Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Because their location had been discovered by netizens, when the three disembarked the plane, Zhao Zhixian quickly spotted fans holding support signs waiting at the exit.

“Come on, let’s take another route.”

Zuo Qiu followed Zhao Zhixian and walked back a couple of steps before stopping. “Brother Zhao, if they don’t see us come out, will they keep waiting?” Zuo Qiu was a little worried. It was daytime now, which was fine, but if they waited until night, it wouldn’t be safe, especially since most of the fans were girls.

Zhao Zhixian saw the worry on Zuo Qiu’s face and said, “It’s fine. Once you’re safely home, I’ll explain on Weibo.”

Zhao Zhixian was still managing the duo’s Weibo account. Initially, he intended to let them manage it themselves, but Xiao Baijun was too lazy and thought it was too much trouble, and Zuo Qiu was nervous about making a mistake and didn’t agree. So, Zhao Zhixian ended up managing it.

Zuo Qiu thought this was a good arrangement, so he nodded and followed Zhao Zhixian through the security channel and headed home.

The two ate a casual lunch. Xiao Baijun went back to his room to continue catching up on sleep, while Zuo Qiu, while scrolling through Weibo, discovered that he and Xiao Baijun were trending again.

Zuo Qiu called Zhao Zhixian. “Brother Zhao, aren’t you buying trending topics a little too often?” Not only was buying trending topics expensive, but they were just on it yesterday. If they trended again today, wouldn’t netizens get tired of seeing them?

“Today, besides posting a Weibo with a photo of you two on the plane, I really haven’t done anything else!” Zhao Zhixian was also puzzled about trending again. If it wasn’t intentional, had Zuo Qiu and Xiao Baijun become so popular that they automatically generated buzz? Zhao Zhixian was slightly skeptical.

Zuo Qiu had also seen that Weibo post. In his opinion, the text merely informed fans that they had arrived home safely. Although the tone might be considered cute, it was completely within the normal range. And that made them trend?

“Brother Zhao, is trending this frequently okay?” Zuo Qiu was still worried. He and Xiao Baijun were the newest of the new. Trending too much might backfire, right?

Zhao Zhixian reassured him: “It should be fine, don’t worry and get some rest. I’ll contact you if anything comes up.” Zhao Zhixian actually wasn’t completely confident. The entertainment industry was cutthroat, and many rivals used “over-praising” to destroy their opponents. Zhao Zhixian was already mentally listing a few people and planned to investigate thoroughly after hanging up the phone.

On Zuo Qiu’s end, after talking with Zhao Zhixian, he looked closer at the fan comments. Most of the comments said that seeing the two of them sleeping head-to-head was very “loving” and that their relationship was very good.

Zuo Qiu was confused. Getting along well is understandable; after all, they’ve been together for three years and genuinely compatible. But “loving”? Where does the love come from? Thinking this, Zuo Qiu still instinctively saved the photo to his phone album.

Putting his phone aside, Zuo Qiu calmed down and began studying the script for the movie Fledgling Eagle, which they would join next Monday. His and Xiao Baijun’s parts were only for two days, and Zuo Qiu had already memorized his lines. But he was still nervous—because his idol was the male lead of the movie. Zuo Qiu was looking forward to interacting with his idol but was also afraid his idol might look down on him.

He felt like a student cramming before a big exam, desperately hoping to get a good grade to impress the teacher.

With an incredibly complex mood, Zuo Qiu got tired of reading the script and fell asleep right there on the sofa.

Xiao Baijun woke up from a full sleep, rubbing his eyes and searching for Zuo Qiu. He finally found Zuo Qiu on the sofa, with half his body almost sliding onto the floor. Xiao Baijun walked over and lifted Zuo Qiu, bouncing him lightly in his arms. Despite Zuo Qiu’s long arms and legs, he was surprisingly light. Xiao Baijun secretly thought Zuo Qiu could stand to gain a little more weight. He imagined he would feel better to hold then.

Xiao Baijun wanted to hold Zuo Qiu in his arms and not let go, but he was afraid of disturbing his sleep. In the end, he reluctantly placed him back on the sofa.

Zuo Qiu remained fast asleep with his eyes closed. As soon as he was back on the sofa, he instinctively hugged the cushion and nestled into it. Xiao Baijun looked at him with intense eyes, feeling a little envious of the cushion.

Xiao Baijun sat next to Zuo Qiu, watching his peaceful sleeping face for a long time. When the room gradually darkened, he rubbed his stomach, realizing they hadn’t eaten dinner yet. He grabbed his phone and quietly left the house.

After buying takeout and returning, Zuo Qiu still hadn’t woken up. Xiao Baijun placed the food on the coffee table next to the sofa and used his hand to hold a chicken leg under Zuo Qiu’s nose, trying to lure him. “Smells good, doesn’t it? Want a bite?”

When Zuo Qiu opened his eyes, he saw the childish Xiao Baijun, with a mischievous smile, waving a chicken leg in front of him.

“Open up!” Xiao Baijun commanded as Zuo Qiu woke up.

Zuo Qiu obediently opened his mouth. Xiao Baijun put the chicken leg into Zuo Qiu’s mouth. Zuo Qiu bit off a piece of meat and started chewing. The meat was a little tough and had a strong, cheap marinade flavor. But even so, when Xiao Baijun asked if it tasted good, Zuo Qiu nodded without hesitation and said it was delicious.

“Is it really good? Let me try, too.” Xiao Baijun said, then took a bite of the chicken leg in his hand.

Because it was late, Xiao Baijun didn’t want to go far for food, so he ordered a chicken leg rice and a soup with vermicelli from a nearby small restaurant. The rice was for him, and the vermicelli was for Zuo Qiu.

Eating the chicken leg now—which smelled good but tasted like “dead meat”—Xiao Baijun wanted to throw it away. Remembering Zuo Qiu’s answer, Xiao Baijun was confused. When did Zuo Qiu’s taste become so strange? How could this chicken leg be delicious?

Xiao Baijun turned to look at Zuo Qiu, only to see Zuo Qiu looking at the half-eaten chicken leg in his hand with a flushed face. He belatedly realized: They just had an indirect kiss?

The two ate dinner awkwardly, not talking much before heading back to their own rooms.

Zuo Qiu sat in front of his laptop, slowly flipping through the promotional photos they had taken together. The two had vastly different personalities, their auras were worlds apart, but surprisingly, when they appeared in the same frame, the picture was quite harmonious.

Zuo Qiu liked all the photos, but his gaze finally stopped at the photo Zhao Zhixian took today of them sleeping head-to-head. Fans said this photo was full of “love.” He loved Xiao Baijun, but did Xiao Baijun love him? Zuo Qiu thought dejectedly, Even if there is love, the nature of that love is different from his.

Xiao Baijun, also tossing and turning, was thinking about the same question, but he couldn’t figure it out. Just before falling into a daze past midnight, Xiao Baijun suddenly thought of a crucial question he had always ignored: Why did Zuo Qiu blush?

Was it because he shared a chicken leg with a person, or was it because he shared a chicken leg with him?