Chapter 95 – King of Entertainment: Loving You Across the World – The Bittersweet Scent of Love (02)
Min Gunian owned a private estate built halfway up the mountainside. The European-style architecture was both luxurious and tranquil.
During the car ride, through casual conversation, he learned that the young man’s name was Bai Tang. He was alone and worked as an actor.
Min Gunian was no stranger to the entertainment industry. His company was the leader in film and television, having launched countless superstars. However, since Bai Tang was the one in question, he would rather keep him in the estate—he could take care of him.
Upon hearing Min Gunian’s suggestion, Bai Tang shook his head. If he stayed in the estate and never went out, he wouldn’t be able to stop the male and female leads from meeting. He couldn’t possibly watch the male lead 24/7 to prevent him from leaving.
Min Gunian was a little disappointed, but he respected Bai Tang’s decision. Still, as soon as they arrived at the estate, he had already begun planning how to pave the way for Bai Tang in the entertainment industry.
“President.” The butler led a row of maids, bowing respectfully as they greeted him.
“Mm.” The man gave a slight nod in response.
Some curious maids secretly glanced at the unfamiliar person standing behind Min Gunian.
Covered in dust and grime, Bai Tang stood in the lavish estate like an outsider who didn’t belong. Even the maids were dressed far better than he was.
Bai Tang disliked those kinds of looks and instinctively shrank back, using Min Gunian’s body as a shield.
Min Gunian’s gaze sharpened, his fierce eyes cutting straight through the maids.
The maids who had been under Min Gunian’s gaze broke into a cold sweat, lowering their heads and not daring to make any further movements.
“From now on, Bai Tang is the second master of the estate. Treat him as you would treat me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hearing their unanimous response, Min Gunian took Bai Tang’s hand and led him upstairs. “I’ve arranged a room for you—it’s right next to mine. Is that okay?”
If he weren’t afraid of overwhelming Bai Tang, he would have arranged for them to share a room. Ever since he had seen Bai Tang again, the emptiness in his soul had finally been filled.
“Okay.” Bai Tang obediently nodded. As he moved, dust and tiny pebbles fell from his hair, leaving a thin layer of gray on the pure white wool carpet.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Bai Tang lowered his head and said nothing.
Min Gunian’s heart ached for the hardships the young man must have endured. However, since he still didn’t fully understand Bai Tang’s past and feared causing discomfort, he remained silent for a moment before changing the subject.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat? Go take a bath first—I’ll have Uncle Fu prepare it for you.” Uncle Fu was the estate’s butler.
At the mention of food, Bai Tang immediately perked up.
“I want roasted corn, grilled eggplant, and also big radishes…”
He eagerly listed the snacks he had been craving all afternoon. But when he met Min Gunian’s thoughtful gaze, his excitement suddenly faded. Uneasy, he quickly added, “I don’t eat much… Just one white radish is enough.”
Min Gunian felt a tightness in his chest. Looking at Bai Tang’s cautious and pitiful expression, his heart almost ached to the point of suffocation. Just what had his young man been through? How could a single radish possibly be enough?
“There’s no need to hold back. You can have whatever you want. Are you sure that’s all? Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s all.”
After politely declining Min Gunian’s generosity, Bai Tang closed the door to his room.
The room’s furnishings were far superior to the run-down apartment he had lived in before. The spacious, well-lit room had a plush carpet, and sheer white curtains floated gently over the half-open floor-to-ceiling windows.
Bai Tang wiggled his toes. With each step he took, a trail of gray footprints was left behind.
Even though Bai Tang disliked water, he couldn’t stand how dirty he was.
He entered the bathroom and took a quick, almost military-style shower—just enough to get clean.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
The door opened from the inside.
For a moment, Min Gunian held his breath.
The young man’s freshly washed hair was still dripping, beads of water occasionally sliding down his pale skin along his temples. Bai Tang wasn’t the most beautiful person, but at this moment, he was the most heart-wrenchingly delicate.
“Do you need something?” Bai Tang asked.
His hand, resting on the doorframe, was thin to the point of being skeletal, the pale skin stretched over faintly visible blue veins.
Too thin.
Min Gunian withdrew his gaze, led Bai Tang back into the room, and shut the door.
“If you don’t dry your hair, you’re going to start complaining about a headache again…”
Again?
Both of them froze for a second.
“Qiu’er, do you think the protagonist is remembering something?” Bai Tang asked hopefully.
“It’s already rare enough that every world has the same person. The Heavenly Dao doesn’t allow main characters to carry memories across worlds,” the system thought for a moment before adding, “Except for us. We’re just insignificant, D-list supporting characters.”
Min Gunian only felt a deep sense of familiarity, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall anything concrete.
“Let’s dry your hair first.” Choosing not to dwell on it for now, Min Gunian took a towel and began drying Bai Tang’s hair.
“Whirrrr—”
The warm air from the hairdryer made Bai Tang instinctively want to escape, but he was held in place by Min Gunian. His clear, watery eyes gazed at him in a daze.
“All done.” Min Gunian switched off the hairdryer, running his fingers through the now soft and fluffy hair, nodding in satisfaction at his work.
Bai Tang didn’t say anything. He lowered his gaze, only to see that his once-pale face had gained a faint flush from the heat, and his soft lips—bitten slightly—were now tinged with a natural rosiness.
Min Gunian’s throat went dry, a wave of heat rushing upward from his lower abdomen.
His gaze quickly flickered toward the door, forcing himself to look away.
It was only their first day meeting again—he couldn’t afford to scare Bai Tang away.
Min Gunian suppressed the urge to kiss the young man, stepping out of the room first and subtly clearing his throat.
“Uncle Fu should have finished preparing dinner. Let’s go down.”
Behind him, Bai Tang bit his lower lip, his face briefly showing a hint of grievance where Min Gunian couldn’t see.
In the previous worlds, no matter where he went, Min Gunian would always hold his hand. But now… why wasn’t he holding it anymore? Did this mean that in this world, he didn’t care about him? Was he planning to develop feelings for the female lead instead?
At the staircase, Min Gunian took a deep breath to calm the heat rising within him. Stay composed. Stay calm.
He waited for a while, but Bai Tang still hadn’t come out. Just as he was about to turn back, Bai Tang finally emerged—still wearing his old clothes. Upon closer look, his eyes were faintly red.
Min Gunian frowned. “Why are you still wearing those? I had Uncle Fu prepare new clothes for you.”
Bai Tang shook his head absentmindedly. “These suit me just fine.”
Meanwhile, Bai Tang was still communicating with the system in his head.
“Qiu’er, do you think what the books say is true? That the male lead only treats the supporting female as a fleeting romance…?”
The system, which had been trying to prevent Min Gunian from getting too close to Bai Tang, suddenly felt a little guilty. It had shown Bai Tang so many cliché CEO novels about cold-hearted tycoons and their substitute lovers, all because it was afraid that Bai Tang would abandon it after getting into a relationship. But now, it seemed that it had overdone it—Bai Tang had completely misunderstood.
With an awkward chuckle, it said, “Every world, the male lead has chased after you. He’s definitely serious about you. The female lead won’t be able to lure him away so easily.”
“But he’s so distant with me now…”
Lost in conversation with the system, Bai Tang wasn’t paying attention to where he was walking. The staircase in the manor was much longer than an average ten-step stairway. Thinking he had reached the floor, he stepped forward—only to find nothing beneath his foot.
Min Gunian , walking right behind him, reacted instantly, grabbing Bai Tang’s arm. However, Bai Tang panicked and flailed, the force and momentum pulling them both down.
With a thud, thud, thud, they tumbled down together.
Fortunately, there were only five or six steps left.
Min Gunian twisted his body mid-fall, using himself as a cushion so Bai Tang landed on top of him.
The loud commotion echoed through the manor, drawing the attention of the maids, who hurried over to check.
What they saw made their expressions freeze—
The young man their CEO had brought home was shamelessly clinging to him in the middle of the grand hall. Worse, he had even taken advantage of the situation to push their CEO down. How utterly brazen!
Several maids who harbored secret crushes on Min Gunian were seething with jealousy.
Why hadn’t they thought of this before? If they had, maybe one of them would already be Mrs. Min by now!
“Don’t cry. Did you hit yourself somewhere?” Min Gunian ignored the dull pain in his own back and gently wiped Bai Tang’s tears away with his fingertips.
“Tang Tang, look! The male lead is still very concerned about you!” The system cheered, “Go for it! Who cares about the female lead? Even the official pairing can’t compete with your charm—charge ahead!”
Bai Tang shook his head in a wave-like motion and quickly got up from Min Gunian. “I’m fine. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine too. The stairs aren’t that high, but you need to watch where you’re going when coming down. Understand?”
Being cared for by the young man felt wonderful. Min Gunian glanced at the staircase they had fallen down from. If falling like this meant getting such intimate moments, he wouldn’t mind taking a few more tumbles.
However, when he looked up at the third floor’s height, he reconsidered. If they were to roll down from there, they’d probably end up bleeding.
Min Gunian took Bai Tang’s hand. “Forget it. I’ll just hold your hand—it’s safer this way.”
As he gently rubbed Bai Tang’s fingers, he shamelessly took advantage of the situation, all under a perfectly legitimate excuse.
Bai Tang, remembering the system’s advice, observed Min Gunian’s familiar behavior—the same serious yet roguish demeanor he had shown in past worlds. It was clear that he had been overthinking things.
This is all Qiu’er’s fault! Why did I even read those domineering CEO novels?!
A mix of embarrassment and frustration appeared on his face, his neck turning red, making him look even more alluring.
What a treasure. Min Gunian thought to himself.
“Alright, back to work,” Uncle Fu dismissed the maids, signaling them to return to their duties. Then he turned to Min Gunian and said, “Sir, dinner is ready.”
“Mm.” Min Gunian lazily lifted his eyes. “Call Garry over.”
Garry was Min Gunian’s personal stylist, exclusively serving him. Since he had just taken Min Gunian’s measurements yesterday, calling him again today obviously wasn’t for himself. That meant…
Uncle Fu glanced at the young man, whose face was flushed from being held by Min Gunian. It seems this person holds an even greater place in the boss’s heart than I expected.
“Is there a problem?”
The cool, clear voice snapped Uncle Fu out of his thoughts. He immediately lowered his head. “No, sir. I’ll go right away.”
Falling down the stairs would inevitably leave some bruises. Worried that Bai Tang might not say anything to avoid troubling him, Min Gunian took him back upstairs before dinner to check for injuries and apply medicine.
One hand held Bai Tang’s, while the other wrapped securely around his waist.
With an air of absolute seriousness, he declared, “The stairs are slippery. This way, you won’t fall again.”
Bai Tang didn’t think much of it. He only felt a tingling warmth from Min Gunian’s firm grip on his waist. Immersed in the joy of realizing that Min Gunian hadn’t changed, he didn’t reject the closeness.
Min Gunian secretly rejoiced. It seems Bai Tang doesn’t mind me being close to him. He doesn’t seem to dislike me at all…
Good. Now I can start planning how to pursue him.
The system rolled its eyes and looked at Min Gunian’s back as he carefully supported Bai Tang. He didn’t have the demeanor of the chosen male protagonist at all, his whole body exuding the sour smell of love. He was no match for itself, whose whole body was filled with the aroma of motor oil.