Shi Wei was panting.
He could only brace himself against the wall and gasp for breath. He had run too hard just now and couldn't recover right away.
Ji Hanchuan watched him with his arms folded.
"Hu-hu..."
Ji Hanchuan said, "Being chased by a ghost?"
"Y-you, you..."
Ji Hanchuan narrowed his eyes. "I'm not interested in hearing you repeat syllables."
Shi Wei squeezed past him into the suite, grabbed the glass on the table, and drank.
After downing a glass of water, he finally came back to life.
Ji Hanchuan leisurely closed the door and walked in, saying quietly, "That was my water."
But he hadn't expected Shi Wei to be even more shameless than he'd imagined.
Shi Wei poured himself another glass. "Then that counts as sharing life's hardships with my hubby."
Ji Hanchuan: ...
He sat on the sofa, putting some distance between himself and Shi Wei. "So you came to mooch water?"
Shi Wei opened his mouth.
Now that his little head had cooled down, he suddenly seemed unable to understand why he'd run upstairs.
So what if Ji Hanchuan was at the audition that day? So what if he acknowledged you? He never told you about it.
Instead, you ran upstairs in excitement the moment you saw it, as if you were really happy.
Shi Wei calmed down.
He was just about to find an excuse to leave when his phone rang.
He checked the time: 00:01. Ma Xianbei had called right on the dot.
"Hubby, let me take this call."
Ji Hanchuan: ...
What did he take this place for?
Shi Wei answered. "Brother Bei, do you really have to be that obedient?"
"That was Ji Hanchuan!" Ma Xianbei was still shaken. "Speaking of which, why was he with you?"
"Would you believe me if I said we ran into each other?"
"Get lost! Do you think I'm an idiot?" Ma Xianbei changed his tone. "Here's some good news. Wang Jun'er and Wang William have been fired by the company."
Shi Wei froze. "Really?"
"I didn't expect it either. You might not know this, but Wang Jun'er had a very powerful backer. Yet before your recording even came out, her backer dumped her. I was right there. I'll never forget the sight of Wang Jun'er crying and begging the management."
"Why?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's because they offended Director Zhang this time, and her backer was afraid of getting burned too."
But Director Zhang had handed this matter over to Ji Hanchuan.
Shi Wei instinctively looked at Ji Hanchuan. Could it have been him...
"What they said was too nasty, and the fallout was too big. Now that their backer's gone, they'll never recover. The company held an overnight meeting to cut ties with them." Ma Xianbei sighed at the harsh realities of society.
Shi Wei said calmly, "That's what they get for refusing to repent even after being kicked off the production and forcing me to release the recording."
"That's true, but if you hadn't recorded it, I wouldn't have known what to do."
"I'm so smart!" Shi Wei gave Ji Hanchuan a thumbs-up.
Ji Hanchuan simply turned away to look at his phone.
"Shi Wei, you really lucked into a pile of dog shit."
"Invincible strength is a kind of luck too."
"...Shameless. I'm done talking to you." Ma Xianbei hung up.
Shi Wei sidled up to Ji Hanchuan. "Hubby~~"
Ji Hanchuan immediately felt his temple twitch. "Get away from me."
"Nooo." Shi Wei hugged his arm. "You pulled a 'the weather's turned cold; time for the Wang family to go bankrupt,' didn't you?"
"..." Ji Hanchuan shook him off. "You're not entirely stupid."
Shi Wei waggled his eyebrows at him and spread his arms. "Hubby's so wonderful. Let me reward you with a smooch... er..."
Ji Hanchuan froze.
Shi Wei went stiff.
Such a beautiful, lovely mouth, so why couldn't it say anything right?
He'd already forgotten, and you just had to bring it up.
"Hehehe." Shi Wei laughed awkwardly and lowered his arms. "I'll give you that smooch next time. Definitely next time."
Ji Hanchuan looked composed. Suddenly, he said, "You just said invincible strength equals luck, and your manager said you lucked into dog shit. By substitution..."
Shi Wei: ...Huh?
So invincible strength = dog shit?
Very good, you bastard. Do you know you're playing with fire?
Ji Hanchuan went back to looking at his phone. "You can leave now."
Fine, I'll leave! I was a fucking idiot to run up all those stairs!
Shi Wei strode toward the door, but the doorbell abruptly rang.
Li Xiaochen had a key card. Who on earth was coming to see Ji Hanchuan in the middle of the night?
Ji Hanchuan walked over and motioned for Shi Wei to hide in the bathroom.
Shi Wei would rather die than submit.
I'm not going in!
I'm getting my fill of this gossip!
A pitiful voice came from outside. "Brother Hanchuan, it's me. Are you asleep?"
Shi Wei immediately hid in the bathroom.
Who would have thought the sea king would come electrofishing in his fishpond in the middle of the night?
Ji Hanchuan looked helplessly at Shi Wei's face poking out from behind the door. Without opening the front door, he asked through it, "What can I do for you?"
"Could I talk to you face-to-face, Brother Hanchuan?" Xu Xirui's voice alone inspired pity. "Brother Hanchuan, can I come in?"
Shi Wei nodded furiously at Ji Hanchuan: Let him in!
Ji Hanchuan then heard his true thoughts.
-He's begging you like that. How could you not let him see your big baby?
Looking for another excuse to divorce? Ji Hanchuan frowned in disgust, his tone displeased. "Whatever it is, we can talk tomorrow."
"Wait! Brother Hanchuan, I want to talk to you about Shi Wei. I think there's been a misunderstanding between us."
Shi Wei: ?
You're talking about me, but the misunderstanding is between you and Ji Hanchuan?
Ji Hanchuan refused mercilessly. "I don't want to talk about Shi Wei. He has nothing to do with me."
Shi Wei: ...
Once again, it was a world where only Shi Wei got hurt.
"Brother Hanchuan, do you really hate me?" Xu Xirui's voice outside the door was taking on a tearful edge.
"I don't hate you."
"Then why won't you open the door and look at me? We've known each other since we were little. Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you, but it's too late now. Whatever it is, tell me tomorrow."
How pitiful.
Shi Wei couldn't help rushing out, pushing Ji Hanchuan aside, and looking through the peephole.
Sure enough, Xu Xirui was outside wiping away tears.
Hmm? Was that eye drops he just put into his pocket?
Xu Xirui sniffled. "Brother Hanchuan, if you don't open the door, I won't leave. Even if I have to wait until morning to see you, I'll keep waiting!"
Shi Wei: ...
Ji Hanchuan: ...
Ji Hanchuan pointed at the bathroom, and Shi Wei obligingly hid in the wardrobe.
Are you kidding? What if Xu Xirui needs the bathroom? What am I supposed to do? Say, 'Welcome'?
"..." Ji Hanchuan watched his practiced movements with a headache. Only after he was inside did Ji Hanchuan open the door.
Xu Xirui lifted his head, his eyes brimming with tears. "Brother Hanchuan, you're finally willing to open the door. I know I'm disturbing you, but I feel I have to explain what happened today."
Ji Hanchuan stood in the doorway, showing no intention of letting him in.
"I'm sorry." Xu Xirui burst into tears and lunged forward, trying to throw himself into Ji Hanchuan's arms. "I'm scared! Brother Hanchuan, I'm really scared you'll ignore me-"
Shi Wei stealthily opened the wardrobe door a crack, just in time to see this scene.
Now came the question.
In the dead of night, when your pretty childhood friend was crying and wanted you to hold him, what would you do?
a: Hug him.
b: Hug him, then kiss him!
Ji Hanchuan: I choose c.