Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

“But I want to be a real, ‘Seven Times a Night’ man, just once!” Xiao Bojun requested, holding up his index finger to Zuo Qiu.

If this request had been made before today, Zuo Qiu might have had a chance of agreeing, but after his idol told him to protect himself, Zuo Qiu’s attitude became firm. After all, if even Brother Sheng and Brother Ye couldn’t achieve it, wasn’t it perfectly normal for them not to?

Therefore, Zuo Qiu, seeing that Xiao Bojun’s swelling had subsided, immediately took the ice pack away and completely ignored his request.

Xiao Bojun: “…”

He felt that today’s Zuo Qiu was unusually difficult to negotiate with. Why was that?

…

After showering, Zuo Qiu leaned against the headboard, reading the scripts Zhao Zhixian had sent him. Zuo Qiu glanced through the four scripts, and they were all quite good. As a newcomer, Zuo Qiu didn’t care about the billing order. As long as the script and the role were good, Zuo Qiu wouldn’t refuse. Moreover, trying different roles would help clarify his career direction.

Xiao Bojun showered in his own room. After moving his shoulder around, he found it much better. Xiao Bojun planned to sneak into Zuo Qiu’s room later when it was dark, so he, unable to sit still, started walking around the room to kill time.

The hotel room arranged by Ou Sheng’s crew looked much better than their previous hotel, and the room’s private balcony was particularly appealing. When Xiao Bojun walked onto the balcony and pulled back the curtains to look at the night view, he unexpectedly found a concealed door. Xiao Bojun walked forward, turned the doorknob, and lifted the curtain, which was identical to the one in his room, revealing Zuo Qiu leaning against the headboard.

Zuo Qiu, who was engrossed in studying the script, looked up at the sound and saw the shirtless Xiao Bojun suddenly appear on the balcony: “!”

After the two stared at each other for a moment, Xiao Bojun closed the magical door and climbed straight onto Zuo Qiu’s bed.

“Brother Sheng truly understands my heart!”

With this door, Mom no longer has to worry about me being found sneaking into Zuo Qiu’s bed! Getting from my room to Zuo Qiu’s room couldn’t be easier!

This was the first time Xiao Bojun felt he had such a thoughtful director. He could really look forward to his good times ahead.

Zuo Qiu, on one hand, thought Ou Sheng was considerate, but on the other hand, he worried: With such free access, would his backside be blooming every day? His feelings were slightly complicated.

At this moment, Ou Sheng’s message arrived just in time.

Ou Sheng: You don’t have to thank me too much!

Zuo Qiu looked at the message, then glanced at Xiao Bojun beside him. The person who wanted to thank him the most was probably this one.

Zuo Qiu: Brother Sheng, can I ask you a question? Cough, how do you always reject a request for intimacy?

Girls can use their period as an excuse to refuse, but for guys, they can’t exactly use a “man-period,” right?

Ou Sheng was Zuo Qiu’s idol and one of the few experienced people who knew his secret and shared his orientation. Zuo Qiu had long considered Ou Sheng’s words to be golden maxims. So, to protect his rear, Zuo Qiu directly sought help from Ou Sheng.

Ou Sheng looked at the message on his phone, then at the person pressing down on him from behind, and sighed deeply. He also wanted to know the answer. Could someone please tell him?

Ou Sheng didn’t reply to Zuo Qiu. Xiao Bojun was sitting next to him, staring like a wolf, which made Zuo Qiu’s scalp tingle. He had a very ominous feeling that he might “die” on the bed today. So, Zuo Qiu proactively started a conversation with Xiao Bojun, trying to distract him.

“Look at the scripts Brother Zhao sent you. Let’s choose together,” Zuo Qiu said, opening the digital scripts on his phone, adding, “I think that big IP TV series is pretty good…”

Before Zuo Qiu could finish, Xiao Bojun tossed Zuo Qiu’s phone aside, flipped over, and pinned Zuo Qiu down. “I don’t understand big IP or not-big IP. How about you feel my big ‘J.J.’ first?”

…

…

The next morning, Guo Chen knocked on Zuo Qiu’s room door and was not surprised to see Xiao Bojun brushing his teeth in Zuo Qiu’s bathroom. After greeting them both, she placed the take-out breakfast on the dining table. Just as she finished, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it and was stunned.

Guo Chen stared wide-eyed at Xiao Bojun standing in the doorway. Had she seen a ghost so early in the morning? No, no, she definitely hadn’t woken up yet!

Xiao Bojun was very satisfied with Guo Chen’s reaction. He pretended to be formal, greeted her again, and walked past her into the room.

Zuo Qiu, sitting at the dining table, looked at the incredulous Guo Chen, finding it amusing. He decided to enlighten her. “Guo Chen, the room is a bit dark. Can you pull open the balcony curtains for me?”

Guo Chen walked over in a daze and opened the curtains. When she saw the door painted the same color as the wall, she suddenly understood.

Zuo Qiu watched Guo Chen shuttle back and forth through the door between the two rooms several times before slowly accepting the reality before her eyes. He asked her, “Did you eat breakfast already?”

Guo Chen nodded. “I have.”

She then quickly tidied up the bed where the two had slept and gathered the dirty clothes from both sides into the washing machine in the bathroom.

Zuo Qiu looked at the diligent Guo Chen and suddenly remembered what Ou Sheng had said about someone trying to bribe her but being refused. He initially wanted to express his thanks, but thinking it might seem too distant, he said nothing, only secretly resolving to treat Guo Chen better in the future.

After Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun finished breakfast, Guo Chen took the two to the film set. Zuo Qiu had heard from Ou Sheng that the rest of the crew were staying at this hotel, but since they hadn’t seen anyone else, they hadn’t thought of walking with them.

When the car arrived at the film set, Ou Sheng and Cheng Ye were already there.

Ou Sheng was a bit surprised to see them. “You’re here so early? Why didn’t you sleep in a little?”

The phrase “sleep in a little” was a common courtesy, but Zuo Qiu, with his guilty conscience, felt there was a hidden meaning. He awkwardly rubbed his nose and replied, “I woke up early, so we came ahead of time.”

Realizing his unintentional comment made Zuo Qiu uncomfortable, Ou Sheng didn’t press further and took the two on a tour. The location was a high school in S City. Since it was Saturday, the teaching building was empty of students.

Ou Sheng and Zuo Qiu walked ahead, with Xiao Bojun and Cheng Ye following behind. Both were about the same height and had a relatively imposing build, making them look like two bodyguards.

“Brother Sheng is walking briskly. I guess Brother Ye isn’t as good as he used to be?” If Cheng Ye really could do it seven times a night, Ou Sheng would probably be unable to get out of bed right now. Xiao Bojun mercilessly exposed Cheng Ye’s lie.

Cheng Ye, who had been holding in his anger since yesterday, heard Xiao Bojun provoke him again and instantly wanted to kick Xiao Bojun out of S City and send him back to B City.

Cheng Ye looked ahead at Ou Sheng, then laughed. “I have a friend whose family manufactures helicopters. We should go play sometime and see who only knows how to ‘masturbate a plane’ and who can actually fly one.”

Yesterday, Cheng Ye had swallowed his pride and consulted an old acquaintance who was half-friend, half-foe. After enduring ten minutes of teasing, he secured the opportunity to try out a plane in the hangar anytime. Cheng Ye had already decided that he must teach this arrogant little brat, Xiao Bojun, who hadn’t even fully grown, a good lesson. He refused to believe that he, having been in the military for years, couldn’t handle a young kid!

Xiao Bojun frowned slightly, a hint of difficulty flashing across his face.

Cheng Ye slightly curled his lips, watching Xiao Bojun’s expression.

Ou Sheng led them into a classroom and told them that this would be the main filming location.

Zuo Qiu looked around. The classroom only had about twenty desks. Unlike other classrooms, the desks were empty. He figured they would place books and materials on them when filming officially began.

Zuo Qiu asked Ou Sheng curiously, “Will filming here affect their regular classes?”

Ou Sheng laughed. The focus of an academic is indeed different. “No, I’ve already spoken with the school administration. Other than exterior shots that require the school’s cooperation outside, we won’t disturb them during other times. We’ll also cordon off the outside of the classroom, so we won’t go out randomly, and they can’t come in randomly.”

This classroom was in an excellent location, right next to the stairs, making it easy for them to get in and out without disturbing other classes.

After a while, the director arrived with the rest of the crew. Ou Sheng introduced Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun to the crew. Everyone introduced themselves and chatted briefly.

The director of this film was Director Tang. This was Director Tang’s first time meeting the film’s leads, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun. Although he hadn’t met them, Director Tang knew they were currently the hottest newcomers in the industry. He had recently watched the hit Fledgling, and he thought the two were very promising new-generation actors. Director Tang respected Ou Sheng for managing to get the two to star in a film about a same-sex couple.

“You two should spend today following Xiao Ou to look around the various sets and familiarize yourselves. It will help you get into character when we officially start filming in two days.”

The film had not yet officially started shooting, and many sets were not yet complete. Of course, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun coming early was also to familiarize themselves. After talking with Director Tang for a few more minutes, Ou Sheng led the group out.

“I’ll take you to see the other set in a moment. Filming starts the day after tomorrow. You can explore S City tomorrow, and just come here early the day after.” Ou Sheng said this as he led them toward the school’s dormitory.

This film was adapted from Ou Sheng’s real-life experiences. It tells the story of the protagonist, He Lang’s, high school days. As a struggling student, he worked hard but his grades remained poor. He later fell for his classmate who lived in the same dorm, confessed, was rejected, and was discovered by the school. The main story is set in high school, with the primary locations being the classroom and the dormitory. Xiao Bojun plays Cheng Cheng, an upperclassman He Lang meets in college. The two fall in love in college, and Cheng Cheng can be said to have healed He Lang’s inner wounds.

After Xiao Bojun saw his script, he was happy on one hand because of the limited screen time and the chance to be a couple with Zuo Qiu. On the other hand, he found it distasteful. He scoffed with disdain, muttering, “Even the names have to show off their affection.”

Zuo Qiu hadn’t initially noticed the subtlety in the two protagonists’ names. It was only when Xiao Bojun pointed it out that he realized the two protagonists’ surnames were derived from splitting the character “Cheng.” After discovering the special connection between the movie title and the protagonists’ names, Zuo Qiu couldn’t help but sigh at how their affection was flaunted everywhere.

The two arrived at the school dormitory building. The selected dormitory for filming was a quad, and the set was fully prepared, just waiting for the filming to begin. Zuo Qiu looked at the sparse textbooks on He Lang’s desk, surrounded by a pile of gaming magazines, and felt as if he could see the struggling student’s life.

As Zuo Qiu and Ou Sheng finished touring the dorm and were about to leave, Ou Sheng, who had been taking a phone call outside, walked in.

“Let’s go, we’re going to make a cameo in a costume drama!”

Ou Sheng had just received a call from Director Wang, a director friend of his. Director Wang was currently directing a martial arts TV series adapted from a classic novel. The celebrity who was supposed to play a mysterious character in the drama had a last-minute conflict and couldn’t make it. Director Wang immediately thought of Ou Sheng, who was also in S City, and begged him to help out.

Ou Sheng agreed to go and also solved the casting for the two followers of the mysterious character. Director Wang was delighted to hear that Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun would also be making cameos and urged the three to hurry over, hoping to finish their scenes in one day.

Zuo Qiu already had a costume drama script in hand, and now was a good opportunity to see what it was like to film a costume drama. He agreed immediately without hesitation to go along. Xiao Bojun always followed Zuo Qiu’s lead, so if Zuo Qiu went, he would definitely go too.

The group of four immediately drove to Director Wang’s film set. In the car, they received the scripts from Director Wang.

The three roles were quite suitable for the three of them. Ou Sheng played a mysterious, handsome, and highly skilled master who stunned everyone whenever he appeared. Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun played Ou Sheng’s two attendants. One was knowledgeable and highly intelligent, and the other was quiet but could defeat almost anyone in a fight.

Zuo Qiu saw that all three only had three simple scenes. No wonder Director Wang said they could finish in one day. He had never been involved in a costume drama before, and Zuo Qiu felt a sense of anticipation about his costume look.

…

Half an hour later, the group arrived at the new film set.

Director Wang smiled enthusiastically at the gate, greeting the arrivals. His eyes lit up as if he had seen a savior.

“A warm welcome to the three of you!”

Ou Sheng, who was good friends with Director Wang, replied, “Don’t be so formal. I just happened to have time and brought the two kids over to see what’s what.” He then introduced Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun to Director Wang.

After the polite greetings, they walked toward the set. When they had walked far away, people began whispering.

“Who are these people that Director Wang personally came out to greet them?”

“You don’t know? Look at the man walking in front, the one in his late twenties. That’s Ou Sheng, the double Film Emperor! He’s the first male star in China to publicly come out and receive blessings from all his fans. You didn’t recognize him?”

“Ah? Is that Ou Sheng? He looks even handsomer than on TV! Who are the two younger men following him? They look familiar.”

“The news about these two has been incredibly popular recently. You’ll definitely know them once I say their names.”

“Who?”

“Z.X! The two who promised to nude swim if Fledgling hits 2 billion at the box office.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. So it’s them. The younger generation is truly formidable!”

It was no exaggeration to say that Z.X were the two hottest newcomers right now. Fledgling had been released for a week, and the box office had already exceeded 1 billion, with strong momentum. The entire internet was now waiting to see their nude swimming video.

Meanwhile, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun followed the director into the makeup room. Before they could even change clothes, people started approaching them to chat. Xiao Bojun’s cold expression, coupled with the public impression of him as having a “poisonous mouth” from the news, made the people who wanted to strike up a conversation automatically avoid him and approach Zuo Qiu.

Zuo Qiu felt overwhelmed after fielding questions for five minutes. Casual chats about work were fine, but when a group of people simultaneously asked for his phone number and WeChat, Zuo Qiu grew uneasy. Giving his private contact information to complete strangers, whom he had just met, made Zuo Qiu feel very insecure, but he didn’t know how to politely refuse.

“If any of you have business to discuss with us, please contact our manager, Brother Zhao, directly. Here, take this business card.” Xiao Bojun, who had been watching, couldn’t stand it any longer. Seeing Zuo Qiu’s difficulty, he immediately pulled out a business card and handed it to the person asking for Zuo Qiu’s number.

Everyone who had planned to get Zuo Qiu’s number to network and deepen their relationship later felt awkward. Zuo Qiu was easygoing, but Xiao Bojun was different. Since he was speaking so firmly, everyone understood that pursuing the matter further would yield no positive results. They awkwardly put away their phones and left the makeup room.

Zuo Qiu let out a huge sigh of relief when the crowd left. He looked around. The makeup artist had gone to find the costumes and hadn’t returned, and Ou Sheng had gone back to his own area when the room was crowded. Now, it was just the two of them in the makeup room. Zuo Qiu quickly hugged Xiao Bojun’s neck and kissed him on the cheek.

“My boyfriend is so amazing!”

There were many times when Zuo Qiu knew he should refuse, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak up or figure out how to decline. At those moments, Xiao Bojun would always step in to help him out of the awkward situation.

Xiao Bojun had initially planned to seize the opportunity to lecture Zuo Qiu a bit, to teach him a lesson. But after the kiss, Xiao Bojun felt it wasn’t a big deal. Anyway, he was by his side, so he would just protect Zuo Qiu more in the future.

Zuo Qiu saw Xiao Bojun leaning his un-kissed cheek forward and pointing to his face, the hint being very obvious—he wanted another kiss. Zuo Qiu smiled and planted a big kiss on his other cheek.

“I permit you to start thinking about how to thank me now,” Xiao Bojun, who had received two kisses, told Zuo Qiu.

Zuo Qiu was slightly confused. Hadn’t he already given the “payment”?

Xiao Bojun immediately understood Zuo Qiu’s meaning and shamelessly said, “You mean two kisses? How could I accept such cheap compensation?”

Zuo Qiu took a deep breath. He knew the help hadn’t come for free. “What do you want?”

Xiao Bojun immediately held up three fingers. Zuo Qiu glanced at them and walked away.

“Hey, hey, hey, wait! Let’s negotiate! If you think the compensation is too much, I’ll return the kisses now, and you can focus on considering my second suggestion. How about that?”

…

Ou Sheng, who was watching the entire exchange from outside the door, smiled slightly. He had always worried that the gentle Zuo Qiu would be bullied by the dominant Xiao Bojun. He had even considered teaching Zuo Qiu a few more “husband-taming” tricks. But only now did he realize he had worried too much, because the steel had long become Zuo Qiu’s flexible silk.