Perfect Divorce [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 41

Yuan Xingzhou kissed cautiously, pulling away quickly after a mere brush of the lips. However, when he looked up, he saw Ye Huai’s eyes snap open, followed immediately by a large hand sweeping toward him.

Yuan Xingzhou had been worried about getting hit, so his reaction was faster than anyone’s—he sprang back instantly.

As a result, Ye Huai’s hand came to a halt mid-air.

“You, you, you… you’re actually going to hit me?!” Yuan Xingzhou said in disbelief. “You were clearly the one who provoked me!”

“I…” Ye Huai froze for a moment. “Who said I was going to hit you?”

Yuan Xingzhou stared at him suspiciously, silently pressing himself against the car door. “Then why did you raise your hand?”

Ye Huai: “…”

“…To show that charging is complete!” Ye Huai barked. “Let’s go! Home!”

The lingering shred of ambiguous atmosphere dissipated completely. It wasn’t until they drove out of the parking lot and Yuan Xingzhou confirmed that Ye Huai wasn’t going to settle scores with him that he belatedly felt his face burn and his heart race.

Heavens, I actually kissed him…

Yuan Xingzhou instinctively wanted to cover his face, but feeling that the gesture was too obvious, he forced himself to endure it. However, his gaze kept drifting toward the corner of Ye Huai’s mouth.

Ye Huai’s ears were a bit red; it was unclear if it was from anger.

Yuan Xingzhou peeked again and again. It wasn’t until a red light that Ye Huai turned his head and caught his gaze. He quickly pretended nothing was wrong and pulled out his phone to look at it aimlessly.

The Weibo post from last night had gained a few more comments, all of them urging him to “take advantage while the taking is good.” The “Huai-Zhou First” comment had been upvoted so much that it now occupied the top spot. Everyone collectively agreed that he absolutely must not let his roommate go! A “9-point man” was so rare, what was there to hesitate about? It wasn’t like the poster would be the one losing out.

Yuan Xingzhou watched with wide eyes, thinking, Is this how it is? I thought I was the only “face-con” (someone attracted to looks) in the world, but it turns out you all are!

Some people expressed disbelief, coming in to call him out as a fake, saying he looked like a writer trying to trick people for replies unless the poster provided proof.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Yuan Xingzhou had originally wanted to update everyone on his progress and continue taking advice, but seeing this, he immediately lost his nerve. The power of netizens had always been terrifying. If they truly started investigating him, they would inevitably dig through various clues and strip away his “vest” (alias). He would look like a fool then.

But without asking others, his heart felt unsettled. Yuan Xingzhou could more or less sense that Ye Huai was a bit different toward him. Otherwise, for someone who could smash a team leader’s head in, he wouldn’t have just driven home grumpily after being kissed…

But was this level of tolerance “liking”? Or was it simply because the two were bundled together, and Ye Huai felt a sense of protectiveness over his “cub”?

Yuan Xingzhou really couldn’t tell. If he thought too deeply, he feared it was unrequited sentiment; but if he thought too lightly… his heart felt a tiny bit unwilling.

Until they got home, Yuan Xingzhou was somewhat restless, always wanting to check Ye Huai’s expression yet afraid of appearing embarrassing.

Fortunately, Ye Huai was about to join a film crew.

Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but think that although he’d miss him, being apart for a while might allow him to calm down and see things more clearly.

Over the weekend, Wen Ting brought two assistants over to help Ye Huai prepare for joining the crew and incidentally checked the contract for Yuan Xingzhou.

“Bass’s contract is alright; everything requested is on the surface. The term is long and the exploitation is serious, but the other clauses are clear.” Wen Ting underlined several places for Yuan Xingzhou where there might be ambiguity. “How many years do you plan to sign for?”

“Is three years okay?” Yuan Xingzhou asked. “My popularity is peaking right now. If I release songs at this time and still don’t get famous, then I’m clearly not cut out for this.”

“Three years should be negotiable, but personally, I think it’s a bit short,” Wen Ting said. “The more a company values you and the more money they spend on you, the longer the term they’ll want. If the signing period is too short, the other party won’t dare to invest heavily in you; there’s no guarantee.”

The two assistants were in Ye Huai’s room discussing the film shoot and helping him pack. Ye Huai didn’t seem to like those two; every thirty seconds, he would come out to take a look, wander around, and then go back in.

Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but look back every time he came out.

“Don’t get distracted,” Wen Ting teased. “Do you need to split one sentence into three parts to say it?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Yuan Xingzhou turned back, his face instantly flushing. “Sorry, I just… cough, where were we?”

Wen Ting said, “We were talking about how Ye Huai is joining the crew, so don’t forget to call him.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Just as Ye Huai came out for the Nth time to patrol, Yuan Xingzhou’s face was bright red. He heard Wen Ting continue, “Just keep in touch by phone. Your physical self is still free; you can go out and play more with your classmates…”

“Hey!” Ye Huai stood still immediately and looked over.

“…I remember now, you said three years is a bit short.” Seeing Wen Ting causing trouble on purpose, Yuan Xingzhou hurriedly said, “Does Brother Wen have any suggestions?”

Wen Ting laughed heartily and was about to say something else when Yuan Xingzhou hurriedly put his hands together in a “please” gesture, looking at him with an imploring expression.

“I’m not a music manager, so it’s still up to your own thoughts.” Wen Ting finally put away his joking expression and said seriously, “If you want to walk the path of a singer, then make it a bit longer. If singing is just a hobby, then three years is also fine.”

A longer contract term meant one could relatively strive for more in terms of benefits. However, although Yuan Xingzhou liked singing, he also knew that making a living by singing wasn’t easy. He wasn’t a “genius” type of contestant, and when he first decided to transition, he had already made his choice—he would simply do whatever was easiest to become famous.

“Let’s treat it as a hobby,” Yuan Xingzhou said. “I’ll produce as many albums as I can, as long as they aren’t too rough.”

With a goal for the contract term, the other clauses couldn’t be too harsh. The two of them went through them one by one. Only regarding the copyright portion was Wen Ting not very knowledgeable, so he had to seek help elsewhere.

“I’ll ask a friend for you; he’s quite familiar with this.” Upon leaving, Wen Ting had Yuan Xingzhou add his private WeChat, signaling for him to walk him out. When the two reached the elevator lobby, Wen Ting finally asked, “Does Li Yu know about this?”

Yuan Xingzhou shook his head. “I haven’t told him yet.”

“Don’t let him find out from someone else’s mouth. You can find an opportunity to mention it casually. He’s been quite busy lately and probably won’t take it too much to heart.” Wen Ting gave a kind reminder. He paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Xingzhou…”

Yuan Xingzhou froze, thinking he was about to give more instructions, and leaned in closer.

“Have you had any confusion lately?” Wen Ting asked.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…No?”

Wen Ting gave an “oh” and looked at him with a hesitant expression. Yuan Xingzhou was confused and about to ask more when he saw Wen Ting raise his hand and suddenly rub his head.

Yuan Xingzhou looked back and, sure enough, saw Ye Huai standing at the door like a lingering ghost.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Fortunately, Ye Huai could see that Wen Ting was being intentional and didn’t nag Yuan Xingzhou.

The next morning, Yuan Xingzhou didn’t go for his run. Instead, he heated up breakfast and called Ye Huai to eat.

The two assistants would arrive a bit later to pick Ye Huai up for the airport to meet Wen Ting. One assistant, called Xiao Tie, was responsible for interfacing with the crew and coordinating various matters. The other, Xiao Lyu, was responsible for Ye Huai’s daily life and living arrangements.

Judging from yesterday’s interaction, those two seemed quite experienced. Yet Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but feel nervous, like it was the first time sending a child to school.

While Ye Huai got up to eat, Yuan Xingzhou took his own memo and cross-referenced it with Ye Huai’s belongings.

“I’m not some young master,” Ye Huai sat at the dining table, cutting bread with a look of annoyance. “It’s enough to have a ‘metal duo’ (assistants), but they have to live together too. Isn’t it annoying?”

Yuan Xingzhou thought, If you aren’t a young master, who is? In terms of net worth and temper, few could surpass him.

“Brother Wen surely saw that it’s your first time joining a crew and thought having someone to look after you would help you get used to it sooner,” Yuan Xingzhou said. “It’s very hard being alone on a film set.”

“What about you then?” Ye Huai asked.

“Me? I can’t afford them… Assistant salaries have to come out of my own pocket. If I offer three thousand, they won’t do it, and if I offer more, I can’t bear the cost.” Yuan Xingzhou smiled. “I’m not even very confident when taking on roles myself, always worried about where the next meal is coming from. How could I afford another person’s food and drink?”

Ye Huai: “…”

Yuan Xingzhou simply had few commercial activities, but his acting fees were actually quite decent; his annual income could rank in the top ten of the company. Yet this person was like a stray cat that had wandered for years—even if he was full for every meal, he still worried that the next one wouldn’t be there.

And at this moment, the stray cat was adding various things to his luggage.

Ye Huai took a look; it was two sets of cold medicine and diarrhea medicine. Yuan Xingzhou did an inventory and added a set of his own skincare products.

“You’ll be putting on and taking off makeup constantly on set, and the weather there is humid. If you happen to have an allergy, try this.” Yuan Xingzhou stuffed the skincare products in, then looked at his clothes with concern. “Do you want to bring a down jacket?”

Ye Huai’s film crew was filming in the south; even in winter, it rarely dropped below zero.

“No need, I rarely wear those in winter.” Ye Huai smiled and walked over, hooking his arm around his neck and asking, “Are you reluctant to see me go?”

Yuan Xingzhou glanced at him.

“If you’re reluctant, come with me,” Ye Huai prompted. “It’s the same whether you read scripts here or there. You can just come back when it’s time for you to join your own crew.”

Yuan Xingzhou was actually tempted for a split second, but he soon calmed down. “…I still have to write songs, alright? Writing songs requires using a recording studio.”

Releasing an album required a studio, as did composing for the TV series. Although the latter hadn’t been finalized yet, Yuan Xingzhou still kept it in mind.

Ye Huai gave an “oh” and finally dropped it.

At seven o’clock sharp, the “metal duo” arrived downstairs on time. Ye Huai dawdled as he went down and got into the car very reluctantly.

Yuan Xingzhou busied himself, watching the luggage get loaded into the trunk piece by piece. As everyone closed the car doors, he suddenly felt a little bit at a loss.

The driver started the car. Yuan Xingzhou stood dazed at the bottom of the steps for a moment, then ran to the front to tell the driver to drive slowly.

“Come here.” Ye Huai rolled down the car window and beckoned to him.

Yuan Xingzhou hurried over.

“Do you want a goodbye kiss?” Ye Huai asked.

Yuan Xingzhou: “!!!”

Xiao Tie, in the passenger seat, “swish”—looked toward the rearview mirror, his eyes darting around in extreme excitement. Xiao Lyu, in the back seat with Ye Huai, made an effort to sit straight, pretending to be a statue.

Yuan Xingzhou’s face turned scarlet; that bit of dazedness and reluctance was instantly washed away. “Of course I do!”

Now it was Ye Huai’s turn to be stunned.

“Mu—a!” Yuan Xingzhou puckered his lips outside the window, giving a flying kiss. Then, with a red face, he made a motion to kick the car door. “Kiss finished, now get lost!”