By the time Shang Shujue woke up, the sun was already out. Warm sunlight streamed onto the windowsill and fell just right across his bed. He opened his eyes in the sunlight, reflexively shielded them, then stretched.
"I thought you wouldn't wake up until eleven thirty. I didn't expect you to be up at ten. That deserves some encouragement. You can even have a slightly late but still pretty decent breakfast."
Song Yanqing's voice came from over by the sofa, startling the newly awakened Shang Shujue. Once he realized who it was, he let out a breath of relief and rolled his eyes.
"When did you get here? Speaking out of nowhere is seriously scary, okay? Could you say something to warn me next time?"
Shang Shujue got out of bed, unable to resist complaining. Song Yanqing closed his laptop and laid out the breakfast he had been keeping warm. He paid no mind to Shang Shujue's eye roll and even nodded at his request, though his response was infuriating.
"Sure. Next time I'll lean right over your ear and shout, in case you're hard of hearing and can't hear me. After all, my voice really was a little quiet just now."
"..."
Shang Shujue stayed silent for quite a while before walking over to the sofa. Instead of sitting down right away, however, he raised an arm and put him straight into a chokehold, threatening him fiercely.
"Song Yanqing! Do you have a death wish?"
"Cough, cough... don't, don't! I was just giving you a friendly reminder that I did say something, but you still got startled. So whether I say anything or not, you'll get scared either way. There's no need to silence me for good, is there? Cough, cough... that doesn't warrant a death sentence! Let go, let go!"
Song Yanqing felt no restraint whatsoever, but he still grabbed Shang Shujue's hand with exaggerated gestures, acting as though he was struggling terribly in the chokehold. After all, this was a man who had taken turns with Shang Shujue winning Best Actor awards in film and television in their previous life. His acting skills were beyond question.
Although Shang Shujue knew he was acting, his performance was so convincing that it stirred his pity. So he pinched Song Yanqing's cheek, then let go.
"Tch! For the sake of all this good food, I'll be the bigger person and overlook your petty offenses. I can't be bothered to argue with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Shujue dug into the food on the table. The still-warm breakfast had been sitting for a while, but it tasted as good as ever.
"Will tonight's livestream here run long enough to show you going onstage? Come to think of it, after you started acting, I forgot what you looked like dancing."
Song Yanqing poured Shang Shujue some warm milk. Talking about the trainee stage performances suddenly stirred a keen interest in him, and the image of Shang Shujue dancing involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
He still remembered that Shang Shujue had debuted through classical dance. After his debut, he had begun honing his acting skills and built up a substantial body of work, so there had been far fewer chances to see him dance.
"Why do you care so much about whether I dance? What, you want a dance battle with me? Well, I have principles. I don't pick on people with two left feet, thank you."
Sometimes, Shang Shujue was like a block of wood missing a piece, always managing to mistake Song Yanqing's admiration for a challenge. He even took pride in beating him. Every time he won, he would run up to him and show off triumphantly, just like a little kid.
"Yes, yes, you're amazing. You're the best. Then if you go onstage today, remember to give a good performance. I'll be watching the livestream from the backstage lounge."
Song Yanqing's lips curved slightly. He did not correct him, merely going along with what he said and taking the opportunity to tell him he would be watching his livestream.
"Suit yourself. I'm not debuting anyway. I'll just sing when I go up there, not dance. You won't get to see it."
Shang Shujue waved a hand, unconcerned about whether he went. He was already working out whose gossip to feast on. He had three chances a day, and they could accumulate.
He had gone two days without feasting on gossip, which made six chances. There had also been one unused chance left on the day he had feasted on Zhang Yunchen's gossip, making seven. Adding today's brought it to ten.
Was feasting on ten people's gossip in one go a little too extravagant? Could he get through it all? He probably could, right? Hehehe... never mind that for now. He was already getting excited~(¯▽¯~)
"Then I can look forward to your singing instead. What are you going to sing?"
Song Yanqing peeled an egg for Shang Shujue and handed it over, compliantly changing his tune without the slightest hesitation. Switching topics came just as easily to him.
"I haven't decided yet. I'll see when the time comes. Why should an old hand like me make such a big production of it? If I end up snatching their debut spots, a lot of people will have worked hard for nothing again."
Shang Shujue took the egg and reflexively split it in half, removed the yolk, and handed it back. He did not like eating yolks; he found them hard to swallow.
Song Yanqing liked egg yolks, which made him quite useful in that respect. Every time Shang Shujue ran into him over breakfast, he would casually pass his yolks over.
Although Song Yanqing had always looked sour at those times, he would still accept the yolks from his hand. Once he put them in his mouth, his cheeks would puff up like a little tsundere otter.
Shang Shujue particularly liked that look on him, but rarely got to see it, so he often fed him. Yet the other man seemed to know he would be watching and ate in tiny bites, putting on such an act that it frustrated him. For a time, this had been a source of regret.
Now, though, Song Yanqing seemed unconcerned about his image. Whether he ate egg yolks or anything else in front of him, he would show off those puffed cheeks. It was very cute.
"True. Whatever you perform, I'll watch. Once your livestream is over, let's go have barbecue. You don't have to keep such strict watch over your figure now, do you?"
Song Yanqing had no idea what Shang Shujue was thinking. He had simply remembered him mentioning that he wanted barbecue and made a reservation, so they could head straight over once his livestream ended.
"Nope. I can even have a couple of beers. It's finally my turn to live the barbecue-and-beer life."
Shang Shujue's eyes lit up, and he waved a hand, wearing an expression that said Song Yanqing truly lived up to being his sworn enemy-he knew him as well as he knew himself. His thoughts went nowhere else at all. Then, before Song Yanqing could speak, he remembered the paparazzi taking photos.
"Oh, right. Didn't those paparazzi take pictures of us that day? Did you get the photos from them? I haven't seen any exposés online."
"With your identity in this world, aren't there strict rules against posting your photos on social media? Otherwise, people on the foreign internet could steal information about your appearance, and you'd be in a difficult position."
Shang Shujue had most of this world's setting in his head. The Songhui Aristocratic Family was an unrivaled great family with a certain standing in politics.
Whether under the Song Family's rules or its agreement with the country, no member of the Song Family was allowed to casually post photos on public platforms. If anyone else dared take and publish their photos, they would be in for a real treat-a grand gift of tears behind bars.
"Don't worry. It's all been handled. I need to take a work call. Take your time eating. There's no rush."
"Sure, go ahead."