After showering, Lu Zhou wrapped himself in a bathrobe and drank some cold water. Xiao Yi said, "You're completely normal."

"I was normal to begin with," Lu Zhou replied. "Thank you for your acknowledgment."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, "Hahaha," as he and Lu Zhou lay in bed. Lu Zhou was watching TV as if nothing had happened. Xiao Yi quickly got used to this state, but inside, he was ecstatic, rolling around in happiness.

For some reason, Xiao Yi's only thought at that moment was not to continue cuddling with Lu Zhou but to go and boast to someone. Ahahaha! I slept with the male  god! Ahahaha! Ahahaha! I'm dating the male  god! We've even been to bed together! We've made a pact! Ahhh!

Xiao Yi really wanted to rush to the internet and spill the beans, shouting, "Your god is mine!" He even wanted to stick a label on Lu Zhou's forehead that said "Property of Xiao Yi" or take a cozy picture with Lu Zhou and post it on Weibo.

Of course, that was impossible... Anyway, until he went to bed with the lights off, Xiao Yi still hadn't recovered. He felt like he was still dreaming. He actually... he had actually been to bed with Lu Zhou. They were now lovers. This world was truly miraculous.

The next day, Xiao Yi woke up in Lu Zhou's arms. They kissed for a while in the morning, unable to resist each other. Lu Zhou seemed to have been holding back for a long time and found a connection with Xiao Yi. In the days that followed, Xiao Yi also enjoyed the intimate moments with Lu Zhou. Lu Zhou was like a wild dog, doing whatever he wanted, and in the afternoon, after finishing his workout downstairs, Lu Zhou would come up and cuddle with Xiao Yi for a while before taking a shower.

Xiao Yi was completely captivated. He wondered why he had turned into a zero now... Being taken by the male  god every day was just mind-blowing. But he liked it a lot, especially because Lu Zhou had been holding back for so long. Now, he was doing all sorts of things to Xiao Yi. It was like he was finally satisfying his hunger, and every day, he felt more confident.

After the second time, Xiao Yi looked up techniques online to enhance their experience. Lu Zhou seemed to be completely confident and never lost his momentum. Erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation were all psychological barriers. As long as the first time went smoothly, Lu Zhou became more and more confident.

Xiao Yi began to guide Lu Zhou to cooperate with him. Later on, even Xiao Yi himself couldn't resist sometimes, especially when Lu Zhou came out of the gym all sweaty. He was simply the sexiest man alive.

Nearly a week later, the novelty wore off, and Xiao Yi began to feel a bit tired. Life gradually returned to normal. Lu Zhou still wanted to do it every night, but Xiao Yi was worried about overdoing it and limited it to no more than three times a week.

In addition, Xiao Yi moved from his room to Lu Zhou's room, where they shared a bed. Lu Zhou's dolls were sent to sit on the small sofa in the room.

So life didn't change much. They spent every day together, reading, browsing the internet, chatting casually, and cooking. Xiao Yi suddenly realized that at some point, their life together had become like being in a relationship. Perhaps it was because of this that they became so dependent on each other.

Lu Zhou had no secrets from Xiao Yi, and now Xiao Yi could openly look at Lu Zhou's phone.

Of course, it wasn't right to look at a lover's phone, but Xiao Yi swore he was just satisfying his curiosity and would never bring it up in front of Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou had many WeChat groups, but he often only chatted with a few of them. One was with his close friends, mostly male movie stars. There was Lei Min, Zheng Xiaocong, a very famous host named Dile, and a female journalist working abroad named Yi Xiaomi.

In addition to Lu Zhou, there were only five people in the group.

Last week, after Xiao Yi and Lu Zhou had been to bed together, Lu Zhou sent a message in the group.

"Haha, I finally got that little bunny into my hands! Quick, congratulate me!"

Xiao Yi: "..."

Below were various congratulations. Lei Min said, "Lu, you struck gold. I told you, you're interested in men. Look at you now."

"Damn it, wasn't it him who seduced me first!" Lu Zhou's voice came through the chat.

Xiao Yi couldn't help but curse inwardly. Who seduced whom first! Don't just talk nonsense when the person involved isn't there!

Zheng Xiaocong said, "You're back? Now what?! Us brothers are about to be tormented to death by you."

Di Ya asked: “Brother, what are your plans."

Lu Zhou responded, "I suppose it won't be easy since he has parents. Let's meet up first and discuss it later. We can consider finding a venue for the wedding in the future."

"Hey, are you still shooting?" Di Ya asked. "Who's asking about your marriage anyway? Let me help you make arrangements. The senior at the station is worried about having no guests."

Lu Zhou replied, "Let's talk more about this after I sort out my relationship. I don't have time right now. I've finally found someone I like. Even if you give me a chance for publicity, I still need to settle some matters first."

Xiao Yi scrolled back up to the time when he returned.

 

Lu Zhou sounded a bit anxious. "He is back. What should I do, brothers?!"

Zheng Xiaocong replied, "Do whatever you want. Just handle him first!"

Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Yi roared in his heart, ‘Are you guys conspiring against me? So, it was all planned out in advance!’

Lu Zhou: "What if he doesn't love me?"

"How could he not love you," Lei Min's voice said, "The way that kid looks at you is exactly like how Huang Xiao Jing looked at me back then."

Lu Zhou: "Love? Why do I feel like it's not quite right? Who can come up with a plan for me, like pretending to be hurt? Would that work? This is about my lifelong happiness, can you guys be more reliable?"

"What nonsense," a voice belonging to a girl with the ID "Yi Xiao Mi" said, "Lu Fa Cai, are you even a man? If you're a man, just go for it. If not, can't you use alcohol? Mix some aphrodisiacs in the wine, whatever works! He came back just for you, giving up being a star to come back and be your dog. Are you afraid he'll run away? You're the moneybags, everything is about you. If he doesn't love you, he'll have to love you. Isn't that how it's written in online novels?"

Xiao Yi: "............"

Lu Zhou: "What books? Recommend me a few to read?"

Yi Xiao Mi: "Hey, don't read the romance novels, go for the porn ones. I'll send you some well-written texts to read. So funny, I laughed my head off in the middle of the night."

Xiao Yi continued to scroll up, thinking, ‘Why are there advertisements even in WeChat conversations? Is it really okay to read those texts, Goddess? Can't you support the legitimate version? You're still American, haven't you lost all your integrity to Obama?’

Last month's messages included one from Lu Zhou.

"Why is my life so pathetic?" Lu Zhou's voice carried a hint of drunkenness, "Career is going nowhere, love life is a failure, I'm almost becoming a loser."

Zheng Xiao Cong: "Overdramatic."

Lei Min: "Overdramatic."

Yi Xiao Mi: [+1 Overdramatic]

Lu Zhou: "Xiao Yi left too, can't even act anymore, can someone help me figure something out?"

Di Ya: "Didn't you push the little bottom away by yourself?"

Lu Zhou: "I regret it so much!"

Xiao Yi felt a bit sad when he heard this. He wondered what Lu Zhou's mood was when he was drinking that day. He must have missed him a lot, just like how he missed Lu Zhou.

Scrolling back further, to New Year's Eve.

Lu Zhou sent a message, the wind in Beijing was strong, and his voice sounded choked up.

Lu Zhou: "Xiao Yi, I love you."

Xiao Yi: "......"

Xiao Yi thought, ‘I love you too, Zhou ge . You loved me so much, and I didn't even know. I would have been so happy back then knowing how miserable you were! What should I do!’

Zheng Xiao Cong: "What are you crying for?"

Lei Min: "It's New Year's, Mr. Fa Cai, don't be so melancholic, it's bad luck."

Yi Xiao Mi: "Who among you is as miserable as I am? Spending New Year's in Alaska!"

Di Ya: "I... am watching the Spring Festival Gala! At least you guys have time off!"

Lu Zhou: "You heartless bunch."

Xiao Yi: "......"

Xiao Yi now found that eavesdropping on Lu Zhou's friends was even more entertaining than Lu Zhou himself, so he continued to spy on their conversations.

Yi Xiao Mi: "If you like him, just give him a call. Others are baring their hearts to you, and you're pushing them away.

Zheng Xiao Cong” If he's the one for you, then hurry up and make your move. If not, should I lend you my private jet?"

Lu Zhou: "Forget it, forget it."

Di Ya: "What's wrong with you, Lu Fa Cai? Have you lost your mind? Want to confess your love at twelve o'clock? Dear Xiao Qiang, Lu Fa Cai loves you. If you're watching the Spring Festival Gala, please reply with 'I love you too'. For mobile users, send to..."

Lu Zhou: "His name is Xiao Yi! Xiao Qiang is his younger brother!"

Lei Min: "Di Ya got caught by the leader and was shot."

Five minutes later, Di Ya came back.

Di Ya: "No way, the impression of the disaster caused by Xiao Qiang's wall is too deep."

Xiao Yi: "......"

Xiao Yi could no longer look directly at this group of lunatics. He exited the group chat and continued scrolling, seeing a series of WeChat messages he had sent to Lu Zhou, all of which Lu Zhou had read but not replied to.

Xiao Yi thought, ‘What kind of insanity is this? Couldn't you have been clear from the beginning?’

If life were a drama, Xiao Yi estimated that Lu Zhou's behaviour was akin to dragging out the drama and adding filler... But sometimes Xiao Yi thought, if he hadn't taken this step, he would probably still be an obedient little assistant. Lu Zhou was the one who made him who he was now.

Xiao Yi looked at WeChat again and saw that the most recent contact was with Zheng Xiao Cong.

Lu Zhou: "Cong ge, I'm thinking about acting again."

Zheng Xiao Cong: "Sure, have you found an agent? I'll check for you."

Lu Zhou: "I'll think about it. I'm getting old and tend to forget lines. I'm afraid there might be issues again."

Xiao Yi put Lu Zhou's phone back in its original position, adjusted the angle carefully so it didn't look like it had been touched, then turned the phone chain slightly so the doll's feet faced the edge of the table, pretending everything was normal, hummed a song, and went upstairs.

Lu Zhou had been in a good mood these days, laughing while browsing Taobao. But as soon as Xiao Yi approached, Lu Zhou stopped smiling and asked warily, "What's up?"

Xiao Yi thought, ‘Are you deliberately trying to look cool now? Is it beneath you to smile at me?!’

Xiao Yi collapsed onto the bed.

Lu Zhou: "???"

Lu Zhou asked, "What are you doing now?"

"I'm not happy..." Xiao Yi lay face down.

Lu Zhou impatiently said, "Why do you have so many tricks now that we're in a relationship? Can't you just say what's on your mind?"

Xiao Yi lifted his head and asked, "What are you buying?"

Lu Zhou: "None of your business."

Xiao Yi said, "Can I have a kiss?"

Lu Zhou: "Um, come here."

Xiao Yi leaned over, peeked at Lu Zhou's screen, rubbed against Lu Zhou's face, and found that Lu Zhou was buying a car. Xiao Yi thought, "Since when did you buy cars on Taobao? This is incredible."

"You haven't celebrated my birthday yet," Xiao Yi said.

"Now isn't this buying you a gift?" Lu Zhou said, "Don't be so picky."

Xiao Yi thought, ‘Oh, so this is for me? What do I need a car for?’

"I don't really want this," Xiao Yi said, lying back on the bed.

Lu Zhou said, "Then forget it."

Xiao Yi exclaimed, "Why aren't you following the script?! Isn't the next line supposed to be 'What do you want then'?!"

Lu Zhou: "Forget about the script, I am the script."

In the afternoon, Xiao Yi was preparing dinner when Lu Zhou came down and made a call, then asked, "What do you really want? Spit it out."

Xiao Yi said, "Can you make a movie for me as a birthday gift?"

Lu Zhou: "......"

Lu Zhou looked at Xiao Yi and said, "Show me the script."

Xiao Yi shrugged, and Lu Zhou said, "A short film? Have you contacted a director?"

Xiao Yi said, "A feature film, just like that."

Lu Zhou: "Oh, one of those shown in IMAX?"

"Can I?!" Xiao Yi roared, "Shown in IMAX?!"

Lu Zhou impatiently said, "Is IMAX that grand? As long as the investment is enough, it can be shown on any big screen. What can't be shown?"

In Xiao Yi's understanding, IMAX was reserved for those grand, magnificent, or subtly profound films. Xiao Yi said, "Are you going to collaborate with Hollywood?"

"Collaborate with what?" Lu Zhou casually replied, "We can make it domestically. I'll find a special film to shoot it, and we can book the entire IMAX theater for you?"

"No, no, no." Xiao Yi immediately said, though he was a bit shocked by this treatment. Talking about love to this extent was almost like declaring love with a helicopter showering flowers. But that wasn't his intention.

"I want to see a movie with you." Xiao Yi said seriously, "Do you still forget your lines now?"

"I don't know," Lu Zhou finally told the truth this time, avoiding Xiao Yi's gaze, looking out of the floor-to-ceiling window. It was already summer, the world was lush and green, and the sunlight poured down, illuminating the entire garden brilliantly in the afternoon.

"For making a movie," Xiao Yi said, "If it's an action or adventure film with fewer lines, and we're not rushing for time, rehearsing repeatedly, wouldn't it be better?"

"I don't know," Lu Zhou said again.

Xiao Yi said, "I want to watch a movie you direct, with both the lead and supporting roles."

Lu Zhou fell silent, sitting on the sofa lost in thought, in a CEO-like posture, one hand resting on the back of the sofa, gazing at the scenery in the garden.

That evening during dinner, Lu Zhou said, "Do you think I'm your agent?"

Xiao Yi nearly choked on his food, and Lu Zhou continued, "There's no company affiliation now, no agent, no endorsements, I'm in a three-zero state, and I've thought about it too."

"What have you thought about?" Xiao Yi asked. "Making a movie?"

Lu Zhou nodded and said, "I wasn't thinking much about it lately due to my bad mood."

Xiao Yi immediately smiled and said, "Are you planning a comeback?"

Lu Zhou said, "When you fall, you get up from where you fell, isn't that normal? You think I'll be a trash-bag like you, doing nothing all day?"

Xiao Yi: "..."

Lu Zhou added, "Alright, you're not that much of a trash-bag actually. Just keep being yourself."

Xiao Yi asked, "Do you have confidence?"

Lu Zhou said, "Let's give it a try. I have to make movies eventually."

Xiao Yi felt overjoyed instantly. Lu Zhou had been considering this issue all along. He looked at Lu Zhou admiringly for a moment, as if Lu Zhou was thinking of something to ridicule him. Just when Xiao Yi thought Lu Zhou was about to criticize him, Lu Zhou picked up some dishes for him and said, "Eat more."

*

Xiao Yi knew Lu Zhou was planning a comeback. This was Lu Zhou's second fall, counting from his debut. Ten years ago, Lu Zhou was unknown, and his first breakthrough was playing Zhang Shun in the drama "The Sandglass." After that, to maintain his value, Lu Zhou avoided TV dramas, advertisements, and commercial events.

He went into obscurity, and a year later, with no money and no better offers, he had to find another way. That was his first fall.

Du Mei recognized his talent, brought him out, and gave him a boost. Lu Zhou shone brightly, sailing smoothly until now. Opportunities are hard to come by, and Lu Zhou cared more about his reputation because of it. From several years ago until the year before he met Xiao Yi, he reached the peak of his career.

When the water is abundant, it overflows, and when the moon is full, it wanes. (NT: Chinese idiom meaning that everything has its limits or cycles, nothing remains in a state of abundance indefinitely).

Lu Zhou gradually realized this fact and began actively looking for a way out. He wanted to pick roles, but due to his contract with the company, he couldn't. Then his situation gradually began to decline. First, there was the incident with Zhang Xinran, then he got injured while filming. In an instant, he plummeted.

From being high and mighty, with fans treating him like a king, he made too many enemies, and now almost all news about Lu Zhou were negative, without any PR company to help or the entertainment section to guide.

"Even without the injury incident," Lu Zhou said, "I still need to transition."

Xiao Yi was browsing Lu Zhou's gossip while Lu Zhou couldn't care less. If they wanted to criticize, let them. Xiao Yi flipped through some old posts, thinking that sometimes being criticized was better than being ignored. The worst thing was not being criticized at all, that's when you're really washed up.

"Why don't you act in movies?" Xiao Yi asked. "I love your movies."

"Movies don't pay well," Lu Zhou said. "Directors consider me low because I often act in TV dramas. The pay is only a few million."

"A few million?" Xiao Yi asked.

"Four million," Lu Zhou said, panting as he ran on the treadmill. "I'm not like Li Changzheng or Zheng Xiao Cong, who can earn over ten million for a movie. My status is fixed there, I can't rise. A movie takes three months at best, ten years at worst. With an average of four million every six months, a TV drama pays over ten million. If it weren't for this incident, after filming, I could now demand a package price of eighteen million per film. Do you think... Does Du Mei want me to accept movies or TV dramas?"

"Isn't Li Changzheng very poor?" Xiao Yi asked again.

"He's not poor. Besides the pay, he can do luxury brand ads and endorsements," Lu Zhou explained. "Du Mei isn't doing well in that area. Shooting a watch, he can get ten million in a few days."

Xiao Yi nodded, and Lu Zhou said, "I contacted Zheng Xiao Cong to ask him to help me. Let's temporarily affiliate with his studio."

Xiao Yi asked, "Will Du always get angry?"

"She won't dare," Lu Zhou said as he got off the treadmill, panting for a while, then looked up at Xiao Yi. "If I become famous, she won't dare get angry. She'll only want me back and won't tear her face apart. If I fail, she won't need to get angry. It's your turn. Get on, half an hour, no meal until you finish."

Xiao Yi exclaimed, "What's it to you!"

"Exercise!" Lu Zhou said. "You're so sedentary! You can't even last five minutes without gasping for breath."

Xiao Yi thought it wasn't about physical endurance; you be the bottom and see if you're gasping for breath. Lu Zhou added, "Still mumbling?"

"No, no," Xiao Yi said.

Lu Zhou had a towel around his neck, swaying as he went upstairs, then turned back and said, "I like your long legs and waist. Exercise more, strengthen your waist. When you moan, I'll feel something."

Xiao Yi: "..."

With a flushed face, Xiao Yi ran on the treadmill, his heart blooming like crazy, almost bursting out of the basement and reaching the first floor.

 

Translator : DarNan