's job scope. He was afraid that asking would make things difficult for him, so he didn't ask until the end.
Song Yecheng had not really considered this at first, and was stunned by the question.
Then he rolled his eyes and thought about the bathing process in his mind. It didn't seem too complicated, so he said confidently, "I should be able to do it with one hand."
Jiang Que pondered for a moment and said seriously, "...I don't think you can do it."
"Ahem!" Song Yecheng was suddenly choked and said with a smile, "Can you please not just say 'you can't' to a man?"
Jiang Que didn't respond, but just stared at him with disapproval.
"Don't worry," Song Yecheng raised his chin confidently, "You don't need two hands to take a bath, one is enough."
Jiang Que seemed to want to say something, but he swallowed it back and didn't refute in the end: "...Then go ahead."
Song Yecheng smiled casually, turned around and went straight into the bathroom.
Five minutes later.
The bathroom door was ajar.
Song Yecheng poked his head out from behind the door, his hair a mess that he had messed up like a doghouse and his face slightly flushed. He looked at Jiang Que with frustration and resentment:
“…I can’t.”
Jiang Que had been waiting here on purpose and couldn't help but laugh helplessly when he heard this. His eyes were full of mockery of "I knew it". He walked over, pushed the door open a little, and walked into the bathroom sideways.
Song Yecheng had actually taken off most of his clothes, but it was obviously a difficult struggle, because his clothes and pants were all torn into a mess, and pieces of them fell all over the floor.
Before he was injured, he really didn't think there was any need to cooperate with both hands, but when he could only use one hand, he found that even the simplest things became complicated.
Jiang Que first bent down to pick up the clothes and put them into the clothes basket. Then he took down the shower head and rinsed the bathtub, filling it halfway with hot water. Then he said, "Come in. I'll wash your hair first."
"Oh." Song Yecheng raised his hand and hooked his nose, then walked towards the bathtub as he was told.
As far as he could remember, except for occasionally rubbing his father's back a few times, he had never been so naked with anyone. He felt a little embarrassed at this moment, and even the action of stepping into the bathtub seemed a little awkward.
But in fact, it was not just him. Jiang Que had not dared to look at him directly since he entered the door. He was actually very uncomfortable at the moment, but he was worried about Song Yecheng's injury. The sense of responsibility that came naturally suppressed the embarrassment, so that he could pretend to be calm and orderly as if nothing had happened.
After Song Yecheng sat in the bathtub, Jiang Que took a towel from the shelf next to him, folded it in half, and placed it on the edge of the bathtub to make a small neck support. Then he patted Song Yecheng and asked him to lie down, and reached out to take the shower head.
After turning on the hot water, he first tested the water temperature with his hand, then poured a little water over Song Yecheng's head and asked, "Is the water temperature okay?"
"Hmm," Song Yecheng responded, feeling the lukewarm water temperature, then added, as if it wasn't enough, "Just right."
Jiang Que said nothing more, gently lowered his long eyelashes, and began to wash carefully and attentively. Because he was afraid that the water would splash into Song Yecheng's eyes, he raised his hand to cover a small guardrail in front of his hairline.
When his hair was completely wet, he got up and squeezed some shampoo, applied it evenly on his hair, and rubbed it carefully.
Because he often had to type, Jiang Que never kept his nails long, so there was no sharp scratching sensation when he rubbed his fingers. The gentle and moderate force of his fingertips made Song Yecheng squint comfortably, and he almost wanted to fall asleep in the bathtub.
Only after his head was covered in foam did Jiang Que pick up the shower head again and let the warm water flow onto his scalp again. Only then did Song Yecheng wake up from his drowsiness and secretly look up at the top of his head.
The bathroom light was soft, gently shining on the slightly lowered hair of Jiang Que, outlining a half silhouette of his drooping long eyelashes, highlighting his already fair cheeks even more delicate, and making his lightly pursed light pink lips appear especially soft.
Song Yecheng's Adam's apple slid slightly.
Somehow, he suddenly wanted to raise his hand and touch it, whether it was the cheek or the lips. The soft and tender touch simulated in his mind invisibly seduced him, like the dewdrops rolling on the lotus leaves in the early morning, rippling back and forth in his heart.
But Jiang Que was completely unaware of this.
At this time, he had carefully rinsed the foam off Song Yecheng's forehead, and then rinsed his temples. Because he was afraid that the water would flow into his ears, he naturally raised his hand to cover it.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, when his fingertips just touched the earlobe, Song Yecheng's body suddenly stiffened as if he had been electrocuted.
Jiang Que paused: "What's wrong?"
Song Yecheng was also stunned. When he realized what was going on, his face flushed and he forced an explanation: "It's okay, my ears are a little... ticklish."
"Oh..." Jiang Que didn't doubt it, and raised his hand a little higher, carefully avoiding any further contact. He just held it nearby to block the water splashes until both sides of the temples were washed clean, and then he washed down to the back of the head.
Because he couldn't see the foam below, he could only lower his hands and rub it, half lifting and half rubbing. Unexpectedly, when his fingertips accidentally touched the back of Song Yecheng's neck, Song Yecheng's body suddenly stiffened again.
"..." Jiang Que couldn't help but feel a bit amused, "...your neck is ticklish too?"
Song Yecheng was simply unable to speak.
In fact, it was not tickling at all, it was simply a sensitive physiological reaction. Two consecutive waves of numbness were like electric currents running through his body, making his heartbeat accelerate.
But how could he explain this? He was speechless for a long time, and finally, for some unknown reason, he blurted out, "Other people won't be able to do it if they touch it, but if you do... it's different anyway."
When these words came out, Jiang Que was stunned.
Song Yecheng didn't know whether he understood or not. He blinked twice at the air, then looked up at the top of his head as if unwilling. He saw that Jiang Que's expression did not reveal any clues, but his cheeks were slightly flushed.
Song Yecheng stared at the crimson that gradually faded away, and a small flame in his heart suddenly jumped, making his brain suddenly hot. He suddenly raised his uninjured left hand, hooked Jiang Que's neck and pulled him down.
The suddenly shortened distance made Jiang Que subconsciously widen his eyes slightly. It was not until they were so close that their breaths mixed with each other that he couldn't help but swallow and blinked slightly nervously.
Song Yecheng did not exert any more force, just maintaining the strength that neither let him go away nor continued to pull him closer, just confining him within his sight. He stared at him without blinking, letting the blood pounding in his chest hit his eardrums and pupils, tinging every breath with a warm aftertaste.
In the silent bathroom, only the sound of the shower water still flowing happily, the winding water trails emit layers of mist, which floats, spreads, and diffuses, evaporating and heating up in this small space.
Time passes by every second.
Song Yecheng didn't know how many thoughts went through his mind and how many rounds of struggle he went through before he finally managed to suppress the impulse that was about to burst out.
He licked his lips, his eyes nostalgically tracing the outline of the scene before him once again. Finally, he turned his gaze to a strand of hair on Jiang Que's forehead, reaching out and twisting it with his fingertips: "...It's stained with foam."
Jiang Que's butterfly-like long eyelashes trembled and flickered, as if he was relieved, but at the same time, it seemed as if he was hiding an inexplicable and completely opposite secret emotion.
Just then, a cell phone ring broke the silence.
Jiang Que's cell phone was always on silent, so the ringtone was obviously not his. He turned around and saw that the ringtone was coming from the clothes basket.
"Is your phone in your clothes?"
Jiang Que stood up while asking, pulled out a dry towel from the shelf next to him, first wiped Song Yecheng's washed hair briefly, and then hurried to the clothes basket and took out his cell phone.
"Who?" Song Yecheng sat up and asked. The ringtone was not a phone call but a WeChat voice invitation. He couldn't think of who would send him a voice message so late at night.
Jiang Que looked at the seven-character note on the screen, and after a moment's thought, he said, "It's... your mother."
As he spoke, he took two quick steps and handed the phone to Song Yecheng.
Song Yecheng took a closer look and found that what Ms. Qiu sent was not a voice message but a video message. He quickly unlocked the interface with one hand and switched to voice call: "Hello?"
Because his face and ears were still wet, he turned on the speaker. Qiu Mingyue's voice came out quickly, sounding as if she didn't understand the situation yet: "Huh... why did it switch to voice?"
Song Yecheng said hurriedly: "I'm taking a shower."
"Oh, I thought so." Qiu Mingyue smiled, "Soaking in the bathtub?"
Song Yecheng hummed, and his right hand moved unconsciously, nearly touching the water on the edge of the bathtub. Jiang Que quickly reached out and grabbed it: "Be careful."
Although his voice was low, it was quite clear against the silence in the bathroom.
Qiu Mingyue on the other end of the phone was stunned: "Is there someone next to you?"
Song Yecheng glanced at Jiang Que and admitted, "Yes."
Qiu Mingyue was surprised, and there was a hint of disbelief and mockery in her voice: "You are taking a bath... and there is someone next to you?"
Jiang Que's ears warmed when he heard this, and he looked away. Song Yecheng hurriedly explained, "No, my hand was injured, and he came to help me take a bath."
"Injured?" Hearing this word, the mother immediately ignored everything else and asked, "What happened? Is it serious?"
"It's not serious, it's not serious," Song Yecheng realized that he had let the cat out of the bag and quickly comforted him, "It's just a little scratch. It's inconvenient to touch the water for the next two days."
After saying that, he immediately changed the subject: "Why are you calling me so late? Is there something wrong?"
Although he quickly changed the subject, Qiu Mingyue was still relieved. She continued to ask him a lot about his injury, asking him not to eat anything irritating and reminding him to change the dressing on time. After she finished giving him all the instructions, she finally replied, "I have to go back to China next month to do some things, so I'll go back to see you. Will you be able to finish filming the movie by then?"
Song Yecheng calculated the time: "Almost. We should be able to wrap up at the beginning of next month, but we still have to record a variety show in the middle of the month. When will you be back?"
"Variety show?" Qiu Mingyue keenly caught this key word. Song Yecheng had never been on a variety show, which was something even his fans knew. As his mother, how could she not know this? So, hearing this at this time was very strange. "You want to be on a variety show?"
After being surprised, she didn't know what kind of twists and turns her brain went through. Without waiting for Song Yecheng to answer, she suddenly asked: "Is that Douzi next to you?"
Song Yecheng was baffled, not understanding how the topic had come to this point after such a sudden change of topic: "...No, what's wrong?"
Qiu Mingyue on the opposite side was silent for two seconds, then suddenly asked tentatively, "Is that... Bai Yeling?"
Song Yecheng was shocked, and Jiang Que beside him was also extremely surprised. The two looked at each other in surprise. Song Yecheng said to the phone: "How did you know?"
Hearing this, Qiu Mingyue, who had verified his guess on the other end of the phone, suddenly laughed.
Although she was abroad, it was impossible for her to be completely unconcerned about her son's movements. Recently, the two keywords Song Yecheng and Bai Yeling had been frequently pushed to her eyes on hot searches. In addition, she had long known that Song Yecheng was a fan of his book, and that the two were now in the same crew. She also discovered that Song Yecheng had, contrary to his usual behavior, accepted a variety show - as the saying goes, there must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Her intuition as a woman and a mother quickly connected all the clues together.
Not only connected together.
She also made up her mind a lot more.
"Son," Qiu Mingyue said teasingly with a meaningful smile, "You haven't been acting right lately. Is there something wrong? What's going on between you and him..."
"Hey, hey, hey—Mom!" Song Yecheng interrupted hurriedly, glancing at Jiang Que guiltily, "I'm using the speaker!"
Qiu Mingyue, who was sitting opposite, was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected this to happen, but as a former Grand Slam actress, her reaction was incredibly quick. Not only didn't she look awkward at all, but she even said angrily, "Then why don't you let me say hello? Can he hear me now?"
The conversation had come to this point, and it was obviously inappropriate for Jiang Que to remain silent. He exchanged glances with Song Yecheng, and at Song Yecheng's suggestion, he leaned closer to the phone: "I can hear you... Hello, Auntie."
"Hello, hello~" Qiu Mingyue's voice suddenly sounded like honey, as if she was talking to a kindergarten child. "Thank you for taking care of him. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back."
Song Yecheng got goosebumps from the gentle and sweet tone, and couldn't help rubbing his arms. But he also felt like laughing for some reason. Jiang Que was also a little uncomfortable with it: "...No need, Auntie, you're too polite. He usually takes care of me more."
Qiu Mingyue said with a smile: "It's his duty to take care of you. We love each other."
Jiang Que felt that this sounded a bit strange, but before he could say anything, Qiu Mingyue continued, "Then it's settled. Auntie will be happy to meet you then, okay?"
Jiang Que was not good at refusing, and when he heard this, he subconsciously looked at Song Yecheng for help. However, Song Yecheng had been listening attentively just now, but now he pretended as if he heard nothing, his eyes darting around, and he just didn't respond to Jiang Que's signal for help.
Qiu Mingyue didn't intend to give him a chance to refuse. She quickly changed the subject: "Son?"
"Hmm?" Song Yecheng finally retracted his darting gaze.
Qiu Mingyue said: "It's getting late, you should keep working hard, take a shower and go to bed early, bye--"
Without waiting for Song Yecheng to answer, Qiu Mingyue hung up the phone in a cool and neat manner.
come on?
Song Yecheng squinted his eyes in confusion, wondering what this meant.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but look at Jiang Que in confusion. He wanted to seek some resonance, but he saw that Jiang Que was still upset because he had just ignored his call for help, and his eyes were like shooting small needles.
Song Yecheng was amused by the resentful expression. He suppressed the urge to laugh out loud, raised his bandaged right hand, and poked Jiang Que's waist pitifully: "Are you angry?"
Jiang Que really had no idea what to do with him. He complained while still worrying about his hand. He twisted his waist to move aside, took two quick steps to the bathtub, bent down to test the water temperature, and found that the water was almost cold. He quickly turned on the faucet to put hot water again, then picked up the shower head and instructed, "Turn it around."
He originally wanted to say this in a stern tone, but when he said it, the tone was not harsh at all and there was no deterrent effect at all. It sounded like he was acting like a spoiled child.
Song Yecheng was amused in his heart, but he turned around obediently, with his back to him, and his mouth was not idle: "Hey, my mother actually just said that. If you don't want to go, I can just tell her that you have something to do. Don't be angry, ah."
Jiang Que used the showerhead to rinse his back. Hearing this, he sighed silently in his heart and said helplessly, "I'm not angry."
He really wasn't angry.
If you must say, his feeling of helplessness actually stems more from... anxiety.
He had promised Song Yecheng that he would confess everything to him after the film was completed, but even he himself could not predict the result of the confession.
It was like an unknown fork in the road. He didn't know how Song Yecheng would react to the truth he told him, how Song Yecheng's attitude would change, or where their relationship would end up.
And just now, Qiu Mingyue's phone call added another layer of uncertainty to this unknown.
Jiang Que is not dull. On the contrary, because of his childhood experiences, he is often more sensitive than others.
The meaningful ridicule, tacit hints, and certain misunderstandings beyond the current situation in Qiu Mingyue's words were enough to make him feel uneasy.
Song Yecheng not only did not clarify, but also seemed to allow her to misunderstand, acquiesce, and even implicitly facilitate her attitude, which invisibly made him feel more stressed.
It’s not that he doesn’t desire perfection.
It's not that I don't hope that all my worries and concerns will be proven to be unnecessary.
He doesn't dare.
From the moment the countdown began, the "future" became full of hopelessness for him.
He didn't dare to hope that his predetermined fate could be changed, even though he was the one who wanted to see change the most.
so……
If a mirage is destined to be short-lived, the more unforgettable it is, the more regrettable it will be.
If everything here is destined to be just flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water that will no longer exist in the future, he would rather not have fantasized about it and keep it before his eyes forever.
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