After boarding the plane, Song Jianchu fell asleep. He always easily gets sleepy when traveling, no matter how long the journey is, he can sleep for as long as he wants.
The flight attendant woke him up, and only then did he see several video call requests from Mu Ye.
Song Jianchu’s heart skipped a beat, and his gaze wandered uneasily.
It was five o’clock in the morning in China, and he didn’t reply initially, fearing it would disturb Mu Ye’s rest. Returning to the property he bought while studying abroad, he unpacked his luggage and lay on the bed, starting to type, delete, and repeat.
Mu Ye didn’t send him a voice or text message, but instead directly initiated a video call, which was unusual.
Song Jianchu hesitated for half an hour and finally replied briefly: [Arrived safely, don’t worry.]
It was afternoon here, but in China, it was only 6:50 in the morning. Normally, Mu Ye would still be asleep at this time.
He had just sent the message when a video call request popped up almost the next second.
“…”
Song Jianchu’s eyelid twitched.
Could it be that this person didn’t sleep the whole night waiting for him?
Song Jianchu sat up on the bed, his eyes hesitant, and reluctantly answered the video call.
Mu Ye seemed to be in a suite at a hotel, and the camera angle on the phone was low. In the video, Mu Ye’s eyes were hidden beneath his messy bangs, and he looked down at him with a deep gaze. His voice sounded even more serious than when they last parted.
In a low voice, Mu Ye said, “Song Jianchu.”
“…Teacher Mu.” Song Jianchu’s neck tensed, humbly lowering his eyes. “Did you not sleep?”
Mu Ye ignored his question and asked directly, “Where are you?”
“Where I studied abroad before,” Song Jianchu replied.
Mu Ye glanced at the environment behind him, realizing it was the house he had lived in during his study abroad period. He asked first, “Has the house been vacant for so long? Is it safe?”
“Yes,” Song Jianchu said. “There has always been someone looking after it.”
Mu Ye took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke in a relatively gentle tone, “Didn’t we agree not to go out?”
Song Jianchu’s gaze drifted away, and he whispered, “Not for work.”
“Song Jianchu.” Mu Ye called out his full name in frustration, raising an eyebrow. “Are you trying to exploit my loophole? Should I recite all the places forbidden on the world map?”
Song Jianchu lowered his head slightly. “No need.”
Mu Ye pressed his brow. “How long will you be studying? Can I return before you finish?”
“Yes,” Song Jianchu paused, uncertainly adding, “Probably.”
Mu Ye chuckled in anger.
“Darling, I can’t come over now.” Mu Ye’s gaze darkened again, his voice gentle and soft. “If you don’t listen, I’ll punish you. Do you have any objections?”
Song Jianchu had a slight objection.
He did give a prior notice, right?
Song Jianchu lowered his eyes. “No.”
Mu Ye nodded with some satisfaction.
“What are you studying?” Mu Ye asked.
That issue seemed to have passed for now.
Song Jianchu relaxed his shoulders and looked up. “Film production.”
“Darling,” Mu Ye sighed, “being a producer is exhausting.”
Song Jianchu said, “I want to give it a try.”
Suddenly, Mu Ye smiled and asked, “Is it Yin Chi again?”
Song Jianchu froze.
Why again?
Because of the incident with the guest list for the funeral last time, Yin Chi had been secretly contacting Song Jianchu and would only call him when Mu Ye wasn’t around.
Not wanting to cause trouble for his good friend anymore, Song Jianchu immediately said, “He made a suggestion, but it was my own decision to try it. Studying is also my own decision.”
Mu Ye smiled and said, “Hmm, let me ask.”
“Send me your address,” Mu Ye said. “I’ll have someone cook for you.”
“I can do it myself.”
Mu Ye’s tone softened as he repeated, “Send me your address.”
Song Jianchu sent his address.
“Not too tired,” Mu Ye said helplessly. “Come back early and restudy.”
“Okay.”
Mu Ye said, “If you don’t answer my video call soon, I’ll really get angry.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going out, take care of yourself over there,” Mu Ye glanced at the time and said, “Sleep a little longer to adjust to the time difference.”
“Okay.”
After ending the video call, Song Jianchu leaned back with his phone, feeling a bit sore in his waist from the early boarding.
But it seemed like Mu Ye wasn’t too angry, and with some coaxing, everything should be fine… hopefully.
Hopefully, he’s easy to appease.
Song Jianchu slept throughout the flight and now he was feeling energetic. He wasn’t sleepy at all, so he continued studying after settling into the room. He studied until the scheduled time he had arranged with his professor, then changed his clothes and left.
During his study abroad, Mu Ye had arranged a strict schedule for him according to the local time zone, and he would conduct regular video checks.
Every day, Song Jianchu would pretend to go to bed and sleep. Once Mu Ye thought he was asleep, he would quietly end the video call, and then Song Jianchu would open his eyes and continue organizing the knowledge he had learned that day. It wasn’t that he intentionally disobeyed; he wanted to complete the short-term course as quickly as possible and return to his home country before Mu Ye came back.
On the day of Mu Ye’s second concert on the world tour, Song Jianchu had a rare day off from studying. Through the exclusive live stream arranged by Gu Jiaming, he lay on the bed and watched the entire concert.
The concert was still packed, and the screams of the fans were ear-piercing even through the phone.
In the second concert, Mu Ye didn’t sing that song again.
Song Jianchu transferred some money to Gu Jiaming to treat the team’s staff to a meal.
[Gu Jiaming: Thanks to our benefactor! [Thanks]]
[Song Jianchu: Don’t let him drink too much.]
[Gu Jiaming: [OK] Don’t worry.]
Gu Jiaming didn’t keep an eye on him.
When Mu Ye video-called him that night, he seemed somewhat intoxicated.
It was impossible to tell that Mu Ye was drunk from his face, but his eyes had a hazy color, as if covered by a cool mist, and his lips were rosy.
“Darling,” Mu Ye, wearing a yukata, lay sideways on the bed, looking at the video screen. “I miss you.”
Song Jianchu was still studying in his room, wearing glasses, and tried to comfort him. “I’ll be done soon.”
“Then I’ll wait,” Mu Ye said.
“You really don’t have to,” Song Jianchu said. “Go rest.”
Mu Ye stared at him for a few seconds and softly said, “You’re not being obedient.”
Song Jianchu straightforwardly admitted his mistake, “It’s my fault.”
Mu Ye’s voice became a bit hoarse, and he looked a little sad. “Chu Chu, you used to listen to me the most, but now that you’ve grown up, you don’t act spoiled or obedient anymore.”
“…”
Song Jianchu’s gaze became complicated, and he couldn’t help but reminisce.
So when exactly did he act spoiled and make such a lasting impression on Mu Ye?
Unable to resist, Song Jianchu asked a drunkard for confirmation, “Mu Ye, do you remember when was the last time I acted spoiled towards you?”
When asked this question, Mu Ye surprisingly became very clear-minded. He nostalgically said, “In the school dormitory, when you snuggled into my arms and said, ‘Big brother, hug me.'”
Pausing for a moment, Mu Ye’s gaze became resentful. “You even got mad at me, saying that during the contract period, if I meet someone I like, I can abandon you at any time.”
“…”
Song Jianchu remembered.
He seemed to have done such a thing… but in the original statement, it didn’t say “abandon me,” right? It was more like saying Mu Ye could leave at any time?
“Chu Chu,” Mu Ye stared at him and suddenly said, “I need to comfort myself.”
Song Jianchu was taken aback.
It had been so long, and Mu Ye hadn’t comforted himself yet???
But now they weren’t together, so how could he comfort him?
Realizing that Mu Ye was already becoming less coherent, Song Jianchu’s ears turned slightly red as he said, “You’ve been drinking, so go to sleep early.”
Mu Ye’s tone became faint as he started reciting, “Lu Yingchen, Xu Han, Jiang Yansheng…”
“???”
Those were the names of several fresh-faced idols that were still on the guest list for the funeral.
In some aspects, Mu Ye had an exceptional memory. Even when he was drunk, he could remember them so clearly, and the order hadn’t changed.
Song Jianchu’s expression stiffened for a moment. He straightened his back, leaving his chair and asked nervously, “…What do you want to do to comfort me?”
Mu Ye confidently said, “I’m going to post our photo on Weibo.”
The impure thoughts in Song Jianchu’s mind disappeared.
Song Jianchu relaxed and leaned back, smiling. “Go ahead.”
After all, they only had a few photos together, at most with their shoulders close, but they were taken when they were outside and not overly intimate.
Mu Ye’s lips curled up as he switched to the app.
The video screen froze, pausing at the moment when Mu Ye was lying on the pillow, looking down and playing with his phone.
Song Jianchu also switched to the app and lazily leaned back in his chair, waiting for Mu Ye’s Weibo to refresh.
Mu Ye had wanted to show their love on Weibo for a long time, so doing it once shouldn’t be a problem.
After a dozen seconds, Song Jianchu heard a satisfied chuckle, and at the same time, he saw that Mu Ye had posted a Weibo.
[Mu Ye V: [Image][Heart]]
After reading books for too long, Song Jianchu took off his glasses and pinched his nose bridge, casually looking down. Then his pupils shook.
He stared at the thumbnail that looked very unfamiliar for a few seconds, his eyelashes trembling lightly.
Song Jianchu closed his eyes and comforted himself, thinking that he must not have been able to see clearly without his glasses…
Song Jianchu tried to remain calm, quickly picked up his glasses from the table, put them back on, and looked at the enlarged image once again.
Song Jianchu slightly opened his mouth, and his pupils slowly dilated.
“…”
The photo was a sneak shot of Song Jianchu while he was asleep.
He was lying slightly turned on the pillow, with his hair tousled. Mu Ye’s lips were slightly curved as he secretly kissed his face.
Song Jianchu’s heart almost stopped beating, and he forgot that it was Mu Ye’s Weibo. His fingers panicked and accidentally clicked into the comments.
In just a few seconds, this Weibo had garnered thousands of likes and comments, with the number of views increasing rapidly.
[Ahhh, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!]
[Is this the privilege of those who stay up late? (drooling)]
[Wuwuwu, my son’s sleeping face is so adorable. Mu Ye, give him more kisses!]
[Too good for my heart, too addictive. I won’t be able to sleep tonight.]
[Ahhh, so sweet, so sweet. Mu Ye, give us a few more pictures!]
[With his hair all messy like that, let me guess with innocent thoughts, hehe, did something happen before?]
[Hehe, our son’s lips are swollen from all the kisses. Truly Mu Ye’s doing.]
[Why can’t I see little strawberries on his neck? Mu Ye, you’re not doing well!]
[The photo is good, so you’ve been drinking again, huh?]
[Mu Ye, drink a little more!!!]
…
Several close friends in the industry were still awake and immediately went to the comment section to join the fun.
[Bai Xingyu V: [Wiping sweat] How much did you drink this time?]
[Lu Shen V: …]
[Pei Shinian V: Brother, I just want to ask, does Jianchu know about this? [Pouting]]
[Kun Yu’an V: Ahhh, I treated Mu Ye to the drinks, please post a billion more!!]
[Qin Fang V: Hahaha]
Seeing Qin Fang’s inexplicable laughter, Song Jianchu suddenly jumped up from his chair.
Song Jianchu’s face and ears turned red, and he quickly switched back to the video. “Mu Ye, delete it quickly!”
“No,” Mu Ye, lying sideways on the pillow, with a content expression, said, “It was you who told me to comfort myself.”
Song Jianchu bit his lip, his face blushing intensely, and spoke softly, “Mu Ye, I beg you, please delete it.”
Mu Ye squinted his eyes and proposed a condition, “Unless you let me see the little strawberries.”
What are little strawberries?
Song Jianchu was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what it meant. The heat on his face doubled in an instant.
“I haven’t seen them in seven days.” Mu Ye’s gaze followed down his neck, and he whispered, “I won’t be able to see them even when I go back.”
A drunk and unhappy boyfriend who is both difficult and demanding to appease.
Song Jianchu watched as the likes and comments on that Weibo post were about to reach tens of thousands. He closed his eyes, raised his phone high, bit his lip, and swiftly pulled down the collar of his t-shirt.
The thin fabric of the t-shirt allowed the light from the desk lamp to seep through, slightly illuminating the fair skin and flat chest of the young man inside.
In less than a second, the image almost flashed by.
Mu Ye’s gaze paused on the phone screen for a moment. “It’s too dark, I couldn’t see clearly.”
Song Jianchu glanced at the comments section and noticed that all the artists from their company had appeared in the front row of the comments. Even Yin Chi left a thumbs-up comment.
He closed his eyes and, using his teeth, held onto the t-shirt for a few seconds.
He had never thought that he would do something like this in his life.
It was only a few seconds, but it felt as long as several years.
Song Jianchu felt like his face was melting from the heat. Finally, Mu Ye was satisfied and sighed, “I saw them, take good care of them for me.”
Song Jianchu endured his embarrassment and hoarsely asked, “Can you delete the Weibo now?”
Mu Ye reluctantly deleted the Weibo.
Song Jianchu slumped in the chair, raised his hand to cover his burning eyes, and took a while before he dared to look at the person in the video.
“Chu Chu,” after a while, Mu Ye finally felt tired and said softly, “Comfort me to sleep. I want to hear you count sheep.”
Sleeping was good; once Mu Ye fell asleep, he would be safe.
With a mindset of self-preservation, Song Jianchu started patiently counting sheep to comfort him through the screen.
“One sheep, two sheep, three sheep…”
Mu Ye pressed his face against the soft pillow, listening to his voice, and slowly closed his eyes.
“…One hundred and seventy-eight sheep.”
As the person on the screen’s breathing gradually calmed down, Song Jianchu stopped and tentatively asked in a soft voice, “Mu Ye?”
Mu Ye didn’t respond.
He had finally fallen asleep.
It was over.
Song Jianchu was mentally and physically exhausted. He picked up a book and flipped through it, but his mind was filled with thoughts of what he had just done. His ears were still buzzing, and he couldn’t focus on a single word.
He moved his gaze behind the lenses and looked at the beautiful and gentle face of the sleeping man in the video.
Leaning on the desk, Song Jianchu helplessly smiled.