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Regardless of what gender Gu Yibai believed his partner to be, Shen Mingbei had no intention of explaining any further. The two bid each other farewell at the crossing. Without looking back, Shen Mingbei got into the car.
Gu Yibai left feeling unreconciled.
He looked at the pinned contact on his phone, wanting to delete it yet unwilling to.
Gu Yibai’s hand clenched into a fist. He was the one who couldn’t hold onto him; there was nobody else to blame.
It was quite late by the time Shen Mingbei returned to the Qingtan Bay villa. He opened the front door and walked into the dimly-lit house. Shen Mingbei carefully found his slippers; however, when he bent down to put them on, he was suddenly embraced.
Shen Mingbei panicked and yelled, “Who-?!”
The person hugging him tightened their arms and asked, “Why did you drink?”
Shen Mingbei let out a light sigh of relief. Qu Lang also had the scent of alcohol on him, causing him to feel somewhat annoyed. He tried to tug away Qu Lang’s hands while explaining with a soft voice, “There was a class reunion today. I only drank two glasses.”
Qu Lang probably drank a bit too much. He drunkenly buried his face into Shen Mingbei’s neck and said with some discontent:
“Doesn’t smell nice anymore.”
Smell nice?
Other than during shootings, Shen Mingbei never put on perfume.
Who did Qu Lang think he was hugging?
A tinge of disgust arose in Shen Mingbei’s heart – he forcefully pushed Qu Lang away.
A drunk Qu Lang was strong, but a drunk Qu Lang also didn’t know how to use his strength. After Shen Mingbei broke free from his grip, he took three steps back and turned on the lights.
The dim corridor lights softened Qu Lang’s countenance. Having been pushed onto the floor, he wore a slightly blank expression that showed none of his typical hostility and indifference.
When they first got married, Shen Mingbei lost himself to the other’s appearance and wanted them to reach old age together. Who would’ve thought that after just a few years, after realising the truth that Qu Lang would never change, his heart would be the first to grow cold?
Qu Lang mumbled something inaudible. Shen Mingbei was about to call over auntie to take care of him but was pulled to a stop by Qu Lang.
“Want1…”
Shen Mingbei remembered Lin Xiang’s comments on Qu Lang’s phone. ‘Xiang’ – what other ‘Xiang’ could he refer to…
Shen Mingbei suspected the person Qu Lang thought he embraced was Lin Xiang. Suddenly feeling gloomy, he slapped away his hand. Before Qu Lang could finish his words, he turned around and left.
When auntie saw Qu Lang, collapsed, at the front door, she was stupefied. She hurriedly rushed towards him and helped him up.
“Mr Qu! Wake up!
“Mr Qu, when did you come back?! Why didn’t you tell me?”
Qu Lang ignored her as he continued mumbling.
“Don’t go to him, want you…”
Auntie paid no attention to Qu Lang’s words. She tried her best to persuade him back to his bedroom.
“Mr Qu, lie down. Where were you drinking for you to get this drunk?!” After she said this, she went to prepare some hangover soup.
Qu Lang rolled over a few times and pulled out a shirt from underneath his pillow.
The familiar scent calmed him a little, causing him to quiet down.
In the kitchen, Shen Mingbei saw auntie come over and told her, “After it’s boiled, add some ice to cool it down a little before sending it over. I’m going to bed first.”
Noticing the mung bean soup in the pot, she wanted to advise Shen Mingbei and Qu Lang to reconcile; however, Shen Mingbei left too quickly, so the words never came out.
When Qu Lang woke up the next day and noticed he was sleeping alone while clutching Shen Mingbei’s shirt, his expression turned somewhat ugly.
But recalling the hangover soup he drank in a haze last night, he smacked his lips. The overcooked mung beans had absolutely no flavour – it was, indeed, Shen Mingbei’s style of a hangover soup.
His bad mood slightly lifted – at least, it was better than when he inadvertently found out yesterday afternoon that Shen Mingbei went to meet with his old classmates, including Gu.
Once Qu Lang got out of bed, he hesitated at the corner of the second floor’s staircase whilst looking at the guest room’s closed door. He didn’t open it; instead, he just said, “Thank you for the hangover soup.”
Just as he said this, auntie walked over and glanced at Qu Lang with a strange expression before telling him, “Mr Shen left already. He said he’s going to Shannan today and won’t be back for a few days.”
Hearing this, Qu Lang immediately turned the guest room’s doorknob. The room was completely empty.
There was nothing besides the faint remains of the other’s fragrance. Yet, even that almost seemed like a figment of Qu Lang’s imagination.
Shannan? That far…
In the past, he never found the distance between them to be so great whenever Shen Mingbei left.
Qu Lang pulled out his phone and tapped open their messages. Nothing new.
Before he left, Shen Mingbei didn’t say even a single word and sent not a single message…
…..
Shen Mingbei was rushing to a charity film promotion shoot. Its theme was very common – cherish our water resources.
A remote location was chosen for this project – that is, the high-altitude Shannan. This place had mountains on one side and water on the other; it was the source of many water streams. Shen Mingbei felt fine arriving, but Xiao Zhang’s altitude sickness was a little severe, so he immediately left for the hospital after the plane landed.
Shen Mingbei pulled the luggage alone as he followed the film crew. The director and assistant director were both easygoing yet idealistic people; they visited this location many times just for this charity project.
Sufficient preparations had been made, so the actual shooting time wouldn’t be long. However, it was still a hassle, hence it was one of the few projects Lin Xiang didn’t pick up.
Shen Mingbei cherished any opportunity and was willing to work hard.
Once the Director finished explaining everything to him, he immediately grasped the emotions, allowing the first day’s shooting to quickly pass.
After work, Shen Mingbei rushed to the hospital to visit Xiao Zhang.
“How about I buy return tickets for you?” Shen Mingbei asked while slicing some apples.
Xiao Zhang’s complexion was pale, but his expression was stubborn. “I just need to recuperate a little. I’ll be able to work on-site by tomorrow. Brother Shen, I can overcome any difficulties – I want to take care of you!”
Shen Mingbei didn’t insist otherwise, opting to change the subject, “You’ve accompanied me for many years.”
Xiao Zhang nodded.
“If I chose to leave the entertainment industry, would you still stand by me?” Shen Mingbei immediately shook his head after asking. “It’s best if you don’t. Even I don’t know what I can do other than acting.”
Hearing this, Xiao Zhang was astonished. He asked, “Brother Shen, you… Why would you have these kinds of thoughts?”
From Xiao Zhang’s perspective, although Shen Mingbei hadn’t always hit it big, he was still once a national sensation. Even if Shen Mingbei were always chosen as runner-up for the end-of-year awards, as long as he wanted, he’d never run out of projects to work on.
In fact, in the entertainment industry, this was the best circumstance one could find themselves in – there wasn’t too much pressure to maintain a front as an idol, but he still had a certain celebrity status.
Besides, Shen Mingbei was still in the prime of his life, so why would he choose to step out?
Shen Mingbei, on the other hand, was more thoughtful than Xiao Zhang. Lin Xiang wanted to stand at the very top of the entertainment industry and ‘take back everything for the Lin Family’, which meant Shen Mingbei was his target.
How could a cannon fodder fight against a White Moonlight?
In the end, he repeatedly assured Xiao Zhang that if he wanted to leave the industry, he’d definitely tell him and take him away too.
Xiao Zhang: “When the time comes, let’s buy a piece of wasteland and plant trees. Brother Shen, all you have to do is buy me social insurance.”
Amused, Shen Mingbei laughed.
…..
The two chatted idly in the hospital. Xiao Zhang was fiddling with his phone before he suddenly came across a trending search.
Thinking of the relationship between his Brother Shen and President Qu, Xiao Zhang’s expression stiffened, appearing very strange. He guiltily concealed his phone and began talking about other things with Shen Mingbei.
To preserve his Brother Shen’s mood, Xiao Zhang immediately recovered and overcame his altitude sickness.
During these few days at Shannan, he made sure Shen Mingbei slept and woke early and focused on shootings, acting more diligent than the director.
They were indeed at a highland. Shen Mingbei worked hard and never intended on using his phone anyway, hence, in addition to Xiao Zhang’s concealment, the matter surrounding the trending search passed without his knowledge. Only after the shooting was wrapped up and they returned to the city did Shen Mingbei learn from auntie that Qu Lang was injured and hospitalised.
Shen Mingbei found it strange. “How did President Qu get injured?”
Hearing this, Auntie’s expression turned ugly and she replied, “He got hurt trying to save someone.”
Shen Mingbei was slightly surprised. He never knew Qu Lang was the kind of person to save someone without leaving his name.
But it was nothing more than just that.
Shen Mingbei only rested for a day after returning from the highlands before he began working again.
Then, the busy Shen Mingbei received Mother Qu’s phone call.
“Xiao Shen, you two are a married couple, so why aren’t you visiting him?
“Lin Xiang, that vixen, has been visiting him the entire time. If you don’t show your face, he’ll think you’re scared of him!”
Provocations were useless against Shen Mingbei and Mother Qu realised soon after, so she switched a tactic and said to him, “You can’t always behave this generously.”
Shen Mingbei didn’t want to go and wanted to say he wasn’t being generous. He was just afraid that if he truly offended the White Moonlight, as the cannon fodder, he’d truly get blown up.
Mother Qu continued conciliating, “Just treat it as visiting A-lang in my place. Me and A-lang’s father have never been on good terms – sob sob – and we only have this one son, sob sob sob…”
Shen Mingbei could never reject someone who cries to him.
Especially if they typically had a bad temper like Mother Qu – her tears were extremely heart-wrenching. Thinking back to how well Mother Qu always treated him, Shen Mingbei agreed to visit Qu Lang.
Mother Qu’s tears turned into smiles as she praised Shen Mingbei’s filial piety.
After the two hung up, Mother Qu entered a trance as she stared at the painting hung in the study. She had no evidence; however, she always felt as if Shen Mingbei planned on leaving the Qu Family.
…..
Qu Lang had been in the hospital for three or four days. His feet still couldn’t quite move, but all his work issues could be resolved digitally, hence it didn’t interfere with his performance.
Yet, Qu Lang was strangely irritable.
He accidentally became a trending search after saving Lin Xiang and had been hospitalised for so long, yet he heard nothing from Shen Mingbei.
He initially brushed it off as Shen Mingbei being too busy away from home and, perhaps, not knowing of this matter, but yesterday auntie told him, “Mr Shen’s back.”
From yesterday until now, Qu Lang had been waiting, not daring to close his eyes for even a moment in case Shen Mingbei came while he was asleep and he missed him.
But Shen Mingbei made not even a phone call, much less show up for a visit.
Qu Lang’s heart felt stuffy. For some reason, he wanted to drive everyone out of this hospital room but was afraid of Shen Mingbei seeing such an irritable side of him.
At this moment, the door was pushed open.
After realising it was Lin Xiang who entered, Qu Lang retracted his gaze in disappointment and indifferently asked, “Why are you here again?”
Lin Xiang was holding a thermos jar. He smilingly said, “A-lang saved me and got hurt, so of course I’d come. I made you some soup, do you want to drink it?”
Qu Lang wasn’t interested, but Lin Xiang had already unlidded the thermos jar. He handed him a bowl and smiled. “Why don’t you try it?”
Once Qu Lang took a whiff of its fragrance, he found it strangely familiar, so he accepted the bowl and took a sip.
It was Shen Mingbei’s soup!
Qu Lang sat up straight, his mouth suddenly feeling dry.
He finished the soup in the small bowl, the stuffiness in his heart easing a little. He looked at Lin Xiang and asked, “You made this soup?”
Lin Xiang was extremely pleased with himself. He smilingly replied, “That’s right – I spent a lot of time on it.”
Thinking back to how he drove away Shen Mingbei, his smile widened.
Shen Mingbei truly didn’t understand Qu Lang, not even knowing his habit of not drinking soup. However, since it was he who brought it over, Qu Lang immediately finished it~
Footnotes
‘想’ – xiǎng – same pronunciation as the ‘Xiang’ in ‘Lin Xiang’