Joke 2

All things considered, casting him in a film was essentially a poor value proposition.

If he wanted to make the transition, he first had to break through this predicament.

The path Yin Ran had planned for him was to start with supporting roles. Playing opposite a film starlet like An Fei was the best option: someone else would carry the box office, and if the film flopped, he wouldn't be the one blamed. If it was a hit, everyone would benefit, and he would get a share of the success.

Xie Yibai went to the audition wearing the white shirt and name badge from the day of the rehearsal. He had also brought a black apron, which he put on just before entering.

Years of filming period dramas had given him an upright, graceful bearing. Combined with his gentle, jade-like temperament, he was very convincing as a gifted literature student.

Though he was not exceptionally talented, ten years of acting had been enough to polish him into a professional actor.

As soon as the camera was in place, he slipped into character, expertly working a siphon pot with both hands to brew coffee-without any actual props. For this scene, he had spent several evenings at a café learning from the manager.

Someone entered the shop midway through. Amid his work, he took ten seconds to look up, then looked away. A moment later, his gaze settled on the counter, his eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Normally, I should recommend our signature matcha latte, but today is a special occasion. I suggest you order an iced Americano."

"Because... first bitter, then sweet." He braced both hands on the counter and looked into the camera, a subtle invitation in his eyes. "Customers who can handle the bitterness have a chance to sample our newly arrived coffee beans, with complimentary afternoon tea."

One minute and thirty seconds. Cut.

Xie Yibai came out of his pose and stood straight, bowed to the producer and assistant director in their seats, and thanked the rest of the staff.

The assistant director folded his arms and rubbed his chin. "He made my heart flutter."

The producer said, "The best-looking person we've seen today. Very youthful and moving."

"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Xie. We'll notify you when the results are out."

Xie Yibai thanked them and left, bringing the day's work to a successful close.

He had done what he could. The rest was up to fate!

Outside, Xie Yibai took off the apron and handed it to A Chu. She stuffed it into her tote bag and passed him his phone with her long, manicured fingers. "Someone called you just now. His name was Zou Yan."

"Oh, what did he say?"

"He said to go see him. He sent the location to your WeChat."

Apparently, he couldn't call it a day yet. He had to work overtime.

Disappointed, Xie Yibai opened WeChat. The address Zou Yan had sent was a restaurant.

He asked for nothing else, only that the food be good.

A Chu never put her phone down. She worked and browsed online anytime, anywhere, keeping herself constantly busy. Xie Yibai was meeting an acquaintance and didn't need to trouble her to come along, so after the van dropped him off downstairs from the restaurant, he had the driver take A Chu home.

The restaurants Zou Yan chose generally placed great importance on their customers' privacy and did not admit anyone without a reservation. Xie Yibai gave the waiter the private room number and was led to an elegant, secluded room.

But Zou Yan wasn't alone. Sheng Ke was there too.

"Xiaobai, you're here," Zou Yan said, rising to greet him. "Sit down. You get to order today."

"Brother Yan, Director Ke." Xie Yibai walked over apprehensively.

The two men were sitting on the same side of a square table, so he had no choice but to sit across from them alone. Sheng Ke pushed the menu toward him.

The room was exquisitely designed. An open horizontal window framed a little scene in the courtyard: several steps lay beneath a shapely Buddhist pine, and still water flowed down them into a deep pool. Koi swished their tails as they swam, as though they were part of a painting.

Xie Yibai studied the menu for a while, then gave his order to the waiter waiting quietly nearby.

Once the waiter left, the only voices in the room were Zou Yan's and Sheng Ke's. They were discussing the progress of their work, and it wasn't appropriate for Xie Yibai to listen, so he kept his head down and scrolled through his phone.

But Zou Yan soon stopped talking business and turned to him. "By the way, Xiaobai, how did your audition go this afternoon?"

"All right," Xie Yibai said cautiously.

"Don't worry about it. It's just a second male lead role. You won't lose anything if you don't get it." Zou Yan asked Sheng Ke, "Have you seen An Fei lately? Why don't we ask her out for a chat?"

"I don't know her that well," Sheng Ke said coolly.

Zou Yan said, "But she knows you. When she was on that show, whatever it was, the host asked which director she most wanted to work with, and she named you."

Sheng Ke turned a deaf ear and shifted his gaze to the messages on his phone.

Getting nowhere, Zou Yan said to Xie Yibai, "See, Xiaobai? He's been just as awful to me for the past ten years."

"..." Xie Yibai only smiled without speaking. As if waking from a dream, he remembered why Sheng Ke was here-could it be because of... that offhand joke he had made to Zou Yan?

No way. No way.

Zou Yan had been drunk then.

But on further thought, Xie Yibai realized that Zou Yan's promise to make a web drama for him had also come after he got drunk, and he had followed through. There was a script and an investor; they really were going to film it.

So Zou Yan didn't make idle promises. He was absolutely a man of his word.

Xie Yibai caught sight of the watch face on Sheng Ke's left wrist and suddenly felt dizzy. Oh heavens... this is so awkward.

He hadn't actually wanted it!

"Brother Yan..." Xie Yibai said shakily, trying to set things right. "When I was on the phone with you this afternoon, I had something on my mind and was talking nonsense. Don't take it to heart..."

"How can I do that?" Zou Yan reached his right hand across his left arm and patted Sheng Ke on the shoulder. "You promised me. Don't go back on your word."

Sheng Ke lowered his head and began undoing the watch strap, his expression unreadable.

"No, no, no!" Xie Yibai waved his hands frantically. "I wasn't serious. Brother Yan was drunk at the time, and I thought he was just humoring me, so I humored him too. Director Ke, stop taking it off... I don't wear watches!"

Zou Yan looked at him with amusement. "You really don't want it?"

"I don't!" Xie Yibai said firmly.

Sheng Ke looked first at him, then at Zou Yan. "What's this supposed to mean? Are you two playing me together?"

Xie Yibai explained in vain, "No, that's not it. It's a misunderstanding..."

He really wanted to slap himself across the mouth. Come on, stupid mouth, make an excuse!

Zou Yan caught his waving hand, laid it flat on the table, and reassured him, "Don't be scared. We're joking."

Sheng Ke took off his watch and handed it to Zou Yan. Annoyed that he couldn't take a hint, Zou Yan said cheerfully, "Where am I supposed to find a free hand? Put it on him."

The instant Xie Yibai met Sheng Ke's eyes, it was as though he were enveloped in a rosy glow.

Without another word, Sheng Ke pulled his left wrist over. "Pardon me, Teacher Xie."

Each of Xie Yibai's hands was held by someone. His wrist bones were so slender that the buckle of the jet-black crocodile leather strap had to go through the last hole. Pale blue veins traced their way beneath his snowy skin, and the small diamonds set around the watch face were like ice crystals on a snowy mountain.

Sheng Ke's fingertips were a little warmer than Xie Yibai's skin, like warm raindrops falling on his wrist.

The handsome man had long, thick eyelashes that veiled his cold eyes like a thin mist. Xie Yibai's heart trembled, as though he had been drenched from head to toe.

Zou Yan held his other hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb and giving it a squeeze. "Why are you looking at Sheng Ke like that? Is he handsome?"

Hearing his own name, Sheng Ke lifted his eyelids. Xie Yibai hurriedly looked away to keep their eyes from meeting.

"I really was joking..." he said.

"I know. We won't give it to you," Zou Yan coaxed. "Xiaobai, next time, make a wish you mean."

Chapter 20: Joke 2

Xie Yibai no longer dared to speak carelessly. Zou Yan was a man who did what he said, not someone to joke with.

Sheng Ke let go of his hand and said casually, "It suits you."

Xie Yibai pulled his arm back, doing his best to appear composed. Whatever else could be said, the watch was truly beautiful, very sparkly and very expensive. He had only been joking before he put it on, but now that he had, he really did want it.

But no matter how much he wanted it, he couldn't take it from Sheng Ke. Taking it off immediately would seem coy, so he said unhurriedly, "Thank you for granting my wish, Director Ke. I'll try it on for a bit, then give it back."

Zou Yan teased, "That watch is Director Ke's treasure. This is the first time he's taken it off and let someone else wear it."

Xie Yibai recovered from his astonishment and asked, "Does it have some special meaning?"

Directors made so much money; surely he wouldn't treat a watch like a precious treasure.

"My mom gave it to me," Sheng Ke said. "Things have gone pretty smoothly for me since I put it on."

"It was a gift." Xie Yibai said enviously, "My mom acts like a little girl all day long. All she does is ask me to buy her gifts to make her happy."

"That means you have a great relationship with your mom," Zou Yan said, trying to make him feel better. "You haven't met my mom. She's really... a very strict old lady."

Sheng Ke said, "Did you go back to see Uncle and Auntie? Did they say anything to you?"

"No. I told them I was busy with a new project and couldn't go back." Zou Yan propped his cheek on his hand, looking listless. "I just can't stand their nagging. It's so annoying."

As they chatted, the dishes were brought out one by one. Zou Yan and Sheng Ke continued talking about family matters, while Xie Yibai busied himself with his chopsticks, only listening and offering no opinions.

He watched them closely and found that the two shared a very deep rapport. It wasn't the kind built by playing games, doing business, eating, drinking, and having fun together, but an understanding of each other cultivated by years spent constantly together-"Neither of us should push our luck; that's enough." Just when he thought they were about to quarrel, they made up with the next sentence.

"Deep" was the only way to describe it.

A person's tolerance usually had a limit. Once that limit was pushed back again and again, it became "unconditional forbearance," showing that the relationship was unbreakable.

Xie Yibai had strong family ties but few close friends. At the age best suited to making confidants, he had been either moving house or changing schools, and he had never had a steady close friend who truly knew him.

As an adult, he had entered the entertainment industry, with its glamorous excesses and obsession with profit. He barely had time to guard against schemers, let alone entertain the thought of opening his heart to anyone.

Envious as he was, Xie Yibai also wanted to know whether the spark between Zou Yan and Sheng Ke could last a lifetime in a friendship as solid as theirs. Would it someday come to grief for some unexpected reason?

He meant no harm; he simply had an instinctive desire to explore the unknown.

They hadn't ordered alcohol with dinner, so it ended relatively early. Xie Yibai had sent his driver and manager away beforehand because he knew Zou Yan would take him home.