Xiao Yi said, "Look, Li Changzheng also doesn't have a girlfriend, never had one. People even say he's gay."

Lu Zhou replied, "It's because he's been rumored to be gay a lot. Otherwise, he would have achieved more than he has now. The Chinese entertainment industry is still quite discriminatory against gay people, understand?"

"Oh," Xiao Yi said.

Lu Zhou mentioned, "You're not upset about Li Changzheng, right? The fact is that he's already half out of the closet. In our circle, what you do privately, whether you date men or women, nobody cares. But once you're out, you can't get good roles anymore. Directors don't want to use you, and producers think you can't play a straight man's role. Nobody will hire you."

"I know about that," Xiao Yi nodded. "Selling a bit of bromance can generate discussion, but if it's really gay, the future is ruined."

"Good to know," Lu Zhou noted.

Xiao Yi asked, "But wasn't our topic about dating? How did it shift to coming out of the closet?"

Lu Zhou, "..."

Xiao Yi continued, "Then what will you do? How about meeting my cousin?"

Lu Zhou chuckled, and with that one sentence, Xiao Yi lightened his mood. They remembered the time they went to Xiao Yi's home last time, and Xiao Yi's father was eager to introduce Lu Zhou to blind dates.

"Your cousin," Lu Zhou continued, "Haha, I already have a Tsuki. I don't want to marry a female Tsuki... Hahaha."

Xiao Yi: —_—凸.

*

In Beijing, from the end of April to early May, the streets were crowded with people. Catkins filled the air, flying around in the haze. Xiao Yi felt like his lungs were mutating. Fortunately, Lu Zhou wasn't taking on any new projects and was taking a temporary break. With the air conditioner and air purifier on at home, Xiao Yi ordered fresh groceries, having the supermarket deliver ingredients every day.

During the day, they exercised together. In the afternoon, Lu Zhou attended a physical fitness class. In the evening, he received an hour of facial massage and skincare for men. At night, Lu Zhou and Xiao Yi cooked Hubei cuisine together (NT: or Chu cuisine , specialised in steamed dishes), occasionally reading scripts of Shakespearean plays.

Xiao Yi had heard that many artists were lazy, but from what he saw, most artists were hardworking. Excluding some self-deprecating individuals, actors with good acting skills, popular in their forties, who weren't solely relying on their looks, usually had some substance. Lu Zhou's life was more disciplined and healthier than Xiao Yi's, and even more so than many people of the same age. He knew how to study and recharge himself, took exercise seriously, and lived life earnestly.

Ning Yaqing used to study ballet, and although her acting skills were still tender, she hardly missed any practice. Zhang Xinran learned traditional Chinese music and often practiced playing the pipa, as well as maintaining her physical fitness.

Others like Wu Henggu, Hu Yang, and others weren't leading a hedonistic lifestyle either. At least when Xiao Yi was with the crew, Hu Yang read scripts and took notes with Director Guo every day. Wu Henggu practiced calligraphy, and several times when Xiao Yi went to his office, he saw him practicing writing. The kind of stars who partied every night, drove luxury cars, and hosted parties casually, and yet could still act well, only appeared in Korean dramas.

Lu Zhou was being stretched in a split alone, and initially, he wanted to force Xiao Yi to accompany him to the fitness class. In the end, Xiao Yi threatened to resign, and Lu Zhou had to give up.

*

A month passed just like that, Du Mei would occasionally call to give them updates. The latest time, she told them some good news—Juhua Media had sold the drama. Although it wasn't broadcast on all four major channels, it secured a good time slot, the golden prime time.

Xiao Yi was ecstatic and told Lu Zhou, who had a face mask on. Lu Zhou simply said, "Oh."

"The theme song hasn't been heard yet." Xiao Yi mentioned, "But it's going to air soon. It's great! In June!"

Lu Zhou removed the face mask and washed his face, saying, "Your song was selected as the theme song, sung by a top male singer."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Lu Zhou subconsciously tried to avoid Xiao Yi, but Xiao Yi nervously said, "Which heavenly king? It's not Wang Feng, is it?"

Lu Zhou: "..."

Lu Zhou almost stumbled, but he mentioned a name, and Xiao Yi shouted excitedly before rushing upstairs.

Lu Zhou angrily said, "What are you so happy about? If it weren't for saving face, who would support you!"

Xiao Yi happily rushed into the room, crashed onto the bed, then grabbed Lu Zhou's chibi doll, rolled it clockwise on the bed, and playfully beat it for a few turns before hugging and kissing it.

Lu Zhou walked in with a twitching face.

Xiao Yi: "..."

Lu Zhou: "..."

Xiao Yi immediately let go of the doll, looking serious, and uttered, "It's nothing, um, not bad!"

Lu Zhou simply couldn't look at him. He asked, "Did Du Mei transfer the money to you?"

Xiao Yi: "There's still money?"

Lu Zhou made a sound and said, "Only twenty thousand. In your line of work, ah—come over and serve the male god with facial essence..."

Xiao Yi went over to apply facial essence for him. His fingers roamed on Lu Zhou's face, and Lu Zhou angrily roared, "Are you painting a wall? Make circles! Do you understand making circles?"

Xiao Yi quickly changed direction, still immersed in the joy of the theme song. Lu Zhou looked annoyed, saying, "Your line of work is basically starving on the streets any minute now. One song, dying over it, two thousand dollars won't even be enough for me to treat you to a meal..."

Xiao Yi approached and kissed Lu Zhou's lips fiercely.

Lu Zhou's eyes widened instantly, his face turning red, and his hands froze.

Xiao Yi: "What's wrong?"

Lu Zhou: "What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Yi grinned and said, "Nothing, I'm just happy."

"Ahhhh, hahahaha!"

"Ah ah ah!"

"I love you, Zhou Ge! I'm so happy, hahaha!"

Lu Zhou: "..."

Sitting there, Lu Zhou's expression changed rapidly, while Xiao Yi didn't know how to vent his excitement. He daydreamed about holding a Grammy award, facing the flashing lights, and saying seriously, "Thanks to my assistant Lu Zhou..."

"Ah hahaha..." Xiao Yi had a Tsuki's silly and frivolous expression, laughing foolishly.

Lu Zhou completely ignored him, sitting there and squeezing essence liquid, his face still a bit flushed.

*

After eagerly anticipating for a long time, the end of the month finally arrived.

After dinner, Xiao Yi threw his bowl into the sink, opened the projector, and waited to watch the drama. Lu Zhou, who was washing dishes with an apron on, couldn't help but say, "Why are you turning off the lights! It's a daily-life drama, not a movie!"

Lu Zhou, with an expression of helplessness, washed the dishes. He didn't let the cleaning aunt touch the bowls, chopsticks, and plates he used. Every day after eating, Xiao Yi washed the dishes. Today, Xiao Yi ran off to watch TV, leaving Lu Zhou to clean the dishes himself.

Xiao Yi held his breath, watching the screen. Lu Zhou, holding a cup, walked past him. Xiao Yi asked, "Zhou Ge, aren't you watching?"

"Not watching," Lu Zhou said. "It's too cringeworthy."

"Don't be like this—" Xiao Yi wailed and dragged him to the sofa, hugging his waist.

Lu Zhou could only sit there, expressionless, waiting to watch the TV drama he starred in. In the first minute of the opening, the melody played, and Xiao Yi focused on watching, his eyebrows slightly raised, singing along quietly.

In the darkness, with changing lights and shadows, Xiao Yi stared at the screen motionlessly, but Lu Zhou turned to look at Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi smiled, glanced at Lu Zhou, raised his eyebrows, and spoke silently with his eyes. Both of them didn't understand each other's words, but the atmosphere and feeling were understood.

They gazed into each other's eyes, and after a few seconds, both felt a peculiar change in their breath. Xiao Yi closed his eyes and hummed a few times, saying, "The music god sings so well; he captures all the feelings."

Lu Zhou, feeling awkward, tried to move away, saying, "Cut it out; he's going out of style."

"Don't go—" Xiao Yi asked.

Lu Zhou had to drag a footstool over, putting his feet up and accompanying Xiao Yi in watching the drama. When Xiao Yi found something funny, he burst into laughter.

Lu Zhou, with a numb expression, ate snacks and endured being shocked for two whole episodes.

*

From that day on, Xiao Yi faithfully watched the program every day, while Lu Zhou commented on the side, sometimes saying this wasn't good, and sometimes complaining about that being too draggy. As they reached the middle, Xiao Yi also noticed.

The overall drama was too mediocre; after the initial episodes, it started to drag, becoming a bit annoying. The pace was too slow, and Xiao Yi only found it enjoyable when Lu Zhou appeared. Without Lu Zhou, he wanted to switch channels.

"Wu Henggu acts quite well," Lu Zhou commented. " He suits this genre."

"Yeah," Xiao Yi nodded and added, "He's quite suitable for playing the rich young master."

Wu Henggu mainly took roles like princes or second-generation rich kids. However, asking him to handle the majesty of an emperor or the simple charm of a character from the lower class, and even play a twisted villain... that wouldn't work.

But in this drama, the highest praise was unexpectedly for Wu Henggu. Perhaps it was validating Du Mei's words: the protagonist is used to drive the plot, but the supporting actor is loved. With a leap, Wu Henggu became popular, and there wasn't much discussion about Lu Zhou in this drama. Perhaps because people didn't like the character: a thirty-five-year-old, single, struggling in Beijing, without a car, a house, earning a monthly salary of five thousand – an old bachelor.

More people loved the cool, young, handsome, and wealthy Wu Henggu.

But Xiao Yi felt that Lu Zhou's portrayal of Kou Bin embodied more characteristics of an urban leftover man and down-to-earth emotions. These men, with their high mobile fees, driving their broken-down cars, bringing all their rural relatives to the city, being the phoenix rising alone, and transforming the destinies of themselves, their sons, and grandsons. These men had no goals, no plans, no Beijing hukou (NT: system of household registration); their only wish was to change their fate, their son's fate, and their grandson's fate through their hard work.

Lu Zhou told him that the protagonist was used to drive the plot, and the supporting actor was loved because the scriptwriting wasn't good enough. The response was expected. Trying to pursue some themes, but unable to sustain them in reality, they had to compromise, being half-idol, half-down-to-earth, meeting the requirements of the investors.

As the ending approached, Xiao Yi checked the ratings and found it to be only 0.89%. In the last ten episodes, there was little discussion about Kou Bin. Everyone was either talking about the CP between Wu Henggu and Lu Zhou or just praising Wu Henggu, creating a hot discussion.

Xiao Yi found these discussions annoying. He felt that Lu Zhou had made the wedding gown for others, but Du Mei should be happy. It maintained Lu Zhou's exposure while elevating Wu Henggu. Wu Henggu's pay for subsequent roles should increase significantly.

Lu Zhou didn't care much about the ratings. After watching it every day, he would go to sleep. One day, Xiao Yi received a call from a classmate who said, "Old pal, did you write the theme song for the drama?"

Xiao Yi suddenly felt a floating sensation and replied, "Yeah, just casually. Didn't expect you to notice."

"You're doing well!" The surprise in the voice was evident. "You're so successful! Writing songs for the heavenly king? Made a lot of money, huh?"

Xiao Yi immediately humbly said, "Not much, not much. Actually, I wrote it for a friend. It's for Lu Zhou. Ha ha ha, maintaining friendships, can't avoid it, hehehe. It's quite good. How about you recently—"

That night, after hanging up the phone, Xiao Yi immediately checked his song. He found that it was prominently featured in the first broadcast on various platforms. It seemed that his classmate's claim that the song was frequently played in the streets and alleys was true!

Xiao Yi had his own channels for popular music and asked a friend who used to work in the media platform to help check.

"Can this be considered popular?" Xiao Yi asked Lu Zhou.

"It's popular," Lu Zhou replied after looking at the statistics. "Very popular. Even more than Li Changzheng's movie theme song."

"Oh," Xiao Yi answered.

"Hahaha, Xiao General, where do you plan to conquer next?" Lu Zhou patted Xiao Yi's shoulder, wearing a flattering smile, and said, "Don't forget Little Lu me, hehehe."

"No, no." Xiao Yi smiled modestly.

Lu Zhou angrily uttered, "You're still daydreaming! Go wash up and sleep!"

Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Yi noted, "It's not very useful. Writing songs doesn't earn as much as being an assistant, and also..."

"And what?" Lu Zhou's face darkened. "And you signed a three-year contract. Even if you want to run, you can't?"

Xiao Yi continued, "And I feel that in this lifetime, at most, these two songs can become popular. You don't know how I wrote them. Anyway... I feel that I'll never have this kind of opportunity and inspiration again. Oh, do you want a Tenga (NT: sex toy)? They're on sale."

Xiao Yi flipped through a page of Tenga cups on a Taobao special promotion on his iPad. There were various styles.

Lu Zhou didn't say anything more and said, "Go on."

Xiao Yi: "Actually, the airplane cup is not bad. Zhou Ge, since you don't have a girlfriend, if you don't take care of it yourself for a long time, the prostate can easily..."

Lu Zhou roared, "None of your damn business!"

Xiao Yi could only turn the page. Lu Zhou added, "I just remembered, do you always think I don't want the things I buy? So you help yourself to them? For your safety, just buy one airplane cup, take it and use it. Don't buy twenty at once, or you might end up exhausted..."

Xiao Yi immediately retorted, "How about we shop for something else today? How about Yihaodian (NT: e commerce website for groceries)?"

Less than a month had passed, and the drama hadn't finished airing. Seeing the low ratings and especially the lack of enthusiasm from Lu Zhou, Xiao Yi lost interest in following it, so this drama completely flopped.

Lu Zhou claimed not to care about the ratings, but he was a bit sensitive. He checked every day to see if anyone was discussing him. If no one mentioned him on Tianya (NT: social media site), he felt dissatisfied. If someone criticized him, he became irritable. In addition to cooking and eating at home every day, which didn't affect his physique but did result in him gaining four pounds, poor Xiao Yi had to prepare for his weight loss.

"Of course, it's your fault," Lu Zhou complained while holding a bowl at the dinner table. "Can't you balance your nutrition a bit?"

"Okay," Xiao Yi admitted, "let's lose weight together in the future."

Xiao Yi could never gain weight, but he still had to eat light food every day with Lu Zhou to accompany him. Lu Zhou had an unhappy expression, finding fault with everything. Xiao Yi said, "Zhou Ge, about the ratings... it's not worth worrying too much. I think when it officially airs, the ratings will definitely skyrocket."

Xiao Yi actually believed that ratings mattered, but seeing Lu Zhou in a bad mood these days, he could only comfort him with the future.

"You don't understand," Lu Zhou impatiently waved his hand and ordered, "go stir-fry some meat. I don't want to eat vegetarian anymore; it tastes like nothing in my mouth."

Xiao Yi had to get up and stir-fry some smoked meat and vegetables for him. When he sat back down, Lu Zhou sighed, thought for a moment, and explained, "It's not about being popular or not, it's about transitioning. I've told Du Mei about this a long time ago."

"You're not old," Xiao Yi remarked. "You can still play a guy in his twenties. But I prefer you playing a more mature role."

"Do you like mature men?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Yeah," Xiao Yi thought, "why does this sound like I'm a pervert who likes mature men with hardcore tastes..."

Lu Zhou said, "When artists reach my age, they need to transition. You can't be like that someone who, at almost forty, still plays seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah," Xiao Yi answered.

Xiao Yi fried the bacon and placed it in front of Lu Zhou. Apparently, he was satisfied; it seemed he had been hungry for the past few days with only plain vegetarian dishes. Xiao Yi inquired, "Do you want to quit doing idol dramas?"

"Not quit," Lu Zhou corrected, "just do fewer. Transition towards high-quality dramas, act in period dramas, act in costume dramas – that's what makes a big star. It helps improve your status and personal development. Silly youth dramas, idol dramas, and modern dramas should be taken less. It's best to do one per year."

Xiao Yi noted, "I actually prefer watching you in movies. Why not take more movie roles?"

Lu Zhou helplessly said, "I want to, but no directors are looking for me."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Lu Zhou added, "At the beginning, some people wanted me for movies and wanted me to only focus on movies. But with no money, what can I do? Guo Dao wanted me to film TV dramas, so I went. I'm not at the point where I can afford to only act. They think if you film too many TV dramas, it becomes low, can't be built into a movie star, and when you're built up, in a few days, you have to go act in TV dramas again. Reluctant to promote."

Lu Zhou stirred his food with chopsticks, ate his vegetables, and looked dissatisfied.

Xiao Yi said, "But Director Du won't let you be too picky about roles. She wants you to last a few more years. You are her cash cow."

Lu Zhou was a bit surprised by Xiao Yi's words. He nodded, and Xiao Yi thought that it seemed Lu Zhou, with his strong character, also faced difficulties in his career and the fear of not progressing.

"Just like us in music composition..." Xiao Yi stated.

"You're just a little assistant," Lu Zhou sneered. "Music composition?"

"Okay, okay, back when I was studying music, I would doubt whether I was cut out for composition. And then, after finally writing a song, the next one had to be better than the previous one; otherwise, it would be considered running out of inspiration. Sometimes, the pain we give ourselves is even harder to overcome. I understand your feelings."

Lu Zhou didn't say anything more, and Xiao Yi continued, "So it's better to be a useless person. No pressure."

Lu Zhou chuckled and sprayed rice out of his mouth.

After dinner, while Xiao Yi was washing the dishes, Du Ma called him, asking if he could come out tonight. Xiao Yi asked Lu Zhou, and Lu Zhou, in a displeased tone, underlined, "Du Ma again?"

Xiao Yi said, "Can I go out?"

Lu Zhou replied, "No."

Xiao Yi had to call Du Ma and say he couldn't make it. Lu Zhou, with his ears perked up, listened. When Xiao Yi said he couldn't go, Lu Zhou told him, "Forget it, just go."

Xiao Yi had to call Du Ma again and say he was going.

Lu Zhou added, "If you go, don't come back."

Xiao Yi called Du Ma again and said he wasn't going.

Lu Zhou asked, "Du Ma has such a good temper?"

Xiao Yi declared, "I just pretended to make the call."

Lu Zhou: "..."

*

At ten pm, in a private room at a restaurant.

This place was where rich people went for supper, and Lu Zhou had taken Xiao Yi here once before. Many celebrities liked to eat here. Xiao Yi saw Du Ma and another person sitting in a private room on the second floor. Du Ma waved to him, and the man in a suit next to him was casually listening to music.

As Xiao Yi walked over, the man turned around, and Xiao Yi almost fell down to the first floor from the private room.

The man's hair was a bit long, and he exuded a melancholy temperament. In the dim lighting, his facial features were distinct, softer and more gentle than Lu Zhou's rugged style, and his aura was more gentle. When he looked at Xiao Yi, he gave off a refreshing feeling, like basking in a spring breeze.

Li... Chang... Zheng...

If Xiao Yi saw this person on the main road, he might not recognize him, but in the bar, and next to Du Ma, it must be him!

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi, your idol. Don't tell me you don't recognize him," Du Ma said.

Li Changzheng smiled, "I've seen you before, last time at the Qin Wang Palace."

"Yes," Xiao Yi smiled and shook hands with Li Changzheng. "You're my idol."

"You're my idol too," Li Changzheng replied with a smile.

Xiao Yi: "..."

Li Changzheng explained, "After listening to your song, I begged Du Ma for several days before he agreed to arrange for us to meet. There's nothing much to say from me. Thank you for writing such a good song; it reminded me of the feeling of struggling in Beijing in the past."

"Your... movies," Xiao Yi said, "Uh, also... accompanied me throughout my entire college life. I'm serious, it spanned my first love. Every time your movie was released, my girlfriend and I would go watch it, and we would have a date."

Li Changzheng burst into laughter and thought for a moment before saying, "Yeah, around that time, I had just debuted."

 

Translator : DarNan