Reward

What he hadn't guessed was that Sheng Ke hadn't driven today, so the driver had to drop the three of them off separately.

The car that pulled up outside the restaurant wasn't the four-seat Cullinan Xie Yibai had ridden in last time, but a brand-new five-seat Phantom, with fiery red upholstery, a luxurious starlight headliner, and headrests embroidered with the double-R logo. Zou Yan had put a potted orchid in the front passenger seat, the same one Xie Yibai had seen in their company's reception room.

Zou Yan's family had a spacious, sunny courtyard filled with all manner of ornamental potted plants; every precious plant in the studio had been brought over from his home.

He had grown tired of looking at the orchid and taken it upon himself to swap it for a peony-but whether the flower could survive in a high-rise office was none of his concern.

It was because of that extra delicate flower that he had taken this car out.

Zou Yan was the last to get out, so he got into the back seat first. Xie Yibai stood outside, hesitating, until Sheng Ke said, "Get in. I'm getting out before you."

He had no choice but to sit in the middle. It was a luxury car, after all, and as comfortable as they came. He could smell both Sheng Ke's cologne and the medicine on Zou Yan. Both scents had a bitter edge, but neither was unpleasant.

Xie Yibai didn't know where Sheng Ke was getting out, so as soon as the car pulled onto the road, he unfastened the strap and returned the watch to him.

Heh. I'm not mouthing off again.

"Not wearing it a little longer? Don't you like it?" Sheng Ke said, but he took the watch and put it back on his own wrist.

Xie Yibai said, "I can't take something you love."

Sheng Ke said, "Have Zou Yan buy you one. He can afford it."

"Sure, I'll buy it," Zou Yan chimed in promptly. "But Xiaobai, you have to pick a different model. Don't wear the exact same one as him."

Xie Yibai reiterated, "Really, there's no need... I was just joking. If I want one, I can buy it myself."

He had only recently accepted jewelry from Zou Yan. How could he accept an expensive diamond watch so soon afterward?

At present, he was caught in a dilemma. He could amass as much money and take as many benefits as possible, but he had nothing to give in return.

Zou Yan had said he didn't want a straightforward transactional relationship; if Xie Yibai chose a luxury item of equal value as a return gift, that would mean the feelings went both ways, and that was called dating.

Xie Yibai had no intention of dating anyone. He was a block of wood when it came to romance, and opening his heart to someone made him uncomfortable. He couldn't very well be a liar, could he?

Everyone who made it big in the entertainment industry was shrewd, and he wasn't confident he could treat such a calculating man as a sucker.

If Zou Yan wanted him to pay it back when they parted ways, what a hassle that would be. He hated hassles most of all.

Xie Yibai didn't like worrying about things that hadn't happened yet. He cleared his mind and let his gaze wander, until a glint of light drew it to the back of Sheng Ke's hand on his left.

His fingers were long and slender, threaded with distinct blue veins, graceful without lacking strength; the rose-gold edging and diamonds on the watch face merely set off the hand. Following the texture of his sleeve upward, past his shoulder and neck, Xie Yibai came to his chin and lips. Illuminated by the car's starlights and the neon outside the window, they looked like a slice of an oil painting, its warm and cool tones clear and luminous.

He was so handsome. If arrogance and prejudice weren't written all over his face, Xie Yibai would have quite liked to get closer to him.

Pretty faces like Sheng Ke and Xing Zhanyun came with bad personalities, so when heaven opened one door for handsome men, it closed many windows.

He himself was an exception, of course. Haha.

Xie Yibai admired the beauty right beside him and cheered himself up again. He wouldn't think so much for now. Enjoying good fortune while it lasted and living in the moment were never wrong!

Zou Yan had silenced his phone during dinner, and now he had messages to go through and calls to return. He hadn't stopped since getting into the car.

From the conversations, Sheng Ke could occasionally tell who was calling: the agent of some big-name actor, negotiating the actor's schedule and fee.

He had wanted to tell Zou Yan, Stop wasting words on them. If he can't do it, replace him.

But when he turned his head, he realized the person sitting beside him wasn't Zou Yan, but someone much like the orchid in the front seat: quiet, at ease, and refined.

Xie Yibai's profile had gone viral online, and countless netizens had hailed it as a magnificent god-tier face. His looks were delicate and lovely, with only his eyes holding a hint of allure, something not many people noticed.

He seemed bored, unsure where to look. He gazed absently elsewhere, his eyes brimming with starlight, reflections of the lights.

Sheng Ke forgot what he had meant to say, so he typed it into his phone's notes app and had Xie Yibai pass it over.

Xie Yibai was deep in a daze when someone nudged him. He turned to see Sheng Ke tilt his chin, indicating that he should give the phone to Zou Yan.

He did as instructed.

Zou Yan glanced at the line of text on the blank screen and changed his tune with the person on the other end of the call. After a few perfunctory words, he hung up.

But another call came in, drawing him into another round of maneuvering.

Xie Yibai returned the phone to Sheng Ke.

Sheng Ke did something he hadn't expected. He supported Xie Yibai's wrist with his left hand and took the phone with his right, then loosened the five fingers clasped around his wrist and slipped them lingeringly between his fingers.

His brain froze on the spot.

What is he doing?

What is he doing!

What... is he doing!?

Zou Yan kept his voice low on the call. Since it involved financial matters, he was concentrating on weighing them and had no attention to spare for the two of them.

Xie Yibai's left ear was filled with the low murmur of business talk, while his right ear turned as red as if it had been steamed. Half his face burned, and his eyes were fixed on Sheng Ke's face.

I was just saying how close you two are... how deep your bond is...

Sheng Ke gripped his hand and pulled it to his chest, placing something cold and angular in his palm.

Fine goosebumps spread from the back of Xie Yibai's hand up his arm. His ear tingled, and half his body couldn't move.

Sheng Ke's voice was even softer, almost a whisper, as it drifted past his ear. "Yours."

Uh... Xie Yibai glanced at the little glittering thing in his palm, hurriedly closed his fingers around it, and lowered his hand to his knee, pretending nothing had happened.

Sheng Ke saw his embarrassment clearly and guessed that he had misunderstood something. His trembling eyelashes and slightly pursed lips were a sight to behold, just like a quivering dandelion, full of emotion but without any aggression. So Sheng Ke decided not to explain and let him misunderstand.

Because he was cute enough.

Finding it rather novel, Sheng Ke gave him a couple more looks, then held out an open hand beside his leg to see how he would react.

Xie Yibai was clutching the object in his right hand, so he reached out with his left and slapped Sheng Ke's palm. The loud smack drew Zou Yan's gaze as well.

Sheng Ke's hand tingled from the slap, but he laughed instead.

Zou Yan covered his phone's microphone and warned, "Don't you bully him."

Sheng Ke held out his empty hand again to prove his innocence. "How am I bullying him? He hit me."

Xie Yibai edged toward Zou Yan, his eyes full of wariness. But he was still clutching the "stolen goods," whatever they were, and didn't dare complain. He could only try his best to keep his distance, and even the Rolls-Royce seemed cramped and constricting now.

The car stopped at the roadside near an upscale apartment building. Sheng Ke got out, said "Good night," and walked away without looking back.

Finally out of danger, Xie Yibai relaxed and spread out on the spacious seat.

He had been pressed against Zou Yan just now, in a position rather like snuggling up to him. Zou Yan was naturally delighted, but unfortunately, his hand was broken, and he needed his good one to hold his phone, so he couldn't hold Xie Yibai's hand.

Xie Yibai sat through the rest of the journey with his thoughts in a tangle. Once the car came to a stop downstairs at his apartment complex, he flung open the door and ran.

Phoenix-red upholstery and a shooting-star headliner meant nothing to him; he wasn't blessed enough to enjoy them. His own little dump was best!

Walking along the familiar wooded path, Xie Yibai took the little object Sheng Ke had slipped him out of his pocket. It was the pendant from the ear cuff he had lost.

Needless to say, he had lost it that rainy night when he got into the wrong car.

So it hadn't been lost after all. Someone had found it.

It had been a false alarm, and Xie Yibai wanted to hug a tree right there and yell at the top of his lungs.

That damned man, why did he tease me like that?

He kicked at the grass, sending a few bits flying.

Another lesson learned. Xie Yibai swore to carve the words "the richer the man, the worse he is" into his heart.

He had nowhere to vent and wanted to squat down and play a game, kill some people, then go upstairs. But as soon as he unlocked his phone, he received a WeChat message from Sheng Ke.

Sheng Ke: Just kidding, I hope you're not angry

Xie Yibai furiously typed: I am

Sheng Ke: Then I hope you stop being angry

: I can't

Sheng Ke: Then what would make you stop being angry?

Xie Yibai wanted to say, Go die. If you died, I'd be delighted, and everyone would be satisfied. But a venomous tongue would bring retribution, and he still had to be a decent person.

Phew. He had a brain, and he needed a plan.

He replied: Let me play the male lead in your next movie /grin

Sheng Ke: All right

Xie Yibai was still angry and replied without thinking: What's all right? Is that a yes or a no?

Sheng Ke: Yes. I'll put together an outline first and come find you once I've written the script

: ...?

Sheng Ke: I'm working overtime now, bye

Even by the standards of the entire domestic entertainment industry, this chat was explosive, to the point of being unbelievable.

Xie Yibai took a screenshot and saved it to his photo album, turning it over in his mind again and again. What the hell? Did an unparalleled opportunity just fall from the sky?

Chapter 21: Reward

WeChat chat logs could be submitted as evidence when people were fighting and exposing one another, but they couldn't be used for publicity or treated as proof. All Xie Yibai could do was hope Sheng Ke had Zou Yan's virtue of keeping his word.

That night, he was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep in bed.

Is it real?

He's not teasing me again, is he?

Either way, he couldn't shove the chat log in Sheng Ke's face and demand, Where's the male lead role and script you promised me!?

Xie Yibai hid under the covers, gnawing on his fingers. Please, he really needed this.

Just imagine: the Little Great Director who carried the future of Chinese-language cinema on his shoulders, the unparalleled, un-un-unbelievable genius, officially announcing that his next movie would star a nobody from web dramas like him.

The sheer bliss might kill him.