The movie Bai Jinyan was currently filming was expected to wrap up before the end of the year.
Until then, Bai Jinyan’s work wouldn’t take him far. The times and locations matched up clearly.
However, one item on the schedule stood out: an invitation to attend a high-end winter fashion show abroad.
Among the domestic engagements, this one was easy to spot.
The tentative duration of his stay there was five to seven days.
Qiao Huaiyao calculated his time. The school was not on holiday at that time.
After applying for the laboratory, he didn’t have to monitor the attendance rate in class, but he couldn’t go out when he was in school.
The experiment went smoothly. If nothing unexpected happened, his first phase of the experiment would have results before Bai Jinyan went abroad.
The report had to wait for approval before the second phase of the experiment could begin.
While waiting for approval, he could only stay in school.
Qiao Huaiyao sighed lightly. If calculated this way, he might not see each other for half a month.
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that they had never been apart for so long since they confirmed their relationship.
Bai Jinyan cut the seasonal fruits, came over to take the milk from his hand, kissed him and asked intimately: “What are you looking at?”
“Your next schedule map.” Qiao Huaiyao tilted his head and leaned on his shoulder, “I may have a holiday at the end of December.”
The specific holiday time has not yet been announced.
The holiday time of Tsinghua University is not fixed every year. It will be determined according to the date of the Spring Festival. If the Spring Festival is early, the holiday will be early. If the Spring Festival is late, Tsinghua University will also adjust accordingly.
Although it is not fixed, the routine can be roughly figured out.
Bai Jinyan put his arm around his shoulders, “Tsinghua University has a long winter vacation. Have you thought about what to do?”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head. The winter vacation is divided into two time periods before and after the Spring Festival.
Before, he thought of staying in school to do experiments, but now if nothing unexpected happens, the experiment will be completed earlier than he expected, and there is really no arrangement before the Spring Festival.
After the Spring Festival, because the time before the Spring Festival was rejected by Director Zhao Jiamo, after the Spring Festival, he must spare a few days to shoot the second season of the variety show.
Qiao Huaiyao ate strawberries and had no idea for the time being. He just said: “Let’s talk about it when the time comes.”
Anyway, the holiday time can be freely used.
Bai Jinyan rubbed his cheek with her fingertips, bit off the tip of the strawberry in his hand and ate it, then handed him a new one, “Well, there are still two months, no rush.”
Qiao Huaiyao asked: “Brother, why do you suddenly want to go to the show?”
Since Bai Jinyan debuted, he rarely went to high-end fashion shows. He received many invitations, but he didn’t seem to have been there.
If there weren’t many brands scrambling to send high-end fashion to Bai Jinyan every red carpet, fans might suspect that Bai Jinyan was blacklisted by luxury brands.
After all, some young stars who have just debuted may appear in major fashion shows.
Although the possibility of them being invited is very small, and they are likely to buy their own tickets, they did show up.
Qiao Huaiyao thought about it carefully and realized that he had never seen Bai Jinyan attend a show.
Bai Jinyan enlarged the picture to the entire interface, and there was only one line of words, “Look at the name of this brand, does it look familiar?”
Qiao Huaiyao squinted his eyes, “Canard?”
No impression.
Bai Jinyan zoomed in on the screen, revealing small print underneath, “It used to be called Cuospin.”
Hearing that name, Qiao Huaiyao understood, “The one you’re a major shareholder of?”
No wonder attending the show was on the schedule—it was his own brand, so he had to support it.
Thinking about this, Qiao Huaiyao teased, “You don’t wear your own brand’s clothes on the red carpet but choose other brands?”
Isn’t that promoting other brands?
Bai Jinyan replied seriously, “The red carpet requires suitable attire, not just the brand.”
Many celebrities own companies, but few venture into haute couture. The few who do often wear their own brand’s clothes on the red carpet. Bai Jinyan hadn’t because his brand didn’t have suitable outfits for them at the time. Other brands did, so they chose those. But for future events, they could wear their own brand.
Bai Jinyan kept his thoughts to himself, feeding Qiao Huaiyao some strawberries, then switched to tangerines to change up the taste.
The TV played movies, though the latest releases weren’t available, only those that had already left theaters.
Qiao Huaiyao had seen them multiple times, but he couldn’t help but be drawn to Bai Jinyan’s performance during key scenes.
Watching intently, he subconsciously opened his mouth for the tangerine but didn’t get to eat it.
Bai Jinyan pulled his hand back.
Qiao Huaiyao turned suspiciously, and then felt a weight on his shoulder, causing him to lean back.
Bai Jinyan, with one hand supporting Qiao Huaiyao’s head, leaned in and kissed him, trapping him on the sofa. When he met Qiao Huaiyao’s puzzled eyes, he asked in a deep voice, “Do you prefer the me in the movies or the me outside the movies?”
Qiao Huaiyao: “???”
What kind of question is that?
Whether in the movies or outside, you’re still you, right?
But seeing Bai Jinyan’s serious expression, with no hint of jest, Qiao Huaiyao realized he was genuinely asking.
Realizing this, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but laugh, “Brother, isn’t this a bit too much…”
Who gets jealous of themselves to this extent?
Bai Jinyan buried his head in Qiao Huaiyao’s neck, “Don’t laugh.”
“Haha, I… ow—” Qiao Huaiyao’s words were cut off as he gasped. He lightly poked Bai Jinyan’s cheek, “Don’t bite me.”
Bai Jinyan kissed Qiao Huaiyao’s hand, “Then tell me, who looks better?”
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t rush to answer. The obvious answer was, of course, the real Bai Jinyan.
There wouldn’t be a different answer.
But right now…
Qiao Huaiyao looked down at Bai Jinyan, trying not to laugh, “Of course, the one in the movies looks better.”
To be honest, sometimes the makeup in movies designed to fit the character can be less flattering than no makeup at all.
Bai Jinyan’s looks can carry any role, and even with character-appropriate makeup, he looks good.
But compared to the person right in front of him, there’s no comparison.
Bai Jinyan didn’t say anything, and after hearing this answer, he remained silent.
As their eyes met, Qiao Huaiyao noticed a slightly dangerous smile in Bai Jinyan’s eyes. He immediately pushed Bai Jinyan away and tried to get off the sofa.
Before his fingertips could touch the ground, Bai Jinyan grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back.
Qiao Huaiyao was laughing so hard he could barely speak, “Wait, wait… brother.”
Bai Jinyan slowly raised an eyebrow, with his hands on either side of Qiao Huaiyao’s face, trapping him beneath, “Now you think of running?”
Qiao Huaiyao cleared his throat, his gaze involuntarily dropping, “I wasn’t running, just suddenly felt a bit sleepy.”
Bai Jinyan nodded, “Perfect timing.”
Qiao Huaiyao froze, not fully grasping Bai Jinyan’s meaning, “What… mmph?!”
The answer was left in the kiss.
The sofa wasn’t very big, and without curling up, it couldn’t fit a person lying down.
The smaller it was, the more controllable it seemed.
With his hands pinned to his sides, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t lift them, and the kiss drained all his strength.
His eyes became misty, and even though they were close, he could barely see the person in front of him.
When Qiao Huaiyao struggled to breathe, Bai Jinyan finally let him go, nibbling lightly on his earlobe and whispering, “Who do you like more, me or the me in the movies?”
Qiao Huaiyao: “…?”
Bai Jinyan, like a persistent child, insisted on getting the answer he wanted to this question.
Holding Qiao Huaiyao tightly, he clung to him and asked, “Is it me outside the movies or the me in the movies?”
Qiao Huaiyao paused, momentarily unable to see the difference between the two answers.
This question was quite tricky.
Qiao Huaiyao wrapped his arms around Bai Jinyan’s neck, pulling him down slightly, and gently kissed his lips, answering honestly, “Of course, it’s you. I watch the movies because you’re in them.”
This wasn’t just to appease Bai Jinyan but a simple statement of fact.
There are so many movies, but Qiao Huaiyao only watches those Bai Jinyan stars in, whether in the cinema, on TV at home, or via online streaming.
In all the movies he watches, Bai Jinyan’s name is always in the cast list.
Qiao Huaiyao isn’t someone who particularly enjoys watching movies; he prefers spending his time reading or conducting experiments.
So, at its core, watching movies for him is about seeing Bai Jinyan in the film, not just watching the film itself.
Bai Jinyan hugged him affectionately, holding him in his arms on the small sofa.
He knew the answer, but wanted to hear Qiao Huaiyao say it himself.
Just a simple sentence, he was satisfied.
Qiao Huaiyao saw the smile on his face, and couldn’t help but curl his lips.
He was about to say something, but the next moment, the words were stuck on his lips.
The sofa was too small and too close.
Any slight changes were very clear.
Bai Jinyan obviously noticed it, and he kissed Qiao Huaiyao’s cheek again, “I’m going to take a shower, you go to bed early.”
After that, Bai Jinyan got up and left.
“Brother!”
Qiao Huaiyao raised his hand and grabbed his wrist, then sat up, and the courage to say what he wanted to say was stopped in an instant.
The hand that was tightly holding Bai Jinyan’s wrist did not loosen, with his fingertips slightly curled. Before Bai Jinyan spoke, he tried to ignore his pounding heart and whispered, “Let’s… give it a try?”