After Bankruptcy, I Became the Film Emperor's First Love Stand-in - Chapter 3

Luo Ying spent the entire afternoon in the finance department sorting through a pile of messy accounts and discussing upcoming investment projects with Xie Yunyu.

By the time he left the company, the sky outside had turned pitch black. A glance at his phone showed it was already eight in the evening.

His phone had been quiet all afternoon—no calls from Lu Rang.

He had said he would pick him up after work, but there had been no word. Was he busy?

This location was in the complete opposite direction from Lu Rang’s company, and with traffic, it would take at least an hour to drive here.

Come to think of it, Luo Ying had never mentioned the name of his company. How did Lu Rang know the exact address?

A cold night breeze swept past, making Luo Ying shiver.

Forget it, why bother.

As Luo Ying stepped out of the building, the headlights of a sports car parked by the roadside suddenly flicked on.

Bright and glaring, they stung his eyes.

“Luo Ying.”

Someone stepped out of the sports car. From the voice alone, Luo Ying knew it was Lu Rang.

He had caught a glimpse of this car earlier while discussing matters with Xie Yunyu upstairs. It must have been parked here for about two hours.

Luo Ying squinted slightly. He had no intention of starting with pleasantries like “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

He went straight to the point: “Lu Rang, I’m hungry.”

His tone sounded almost coquettish, deliberately drawn out at the end.

He knew this was the best way to capture a man’s heart.

Sure enough, Lu Rang was taken aback for a moment, his deep eyes brimming with tenderness.

He wrapped an arm around Luo Ying’s shoulder and guided him into the car before settling back into the driver’s seat.

“What do you want for dinner?”

Luo Ying had grown tired of all the famous restaurants in Haidu, and they were also places where he was likely to run into familiar faces from his social circle.

He really didn’t want to bump into those people. He had no idea where to go or what to eat.

After a moment of thought, Luo Ying smiled brightly and said, “I want the noodles you used to make back in high school.”

Luo Ying’s smile was beautiful, like flowers blooming in spring.

When he opened his eyes after smiling, his pupils sparkled, captivating anyone who looked.

Lu Rang stared at him for a long moment before finally remembering to start the car.

“…Sure. Your request isn’t too high.”

This time, Lu Rang didn’t take Luo Ying back to the hotel but drove straight to his home.

The car pulled into the underground garage and parked. Luo Ying followed Lu Rang out of the car.

The garage was spacious and well-lit, with dozens of brand-new luxury cars parked in their spots. Among them were many limited-edition models that even Luo Ying couldn’t buy.

Damn, are actors’ salaries really that high?

If he had known earlier, he should have agreed back when Luo Xiaohe suggested sending him into the entertainment industry.

The thought of making money suddenly made Luo Ying feel less averse to the entertainment industry.

Luo Ying followed Lu Rang into the elevator. As the semi-transparent elevator ascended, he realized that the dazzling lights beneath his feet were from the heart of downtown Haidu.

They weren’t in an ordinary residential complex or a villa. Judging by the location, this seemed to be a commercial building that had been renovated a few years ago. The developer had renamed it “Guangxin Tower,” and when it was completed, the media had crowned it the “Number One Building in Haidu.”

Luo Ying glanced at the single floor number displayed on the elevator button and tilted his head, asking knowingly, “You live here?”

Lu Rang raised an eyebrow, as if to say, “Obviously.”

The elevator climbed higher and higher; the lights below now scattered like stars.

A crisp ding announced their arrival. Luo Ying turned toward the sound as two metal doors slowly slid open, revealing a clean, spacious lobby. On either side were three-story stacked penthouses, each enclosed by large glass panels. From the lobby, one could see the furniture arranged across all three floors at a glance.

It turned out that the owner of the top-floor penthouse in Haidu’s number one building, which had long been a subject of curiosity in Luo Ying’s friend circle, was actually his old classmate, Lu Rang.

While Lu Rang was busy cooking noodles, Luo Ying took the opportunity to look around. He had been to Lu Rang’s home before, but back then, Lu Rang and his parents were still living in an old apartment in Haidu’s historic district. It was hard for him to connect that memory with the luxurious and elegant residence before him now.

However, during his time studying abroad, Luo Ying had heard that Lu Rang was actually a third-generation heir to wealth. His parents had eloped for love when they were young, and only a few years ago, after his grandfather passed away, the family had taken his father back to inherit the family fortune. It was said they were part of some prominent wealthy family in Jiangdu.

Come to think of it, if it weren’t for a solid family background, how could Lu Rang afford the “salary” of fifty million a month just to support him, relying solely on his acting fees?

Perhaps because he had searched for “Lu Rang” online earlier in the day, his phone now pushed trending topics related to the entertainment industry.

Things like a top celebrity being photographed on a date, a certain singer causing trouble after drinking, and an upcoming film release, among others.

Amidst all this, there was also a trending topic about his father, Luo Xiaohe, who had allegedly embezzled funds and gone missing.

Seeing this only annoyed Luo Ying, so he simply turned off his phone and stuffed it into his pocket, opting for the “out of sight, out of mind” approach.

After finishing up in the kitchen, Lu Rang called out to Luo Ying in a clear, bright voice to come eat the noodles.

Luo Ying sat down at the dining table, his demeanor not resembling that of a kept canary but rather a dignified young master.

The young master sat with a gloomy expression, waiting for Lu Rang to bring the noodles.

Recalling their school days, Luo Ying had always been quite picky about food, but he never complained about Lu Rang’s winter vegetable and shredded pork noodles. In fact, he loved them. After parting ways with Lu Rang, whenever he tried noodles made by other chefs, they never tasted quite right.

Luo Ying picked up a strand of noodles and took a bite. The flavor was just as he remembered. Seeing the seemingly casual yet expectant look in Lu Rang’s eyes, waiting for praise, Luo Ying was reminded of a certain summer day long ago. Back then, a young Lu Rang had brought him home for the first time. Sitting across from Luo Ying at an old-fashioned square table, Lu Rang rested his arms on the table, his clear, bright black eyes filled with cautious anticipation.

Time seemed to overlap. The young boy from years ago and the man before him now spoke simultaneously: “Is it good?”

Luo Ying’s dazed gaze slowly focused on Lu Rang’s mature, handsome face. He lowered his head, wanting to say it was delicious, but the words that came out were, “Not bad.”

Exactly the same as his response back then.

Two people who hadn’t seen each other for too long and moved in different circles found it genuinely difficult to find suitable topics for conversation.

From yesterday until now, apart from teasing Lu Rang when he was in a good mood, the two had barely exchanged a word.

After washing up in the evening, only the bedside lamp remained lit in the room.

Lu Rang was leaning against the headboard, working on his laptop, which emitted a faint glow on his lap.

Luo Ying thought it wouldn’t do for them to continue in silence like this. If this was what a relationship was like, he’d suffocate.

He slowly slipped under the covers.

The quilt shifted and rustled, and soon Luo Ying’s head popped up right beside Lu Rang’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

His eyes were bright, filled with curiosity as he stared at Lu Rang’s face.

“Working.”

Lu Rang didn’t look away, appearing completely focused.

Luo Ying didn’t understand why anyone would work so late at night. At the very least, he had never pushed himself that hard.

“Is your work always this busy?”

“The revised script just came in. Filming starts tomorrow, so I need to read through it first.”

“Oh.” Luo Ying grew bored.

He had no idea what had gotten into him, resting his chin on Lu Rang’s chest, shaking his head, and lightly touching the other’s Adam’s apple with his fingers, clearly intent on disrupting Lu Rang’s work.

Lu Rang took the opportunity to ruffle his hair, his hand sliding down the distinct curve of his spine before settling at his waist, his thumb gently massaging the dip through the pajamas.

The sudden touch made Luo Ying feel uneasy all over. Lu Rang seemed to know exactly where he was sensitive.

After all, Luo Ying was a full-fledged gay—how could he withstand such a move?

He tilted his head back to look at Lu Rang, his eyes clouded with desire, the pupils shining like amber. He bit his lower lip lightly, as if saying, “Come and sleep with me!”

But Lu Rang was as composed as a monk fresh from the mountains.

His gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, and his free hand occasionally moved the cursor.

How could he remain unmoved at this point?

Luo Ying had lived for twenty-six years—when had anyone ever not taken the initiative to get close to him?

Right now, he was practically sticking his ass out to hint at Lu Rang to come and do him.

Luo Ying felt a surge of frustration, almost ready to explode.

He had never felt so defeated before. Finally, there was a man he could take a liking to, and yet he couldn’t even get a rise out of him.

Could it be that Lu Rang was saving himself for his first love?

But that shouldn’t make him the one suffering…

If he was already paying for a substitute, couldn’t he just go all the way with it?

Luo Ying never considered himself a pure, innocent virgin. He knew he had a hidden wild side, but since Lu Rang wasn’t responding, he didn’t want to throw himself at him either—that would just be stupid.

He slumped against Lu Rang’s chest, bored, and glanced at the script on the screen.

The text on the screen was dense, with one line highlighted in red and another in green, like a traffic light.

If it were stocks, Luo Ying would probably have paid more attention.

He didn’t last long before he couldn’t take it anymore—the script was truly hypnotic.

His eyelids drooped, and he didn’t even bother moving, simply falling asleep right there against Lu Rang.

That night, Luo Ying dreamed of the evening before he went abroad.

A few close friends and high school classmates had organized a farewell party for him, and Lu Rang was among them.

As the guest of honor, Luo Ying had been forced to drink the most. Someone in the private room had ordered escorts, and two “young ducks” were pushed toward Luo Ying.

“Fuck, I said I’m not into that!”

The young ducks were overly flattering, insisting on clinging to Luo Ying. He pushed them away several times, but they kept coming back.

In the end, it was Lu Rang who drove them away.

After drinking too much, Luo Ying grew drowsy. He curled up on the sofa, listening to others screaming their lungs out singing—it was unbearably loud.

Lu Rang sat beside him, fetching water when he was thirsty and helping him to the bathroom when he needed to go.

Then, the dream shifted to a bright, quiet bathroom.

Luo Ying sat on the sink, legs dangling, arms wrapped around Lu Rang’s neck.

He tilted his head back, exposing his slender neck, and leaned in to bite Lu Rang’s lips.

Lu Rang pushed his knees apart with his body, pressing the back of his head to deepen the kiss.

The two boys were young and inexperienced, unsure how to kiss passionately, only greedily stealing each other’s breath.

The dream began to blur. At some point, he and Lu Rang were naked, entangled on the bed, caressing and kissing each other.

Desire gradually magnified in the night. The overhead light was glaring, and Luo Ying, dazed, tried to shield his eyes with his hand, but Lu Rang kept pulling it away.

Lu Rang leaned over, leaving dense marks on his skin—from tentative exploration to utter madness. That night, countless moments of passionate collision blurred together, fluids and sweat mingling to soak large patches of the sheets. Even the strongest blast of cold air from the air conditioner couldn’t quell the rising heat.

It wasn’t until Luo Ying fell into an exhausted slumber that this entanglement finally came to an end.

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