Perfect Divorce [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 26

Yuan Xingzhou was utterly dazed. The two of them weren’t acting at all; they were clearly having a real argument, alright? But filming had already begun, and everyone was waiting.

Yuan Xingzhou could only sit back down and say to Ye Huai, “You… continue.”

But Ye Huai had already finished venting and kept his mouth shut, refusing to speak.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

The camera zoomed in, and nearby, staff members held up light reflectors.

Yuan Xingzhou had always respected a film set as much as he did the stage. While Ye Huai acted on impulse, Yuan Xingzhou didn’t want to follow suit. Therefore, seeing that Ye Huai had nothing to say, Yuan Xingzhou took the opportunity to recite the lines.

“I should be the one saying that!” Yuan Xingzhou declared. “I waited for you for so long! I specifically booked a room with a king-sized bed and waited after washing up at night! And then what?”

Ye Huai’s eyes widened.

“You didn’t say anything! The moment he called, you went out. Are you his dog? You leave the second you’re summoned!” Yuan Xingzhou’s emotions erupted as he asked angrily, “What the hell am I to you?”

In the script, the young couple was out on their honeymoon and unfortunately ran into a melodramatic “White Moonlight” (an old flame). Ye Huai spent a night with the White Moonlight, leading to Yuan Xingzhou’s jealous quarrel and subsequent physical altercation.

Yuan Xingzhou’s chest heaved, his eyes reddening. “Am I not important to you at all! You never loved me in the first place!”

“No…” Ye Huai paused, a flash of panic actually appearing in his expression. “Don’t cry…”

Yuan Xingzhou: “??”

In the script, Ye Huai was supposed to ask with disdain if he was finished yet. But seeing Ye Huai looking so nervous, Yuan Xingzhou immediately realized that the man hadn’t reacted in time.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Fortunately, Yuan Xingzhou had encountered this situation before while filming—when the lead wasn’t present, he would act against thin air. Later, the lead would film the other half, and the editors would stitch them together.

“All my hard work is simply useless! Useless!” Yuan Xingzhou decided to just perform his part. Tears rolled down as he suddenly stood up, pointing at Ye Huai. “Go! Get out! I never want to see you again!”

As soon as he finished, he immediately picked up a non-existent jewelry box from the table and threw it angrily out the window.

“Cut!” the director called.

Ye Huai was stunned.

Yuan Xingzhou had already switched to a smiling face, bowing to all the staff to thank them and signaling to Ye Huai that he could relax. He then ran behind the monitor.

“How was it, Director?” Yuan Xingzhou asked.

“Not bad. When you throw it, change to this angle.” The director stood up, walked to where Yuan Xingzhou had been, and gestured. “Throw it toward the table, then the object will bounce off and hit Little Pan’s side. Then Little Pan will jump up…”

Yuan Xingzhou took a look and guessed the director was probably afraid of actually breaking the glass, so he changed the target to the table. He nodded hurriedly.

Ye Huai also came over to listen to the director’s instructions.

The director nodded with satisfaction and went back to look at the replay. “Come on, let’s do it one more time.”

Yuan Xingzhou went back and stared at Ye Huai again with a look of hesitation.

Fortunately, this time Ye Huai remembered to say his lines.

“Where did you go yesterday?” Yuan Xingzhou asked. “We came out for a perfectly good honeymoon, and I didn’t see a soul all night. You weren’t caught by some vixen, were you?”

“You,” Ye Huai sputtered for a moment, “is there something wrong with you?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “I should be the one saying that! I waited for you for so long! I specifically booked a room with a king-sized bed and waited after washing up at night! And then what?”

He was building up his emotions, about to explode, when he saw Ye Huai’s mouth twitch, followed by a suspicious flush on his face…

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Ye Huai: “…”

Next was Yuan Xingzhou’s emotional outburst, but with Ye Huai’s face slightly red and his eyes darting around with an innocent look, the full fury Yuan Xingzhou had brewed was suddenly extinguished, as if someone had sprayed it with a fire extinguisher.

Yuan Xingzhou felt like crying.

“Sorry, sorry everyone.” Yuan Xingzhou helplessly pressed his hand to his forehead, turned around, and took the initiative to bow and apologize to the director. “Director, let’s do it again.”

Fortunately, the fourth attempt finally passed.

Although Yuan Xingzhou’s acting couldn’t beat veteran actors from professional backgrounds, it was more than enough compared to the other guests here.

He was responsible for the emotional outburst; as long as Ye Huai didn’t burst out laughing, there were basically no issues.

“Little Ye has a great future,” the director praised Ye Huai instead.

Yuan Xingzhou looked back at Ye Huai and had to agree. Ye Huai’s face was not only beautiful but also full of a “sense of story.”

Sometimes, he would just daze off at one spot, and others couldn’t help but want to explore what he was thinking. Such an expression could be interpreted as melancholy or as deep affection; in short, it held ten thousand possibilities.

This was truly a kind of talent that ordinary people couldn’t emulate.

Yuan Xingzhou remembered when he was filming The Lost City, the director there was also always asking about Ye Huai.

“What were you thinking just now?” The male and female leads had started filming their seduction scene, so everyone else was free. They took off their mics and found spots to play on their phones.

Ye Huai was sitting on a long bench, so Yuan Xingzhou sat down next to him, trying to sound casual with an opening line. “Seeing you suddenly zone out, I thought I had said my lines wrong.”

Ye Huai turned his head away and ignored him, clearly still sulking.

Yin Fei and Tan Yanke were peeking over from a distance.

Yuan Xingzhou had no choice but to quietly shuffle a bit closer, nudging Ye Huai with his elbow. “You said you came here to accompany me. What did you mean? For real or fake?”

“Fake,” Ye Huai said irritably. “It has absolutely nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, that’s good then,” Yuan Xingzhou said. “You acted really well, like it was real.”

Ye Huai: “…”

Those few sentences from Ye Huai clearly weren’t fake.

Yuan Xingzhou had thought about it just now and guessed that it was very likely Wen Ting had put in a good word for him. Although participating in a variety show had many benefits for Ye Huai, the man had a peculiar temperament and was very self-centered; he wouldn’t necessarily listen to Wen Ting’s orders. Therefore, Wen Ting likely pinned the matter on Yuan Xingzhou, explaining that if he didn’t come, Yuan Xingzhou would be in a miserable state.

Recalling the scene of Ye Huai gentlemanly supporting Ma Yin this morning, Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but sigh. He thought that this man was actually very well-bred, soft-hearted, and kind deep down—he just looked like a hedgehog on the outside.

And for him to be so angry that he had unleashed that triple-questioning—it was indeed true that Yuan Xingzhou had done some things inappropriately.

“I didn’t mean to not be in a group with you,” Yuan Xingzhou explained. “The work in the fields is quite hard; I was just filling in for the girls. The clothes were given to me by Tan Yanke, but I didn’t know they were his. When we went up the mountain, I didn’t see him wearing them…”

“His assistant brought them up to him,” Ye Huai interrupted. “He gives them to you and you just wear them? What about mine? Do my clothes bite?”

Yuan Xingzhou froze. “Your clothes? Where were they?”

Ye Huai became huffy again and stopped talking.

Yuan Xingzhou guessed a certain possibility, and with a “buzz” in his brain, he was suddenly struck with shock.

Ye Huai clearly couldn’t be bothered to talk anymore. Yuan Xingzhou stared at him in a daze for a while, and seeing that he wasn’t going to say more, he finally remembered to go look for today’s staff members.

However, there were too many people in the production crew, all wearing similar windbreakers, making it impossible to tell who had gone up the mountain today. So, Yuan Xingzhou ran all the way back to find Tan Yanke and ask his assistant.

“Brother Huai? Oh yeah, we went together,” the little assistant said. “I gave it all to Brother Niu!”

“Brother Niu?” Yuan Xingzhou finally got a lead and went to the production crew to ask, “Is Brother Niu here? Which one is Brother Niu?”

Fortunately, a big fellow in a corner answered.

It turned out that when Ye Huai went up to deliver the clothes, he was urged to go back and cook as soon as he arrived. So, he had the little assistant hand them over to Yuan Xingzhou. The assistant couldn’t find the guest, so he gave the clothes to the follow-up director and explained that the clothes belonged to both Tan Yanke and Yuan Xingzhou.

Later, Tan Yanke came out to get the sun-protection jacket and said it was for Yuan Xingzhou, so Brother Niu thought Yuan Xingzhou’s portion had already been taken. After the task was done, he gave the other item to Tan Yanke, who said he didn’t recognize it.

“I was planning to leave it in the hall for you guys. I didn’t know who it belonged to.” Brother Niu was in the middle of eating and hurriedly had someone hand over a bag.

Yuan Xingzhou thanked him repeatedly. When he took it out to look, it was indeed Ye Huai’s own clothes—a Hermès shirt with a star-chain pattern.

However, the shirt wasn’t brand new; it still carried the scent of Ye Huai’s body, like grass after rain, and also a faint tobacco scent—fresh yet unruly.

Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but bury his face in it and take a sniff. Then, with a face flushed bright red, he walked back clutching the clothes as if in a dream.

Over there, the rehearsal for the male and female leads had fallen into a stalemate. The director was dissatisfied with their performance and kept repeating the scene.

Ye Huai was watching the female lead trip the male lead for the Nth time. The male lead’s face was green from the fall, and the look he gave the female lead was like that of a mortal enemy.

Yuan Xingzhou sat down beside him, looking at his features against the backlight. For some reason, he suddenly felt a bit nervous.

“Acting isn’t that interesting either.” Ye Huai saw him return and snorted, turning his head away, yet he unusually took the initiative to say something to him.

Yuan Xingzhou relaxed and gave an “un-huh.” “It’s definitely not good to keep getting NGs. Doing the work repeatedly with no progress makes everyone tired and wastes money.”

Ye Huai turned his head to glance at him, then looked at the clothes in his arms.

“Thank you.” Yuan Xingzhou hugged the clothes tightly, his face red as he said, “I didn’t know you went to bring me clothes. Thank you, really, I’m very touched.”

“I can’t tell,” Ye Huai scoffed. “You seemed to be chatting quite warmly with that guy surnamed Tan.”

Yuan Xingzhou knew that at this time he absolutely must not praise Tan Yanke. He said, “He has relatives from my hometown, so we chatted a bit more.”

“Is that so,” Ye Huai said. “Seems like finding a boyfriend from your hometown—you could chat for two years just by going through the family tree.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

The topic died once again.

Ye Huai stretched out his long legs, then propped his hands on the bench and pushed himself up.

Yuan Xingzhou wanted to say something but hesitated, taking a deep breath.

He was especially moved right now, but the better Ye Huai was to him, the more guilt he felt in his heart, feeling that he shouldn’t use him.

But making Ye Huai angry and having the two of them be awkward like this wasn’t Yuan Xingzhou’s intention either.

Yuan Xingzhou pondered how he should explain, but turning his head, he was stunned by Ye Huai’s movements.

“How… how are you doing that?” Yuan Xingzhou asked in shock.

Supporting himself solely by his hands, Ye Huai’s entire body was suspended in the air, and he was easily performing movements like folding his legs, tucking them in, and twisting.

Ye Huai looked back at him. “You can’t do it?”

Yuan Xingzhou put the clothes aside, pinning them down with his phone, and then imitated his posture.

However, while he could push himself up, it was clearly not as effortless as Ye Huai, nor could he perform other movements.

“Lift your knees, breathe normally.” Seeing his serious face, Ye Huai watched for a while. “You have no problem tucking your legs; you can practice the L-sit tuck when you go back.”

“Is this for training core strength?” Yuan Xingzhou supported himself for a while, and after letting go, he felt his lower abdomen aching.

“It can strengthen the core muscles and also stretch the waist.” Ye Huai pushed himself up effortlessly again and said, “The method of lying on the floor to do crunches is too singular and can easily lead to body imbalance. This movement, though simple, works the hips and lower back and also increases flexibility. What, your coach didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Yuan Xingzhou shook his head, then thought of Ye Huai’s showing off that day.

Didn’t this guy say he could just eat whatever he wanted? Liar! He clearly knows everything! And he trains so effortlessly… no wonder his arm lines are so good-looking!

“Can you teach me how to train my arms?” Yuan Xingzhou asked.

No matter how good a celebrity’s physique was, they couldn’t always post nude photos for business promotions, but arms could be shown at any time. Yuan Xingzhou looked at Ye Huai’s forearms and immediately imagined himself attending an event in a shirt, calculatingly rolling up his sleeves while signing autographs to reveal beautiful forearm muscles, dazzling the eyes of all the media.

That way, he wouldn’t always be chosen to play some young master, a flower boy, the young lord of a demon clan, or the disciple of a demon tribe.

This brother has muscles too! Exploding with masculinity!

The more he thought, the more beautiful it seemed, and he looked at Ye Huai expectantly.

“Not teaching,” Ye Huai said coldly. “Go learn from your boyfriend.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“I want to learn from you,” Yuan Xingzhou said seriously. “I’ll have him pay you back with interest later.”

Ye Huai: “…”

It wasn’t until eight o’clock in the evening that they finally ate. The rehearsal for the male and female leads went very poorly, and the director scolded them both harshly. Another guest wanted Ye Huai to cook, but Ye Huai refused, making the atmosphere on-site even more somber. In the end, everyone just made some noodles and made do with spicy noodle sauce. Yuan Xingzhou, however, got an extra piece of jelly that Ye Huai had set aside specifically for him.

“When did you make this?” Yuan Xingzhou clutched the large glass cup and quickly slipped away under the envious gazes of everyone, asking Ye Huai, “This is too beautiful. What’s the stuff on top?”

The bucket-shaped jelly was actually gradient-colored; from bottom to top, it faded from coffee brown to lemon yellow. The topmost area was a wavy white passion fruit jelly, and the top of the cup was covered with half a yellow macaron.

It was so beautiful one was reluctant to eat it.

“Apricot macaron,” Ye Huai said irritably as he walked through the back door with his hands in his pockets. “Charge it to your boyfriend’s account; pay me back later.”

“Sure, sure,” Yuan Xingzhou said. “Interest starts accruing as of today.”

Ye Huai: “…”

The two walked back along the path.

Ye Huai clearly wasn’t as angry anymore, though he would still jab at him about the boyfriend matter from time to time. Yuan Xingzhou thought about how it had been exactly 24 hours since they quarreled—the falling out had been sudden, and the reconciliation was also strangely mysterious. He couldn’t help but start laughing.

Ye Huai turned his face and looked at him suspiciously. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.” Yuan Xingzhou ate the jelly in small bites and thought for a moment. “What happened yesterday was my fault; I didn’t make myself clear.”

Ye Huai didn’t speak, walking slowly with his head down.

“I actually… have always been quite regretful,” Yuan Xingzhou said. “Before, I always thought you wouldn’t come back, so when I did things, I only sought convenience. But now… whenever I think about how I’m clearly a fake, yet I’ve repeatedly committed fraud and used you as a gimmick to gain everyone’s attention, I feel very upset. I don’t know what you think of me, what Wen Ting thinks of me, or what those who know about this think of me…”

Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t quite describe what kind of emotion it was.

“Actually, it’s just that I’ve done something guilty, so my conscience is uneasy.” Yuan Xingzhou thought for a while and said slowly, “I am both afraid and looking forward to accepting others’ judgment. So for this variety show, I’m very conflicted myself and don’t know what to do.”

“Conflicted about what?” Ye Huai said. “If you can’t think of a way, then don’t think about it. Just take it one step at a time.”

“How can that be? It’s definitely better to ‘de-couple’ as early as possible.” After Yuan Xingzhou finished, he paused and joked half-earnestly, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll hinder you from finding a partner?”

“I’m not afraid.” Ye Huai stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at him. “Are you very afraid?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

While speaking, they had reached the entrance of the dormitory building. Yuan Xingzhou was suddenly unable to answer; he simply lowered his head to avoid his gaze, pretending to eat the jelly.

The two went back to the second floor in silence. Yuan Xingzhou handed over the new toothbrush, waiting for Ye Huai’s line “borrow it from your boyfriend,” but Ye Huai didn’t say it and went straight to shower.

Yuan Xingzhou watched him enter the room, put the cup aside, and took the shirt out of the bag. However, when he reached Ye Huai’s suitcase, Yuan Xingzhou hesitated. In the end, he stood up again, turned around, and placed it next to his own pillow.

A while later, it was Yuan Xingzhou’s turn to shower. The wounds from the day suddenly showed their power; when the hot water hit them, they stung sharply.

Yuan Xingzhou finished washing with a grimace, changed into an oversized T-shirt, and went out. His two forearms were a sorry sight.

“Come here.” Ye Huai patted the bed and said expressionlessly, “I’ll put some medicine on for you.”

Yuan Xingzhou was stunned, looking hesitantly at the small porcelain bottle in his hand.

Ye Huai took a deep breath. “I’m applying it at my own expense. I won’t make your boyfriend pay me back.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…Where did you get that? What is it for?”

“For treating hemorrhoids, do you believe me?” Ye Huai asked.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Yuan Xingzhou had to honestly climb onto the bed and sit down, extending his arms. The ointment came with its own little spoon. Ye Huai carefully applied it once, then had him lie on his side and raise his arms.

“What’s with your neck?” Ye Huai was half-kneeling behind him applying the medicine, saying irritably, “Acting like a hero and ending up with a body full of wounds—does it feel good?”

“It’s fine. If those young girls were like this, they’d be crying their eyes out.” Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but laugh. “Actually, these wounds are nothing; they’ll heal on their own later. Maybe my skin has been thin lately; usually, it doesn’t get cut open.”

“Your skin is thin?” Ye Huai countered. “I couldn’t tell.”

Yuan Xingzhou remembered the scene of him hugging the guitar yesterday and the way he persistently asked to train his arms today.

“Actually, I was quite happy when you gave me the guitar,” Yuan Xingzhou explained. “But it was too expensive. I didn’t mean to snub you.”

“I know, you’ve said it once already,” Ye Huai said impatiently.

“Mm.” Yuan Xingzhou was nervous in his heart but appeared calm on the surface. “But if you gave me something worthless, I would definitely like it.”

Ye Huai put away the porcelain bottle and looked at him upon hearing this.

Yuan Xingzhou propped up his arm and said seriously, “Really, something worthless… well, not exactly, but the kind that doesn’t cost money. I want that.”

Ye Huai: “…”

After Yuan Xingzhou finished speaking, he pursed his lips, feeling a bit nervous. This was the first time he had said something like wanting a gift. What if Ye Huai only gave the guitar to save trouble? What if Ye Huai thought he was being mysterious and strange… then he might as well just push open the window and go die.

Ye Huai didn’t speak. Yuan Xingzhou became less and less confident and couldn’t help but start to regret.

It must be that the perfume scent has messed up my brain, or I’m drunk from eating jelly…

So awkward…

“I just…” Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but whisper.

“You’re just sincerely trying to irritate me!” Ye Huai said irritably. “Where am I supposed to find something worthless?”

Having said that, he casually put the porcelain bottle aside, opened his suitcase, and started rummaging through it haphazardly. “You want clothes? But they’re no good… shoe sizes are different… sunglasses, ties… does something costing a few thousand count as worthless?”

Yuan Xingzhou never expected this reaction from him and fell onto the bed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “It doesn’t count!”

“You’re just doing this on purpose…” Ye Huai grumbled, rummaging back and forth before suddenly falling silent.

Yuan Xingzhou: “??”

Ye Huai seemed to have thought of something. He turned and went out, returning a moment later like a gust of wind, a pair of scissors in his hand. Yuan Xingzhou wanted to see out of curiosity, but before he could stand up, he saw a loop of black leather in Ye Huai’s hand.

“Don’t move!” Ye Huai sneered, then bent down, grabbed his ankle, and dragged it toward him.

For a split second, Yuan Xingzhou’s heart skipped a beat in fear, thinking he was about to be molested.

However, Ye Huai simply put a black anklet on him.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

He had to admit, the size was actually just right. He reached out to touch it; it was calfskin, but it was a bit ugly.

What had Ye Huai cut up?

Yuan Xingzhou peeked suspiciously into the suitcase. Ye Huai was quick and kicked the suitcase shut.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“A gift for you. It’s worthless.” Ye Huai held the scissors, looking down at him from above with a half-smile. “How about it? Do you like it?”

Yuan Xingzhou had dug a hole for himself. He gave a cough and nodded stubbornly. “I like it!”