After chatting with the creative team behind "Calming the Storm," Shi Wei happily headed home.
His part hadn't grown by much, but Shi Wei knew perfectly well that Liang Fang wasn't a major character. More importantly, the esteemed Director Zhang was willing to hear his ideas and appreciated him.
Most, most, most importantly, he'd gotten to see Xu Xirui so furious he looked ready to murder someone!
Think you're hot shit because you're the third male lead? I can hit you with a dimensional strike anytime.
Unless I back you into a corner, you won't make a move easily.
"You're back?"
Huh?
Shi Wei's happy smile froze.
Dressed in a light gray short-sleeved shirt and black pants, Ji Hanchuan sat reading on the couch, his long legs crossed. Hearing footsteps, he lazily raised his head, his fringe falling over his forehead and making his features look even more striking.
Shi Wei's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
The bastard hit me with a beauty attack the moment he showed up. How underhanded!
[Host, be careful not to break character.]
"I know, I know!"
"Hub! By!" Shi Wei broke into an ecstatic smile and bounded over in three steps, launching himself at him like a little cannonball, trying to disgust the clean freak with his weight and sweaty stink. "You're finally home!"
Fortunately, Ji Hanchuan had been prepared. He braced a hand against Shi Wei's waist to stop him, averting disaster.
Ji Hanchuan pushed him away in disgust. "Sit properly."
"Okay!" Shi Wei spun around and sat straight on his lap. "I can only sit properly on hubby's lap."
Shi Wei winked flirtatiously at Ji Hanchuan.
-Sitting on you counts as poverty relief. Keep that 'phone' of yours under control!
Ji Hanchuan's expression visibly darkened.
Couldn't this idiot think about something positive and uplifting for once?
Shi Wei's mood instantly brightened. With no regard for his life, he traced a slender index finger over Ji Hanchuan's chest. "Hubby, have you put the heart I left with you somewhere safe?"
Ji Hanchuan actually shuddered and caught his wandering hand.
He gave him a cold look. "As far as I know, no one has ever survived without a heart."
Shi Wei: ...
Shi Wei shook with laughter. "Oh, stop it! Hubby, you're such a joker. But since I've given you my little heart, you have to keep it with you everywhere, all the time."
Ji Hanchuan said, "No thanks. I don't want to carry hazardous materials around."
Shi Wei was furious!
You're the fucking hazardous material!
Your heart's so black, even a black hole would have to call it big brother.
Ji Hanchuan grabbed his arm and pulled him up, and Shi Wei suddenly cried out in pain.
"Hubby, don't pull so hard. My arm hurts." Looking thoroughly aggrieved, Shi Wei rolled up his sleeve to show Ji Hanchuan the red mark left when Xu Xirui had shoved him into something earlier that day.
Shi Wei's skin was dazzlingly pale, making the red mark rather conspicuous.
Ji Hanchuan narrowed his eyes. "Someone finally couldn't resist hitting you?"
Shi Wei couldn't help pounding his head against Ji Hanchuan's shoulder. I'll bash you to death!
But to Ji Hanchuan, it looked like he was acting coy.
Ji Hanchuan got up, found some ointment, and tossed it to him. "Take this. I have something serious to discuss with you."
Shi Wei obediently sat up straight.
"Since we can't get divorced right now, I'm laying down some ground rules."
Shi Wei wilted.
As expected, Ji Hanchuan was so filial that this route apparently wouldn't work.
As a major villain, is filial piety really a virtue you should possess? You should be defying Grandpa!
But Shi Wei immediately rejected that thought. He couldn't upset Grandpa, who truly treated him well.
Seeing his shoulders slump, Ji Hanchuan scoffed. "What? Unhappy that we can't divorce?"
Sensing danger, Shi Wei immediately beamed. "I'm not unhappy. I'm just afraid you can't see that my heart is full of you, packed to the brim."
Ji Hanchuan calmly took a sip of tea. "Since your heart is with me now, I'll be sure to format its memory."
Shi Wei: ...
"Our relationship must never be made public. If we happen to run into each other outside, pretend we're strangers." Ji Hanchuan turned serious. "Shi Wei, I won't interfere with what you do outside, and likewise, you mustn't interfere with me. If you step out of line, I won't let you off."
Shi Wei nodded, looking terribly aggrieved.
Inside: deafening gongs and drums, firecrackers going off in unison!
[Host, Ji Hanchuan is making such outrageous demands. How can you, who "loves him deeply," swallow this humiliation without a word?]
"Then should I be more upbeat?"
[...]
Brimming with energy, Shi Wei cupped his face. "Wow, that'll be just like having an affair. Hubby, you really know how to have fun."
Ji Hanchuan: ...
That wasn't what he meant.
But that apparently didn't stop Shi Wei's imagination from running wild.
Ji Hanchuan's tone grew more serious. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Whether we're outside or at home, I will not touch you."
There's even a perk like that?
Shi Wei put his imagination to very appropriate use. "Do you mean over the phone? Or being left on display?"
"...Stop downloading all those dodgy videos!"
Shi Wei couldn't help laughing, his eyes narrowing with his smile.
Something shifted in Ji Hanchuan's gaze. Without even realizing it, his eyes settled on Shi Wei's face and stayed there.
Shi Wei turned bashful. "Hubby, you're so mean. Why are you staring at me? Actually, I know what you're looking at. Everyone says that when I smile, my eyes look like two..."
Ji Hanchuan looked away. "Like two bananas?"
"..."
"Nothing but dirty thoughts in those eyes." Ji Hanchuan lazily stood and returned to his room.
Fuck!
The moment the door closed, Shi Wei sprang up and battered the air as though it were Ji Hanchuan!
That's for your sharp tongue! That's for being so smug!
The door clicked open.
Shi Wei petrified mid-punch.
Ji Hanchuan leaned lazily against the doorway. "Doing radio calisthenics?"
Shi Wei: ...
Ji Hanchuan, watch out. One day I'll smash your damn head in with a set of radio calisthenics!
After the contract was signed, the script for "Calming the Storm" arrived.
To keep Ji Hanchuan from finding out, Shi Wei hid in his room to read it. When he finally grew unbearably hungry, he sneaked into the kitchen, only to discover that the bastard wasn't even home.
Who knew where he'd gone to fool around.
After he'd been reading for quite a while, Ma Xianbei called. "Haven't checked Weibo? Xu Xirui tagged you. Repost it."
"Why should I repost it?" Shi Wei didn't want to cooperate at all.
"Xu Xirui's spoken up. You two are good friends now."
Shi Wei shot upright like a dying man startled out of his sickbed. "What the hell?"
Ma Xianbei urged him, "Hurry up and repost it, or his fans will start calling you ungrateful again."
"Let me see what's going on first."
Shi Wei hurriedly found his phone and went online. Sure enough, there were lots of unread notifications.
It turned out that Xu Xirui had posted on Weibo that morning, implying that he and Shi Wei had worked hard together and both made it into a major production, without mentioning a word about the earlier matter that had been conclusively exposed.
He acted as though they'd never had any conflict, the netizens had simply read too much into things, and now they were going to walk the flower road together.
The green tea aroma was strong.
Since Shi Wei hadn't responded for hours, Xu Xirui's fans had grown impatient and come over to berate him for ignoring their darling.
Shi Wei outright scoffed. Why are you provoking me again? You really don't know what's good for you!
You want me to repost it? Fine, I'll repost it.
"Everyone knows damn well where they stand.jpg."