Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The four found a seemingly clean barbecue skewer shop and went in. The shop was located in the film and television base, and the owner was quite familiar with the needs of celebrity artists, specially setting up private small rooms on the second floor to protect privacy. This private room was perfect for the four people who didn’t want to be disturbed.

The waiters in the shop were accustomed to celebrity customers. They glanced at the four and showed them to the private room on the second floor as requested.

The room was small, with a square table against the wall. Zuo Qiu and Xiao Baijun sat on one side, and Dai Ni and Zhu Mao sat opposite them. Dai Ni was across from Zuo Qiu.

The three gentlemen had no strong opinions on what to eat, so Dai Ni took the menu and ordered a pile of food.

After the waiter left, Dai Ni asked Zuo Qiu, “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what face mask did you use in Come With Me?”

Zuo Qiu’s skin was excellent, even better than that of many women, and could withstand close-up shots from an HD camera. Dai Ni was amazed when she watched that episode.

Zuo Qiu thought for a moment and told Dai Ni the brand name of the mask Zhao Zhixian had given them.

Dai Ni was surprised to hear it was a very common brand that she had used before but didn’t find very effective. She didn’t understand why Zuo Qiu got such good results from a brand that was just average for her.

“Besides that, what other skincare products do you use?”

Zuo Qiu thought about the so-called “skincare products” in his bag and replied, “Da Bao?” (A very common, inexpensive Chinese skincare brand).

Dai Ni: …

Zuo Qiu was probably the epitome of natural beauty. Even using the most expensive skincare products, she couldn’t come close to him. Such smooth and delicate skin must feel excellent to the touch.

“Xiao Baijun is so lucky.”

Dai Ni’s sudden, out-of-the-blue remark surprised Zhu Mao, and Zuo Qiu blushed.

Xiao Baijun seemed to appreciate it, replying shamelessly, “Thank you.”

When various grilled skewers were served, Dai Ni devoted her full attention to eating.

Zuo Qiu wasn’t very fond of grilled skewers and stopped after eating a few. Xiao Baijun also stopped after a few meat skewers didn’t sit well with him.

“Eat, why aren’t you eating? Here, take all these chives. I specially ordered them for you,” she said, passing a large plate of chives to Xiao Baijun.

Zhu Mao was a little confused. Dai Ni specifically ordering chives for Xiao Baijun—was she hinting at something? Or did the two have some kind of secret? Zhu Mao’s eyes darted back and forth between Dai Ni and Xiao Baijun.

Zuo Qiu was also puzzled. “Why are you making him eat chives?” Xiao Baijun hadn’t mentioned wanting chives just now.

Dai Ni continued gnawing on a chicken claw, answering while she ate, “For male potency!”

Zuo Qiu accidentally spat out his tea.

Xiao Baijun looked down at the pile of “grass” on the plate. Can this really boost potency? Maybe… I should try it?

Then, Xiao Baijun closed his eyes and actually ate the entire plate of chives. The taste was truly awful. He couldn’t swallow the last bite and was about to take a gulp of cola to wash the chives down his throat.

“Hey, hey, hey, no, no, don’t drink that.” Dai Ni stopped Xiao Baijun.

Xiao Baijun paused and looked at her with displeasure.

“That kills sperm, don’t you know?”

Xiao Baijun genuinely didn’t know that. If cola kills sperm, then he definitely couldn’t drink it. He put the cola bottle on the table, picked up a cup of tea, and chugged it down.

Zuo Qiu watched Xiao Baijun’s action, then turned to ask Dai Ni, “How do you know these things that we don’t?” He then turned to Zhu Mao on the side, “Do you know?”

Zhu Mao looked at Dai Ni, his face a little red, and nodded.

Dai Ni said, “Aren’t these just common knowledge?”

Zuo Qiu expressed that he truly had never heard of such “common knowledge.”

…

Since being forced to eat the chives he disliked, Xiao Baijun hadn’t spoken a word, and his face was somewhat pale. As soon as Dai Ni and Zhu Mao were almost finished eating, Zuo Qiu immediately said it was too late and suggested they all go back to the hotel.

After Zuo Qiu paid the bill, the four left the way they came, with Dai Ni and Zhu Mao in front, and Zuo Qiu and Xiao Baijun walking behind them toward the hotel.

“If you don’t feel well, just throw up. Isn’t it hard to hold it in?” Zuo Qiu saw Xiao Baijun’s discomfort and suggested he just spit it out. Why force himself to eat something he didn’t like?

Xiao Baijun shook his head. While rubbing his stomach, hoping the chives would digest quickly, he replied to Zuo Qiu, “It’s fine. I’ll be better in a moment.”

Xiao Baijun felt that spitting out such a natural, side-effect-free “Viagra” would be a waste. He decided he needed to eat more of it in the future, and today was just a test run.

Zuo Qiu knew Xiao Baijun’s eating habits well. He usually avoided vegetables and wouldn’t touch any green food. It was no surprise that he felt sick after eating so many strong-tasting chives today.

Just as Zuo Qiu was about to say something else, Xiao Baijun spoke first, “Our two ‘little brothers’ had a successful meeting today. I can’t let you be outdone.”

So, that was the reason?

Zuo Qiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He teased him, “It’s okay. Even if you finish quickly, I accept it. I’ll spend everything I have to get you cured.”

“You wish you could die!” Xiao Baijun snapped angrily. How could he finish quickly? The last time Zuo Qiu helped him, he lasted for 20 minutes!

Zuo Qiu laughed heartily at Xiao Baijun’s angry embarrassment.

…

Zhu Mao, walking ahead, heard Zuo Qiu’s cheerful laughter and sighed, “Their relationship is really good.”

The entertainment industry is a dirty place, notorious for producing fake friendships, fake brotherly bonds, and fake marriages. Especially for groups like theirs, even identical twins might become enemies after circulating in the industry. So, Zhu Mao felt that the bond between Zuo Qiu and Xiao Baijun was rare. But it was hard to say. Maybe in a year, they would become fake brothers stepping all over each other.

Dai Ni glanced back and said nothing more than “Heh heh.” Zhu Mao found this very strange but didn’t press her.

The two returned to the hotel. Zuo Qiu went back to his room to shower first, then planned to go to Xiao Baijun’s room.

As soon as Xiao Baijun returned to his room, he began cleaning up the pigsty-like space. Zuo Qiu hadn’t been here to help him tidy up lately, and the hotel’s service wasn’t good enough for daily cleaning. Consequently, Xiao Baijun, who never thought there was anything wrong with being lazy, felt for the first time that he was too messy. He stuffed the dirty clothes on the sofa and bed into the closet, tidied the sheets, and threw the sour-smelling trash from the trash can into the bin outside the door.

After all that, Xiao Baijun took the last set of pajamas from his suitcase and went to the bathroom. Xiao Baijun had just taken off his shirt when he came back out of the bathroom. He rummaged through his luggage for the cologne Zuo Qiu had given him, spraying it in every corner of the room. After spraying, he looked at the “refreshed” room and was finally satisfied, re-entering the bathroom.

…

When Zuo Qiu arrived, Xiao Baijun was still shaving. After opening the door for Zuo Qiu, he said, “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be out as soon as I finish shaving,” and went back into the bathroom.

As soon as Zuo Qiu entered, he smelled the familiar cologne scent. He was slightly surprised to see the relatively tidy room. Xiao Baijun maintaining this state without anyone cleaning for him was already quite impressive. Zuo Qiu wandered around casually and reached out to open the closet by the bed. Instantly, a pile of clothes tumbled out onto the floor.

Zuo Qiu: …

So, everything was an illusion.

Xiao Baijun stood at the bathroom door, about to remind Zuo Qiu not to open the closet, but it was too late. His secret was exposed.

Zuo Qiu sighed, picked up all the dirty clothes from the closet, and walked toward the bathroom.

Xiao Baijun glanced at Zuo Qiu in the mirror, pretended not to see him, and continued shaving.

The hotel had a communal laundry room, but Zuo Qiu found the washing machines too dirty, so he always washed his clothes by hand. At this moment, he soaked Xiao Baijun’s clothes in a large basin and began scrubbing them one by one.

Xiao Baijun was thoroughly embarrassed. He put down his razor and came over to help.

Zuo Qiu looked at Xiao Baijun and laughed. “Do you know how to wash clothes?”

In the school dorm, Xiao Baijun had bought a fully automatic washing machine with his own money, throwing dirty clothes into it every day. It was the same when he lived at home. In the three years Zuo Qiu had known him, this was the first time he had seen Xiao Baijun wash clothes by hand.

“There’s a first time for everything!” Xiao Baijun wasn’t about to say that his willingness to help was purely selfish. He didn’t want to waste time on trivial matters. When dating, one should do more things that people in love do!

It took the two half an hour to wash and hang the clothes. By the time everything was tidied up, it was already 11 p.m. Zuo Qiu lay on the bed, feeling sleepy. Too many things had happened today, and he was mentally and physically exhausted.

Xiao Baijun got into bed next to Zuo Qiu, leaned in to kiss his lips, and let his hand naturally move downwards…

Initially, they helped each other. Then, Xiao Baijun helped both himself and Zuo Qiu alone… When it was over, Zuo Qiu’s face was flushed. He leaned against Xiao Baijun’s shoulder, shirtless and panting heavily.

Xiao Baijun took the tissues from the bedside table to wipe the white liquid from Zuo Qiu’s abdomen. That puddle was his, and Zuo Qiu’s was in his palm.

“Looks like the chives worked well,” Xiao Baijun said proudly.

Zuo Qiu tilted his head, unwilling to talk to him. Xiao Baijun was basically showing off that he lasted longer, but was an extra minute really worth this much pride?

The two lay down again. Xiao Baijun said to Zuo Qiu, “I think I should search online to see if there are any other good things similar to chives. I want to eat more.”

“No need, you’re still young. If you overdo it now, you might be ruined later.” If Xiao Baijun kept taking supplements every day, Zuo Qiu felt he would be the one to collapse first.

Xiao Baijun thought about it and said, “I’ll ask the all-knowing Baidu (Chinese Google) tomorrow and then decide.”

Zuo Qiu was so sleepy he could barely open his eyes. He hummed in agreement and fell asleep. Xiao Baijun kissed his forehead, held him close, and also fell asleep.

…

The next day, Xiao Baijun, striving to be a good boyfriend, woke up first again. After washing up and changing his clothes, he prepared to go downstairs to get food.

Just as he closed the door, he saw Zhu Mao sneakily emerging from a room. As he came out, he looked around furtively. Seeing Xiao Baijun not far away, he let out an awkward chuckle. “Morning.”

Having taken classes and eaten a late-night snack together yesterday, Xiao Baijun thought Zhu Mao was a decent person, so he also replied with a good morning.

After exchanging greetings, Zhu Mao quickly walked forward, stopped at a room door, swiped his card, and went in.

Xiao Baijun walked slowly, reaching the room Zhu Mao had just come out of. He rubbed his chin. Dai Ni’s room.

After getting breakfast and returning to the room, Xiao Baijun told Zuo Qiu about his morning sightings.

Zuo Qiu paused for a second and said, “No wonder. I already felt yesterday that Zhu Mao had a good impression of Dai Ni.”

“They had a good impression of each other, so they hooked up? Dai Ni is too casual.”

Zuo Qiu didn’t agree with Xiao Baijun. He said, “How do you know Dai Ni didn’t also have a good impression of Zhu Mao? Maybe they’re just mutually attracted.”

A girl who was clinging to him one day was hooking up with someone else the next. Xiao Baijun still felt that such a girl was quite casual, but he didn’t argue further, shutting up to eat his breakfast.

Zuo Qiu sighed. “The male lead and second male lead are together, and the female lead and third male lead are attracted to each other. This is truly a legendary drama.” If they used these two points for promotion, the show would be guaranteed to be a hit.

…

In the morning, Zuo Qiu and Dai Ni were rehearsing their scene. During a break, Zuo Qiu looked at the fresh “hickey” on Dai Ni’s neck and teased, “The mosquitoes were quite ferocious last night.”

Dai Ni touched her neck, her face flushed. She didn’t know how it happened last night. She was in a bad mood and asked Zhu Mao to drink with her. One thing led to another, and they ended up in bed. In the morning, she was also baffled by the marks all over her body.

Dai Ni decided not to explain, instead teasing him back: “The fact that you can still get out of bed today means Xiao Baijun’s technique is just so-so.”

Zuo Qiu didn’t say anything, looking down at the ground.

Dai Ni scrutinized Zuo Qiu a few times, especially focusing on a certain key area. Finding no abnormality, she asked tentatively, “Don’t tell me you two are still in the ‘Shooter phase’ of your relationship?” (A euphemism for one-sided masturbation/mutual non-penetrative sex, referring to the “shooter” side of a relationship).

The truth was mercilessly exposed. Zuo Qiu quickly walked away, feeling guilty.

This confirmed her suspicion.

Dai Ni laughed heartily behind him.