After I Started Dating the Scum Gong Substitute, the White Moonlight Returned - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Cheng Jianyu let out a “En,” being as sparing with his words as if they were gold.

Yan Rong found it amusing; such a cold person was actually afraid of the dark like a child. He whispered a few words to the filming crew, turned on his phone’s flashlight mode to illuminate the path ahead, and said, “Let’s go. This segment will be edited out later.”

“Thank you.”

Cheng Jianyu turned on his own phone’s flashlight and walked past Yan Rong. His back was as straight as a young white poplar.

How exactly did Jiang Yan land Cheng Jianyu? Yan Rong laughed to himself, even wondering if Jiang Yan had some secret skill to keep Cheng Jianyu so perfectly submissive.

He followed closely, walking shoulder-to-shoulder in a gentlemanly manner. In the pitch blackness, only the small patch of floor in front of them was lit. The surrounding objects were silent. Yan Rong heard Cheng Jianyu’s breathing grow slightly rapid and ragged. The light source in his hand shook as his fingers trembled minutely, dancing across the floor.

Yan Rong deliberately tried to distract him. “Which of Shakespeare’s sonnets is your favorite? I know a little bit about them.”

Cheng Jianyu didn’t take the bait. He walked with hurried steps. The corridor looked long, but it only took two minutes to walk. At the exit, the daylight burst forth, and the warm subtropical wind brushed against his pale face. His knuckles, tightly gripping the phone, were white from the force.

He held his breath, took a deep breath, and slowly regulated his breathing. This was an old problem. He had seen many psychologists, but all were helpless. Fortunately, it didn’t affect his daily life; it had been a long time since he had encountered this situation.

“Have some water.” Yan Rong unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it over.

The cold mineral water timely eased the intense heartbeat. Cheng Jianyu screwed the cap back on and turned his head away, his profile cold and indifferent. “En, thank you.”

Yan Rong was knowledgeable and well-versed in both ancient and modern times; he considered himself able to chat with anyone. Yet with Cheng Jianyu, he hit a wall every time. He changed the subject: “When your new script is finished, you can let me take a look first. I know several good producers.”

“Don’t say thank you anymore. Say something else besides ‘thank you’.” Yan Rong timely stopped Cheng Jianyu’s “thank you.”

Cheng Jianyu looked down and smiled slightly, then raised his eyes to look at him. “Teacher Yan, thank you for your care. I won’t trouble you; I can handle my own affairs.”

Yan Rong was surprised. He thought Cheng Jianyu would give two high-cold “En-en”s; he didn’t expect someone like Cheng Jianyu would also speak such polite formalities.

Cheng Jianyu got into the car. The car’s air conditioning was cool. He pulled out a tissue, wiped the sweat from the tip of his nose, and opened WeChat with one hand.

There was one unread WeChat message from J, sent three hours ago.

J: Stay away from that big-tailed wolf.

Cheng Jianyu stared at the phone for a bit, then calmly put it back in his pocket.

By the afternoon, the production crew arranged for everyone to go to a local shopping street to relax. All sorts of characteristic goods had widely different styles. There were snack stalls with names one couldn’t call out, and the surroundings were bustling with people. The air was filled with the scent of nuts and spices.

The child star couple, Xiao Nan and Cheng Cheng, arrived the earliest. The two had changed into tropical-style couple outfits, wore matching baseball caps, and had their hands full of snacks. They were loving and sweet; the surrounding atmosphere was sugary.

Jiang Yan hooked his finger toward him. Cheng Jianyu walked over slowly and stood beside him. Jiang Yan leaned in slightly toward him, his hand temporarily pressing down the mic on his collar. “Having a lot of fun being with your Teacher Yan? Hmm?”

“Quite happy.” Cheng Jianyu was composed.

Jiang Yan pinched his cheek, his voice lowering a bit. “Say it again.”

Cheng Jianyu looked down at his fingers, remaining silent and speechless.

If it were in private, with such silent confrontation, Jiang Yan would inevitably discipline him. In front of the camera, Jiang Yan acted like a decent human being and couldn’t do anything to him.

“Wow! Look at this!” Cheng Cheng was a beautiful girl who couldn’t move her feet when she saw cosmetics. She stood before a machine that looked like a vending machine; the glass display case showcased various lipsticks and powder compacts.

The “Lipstick Shooting” game was very popular online; its traces could be found on all the short video apps, large and small.

The principle of the game was similar to “AA” (Stick Hero/Needle). There was a circular turntable in the center of the screen. Players clicked the screen to launch lipsticks. The only requirement was that each lipstick could not touch another.

The game had three levels in total. As the lipsticks on the turntable increased, the turntable moved faster and faster, and the difficulty grew accordingly. Simply put, it was a game that tested psychological quality and hand speed.

“It’s all fake.” Xiao Nan laughed and patted her shoulder, explaining in a very “straight man” way: “This is all set by the program. It’s specifically designed to cheat women of your money. You can’t get lipstick at all.”

The production crew staff was as blunt as he was. “I’ve never seen anyone get a prize from this. The winning probability is even more of a scam than a claw machine!”

Cheng Cheng had a stubborn temper and didn’t listen to advice at all. She paid by scanning the code with quick hands and eyes and started the game.

Half an hour passed…

The production crew, having had their fill of food and drink, sounded the car horn to signal the end of the day. Cheng Cheng’s hands were empty. She stared at the turntable with gnashed teeth. Every time was “just a little bit off,” “just a little bit off.” “You guys go back first, I’ll play a few more rounds.”

“I don’t believe in this evil!”

The staff looked at each other. Xiao Nan had a bitter smile on his face. “I’ll help you play a few rounds.”

The owner of the sundries stall nearby, however, was beaming with joy. He took his phone and adjusted the winning probability down by another 10%. The machine he bought half a month ago was installed right under his nose, and in half a month, his pockets were bulging. The cost was so small it could be ignored.

He had planned it out: he would order ten more machines. In the future, he wouldn’t set up a stall; he would rely on this “scamming-your-dad” thing to make his fortune.

Cheng Cheng looked like a woman who was rich and easily fooled, and she even brought a boyfriend. In the owner’s eyes, they were two golden pigs dripping with fat.

Jiang Yan was not good at waiting, especially waiting for insignificant people. He reclined lazily in the back seat of the car, the hood of his sweatshirt covering most of his face. Impatiently, he stretched out his long legs and kicked the passenger seat. “A-Sheng, tell them to come back.”

A-Sheng didn’t dare not to listen to him, nor did he dare to offend the others in the production crew. Any one of them was enough to give him a hard time. Just as he was about to get out of the car, a slender, bamboo-like hand pressed down on his shoulder. Cheng Jianyu’s voice was clear: “I’ll go.”

A-Sheng felt as if he had received a grand pardon.

Jiang Yan pulled his brim down further and closed his eyes to rest, uninterested.

Xiao Nan suffered a crushing defeat and failed completely. His face was extremely unsightly. The surrounding staff members watching the excitement looked at each other. The program director was trying to find the right words to persuade the two of them. Just as he was about to speak, Cheng Jianyu walked over and spoke indifferently: “Let me try.”

Xiao Nan moved away from the machine. He wanted to ask “Can you do it?”, but he bumped into the expressionless side profile and swallowed his words back.

Level one.

Level two.

The ultimate level…

The fool-style operation was very simple; what was difficult was how to grasp the timing, judge the rolling direction of the turntable, seize the opportunity, and go for the kill in one hit.

Cheng Jianyu stared quietly at the screen. The people around saw it: not only was his hand steady, but his psychological quality was also exceptionally steady. Moreover, he seemed to have a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder; the lipsticks inserted on the turntable were arranged evenly. If one used a triangular ruler to measure, the angles were probably about the same.

This was an expert.

Cheng Cheng’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth: “Only three left!”

“Don’t make a sound.” Cheng Jianyu’s cold voice was particularly clear in the noisy market.

The surroundings became silent instantly. Everyone stared fixedly at the screen. In an instant, “Bang,” “Bang,” “Bang” the game sound effects rang out consecutively within a few short seconds. It made the onlookers’ eyes dazzled and overwhelmed.

Before everyone could react to what had happened, the prize reward mechanism on the machine had already been activated. Blue marquee lights ran a few laps around the cosmetics in the display case. Cheng Jianyu turned his head and asked softly: “Which one do you want?”

In the adult world, of course, it was “I want them all.”

For the next ten minutes, Cheng Jianyu illustrated the four words: “one hundred shots, one hundred hits” and “skillful/handy.”

Everyone gradually began to understand. Cheng Jianyu’s patience surpassed that of ordinary people. No matter how tempting the opportunity on the turntable was, he could endure and remain motionless, quietly watching the screen, waiting for an opportunity he deemed suitable. He struck fast, accurately, and ruthlessly, leaving not a blade of grass where he passed.

Cheng Cheng’s pockets could no longer hold everything. Someone from the production crew took a small basket from the vegetable market and held it, standing beside him. As one was won, one was thrown inside; it was as simple as picking fruit from a tree.

“Your psychological quality is too good!” Cheng Cheng couldn’t help but cheer, looking at him eagerly. “How did you practice this!”

Cheng Jianyu looked at the screen and said casually: “Counting rice grains.”

Everyone burst into laughter, all taking it as him telling a cold joke. Who would count rice grains when they had nothing to do?

Yan Rong was stunned, his heart full of mixed emotions. He let out a sigh. In Cheng Jianyu’s files, his experience in the police academy showed that his scores for the written test, interview, and physical fitness test were all top-notch. In the end, however, he was brushed off for an unknown reason.

Before, he had always been very puzzled. Today’s experience at the museum finally made him understand.

When God closes a door for you, He opens a window. In Cheng Jianyu’s case, God not only welded the door shut but also sealed the window while He was at it.

What a pity.

“Done.” Cheng Jianyu’s expression was as usual as he moved the muscles and bones of his wrist.

The last lipstick in the machine could not stay alone; it was packed into the vegetable basket along with its little partners.

The owner was almost in tears.

The surroundings were the South Island’s characteristic market. Both sides of the narrow path were filled with fresh and delicious tropical fruits. Colorful dresses sold to tourists fluttered in the wind. Cheng Jianyu walked toward the car provided by the sponsor. His legs were straight and slender. There was an air of composure in his walk. His waist was narrow and his back was straight; he looked upright and refreshing.

The boundary of the mortal world and the common people served to contrast him like “spring snow” outstanding and beyond the world.

The car door closed gently. The cold air from the air conditioner blew onto Cheng Jianyu’s face. Jiang Yan extended his arm, pulled him over in one go, and with his other hand holding a cigarette outside the window, said leisurely, “You’re quite good at flirting with girls.”

Cheng Jianyu’s shoulders were relaxed. He leaned into his embrace and whispered while looking at his jaw: “For you.”

Jiang Yan let out a low laugh, and the previous unpleasantness vanished like smoke. Just as A-Sheng had said, it was well-known that Cheng Jianyu loved him.

Among people like Cheng Jianyu those better looking than him were not as obedient and sensible; those more obedient and sensible than him were not as likable; those more likable than him were not as good-looking as him.

Comparing horizontally and vertically, Cheng Jianyu was the best one.

To be loved by such a person with all their heart, respected like a god, was just like returning home in silken robes infinitely glorious.

The people from the production crew got into the car one after another. Cheng Jianyu was about to sit up when Jiang Yan put his arm around his shoulder, shackling him in the warm embrace. “Don’t move.”

Cheng Jianyu remained motionless. The smell of tobacco made his temples throb with a faint pain. He turned his head, adjusted to a comfortable posture, and breathed the air outside the window.

As the night deepened, traveling was a very tiring thing. Moreover, facing high-definition cameras, everyone was exhausted, chatting idly.

To liven up the atmosphere, Yan Rong jokingly teased about the game just now. “Cheng Cheng, your relationship is really good. In the situation just now, Xiao Nan didn’t even get angry with you.”

“He was angry; just now he turned off the mic and nagged for a good while,” Cheng Cheng said while counting the lipsticks.

The emotional master Yan Rong went online, talking and laughing naturally. “Getting angry only proves your relationship is good. In a relationship, the more one likes, the tighter they cling, and the more they nitpick. People are just…”

“Not necessarily.” Jiang Yan interrupted him, unconcerned, and said lightheartedly: “Cheng Jianyu won’t cling to me, nor will he nitpick.”

Everyone was speechless.