Good News

He had greeted everyone there one by one, and Zou Yan had introduced them all. From his hazy recollection, Xie Yibai recognized the man in the gray suit sitting across from him as a Mr. He.

He really puts on airs, having someone else ask for my WeChat for him.

Xie Yibai didn't believe this group of highly educated, highly intelligent tech elites watched the formulaic, saccharine dramas he starred in. But investors paid the bills, and he had to flatter them.

He understood that, and Zou Yan understood it even better. Zou Yan immediately rose and raised his glass in a toast across the table. "Thank you for your interest, Mr. He. Xiaobai, add him."

Xie Yibai took out his phone and opened his WeChat QR code, letting the person who had come on Mr. He's behalf scan it.

After the meal, he had three new friend requests.

The dozen or so people at the round table had had their eyes opened that night and come away with an explosive piece of gossip. Satisfied, they dispersed. Xie Yibai followed Zou Yan to the underground garage, heading for their second dinner engagement.

The early stages of preparing a drama involved the most social engagements. Xie Yibai had eaten only a few bites at the first meal, planning to fill his stomach at the second.

As soon as Zou Yan got into the car, he received a call and gestured to the driver to wait.

Xie Yibai went through his unread WeChat messages. His mother had sent him the location of a hotel in Sanya, and his father had sent him a picture of a fishing basket full of fish. An actor he had worked with had also asked him to share a trailer for a new drama. He forwarded it to the work group chat with a tap and told A Chu to log into his Weibo and take care of it.

There were also plenty of messages he didn't want to answer, so he pretended he hadn't seen them.

By the time he had cleared the red notification dots from his chat screen, Zou Yan had finished his call. After hanging up, Zou Yan said, "You can accept that Mr. He's request. He might be useful later."

So Xie Yibai accepted the friend request labeled "He Qingchuan." He asked, "Is Qingchuan his real name?"

"He changed it himself. That's not the name he was born with," Zou Yan said. "By the way, is Yibai your original name, or a stage name you adopted after signing with your company?"

"My original name. My grandpa gave it to me. He said it worked for both boys and girls."

Zou Yan had left the car window open for air. Hesitation spread across his brow, and he changed his mind. "I'll take you home first. If you don't want to drink, skip the next engagement."

Xie Yibai said, "Why?"

How one handled social engagements depended on who was there. If the people at the table were officials responsible for registration and review, drinking was unavoidable. No work of art could exist outside the system. Dramas involving modern history were considered major-subject productions and faced reviews several times stricter than idol dramas. They had to find the right channels and smooth the way in advance, or the review process could torment them to the point of collapse.

Zou Yan was the executive producer, so he had to take the lead on registering the script and securing the filming permit.

Xie Yibai had never attended a gathering like that. In the past, when his boss had told him to drink with people, he'd had no choice. Now that he did, he really didn't want to go.

He could already imagine facing a bunch of old men who loved official jargon and drank nothing but baijiu.

"If I don't go, Brother Yan, won't you have to drink alone?"

"No, Sister Yin Ran will be there too. She knows her way around these things, so don't worry."

Xie Yibai unfastened his seat belt and said guiltily, "Brother Yan, am I really worth you treating me so well?"

Zou Yan had a larger social circle, broader horizons, and more life experience than he did. It was easy for him to sense what Xie Yibai was thinking, but he didn't want to make assumptions, so he asked, "What's wrong? Do you think you're not worth it?"

Xie Yibai was simply confused. He couldn't make the equation add up. But someone as pragmatic as Zou Yan surely could, and he didn't need to go this far to win Xie Yibai's favor.

Everyone in this circle traded value for value and kept a clear account of favors and grudges. It was simply unbelievable that Zou Yan treated him well without wanting anything in return.

"I don't know. I think it's dangerous..." he said. "Only you treat me this way, Brother Yan. If I get used to you helping and supporting me with everything, then what if one day you stop looking after me? Wouldn't I have nothing left?"

"Xiaobai, do you want the truth?"

"Yes."

Zou Yan took his hand and spoke to him from the heart. "You think it's dangerous because you're afraid that if I stop liking you one day, there'll be no one left to do these things for you."

Xie Yibai asked as a matter of course, "Then will you always like me?"

"If you asked anyone else that question, they'd promise you, 'I will.' But you should know that promises cost nothing. All it takes is a mouth to make one. I like you, and I want to see you standing on an awards stage, holding a trophy and speaking with confidence, with flowers and applause dedicated to you below the stage. When that day comes, you'll find that the love or hate of a few individuals is nothing more than worthless dust to you."

Xie Yibai felt a small, sharp touch upon his heart, and the tremor spread through his entire body. His nose stung as he recalled the flattery and praise he had received for his looks, yet no one had ever appreciated his talent as an actor. Even he couldn't believe that he might one day stand on an awards stage.

"Brother Yan, do you believe I can do it?" He was still uncertain.

"Wasn't it because you were convinced I could help you become a better actor that you accepted my offer?" Zou Yan had wiped Xie Yibai's crimson lips for him earlier. Now he brushed away the tears at the corners of his eyes, as though applying the blush left on his fingertips beneath them.

"Xiaobai, you asked me whether we could be friends if things ultimately didn't work out romantically. My goal is for us to be a successful team, even if we can't be friends. I'll handle production, and you'll handle acting. Giving an outstanding performance is the best way you can repay me. I'm fairly tolerant of actors, but if you can't complete your filming duties, I'll still get angry."

Xie Yibai threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Zou Yan's shoulders, his fighting spirit blazing in his chest. "Brother Yan, I'll work hard at acting to repay you!"

Zou Yan liked his innocence. It was a rare quality. But he also felt a little aggrieved. Setting aside an oddball like Sheng Ke, he could at least be considered a modern-day Liu Xiahui in the industry, able to remain unmoved with a woman in his lap. Yet Xie Yibai took it for granted that he was a low-grade male who would resort to every possible means for conquest and lust.

Was he really that desperate and shallow?

Still, everything Xie Yibai had done today had inevitably stirred his desires. Playing along, he said, "Then keep your promise and give me a kiss."

Xie Yibai's purity and innocence went hand in hand. Zou Yan had earned his trust, and he leaned against the crook of Zou Yan's shoulder, lazily relying on him. "Didn't you say promises cost nothing...? My cost was that ring. You don't have to give it back."

Zou Yan hooked an arm around his waist, pulled him onto his lap, and asked, "Going back on your word already? It's only been a few hours."

Xie Yibai had little experience with intimate interactions. Sitting in someone else's arms, his ears burned and his hands trembled. He hid his face against Zou Yan's chest and whined aggrievedly, "You-you're bullying me again... We're still in the car. I can't kiss you."

In fact, the driver had gotten out of the car long ago to avoid an awkward situation. Xie Yibai simply hadn't noticed.

Zou Yan held him around the waist with one hand and stroked his back with the other, as though soothing a child. "You're awfully good at pinning labels on people. Weren't you the one who hugged me first?"

Xie Yibai's cheeks were as red as if he'd put on blush, but he didn't want to leave Zou Yan's embrace. He still felt no urge to kiss or do anything more intimate, but he really loved being held.

An embrace untainted by selfish desire or romantic love, given purely out of care and comfort, was warmer than the sun.

He said coquettishly, "You're the best, Brother Yan. You'll definitely forgive me."

Supporting his body, Zou Yan perceived more keenly that inside this adult shell lived a child who wanted love.

Who could bear to blame him? Zou Yan sighed softly. "Good boy, sit back in your seat. I'll take you home first."

Xie Yibai slowly raised his face and kissed Zou Yan's chin, like a little animal touching noses in greeting. Then he quickly returned to his seat and said, "Promise fulfilled. I didn't go back on my word."

Having been fobbed off like that, Zou Yan had no further thoughts. He conceded, "All right, you win. I admit defeat."

Xie Yibai was delighted to have won all the way through. So much so that when he later heard rumors that he was a canary in Zou Yan's palm, he didn't even want to clarify or defend himself.

How could ordinary mortals glimpse the heavens? Even a canary could have a phoenix's destiny.

Chapter 31: Good News

Zou Yan hurried from one engagement to another, with an endless succession of banquets and meetings. He toiled all day, yet it did nothing to diminish his bearing. He remained spirited and energetic every day.

Once Xie Yibai started working, he too traveled back and forth to the set day and night. Having experienced the hardships of such intense work, he admired Zou Yan's routine all the more. Despite drinking so much, Zou Yan had stayed in shape. His self-discipline was easy to imagine.

Since becoming close to Zou Yan, he was no longer as reserved or shy around him, and agreed to accompany him in spending a leisurely weekend.

But Zou Yan's idea of leisure wasn't lying around in a secluded country cottage or getting a massage at an upscale club to relieve his fatigue. It was taking him on an overnight flight from the northern capital to a southern island, leaving the windblown sand and smog behind for a bright, sunny day.

The island sun baked the sand scorching hot. The azure sea lay like a sheet of blue silk beneath soft, drifting clouds, while the palm trees in the distance looked like realistic children's toys, planted individually in the ground.

Xie Yibai sat under a parasol, applying sunscreen to his lower legs and arms. He wore sunglasses to shield his eyes, and to be honest, he somewhat regretted coming with Zou Yan to a place with so much sun. He could only hide in the shade and gaze longingly at Zou Yan as he basked in it.

A person's hobbies could reveal their quality of life and whether they were physically healthy.

No matter how busy Zou Yan was, he always made time to exercise. He didn't like going to the gym, preferring outdoor sports: tennis, badminton, hiking, rock climbing, surfing, and diving. All of them made extremely high demands on physical fitness. His physical capabilities were incomparable to the showy muscles built with protein powder. He looked lean, but could actually hoist Xie Yibai up with one hand.

That had been a little joke they made as they got off the plane. Xie Yibai had been waiting for his assistant to help with his luggage when Zou Yan asked, "Can't you carry it yourself?"

Xie Yibai said, "You can carry it, so why don't you take all of it?"

Zou Yan said, "Then your assistant can take both our suitcases, and I'll carry you to the car." Then he lifted Xie Yibai by the waist and set him on his shoulder.

He was 1.8 meters tall, and he certainly wasn't light!