Like Fire Burning the Body

Jiang Tingxu hadn't won his Movie Emperor title for nothing.

At least under Si You's half-smiling gaze, he remained composed and elegant, utterly unruffled.

Jiang Tingxu said, "Even the doctor said it'd be best if someone stayed by your side."

"Alright~" The first time was unfamiliar, but the second time came naturally. It definitely wouldn't work with anyone else, but Jiang Tingxu was different.

The labels "special" and "different" had practically been branded onto him. That unquestioning certainty that ruled his heart was beyond words.

Jiang Tingxu went to the bathroom to wash up. Listening to the rush of water from the tap, Si You consciously climbed into the inner side of the bed. His ears began reddening again, and he pretended to calmly scroll through his phone, though none of what he saw left any impression in his mind.

The water stopped. After a moment, Jiang Tingxu came out and said the first thing he saw Si You, "Don't lie flat while playing on your phone. Sit up a little."

"Oh."

With two blankets, it wasn't all that awkward.

Jiang Tingxu appeared to be replying to messages, tapping rapidly on his screen. Sister Chen, probably? Si You thought.

In the silence, Jiang Tingxu suddenly asked, "Have you gotten used to it?"

"Hm?"

Jiang Tingxu considered for a moment whether to be decent, then decisively said, "Your ears aren't as red anymore."

The moment he said it, a flush swept straight up from Si You's neck.

Si You froze, then instantly switched off his screen and slipped beneath the covers. "Good night. I'm going to sleep."

Jiang Tingxu smiled silently, his eyes full of delight. He cleared his throat and said, "Alright."

He had actually wanted to tease Si You a little more, but Si You had only gone to the hospital that afternoon. Not long after Jiang Tingxu finished dealing with work and turned off the lights, Si You's breathing evened out.

Pretending everything was fine was Si You's protective coloring. In the dead of night, at such close range, Jiang Tingxu could clearly sense Si You's most primal softness.

Jiang Tingxu wasn't very tired and was still trying to drift off when Si You's breathing grew heavier, coming in rough, labored puffs. His heart jolted, and he immediately leaned over to check on him.

Si You's head had slipped off the pillow, and he was curled toward the wall.

The moment Jiang Tingxu touched him, he discovered that Si You's skin was slightly cold. "Are you cold?" he asked quietly.

"Mmm..." Si You answered drowsily.

Jiang Tingxu paused, then pulled open Si You's blanket and covered him with his own on top. Two blankets layered together would definitely be warmer. Finally, he half-supported, half-held Si You as he obediently rested his head back on the pillow.

Si You's breathing immediately became much easier. He slept on his side facing Jiang Tingxu, and a faint beam of light filtered through the window, landing squarely on his face.

Jiang Tingxu propped up his head and admired him for a while before lying flat with satisfaction.

But the result of such "indulgence" was that once Si You developed complete trust in Jiang Tingxu, the boundary between them blurred—just as Jiang Tingxu was about to fall into deep sleep, an arm suddenly draped over his chest. He froze, and then a leg landed across his own. Drawn toward the heat source, Si You felt safe and simply treated Jiang, the Movie Emperor, like a human heating pad.

Jiang Tingxu: "..."

Before he had fallen for Si You, Jiang Tingxu had never lain in bed this intimately close to another man.

Jiang Tingxu took a deep breath and tried to push Si You away, but the slightest pressure made him whimper uncomfortably. Jiang Tingxu's heart softened the moment he heard it.

Si You, meanwhile, pushed his luck. Before long, his head nestled against Jiang Tingxu's neck, with nearly half his body hanging off the man.

Jiang Tingxu: "..."

Even Jiang Tingxu, who had always seemed detached from worldly desires, couldn't withstand it.

When Si You bent his knee and raised it upward, Jiang Tingxu shuddered and almost gritted out, "Si You!"

That shout worked. Si You settled down.

There was no need to think about it—he was muddled from sleep. If he had been awake, he would have exploded on the spot without Jiang Tingxu needing to say a thing about that position.

Jiang Tingxu closed his eyes with a grim expression, thinking that Si You truly was an enemy sent by heaven.

Jiang Tingxu's sleep that night could only be described as disastrous.

At six in the morning, the instant he heard the first sounds of equipment being moved, Jiang Tingxu threw back the covers and got up!

There was no way he could sleep for even another second.

He moved so abruptly that he inevitably startled Si You.

Si You sat up dazedly, looking utterly lost. "What's wrong?"

"It's still early. Go back to sleep." Jiang Tingxu's voice betrayed no emotion.

So Si You flopped back down with a clatter and muttered softly, "So warm..."

Jiang Tingxu looked back at him, the restless heat in his eyes quickly turning into deep helplessness.

Lying where my lord lies, it felt like fire burning my body. (1)

At seven, Si You climbed out of bed feeling refreshed and energized.

Just after washing up, the room door opened. Si You poked his head out and saw Jiang Tingxu carrying breakfast inside.

Si You was about to smile, but when he saw the man's face, his expression tightened slightly. "You... didn't sleep well last night?"

Jiang Tingxu had already given up on him remembering. He merely gave him a faintly resentful look.

But Si You was destined not to catch it. He reflected on himself before cautiously asking, "Did I disturb you? No, that can't be right. I don't snore in my sleep."

"You didn't." Jiang Tingxu said, "I'm just a light sleeper."

With Jiang Tingxu's exceptionally handsome face, signs of fatigue only showed after several nights of poor rest. Otherwise, they were usually hidden beneath his steady, restrained bearing, making it difficult to notice anything. Once, when filming, he sprained his ankle midway through a scene. Jiang Tingxu maintained a perfectly upright posture and only asked Qian Su to bring him some ice after finishing the entire shoot. Only then did everyone notice the cold sweat gathering at his temples, as though he was feeling unwell.

When he had gone out just now to get breakfast, everyone had been yawning nonstop, yet Jiang Tingxu was still impeccably composed. Director Zhu had even remarked, "Being young is great." Yet Si You noticed at a glance.

Is he not used to sleeping with me? Si You thought. That shouldn't be it. This wasn't their first time sharing a bed. Si You could only assume it was because the nearby construction crew was always making noise, sometimes even working late into the night. They had probably disturbed Jiang Tingxu.

Si You sat at the small table and accepted the chopsticks Jiang Tingxu handed him. "I remember you don't have many scenes today. Come back and sleep for a while after you finish filming."

Jiang Tingxu glanced at him. "Worried about me?"

Si You clicked his tongue. "You..."

Why did he have to point it out?

Si You didn't understand. Jiang Tingxu looked like someone who didn't want to be tainted by too much goodwill or admiration from others, yet with Si You, he enjoyed being openly cared for.

Gao Jin didn't come to set that day. Jiang Tingxu planned to let him worry for three days first.

The "rushing a thousand miles to save someone" scene mainly depended on Si You. Jiang Tingxu had it easy—he only needed to lie there.

After the two finished their makeup, the staff checked the set arrangements. Si You leaned close to Jiang Tingxu's ear. "If you're sleepy, just sleep."

Jiang Tingxu raised a brow. "Where?"

Si You pointed at the bed inside the military tent. "There, obviously. It's ready-made. I saw the staff lay down three layers of blankets. It's very comfortable."

Jiang Tingxu smiled. "Alright!"

Meanwhile, Su Ya whispered to Huahua in the corner, "I've worked with Jiang, the Movie Emperor, several times too. This is the first time I've seen him smile at someone like that."

Huahua sighed. "They really look good standing together."

Upon learning that Lu Tu had been framed and poisoned, left unconscious and near death, Yun Si felt as though his insides had been torn apart. He immediately ordered his shadow guards to investigate. Once he learned what poison Lu Tu had been given, he hurriedly had the imperial physicians under his command prepare an antidote, then raced without pause toward the border.

Covered in dust from the journey, Yun Si rode five horses to death. The closer he got to his destination, the more frantic he became. Yellow sand swirled through the air as more than a dozen accompanying guards swiftly broke through the Sun Family Army's defenses. His warhorse gave a long neigh, and before it had even steadied itself, Yun Si tumbled from its back. No one knew how many days and nights he had traveled. His eyes were bloodshot, but without anyone helping him, Yun Si stood again and tremblingly pulled something from his robes.

Calling it timely rain would not have been an exaggeration.

After Lu Tu took the antidote, his ashen complexion gradually returned to normal. Then he coughed up a mouthful of black blood. The army physician hurried forward, and after a bout of chaos, finally declared, "Heaven has blessed us. The poison has been cured!"

Several men who had never frowned even after losing arms or legs on the battlefield immediately embraced and wept. Lu Tu had only been here for two months, yet he had already earned tremendous prestige.

Yun Si stood at the very edge. His eyes were calm and empty, yet Lu Tu's reflection remained clearly within them.

With war raging among the four nations, Lu Tu could not die, whether for public or private reasons. Yun Si said nothing, but abandoning his command over the Imperial Guard to rush here made it clear that he had risked his life.

In an unnoticed corner, Yun Si collapsed to the ground in utter exhaustion, silently.

People said the Sixth Prince was ruthless and decisive, impossibly difficult to serve. Yet even at a time like this, he hadn't troubled anyone.

Yun Si's anxiety and fury had attacked his heart. His constitution had already been weak, and after the grueling journey, illness struck like a mountain collapsing. Yet he did not fall. Once Lu Tu's crisis was resolved, he intended to immediately return to the imperial capital.

By the night of his departure, Yun Si had rested for only three hours in total.

The guards waited outside while Yun Si went alone to the military tent where Lu Tu rested.

He stood beside the bed without saying a word, but his gaze was utterly focused. Those eyes seemed tempered in fire, astonishingly bright and untouched by any sickliness. Following Lu Tu's sharply defined features, it was as if he were carefully tracing them once more.

"This look is incredible!" Director Zhu was so excited he nearly gritted his teeth. "I wasn't expecting Si You to pull it off, but just look at this!"

The assistant director pushed Director Zhu's hand away and stared intently at the monitor. "Don't block me."

Before Lu Tu came here, he had completely severed ties with Yun Si. An invisible barrier stood between them. Yun Si was greedy, yet he could no longer take another step forward.

The young man stood there for a long while before finally turning to leave.

Yun Si's gaze upon Lu Tu was never innocent, yet the decisiveness with which he let go was equally unwavering. As he walked out of the military tent, the moonlight was clear as water. Yun Si's body burned with fever, his cheeks flushed red. His stunning beauty was enough to make even the stars pale and hide behind the clouds. Yun Si raised his head and murmured, "There was once moonlight draped over my body too."

"Your Highness?" The captain of the guards rode over on horseback.

Yun Si tightened his cloak and said, "Return to the capital!"

"Cut!"

Director Zhu abruptly stood up. "Si You! I'm adding chicken legs to your dinner tonight!!"

Si You pulled himself out of character rather quickly this time and replied with a smile, "Then thank you, Director Zhu!"

Director Zhu picked up the script and turned to discuss matters with several assistant directors and even the screenwriter.

Actors gave characters their souls. If the performance fell short and exhausted the audience, the role would inevitably be cut down. But Si You had already given Yun Si a "soul." He had made the character carry a fierce, scalp-tingling force and intensity. Director Zhu knew that once it aired, Yun Si, like Lu Tu, would sweep through the audience with unstoppable momentum. He had to make good use of that. He could hardly wait to expand Yun Si's role!

"Movie Emperor? Jiang, the Movie Emperor?" a staff member shouted.

Si You's heart skipped a beat, and he turned and ran into the military tent.

When Si You entered, Jiang Tingxu had just blinked awake and sat up, still somewhat dazed.

The staff member sighed in relief. "You're alright?"

"I'm fine." Jiang Tingxu said, "The three layers of blankets really were comfortable. I fell asleep."

Si You: "...You scared me to death!"

Jiang Tingxu looked up and smiled at him.

The fake blood at the corner of Jiang Tingxu's mouth had not yet been wiped clean. Combined with his makeup, his complexion looked poor, and Si You felt very uncomfortable at the sight.

"Huh?" The staff member watched as Si You stepped forward.

Then Si You stood before Jiang Tingxu, raised his hand, and wiped the fake blood from the man's mouth. "Get up. If you're sleepy, go back and sleep. You've already finished all your scenes today."

Staff member: "?"

Jiang, the Movie Emperor, not only didn't get angry, but nodded lightly and quickly rubbed against the back of Si You's hand. "Alright."

Si You: "..."

Staff member: "!!!" Holy shit! Wasn't this more exciting than some of those current boys' love dramas?!