ZhouXiang slept at CaiWei’s home that night. He originally didn’t want to go there since CaiWei’s wife is only three months from her delivery date. He was afraid to disturb them but CaiWei took him home without allowing him to hesitate.

CaiWei talked to Director Wang to express ZhouXiang’s decision. Director Wang was extremely delighted, stipulating that ZhouXiang must come to XX Hotel to attend the film launching ceremony on Saturday. They will announce the change of roles to the media at that time.

After talking with Director Wang, CaiWei then called President Wang again. The two men talked for a long time. After ending the call, CaiWei’s expression didn’t look very good. ZhouXiang knew that President Wang didn’t want him to play the leading role. After all, he is a businessman. He was concerned with the box office results, but he had no confidence to oppose this. He had thought that ZhouXiang would renege, not expecting him to actually agree. President Wang pondered over this situation and felt that this definitely had something to do with CaiWei so he was naturally dissatisfied.

CaiWei is a person that is extremely loyal to their brotherhood. He didn’t say much to ZhouXiang except that he must arrive on time on Saturday. ZhouXiang knew it in his heart. He is especially grateful to CaiWei.

When he was sleeping in the guest room that night, ZhouXiang’s phone rang. He picked up and sees that it is from YanMingXiu.

YanMingXiu rarely took the initiative to call him. It is reasonable to say that he can’t possibly be looking for him because he hasn’t gone home for a day or two, right? If so, wouldn’t YanMingXiu also feel that this is unusual?

ZhouXiang took a few deep breaths, still feeling the throbs of suffocating pain in his heart; he answered with his fingers trembling.

“Hey? ZhouXiang,” YanMingXiu’s crisp voice is exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

“Yeah, it’s me.” ZhouXiang leaned on the bed. He didn’t turn on the light. In the darkness of the night, his eyes aimlessly looked at the dark ceiling above him.

“Where have you been these two days? Why aren’t you coming home?”

ZhouXiang faintly uttered, “Got things to do.”

“Where are you? Why didn’t you call to let me know you weren’t coming home? Come back right now.”

ZhouXiang had a bit of a hard time breathing. He sat up straight and strenuously tried to take a deep breath before forcing himself to say these subsequent words, “I won’t be coming back for the time being. Whenever you move out, let me know.” ZhouXiang felt his body becoming listless. He had never thought that he would be the one to initiate ending their relationship one day. He thought that he would shamelessly beg for YanMingXiu to stay until YanMingXiu would no longer want to look at him anymore.

The phone was silent and then YanMingXiu’s chilling voice came slowly, "What are you talking about?"

“I said, let me know when you move out so I can go home.”

“Do you know what the fuck you’re talking about? ZhouXiang. Are you kicking me out?! You’re actually kicking me out!”

Without actually seeing him, ZhouXiang also knew how enraged YanMingXiu is on the other side of the phone. Fortunately, he didn’t have to see him with his own eyes. Just through the phone, he could already sense his scalp going numb.

ZhouXiang said as calmly as possible, “YanMingXiu, I’ve treated you wholeheartedly but what you treat me as, you know clearly in your heart. Just move out of my home. Consider it as me being shamelessly cheap, let’s just break up peacefully.”

YanMingXiu is furious, “What the hell are you talking about? Fucking say it clearly.”

ZhouXiang bitterly responded, “Fine, I’ll tell it to you clearly. The person you like is your brother-in law, the big star WangYuDong, am I right?”

The phone on the other side is suddenly silent.

This kind of silence is like a knife stabbing at ZhouXiang’s heart.

YanMingXiu didn’t even refute any of that, which is not surprising. YanMingXiu has never attempt to even tell him any white lies (T/N). This kind of honesty is cruel enough.

ZhouXiang couldn’t help but got emotionally choked up, “YanMingXiu, you sure are good at trampling on people. I’m ashamed to say that I’m no match to you. I give up. I don’t want to be WangYuDong’s substitute both in and outside of work. Just move out. As soon as possible. I also want to go back home soon." After saying that, he immediately hung up. He didn’t dare to hear YanMingXiu’s voice. It would be too humiliating if he accidentally cried. He didn’t want to be any more shameful than he already is.

T/N: a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings

After hanging up the phone, ZhouXiang kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, his mind would think of the bits and pieces of memories of the times he spent with YanMingXiu in this past year.

Time really has passed by too quickly. So fast that before he even had time to react, he had already gotten himself too deep into this trap. If it wasn’t for YanMingXiu revealing the truth in his drunken stupor, he really didn’t know how long will continue on holding to this delusion...not coming to his senses.

It’s good. Everything is over...all fucking over.

ZhouXiang painfully closed his eyes.

ZhouXiang stayed at CaiWei’s home for two days. His dispirited appearance made it unbearable for CaiWei so CaiWei took him to the company and had him with help out on some public relations tasks.

Not long after ZhouXiang arrived at the company, Xiao Liu came over and informed him that someone was looking for him.

ZhouXiang asked who it was. Xiao Liu said that this person is very attractive but didn’t seem to be coming with good intentions.

Intuition tells ZhouXiang that this person is YanMingXiu but he didn’t think that YanMingXiu would ever initiate in coming to find him. His words to YanMingXiu were so harshly extreme. With YanMingXiu being such a proud and arrogant person, he would have left long ago.

ZhouXiang pondered over it, and then have Xiao Liu take this person to the reception room. After he finished with his business phone call, he went to the room.

When he is holding the door handle to the reception room, he felt the palm of his hand sweating. Turning it, the handle wouldn’t turn because his palm was too slippery.

When he tried to turn the handle again, the door opened from the inside and YanMingXiu appeared in front of him, his eyes piercing at him like a chilly knife.

The rims around YanMingXiu’s eyes are dark. He looked exhausted but it still didn’t diminish his arrogance a bit.

He grabbed ZhouXiang’s wrist and dragged him into the room, then slammed the door.

ZhouXiang looked at him silently.

YanMingXiu’s lips trembled for a long time, before finally uttering, “You’ve got some balls, not going home for so many days."

Just looking at him, ZhouXiang already felt such immense pain that he couldn’t even breathe. In this small reception room, all the cells on his body seem to be breathing in YanMingXiu’s aura, making it impossible for him to evade.

ZhouXiang took a deep breath, reluctantly forcing himself to appear calm; he asked “Have you moved out yet?”

YanMingXiu responded fiercely, “You think that you can just tell me to move in and I move in, move out and I move out? What the fuck are you taking me as?"

ZhouXiang’s voice trembled, “Then what do you take me as?”

YanMingXiu’s face is livid, “Regarding WangYuDong’s matter... it has nothing to do with you. You said that we are going back to our former relationship, we are just fuck buddies, what right do you have to care so much!”

ZhouXiang responded hoarsely, “I don’t dare to care. I just want to end it with you. Even if we are just fuck buddies, I don’t want to be treated as someone else when we have sex.”

YanMingXiu clenched his fist tightly, “ZhouXiang, I like WangYuDong, but it is never possible between us. I am willing to be with you as long as you stop mentioning this ever again. Go home with me now.”

ZhouXiang looked at him incredulously, “YanMingXiu, am I really that cheap in your eyes? Go and find someone else to mess with. I don’t want to be that person.”

If he had really considered YanMingXiu to be a one-night stand...a bed companion, he wouldn’t have cared whom he (YanMingXiu) had in his mind when they have sex. But when he really liked YanMingXiu, he can’t bear it. Not only does he want to escape from YanMingXiu, he even hates WangYuDong.

YanMingXiu gnawed his teeth, “ZhouXiang, when you say these words, did it even pass through your mind? What is not good with how we are now? I’m used to being with you. Can we just be like before? You want to be a star, I will invest in you. You can play any roles you want. Being with me, the benefits are far more than you think. You really want to break up with me?”

If it wasn’t for his frame of mind being entirely wrong, ZhouXiang really wanted to laugh aloud.

If YanMingXiu had told him before that he was willing to invest in his films, he would readily accept. But for YanMingXiu to say this now, he only felt humiliated.

He, ZhouXiang, is just an ordinary person. He is neither noble nor virtuous, but at the very least, he knows what it means to be shameless.

ZhouXiang bitterly smiled, “YanMingXiu, I repeat, I’m really not that cheap. You can’t get WangYuDong; it is not reason for you to trample others. If I had just wanted to mess with you, I’ve already have gotten enough of it from you. But I’m not. I, ZhouXiang, have been quite fulfilled. I am very satisfied with my life. I don’t aspire for you to give me anything. I’ll just treat this (their relationship) as though I’ve been blinded to have fallen for you." When ZhouXiang said these words, his heart is feeling tremendously painful. If it hadn’t gotten to this step in this moment, he would never have known how much he loves YanMingXiu.

YanMingXiu is so livid that his face is deathly white. He pointed at ZhouXiang’s nose and sternly uttered, “Fine. ZhouXiang, you’ve got balls. Don’t regret what you said today."

ZhouXiang didn’t dare to stay a second longer. He was afraid that he would break down.

He opened the door and turned to leave.

The door behind him closed heavily... as if it’s closing his heart.

In the next second, the door is slammed opened and YanMingXiu rushed out of the room. He immediately gripped onto ZhouXiang’s shoulder and shoved his back against the wall.

YanMingXiu’s eyes are bloodshot, as if he had been angered to delirium. He forcefully clenched ZhouXiang’s chin and chillingly uttered, “I’ve never seen someone so fucking insensible like you! Wasn’t it you who had been chasing my ass all this time? Did I force you? What right do you have to blame me now? Could it be that your charms are greater than WangYuDong? What makes you think you’re all that? You’re actually fucking kicking me out?!”

All along, ZhouXiang’s impression of YanMingXiu is that of cold indifference, tinged with the trace of a child’s arrogant personality and with a huge temper. His words are a bit mean and he’s most definitely very selfish. But after getting along with him for a while, he’s come to realize that YanMingXiu is not as cold as he seems on the surface. He actually likes to smile when he’s home and is fiercely passionate when making love. Sometimes he would even flirt and tease with ZhouXiang.

In ZhouXiang’s mind, YanMingXiu had not yet completely matured, which is completely different from this person in front of him now that is full of malice, looking as if he has been lighted with gunpowder. ZhouXiang grabbed YanMingXiu’s arm and swung it away. After breaking free, he wanted to leave.

This place... this person, he didn’t want to stay for even a second.

YanMingXiu grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back. Not giving a care that they are currently in the company’s corridor. He grabbed onto ZhouXiang, flustered and exasperated refusing to let him go. He felt that once he let ZhouXiang go, it wouldn’t.. it wouldn’t feel right. He can’t say what is wrong but in short, he didn’t want to let ZhouXiang go.

Although ZhouXiang is a martial arts stuntman, the things he learned are all for show. There is very few times when he actually fought with someone. So he was quite easily subdued by YanMingXiu in a few moves.

ZhouXiang angrily lashed out, “Let go, you know where this is?!” If someone were to come over right now, where can he hide?

YanMingXiu gnashed his teeth “Are you afraid of being shamed? Why weren’t you afraid when you were chasing me? Don’t fucking bother to pretend now! You think you can cast me away that easily, what are you treating me as?"

ZhouXiang was just about to say something when he heard a rush of footsteps behind him. Then the pressure that was gripping his arm was loosened and he heard a groaned as both him and YanMingXiu fell to the ground.

ZhouXiang got up to look. LanXiRong had unknowingly bolted over and was looking at YanMingXiu furiously.

YanMingXiu instantly got up from the ground and didn’t even hesitate to start beating LanXiRong. With his bloodshot eyes, his mannerisms look like he wanted to kill LanXiRong alive.

The two men wrestled in the narrow corridor, the company’s employees all rushed over, ZhouXiang quickly rushed forward, wanting to pull them apart but was also helplessly punched a few times.

The people around struggled to pull the two people apart, probably because they were afraid of being heard by others people. The two weren’t even hurling insults toward each other; they were immersed in this intense fight. Those who tried to break them apart were unable to. The scene is extremely chaotic.

CaiWei and President Wang were the last to arrive. CaiWei’s face was livid as he asked "What is going on?!"

YanMingXiu and LanXiRong didn’t say anything but just glared at each other with fierce animosity. ZhouXiang was angry and anxious. Facing President Wang’s serious gaze, he already couldn’t utter a word.

President Wang looked at LanXiRong and then looked at YanMingXiu. His expression immediately changed. He walked over and probingly asked, “Are you a MingXiu?” One can’t blame him for not recognizing YanMingXiu at all, seeing that he looked so decomposed and murderous, far from the usual image of the proud young master.

YanMingXiu looked up and faintly swept him a glimpse.

President Wang is getting a headache. The young master from the Yan family actually getting beaten up by an artist in his company. If this matter was to be spread, the repercussions would be colossal. He instantly grab YanMingXiu’s shoulder, “MingXiu, I don’t know what happened but there must be some misunderstanding. Go, let’s go to talk in my office." After saying that, he didn’t give YanMingXiu a chance to hesitate before pulling him away.

YanMingXiu turned back and pointed at ZhouXiang, his voice trembling “This is not over.” He looked at him deeply before leaving with President Wang.

When CaiWei and LanXiRong saw President Wang’s attitude towards YanMingXiu, they immediately realized that YanMingXiu’s identity is unusual. CaiWei looked at ZhouXiang inquisitively. ZhouXiang turned his face away.

LanXiRong really didn’t have the time to think so much. He grabbed ZhouXiang’s arm and lowly uttered, “Xiang Ge, come over here.”

He dragged ZhouXiang into the employee’s bathroom and closed the door. ZhouXiang looked at his swollen face, his heart rising with remorse. LanXiRong took a few deep breaths and asked, “Tell me, what is going on?”

ZhouXiang softly responded, “We broke up.”

LanXiRong was shocked for a moment, then resolutely expressed, “Great!!”

ZhouXiang sighed, not wanting to say another word.

LanXiRong said with disappointment, “I really regret not throwing him a few more punches.”

"XiRong..." ZhouXiang softly muttered, "You shouldn’t have acted so impulsively. His identity is really unusual. I don’t want your career to be impacted because of my matters."

LanXiRong furrowed his brows, “What do you mean? Who is he?”

ZhouXiang hesitated repeatedly but still didn’t tell him, “Don’t ask, I just hope that you won’t get yourself involved in our matters in the future. I’ve already broken up with him...adding on...It doesn’t matter.” ZhouXiang gritted his teeth as he said this last sentence. His mind emerged YanMingXiu’s pair of very red eyes and his indescribable expression before leaving.

LanXiRong pursed his lips and then softly uttered, “President Wang is so polite to him. He’s definitely not an ordinary person. But I’m not afraid of that. Don’t worry about me. But Xiang Ge? Why would you be with him? I don’t I believe that you are that kind of person.”

ZhouXiang wasn’t in any mood to respond. He just shook his head faintly, "XiRong, in the future, you don’t need to stand up for me. This is my own business. I don’t want to implicate you. Today... thank you. I’m going to leave first.”

LanXiRong instantly grabbed him and said firmly, “I’m not going to let you go today. Either you leave with me or I leave with you."

ZhouXiang sighed, “Don’t make this hard for me, okay?”

"However you put it. Go eat with me now or I’ll continue to follow you."

ZhouXiang gently pushed him away and walked out of the bathroom, heading directly to CaiWei’s office. Sure enough, LanXiRong really followed him as he said he would.

CaiWei was indeed waiting for him at the office.

ZhouXiang kept LanXiRong outside the door. As soon as he entered the office, he was faced with CaiWei’s grim expression.

ZhouXiang lowly uttered, “Wei Ge, sorry, I’ve caused you trouble.”

CaiWei slammed his hand on the table, “It’s good that you know that! You two assholes actually fought all the way to the company? And got LanXiRong involved? Do you fucking have a brain?!”

ZhouXiang’s mind is utterly confused, even basic thinking ability is lost.

Seeing his distraught appearance, CaiWei softened a bit but was still angry, “That boyfriend of yours, what kind of person is he? Tell me honestly."

ZhouXiang mumbled, “He is WangYuDong’s future brother in-law.”

CaiWei eyes suddenly widened, "What did you say? WangYuDong’s future brother-in-law? Yan... from that ’Yan’ family?”

ZhouXiang look depressingly at his shoes and nodded lightly.

CaiWei took a deep breath, “Ah Xiang, you really... how did you meet him, huh? Can we just casually come in contact with this kind of people? How can you even get into such big altercation with him?"

ZhouXiang couldn’t explain it to him so he could only stay silent.

“Your fight, does that have anything to do with you taking WangYuDong role?”

ZhouXiang nodded and shook his head again.

CaiWei sighed, “This is going to be very troublesome... This... you have to really think about it. Nobody can help you. But I still hope that you can participate in the filming. Remember, if you don’t come to the film launching ceremony on Saturday, no one can help you. I know that your pressure is definitely great, but in my opinion, you can’t turn back. Don’t be influenced by others, you have to plan for yourself.”

ZhouXiang nodded and gloomily responded, "Wei Ge, I will be there. I won’t give up this opportunity for anyone.” This may be the only chance he has in his life to win over WangYuDong. Although this thought is ridiculous and irrational, but it is his biggest driving force that would enable him to alleviate the sufferance and pain in his heart.

End of the Chapter