After Breaking Up, I Married A Top Alpha Movie Star And Fell In Love - Chapter 26

Unfortunately, Qiu Ye was not very sober at this moment and was completely unable to understand the profound meaning behind those words.

“Why… why is it suddenly so hot?”

He hadn’t expected the aftereffects of the alcohol to be so strong; his whole body began to burn with heat, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

Qiu Ye flung the quilt aside and sat up dizzily, beginning to tug haphazardly at the collar of his clothes, mumbling incoherently, “Uncomfortable… it’s hard…”

Lu Mingchuan had just returned after wringing out a hot towel when he saw Qiu Ye leaning half-against the headboard, struggling with his own clothes.

“I… I want to take a bath…”

The collar of the shirt had opened slightly, revealing a section of slender, beautiful collarbone.

Lu Mingchuan’s breathing grew heavy. He slowly shifted his gaze away from that fair collarbone. “You can’t bathe on the first day; it easily causes altitude sickness. It’s very dangerous.”

“I’m… not comfortable.” Qiu Ye lifted his head with misty, drunken eyes, his cheeks flushed crimson as he gazed at him with a damp look.

He truly seemed muddled by the drink; like a little rabbit seeking comfort, he leaned over, resting his forehead against Lu Mingchuan’s chest and nuzzling discontentedly.

“If I don’t bathe, how can I be… comfortable…”

Lu Mingchuan was driven to distraction by this appearance, and a certain unmentionable place showed faint signs of stirring.

He took a long, deep breath, trying his best to ignore that heat as he used the towel to wipe Qiu Ye’s face, stroke by stroke.

Qiu Ye did not hide. Instead, he reached out his arms and proactively circled Mingchuan’s waist, his scorching fingers rubbing randomly through the fabric of the other man’s shirt.

“Qiu Ye, you…”

Qiu Ye pressed his burning cheek against him, whimpering unconsciously, “You… feel cool…”

Lu Mingchuan stared at Qiu Ye’s lips, his eyes darkening further. He couldn’t help but lean closer toward this audacious drunkard.

At the very second before their lips were about to touch—

The arms wrapped around Lu Mingchuan’s waist suddenly went limp, and the round head tilted over onto his chest.

Qiu Ye’s thick, long lashes completely covered his eyes as he let out a steady, long breath.

He had actually fallen asleep just like that.

Daylight pierced through the clouds, and dewdrops hung precariously from the tips of the grass.

Qiu Ye woke up in an unprecedented sense of warmth and security. His post-drunken consciousness gradually returned.

He moved slightly and realized he was nestled in someone’s arms, his back pressed tightly against Lu Mingchuan’s warm chest.

If it weren’t for a certain something pressing against his backside, the scene would have been quite heartwarming.

Qiu Ye knew this was a normal physiological reaction, but he still felt somewhat embarrassed. He slowly turned his head.

What met his eyes was Lu Mingchuan’s sleeping face.

The man’s eyelashes were lowered, casting a small shadow beneath his eyelids, and his thin lips were slightly pursed beneath his high bridge.

A few strands of black hair fell casually across his forehead, exuding a sense of defenseless sexiness.

Qiu Ye involuntarily held his breath, his earlobes burning slightly. He didn’t dare move a muscle, for fear of disturbing this moment of tranquility.

Just then, Lu Mingchuan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly; he seemed about to wake.

Qiu Ye hurriedly closed his eyes, pretending to still be fast asleep.

He heard Lu Mingchuan get out of bed stealthily and stay in the bathroom for a long time. By the time Qiu Ye went in, the cold mist had already dissipated.

The campsite became lively in the morning. The production team had prepared a local specialty breakfast.

Baskets of thin-skinned, large-filled mutton shaomai were served; the broth was delicious and fresh, with almost no gamey smell.

On the vast grassland, several docile steeds had already been saddled.

Zhou You didn’t know how to ride. He looked worriedly at Liang Yongning on the horse and advised warmly, “Take it easy.”

“Got it.”

“Brother Yilun, don’t be afraid.” Xin Ye was sharing a horse with An Yilun, leading the horse into a light trot.

An Yilun was shouting and clutching Xin Ye’s arm, seemingly enjoying this novel experience.

Qiu Ye stood before a tall, brownish-red horse, looking somewhat hesitant.

The horse let out a snort, and the hot air it blew made him instinctively take a half-step back.

Lu Mingchuan stepped forward, soothingly stroking the horse’s neck before turning to Qiu Ye. “Want to try?”

Qiu Ye nodded.

Lu Mingchuan flipped onto the horse with agile, smooth movements. Silhouetted against the light, he reached out his hand to Qiu Ye.

Qiu Ye placed his hand in Lu Mingchuan’s palm. In the next moment, he was hoisted up by a surge of strength.

He sat steadily on the wide saddle, swaying with the horse’s movement.

“Um, was I really drunk last night?”

Lu Mingchuan’s arms reached around his sides to pull the reins, effectively circling him in his embrace.

“Yes. You even insisted on taking a bath.”

Qiu Ye lowered his head and asked, “Besides that, I didn’t do anything else… strange, did I?”

He still remembered the last time he got drunk and bit the gland on the back of Lu Mingchuan’s neck.

Lu Mingchuan thought for a moment and replied, “No.”

Qiu Ye breathed a long sigh of relief. “That’s good then.”

Lu Mingchuan was a good teacher, patiently guiding Qiu Ye on how to control the reins and match the horse’s rhythm.

Not far away, He Yuchen sat atop a tall black horse.

“They’re so intimate. It seems that video was real,” Liu Mian said, lightly flicking her whip twice.

“I only knew Secretary Qiu had good work skills; I didn’t know how his skills in bed were?”

He Yuchen’s face darkened instantly. He hissed a low rebuke, “Shut up.”

“You’re reacting so strongly—could it be you’ve never seen what he looks like in bed?” Liu Mian shrugged, looking like someone who wouldn’t mind watching the world burn.

The veins on the back of He Yuchen’s hand tightened around the reins. He suddenly squeezed the horse’s belly and rode toward Qiu Ye.

“Do you dare to race me?”

Lu Mingchuan looked up, his gaze calmly sweeping over the other man. He said deeply, “How shall we race?”

Qiu Ye’s gaze flickered between the two. He remembered that He Yuchen had once specifically hired an equestrian teacher and had even won awards in amateur competitions.

“We’ll use the production team’s track. Whoever reaches the finish line first wins.”

“The loser…” He Yuchen paused, intentionally raising his volume so the surrounding cameras could capture it, “Will go over there and shovel all the cow dung! How about it?”

This punishment was quite malicious, especially in front of the cameras; it would definitely be edited into the main show.

Qiu Ye didn’t want Lu Mingchuan to be humiliated. He lowered his voice to warn him, “He’s trained before, you…”

Lu Mingchuan met He Yuchen’s provocative gaze, the corners of his lips curving into an extremely faint arc. “Fine.”

The sunlight gilded the boundless green fields with gold. Several camera positions had already been set up alongside the simple track arranged by the production team.

The host, Zhou You, faced the main camera and began to read the rules of the fun horse racing competition.

“All participating guests will go around the field three times and pass several obstacles in sequence. The first to reach the finish line wins.”

The whistle blew.

He Yuchen shot out like an arrow from a bow. He seemed to vent all his anger and resentment onto the horse, whipping it quite hard.

The black horse, stung by the pain, galloped frantically, leading Lu Mingchuan by a significant margin at the start.

Lu Mingchuan, however, was neither hurried nor impatient. His horse-control technique was more seasoned; his posture was composed, his rhythm steady, and he remained closely behind He Yuchen.

Both of them reached the first complex obstacle course that required navigating around poles.

Eager for victory, He Yuchen pulled the reins too sharply. The black horse’s front hooves almost tripped. After barely stabilizing, its speed slowed down noticeably.

Lu Mingchuan seized this opportunity. He skillfully maneuvered his horse and quickly overtook He Yuchen.

“Hurry! Hurry!” An Yilun seemed even more excited than Lu Mingchuan himself.

In the end, Lu Mingchuan crossed the finish line first with a clear advantage.

He slowly reined in the horse; the animal reared its front hooves and let out a loud neigh.

He Yuchen crossed the finish line immediately after, his expression looking as if he couldn’t believe he had actually lost.

Under the “helpful” guidance of the production team and the constant follow of the cameras, He Yuchen, wearing expensive riding gear, put on rubber gloves and a mask. With a face full of disgust, he walked into the cattle pen.

He picked up a heavy iron shovel and clumsily began to shovel the steaming, fresh cow dung.

That wretched appearance formed a huge, comedic contrast with his usual arrogant and overbearing image.

“Don’t you dare laugh!”

Qiu Ye and the other guests stood outside the pen watching. His shoulders trembled slightly; it was as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore and had to turn his head away.

After the first episode of Love’s Travel Diary aired, it sparked a wave of heated discussions online.

[Aren’t He Yuchen and Liu Mian a couple? This is a dating show; on what basis can they be on it? They must have been forced in…]

[Why do I feel like He Yuchen is constantly looking at Qiu Ye? Did they know each other before?]

[Don’t go, person above! Qiu Ye used to be He Yuchen’s secretary. My cousin interned at Huanhe…]

However, all these discussions were drowned out by a even louder surge of reactions after a certain segment of the episode aired.

That was the scene where He Yuchen, after losing the horse race to Lu Mingchuan, had to accept his defeat and awkwardly shovel cow dung in front of the cameras.

The bullet comments were so numerous they almost covered the entire screen.

[Hahahaha, I’m laughing so hard the neighbors called the police! “President He Shoveling Dung.gif” has been saved!]

[Predicting this as the highest-energy moment of the year’s variety shows! No contest! Thank God my phone can’t smell…]

[His expression management completely collapsed! President He has probably never suffered such a grievance in his life!]

[Seriously, why did he feel the need to join his ex’s romance variety show? Does he like self-torture?]

Outside the tents, in the temporary bathroom.

He Yuchen used nearly half a bottle of shower gel, almost scrubbing off a layer of skin, before he felt that the faint, lingering smell had finally vanished.

He couldn’t figure out how he had lost to Lu Mingchuan, and thinking about what Liu Mian had said, he felt he desperately needed an answer.

The door was knocked four or five times in succession.

Qiu Ye asked who it was, but there was no answer.

Lu Mingchuan was not in the room; he was communicating with the director’s team about the subsequent itinerary.

Qiu Ye had a rough idea of who was at the door and felt it was necessary to have a proper talk, so he opened the door.

Without a word, He Yuchen stepped inside. He immediately saw the large, round double bed in the view room.

“Why did you participate in this show with Liu Mian? It brings no benefit to Huanhe.”

He Yuchen turned around and asked, “What about you? Why did you join the show with Lu Mingchuan?”

“Don’t you know he’s just doing it to maintain his persona and use you for hype?”

Qiu Ye frowned slightly and tried to push him out. “That’s my own business.”

He Yuchen clung to the doorframe, refusing to leave. He asked, “Did you… have you slept with him?”

Qiu Ye froze. Facing such a question, he didn’t feel angry; instead, he found it somewhat laughable.

“Did you delay the recording just so you could ask me this question in person?”

Those eyes were suppressed with anger, as if he absolutely had to know the answer.

“You could mark Liu Mian while we were still together, so why can’t I be with someone else after we’ve broken up?”

He Yuchen frowned and interrupted, “That’s different. Liu Mian and I were just a mistake; it doesn’t count.”

“But if you’re with Lu Mingchuan, with him… then you’re doing it to take revenge on me.”

Qiu Ye gave a light scoff. He didn’t bother to refute the other’s completely groundless logic and simply answered with two words.

“We have.”