After Mu Ye posted the Weibo, he deleted it within ten minutes.
The fans could all tell that their idol was playing performance art again, and they expressed that it didn’t matter, urging him to delete it since they had already taken screenshots.
It took Song Jianchu the whole night to come to terms with the situation.
It was just posting a photo to show affection, and there was nothing explicit. In reality, it wasn’t a big deal.
They had agreed to let Mu Ye post the Weibo, and then they changed their minds and asked him to delete it. He seemed a bit petty.
Separated for a week, they had a continuous video call throughout the night.
Mu Ye woke up once in the middle of the night and saw the darkening of the video. Song Jianchu had propped his phone up on the pillow, sleeping deeply facing the screen.
Mu Ye stared at the screen for a long time, kissed the sleeping face through the screen, and whispered, “Goodnight.”
Song Jianchu finished his coursework in just one week.
Film production wasn’t a theoretical major, and the professor supported him in gaining more practical experience. He encouraged him to communicate with him whenever he encountered problems. The professor was very satisfied with this highly capable student and invited Song Jianchu to formally apply to become his graduate student and be his mentee before leaving.
Song Jianchu replied that he would seriously consider it.
On the day of his return to China, Song Jianchu received a notification from the production team of the show he wanted to leave. The program director inquired about his arrival time.
They were about to resume filming the fourth episode, and the production team wanted to arrange a gathering in advance to bring back the team spirit.
Song Jianchu boarded the return flight and sent his arrival time to the program director. Just then, he received a message from Mu Ye.
[MY: What time will you arrive?]
[Song Jianchu: 5 PM in the afternoon.]
[MY: I’ll wait for you at the airport two hours in advance.]
[Song Jianchu: Wait for me at home. We have a gathering in the evening, so rest a bit beforehand.]
[MY: I’ll rest in the car; I want to see you sooner.]
Song Jianchu no longer had any conflicting thoughts. He genuinely wanted Mu Ye to wait for him, and he also wanted to see his boyfriend earlier.
He replied: [Then I’ll take a nap in the car.]
[MY: [Hug]]
When he disembarked from the plane, it was already dark outside. Song Jianchu pushed his luggage cart through the VIP channel and left the airport. He saw the familiar chauffeur car at the exit.
Mu Ye, wearing a hat, leaned against the car, hugging his arms and waiting. He heard the footsteps, looked up, and quickly walked towards him.
Mu Ye hugged him tightly for a few seconds, burying his head deeply. “Chu Chu, did you miss me?”
Song Jianchu also raised his hand to hug Mu Ye and honestly replied, “I did.”
“You’ve lost weight again,” Mu Ye felt the smaller waist circumference of the person in his arms and said with a hint of heartache, “It was so hard to put on weight, and you finished a whole course so quickly. You must be exhausted.”
Song Jianchu said, “It’s fine.”
“Bosses, shall we get in the car first?” Gu Jiaming rolled down the car window and smiled, “It’s more comfortable to cuddle in the car.”
Song Jianchu blushed, lightly patting the person, “Mu Ye, get in the car first.”
The assistant got off the car and carried the luggage. Song Jianchu thanked him, and Mu Ye led him into the car.
Gu Jiaming turned back and asked, “It’s about time. Shall we go directly to the gathering location?”
“Sure,” Song Jianchu said, “It will take some time on the way, so it’s better to go a bit earlier.”
Mu Ye glanced at the group chat, “Old Bai and Lu Gou are the only ones who have arrived.”
[Bai: Where is everyone? Why is it just me and Lu Gou??]
[Bai: Not enthusiastic about the gathering?]
[Pei Shinian: Almost there!]
[MY: Just received a message from Jianchu, he’s on the way.]
[Bai: Hurry up, I’m hungry.]
[Song Jianchu: About half an hour more.]
[Pei Shinian: Ten minutes.]
[Bai: [OK]]
Mu Ye pinched Song Jianchu’s fingers, signaling him to lean closer, and his gaze faintly landed on his lips.
Gu Jiaming didn’t even need to turn around; he intuitively played a song in the car.
The assistant consciously put on sunglasses and pretended to sleep in the back seat.
The driver’s gaze was fixed on the road.
Song Jianchu glanced at the people in the car, quietly leaned closer under the gentle pull from Mu Ye, and willingly closed his eyes with anticipation.
Mu Ye took off their hats, tilted his head, and kissed him.
Because it was only their lips touching, no sound was made.
Mu Ye held his hand the whole time, lightly nibbling on his lower lip, sharing a quiet and lingering kiss with him.
Before returning, Song Jianchu was worried that Mu Ye was still angry. But through this kiss, he felt that Mu Ye simply missed him a lot.
Mu Ye’s other hand cradled his face, and his thumb gently caressed his cheek and the area below his ear. Both of them closed their eyes, kissing each other tenderly.
After a brief two-minute kiss, Mu Ye reluctantly pulled away, rubbing the back of Song Jianchu’s neck. This time, he didn’t lean in as before but held his shoulders, pressing his head against his own shoulder, and softly said, “Rest for a while.”
Even though they had been dating for some time, Song Jianchu’s heart still raced.
Especially when Mu Ye took care of him so gently, like an older brother, he would always think of the time in the hospital.
Mu Ye’s shoulders were much broader than his, and his coat carried a pleasant and comforting scent. Leaning against him felt comfortable and reliable.
Song Jianchu no longer paid attention to the people in the car; he relaxed his body and leaned closer.
During the week he was away from Mu Ye, he finally felt a true moment of rest.
Mu Ye patted his arm, as if coaxing him to sleep. “Sleep, I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
Song Jianchu slept throughout the plane ride and fell asleep again within a few seconds of leaning on Mu Ye’s shoulder.
Mu Ye’s embrace was even more effective in inducing sleep than any form of transportation.
Mu Ye gazed at the sleeping face of the young man and could imagine how hard Song Jianchu had worked these past few days. He had already guessed that even if he supervised him every day, Song Jianchu wouldn’t listen and rest.
Song Jianchu was a very driven person. Once he set a goal, he would give it his all.
Although Mu Ye felt distressed, he couldn’t really stop him from self-improvement.
Becoming an outstanding adult was a path that required hard work.
No matter how nervous and reluctant he was, his little friend would grow up.
Mu Ye recalled the gathering from a few days ago.
Originally, he didn’t plan to drink much, but he accidentally had a few extra glasses while chatting with Gu Jiaming for a few hours.
That day, Gu Jiaming suddenly asked, “Mu Ye, are you too anxious to see Jianchu?”
Mu Ye lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, coming up with a reason for his nervousness. He said, “He’s still young.”
“Is it really just because he’s young?” Gu Jiaming understood and said, “I think you’re just scared.”
Before encountering the little fanboy, Mu Ye had never liked someone this much.
He didn’t really know what that feeling was like.
After learning about Song Jianchu’s condition, he spent a few days feeling like a passive performer.
He felt extremely lost and suddenly realized that he wasn’t as mature as he thought he was.
Because of his carefree attitude towards life, he had believed that he could face death calmly. But during that period, he discovered that he couldn’t face it head-on. He could only try to portray a mature adult in front of his younger boyfriend.
Every night without a successful match, he couldn’t help but imagine the worst outcomes repeatedly.
It was a defense mechanism of the brain, constantly creating terrible images to train oneself before the next mental disaster. It involved recalling embarrassing and painful experiences until you could accept them calmly or became forever trapped in the hell created by illusions when you closed your eyes.
Even though he had already overcome that mental disaster, there would still be inexplicable nervousness when he and Song Jianchu were separated and couldn’t contact each other. His nerves would immediately tighten.
Since meeting Song Jianchu, Mu Ye hadn’t been drinking excessively. That night, he unintentionally drank a lot. Gu Jiaming could see that he was consoling himself and didn’t try to stop him.
After finishing the remaining alcohol in his glass, Mu Ye covered his warm eyes after drinking and said hoarsely, “I need some time.”
The car stopped at the entrance of a small tavern, and Gu Jiaming turned back and said, “We’ve arrived. You guys can go in; I won’t join.”
Mu Ye snapped out of his memories and gently woke up the person who was still sleeping on his shoulder. “Darling, wake up and join the brothers.”
Song Jianchu rubbed his sleepy eyes and lifted his head.
These past few days, whenever they were on a video call, Song Jianchu always had this gesture. Mu Ye frowned and asked, “Are your eyes uncomfortable?”
“No,” Song Jianchu put his hand down and said, “I’m not wearing contact lenses, so my vision is a bit blurry.”
It could be the aftereffects of some stimulating treatments, and each person’s situation would be different.
Song Jianchu felt like his vision had declined compared to before, but it wasn’t too severe. He noticed that his vision would significantly blur when he had just woken up or when he had been reading for too long.
Mu Ye lifted his chin and took a look, furrowing his brows. “Let’s go to the hospital and get it checked.”
“Do we need to go now?” Gu Jiaming asked.
“No rush.” Song Jianchu knew that Mu Ye was getting anxious again, so he honestly said, “It’s not that serious. We can get a new pair of glasses during the next follow-up appointment.”
Mu Ye relaxed his brows and nodded, rubbing Song Jianchu’s head. He smiled and said, “Let’s get off the car.”
The production team had reserved this popular internet-famous tavern, the same place where Mu Ye’s studio had a gathering before.
As soon as Song Jianchu entered, there was a loud bang, and a cascade of colorful ribbons fell on his head.
His footsteps paused, instinctively taking a step back and leaning against Mu Ye, who was walking behind him.
All the members and staff from the production team appeared like a group of extras from a European or American music video set, all dressed in swag style with sunglasses, cheering together, “Happy birthday to the Sponsor!!”
In the middle of the tavern, there was a giant cake resembling a treasure mountain from a sunken ship in an island, and Pei Shinian, wearing sunglasses and a gold chain as thick as his pinky finger, held a money-shooting gun in both hands, shooting out real hundred-dollar bills: “Hey! Song Jianchu! Happy birthday, man!!”
They were already in the middle of shooting, even Director Cui wore several large gold rings and held a shiny gold megaphone. “Welcome back, Sponsor! Tonight is the Jianchu Style!”
Song Jianchu looked confused, “???”
When did he adopt this style??
Mu Ye held his shoulder, as if he had already expected this, and chuckled softly from behind.
Song Jianchu was still stunned in place, unsure of what expression to put on—was it happiness or shock?
Suddenly, something heavy landed on his head.
Mu Ye placed a real gemstone crown on him from behind, his hands encircling his waist. He leaned over and kissed his cheek, offering another gentle birthday wish.
“Happy birthday, my king.”