Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Xiao Bojun’s first attempt at making noodles completely exceeded Zuo Qiu’s expectations. Although the soup base was a rich stock that Guo Chen had simmered for six hours today, and the various vegetables and mushrooms mixed into the noodles were leftovers from the hot pot, Zuo Qiu still felt Xiao Bojun had improved significantly, especially with the delicately shaped poached egg placed on top.

“How did you make this heart shape?” Zuo Qiu took a bite. The egg was slightly scorched but didn’t affect the flavor.

Xiao Bojun clipped the uneaten egg from his bowl into Zuo Qiu’s, without mentioning that there were many molds in the kitchen and he could also make star, flower, round, or even Mickey Mouse shapes. “I made it with my heart.”

Zuo Qiu hadn’t cooked in the room next door yet, so he hadn’t seen the various cheating tools Guo Chen had prepared. But asking him to believe Xiao Bojun had this skill on his first attempt at cooking, Zuo Qiu would sooner believe pigs could fly. Zuo Qiu didn’t expose Xiao Bojun but encouraged him to keep up the effort.

“Amazing, Xiao Er! Here, these are your rewards.” Zuo Qiu said, transferring half of the vegetables from his bowl to Xiao Bojun’s bowl, which only contained noodles and meat.

Xiao Bojun looked at the “reward” in his bowl, his smile slowly becoming forced. He hadn’t served himself vegetables because he didn’t like them, and Zuo Qiu knew he didn’t like them, yet he still… Xiao Bojun looked at Zuo Qiu with a distressed expression.

Zuo Qiu glanced at Xiao Bojun, trying hard to suppress a laugh. “The noodles you made taste so good, even the vegetables are delicious. Try them.”

Xiao Bojun heard the strong, coaxing tone in Zuo Qiu’s voice, but didn’t argue. He picked up all the vegetables and shoved them into his mouth, chewed a few times, and immediately swallowed them. Forcing himself to eat something he disliked felt like consuming poison, and vegetables were essentially poison to Xiao Bojun.

Zuo Qiu said no more once Xiao Bojun had eaten them. Xiao Bojun’s pickiness was too severe. When Zuo Qiu cooked daily, he always stir-fried vegetables, and Xiao Bojun would politely eat a little. But during these few months living with the crew, Xiao Bojun hadn’t touched a single vegetable. When Zuo Qiu urged him to eat, he would firmly excuse himself, claiming the vegetables didn’t taste good, or they weren’t even half as delicious as Zuo Qiu’s cooking, so he couldn’t eat them. Therefore, Zuo Qiu planned to start cooking themselves again and use different methods to get Xiao Bojun to eat more vegetables.

Xiao Bojun, unaware that the days of “eating grass” were about to return, was quickly finishing the noodles in his bowl.

…

After dinner, the two didn’t rush to sleep. Zuo Qiu pulled Xiao Bojun to the balcony to watch the night view while digesting their meal.

Xiao Bojun stood for a while and then complained that he was tired. “I think we should put two lounge chairs here. Lying down to watch the stars would be perfect.”

Zuo Qiu retorted, “Do you think you’re here on vacation?”

Actually, that wasn’t far from the truth. Xiao Bojun’s screen time was significantly less than Zuo Qiu’s. For the first month, he basically had no scenes. The reason he came to the set so early was purely to accompany Zuo Qiu. At this point, it really was turning into a vacation.

“Alright, you can choose two when you have nothing else to do.” Zuo Qiu felt that an idle Xiao Bojun would only find ways to torment him. Rather than letting him have excess energy, it was better to find him things to do.

Xiao Bojun casually hummed an agreement, but he had already made plans internally. Two lounge chairs were too many…

…

The next day, after breakfast, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun planned to go sightseeing before the movie started shooting. Their last trip to S City had been too hurried, and Zuo Qiu wanted to properly visit the scenic spots this time.

“Do you want to come out with us?” Zuo Qiu asked Guo Chen. He was worried that Guo Chen would feel like a third wheel and be reluctant to go, so he sought her opinion.

“I’ll go with you,” Guo Chen explained, unusually, to prevent any misunderstanding. “If anything happens, I can help out.”

Guo Chen appreciated Zuo Qiu’s consideration, but as an assistant, she had to stick to her duties. Their safety was more important to her than being a third wheel.

Since the driver, Guo Chen, was willing to come along, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun had no reason to refuse. Having their own car certainly made things much easier. Yesterday’s incident at the market, where the three were recognized, was a perfect example. If Guo Chen hadn’t been there, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun definitely wouldn’t have been able to “vanish” so quickly.

The three discussed their itinerary and decided to visit Disneyland in the morning, explore the ancient town in the afternoon, and visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the evening. Since it was not a holiday period, there weren’t many tourists at the attractions. The two wearing masks and hats weren’t recognized, and the three had a great time.

…

During lunch, Xiao Bojun’s phone rang. After speaking two sentences, he actually dropped his chopsticks and mysteriously went to a corner to answer the call, which made Zuo Qiu very curious. He quietly moved behind the person answering the phone, trying hard to hear what he was saying, but Xiao Bojun’s voice was too low, and Zuo Qiu couldn’t hear a word.

“Is this the start of you cheating on me?”

As soon as Xiao Bojun hung up the phone, Zuo Qiu opened his mouth “ominously” from behind him.

Xiao Bojun, who had just hung up and was still immersed in his anticipation of a wonderful evening, was startled by Zuo Qiu’s sudden voice.

“Cheating? Completely impossible! I think you’re more likely to talk about coming out.” Xiao Bojun deeply despised scumbags who cheated and found mistresses just because they had some money—they lacked basic human integrity. Therefore, he had never even considered cheating.

Zuo Qiu had only been joking. Now, hearing him mention coming out, he asked in surprise, “Seriously?”

Xiao Bojun secretly stroked his head. “Of course, it’s fake!” He would definitely come out, but only when the time was right.

Zuo Qiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Then why did you answer the phone behind my back?”

Xiao Bojun smiled mysteriously. “I have a surprise for you tonight.”

Despite Zuo Qiu’s repeated questions about the surprise, Xiao Bojun remained tight-lipped.

…

That evening, when Zuo Qiu returned to the room, he saw two boxes, one large and one small, placed in Xiao Bojun’s room.

“What are these?” Zuo Qiu asked Xiao Bojun, who was busy unpacking.

Xiao Bojun didn’t answer and continued unwrapping.

Five minutes later, a large sofa lounge chair appeared before Zuo Qiu.

Xiao Bojun patted the sofa, then lay down on it to test it, clearly satisfied. “This one is mine,” he said, pointing to the unopened small box next to it. “That one is yours. See if you like it.”

Receiving a gift out of the blue made Zuo Qiu happy. He took a utility knife and started unwrapping his gift. But after he inflated and assembled the gift according to the instructions, he looked at the amorphous object with confusion.

“What is this?”

The object was vaguely V-shaped, though the curve wasn’t overly exaggerated. It had a gentle slope, was longer than a stool but shorter than a sofa, and had no backrest. It looked like a stool, but it wasn’t comfortable to sit on at all.

Xiao Bojun looked at Zuo Qiu and “kindly” instructed him on the correct use of the object. “Lie down on it.”

Zuo Qiu was puzzled. How could he lie down on a short sofa less than a meter long? But seeing Xiao Bojun look so knowledgeable, he listened to him and lay down. His buttocks and upper body were on the sofa, with his waist resting exactly in the deepest part of the curve, and his two long legs were left hanging on the floor.

“It’s not comfortable,” Zuo Qiu frowned. This sofa felt wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. Zuo Qiu tried to sit up.

“Don’t. Spread your two legs to the sides of the sofa. It’ll definitely be more comfortable,” Xiao Bojun stopped him.

Zuo Qiu decided to give Xiao Bojun’s suggestion one last try. He followed Xiao Bojun’s instructions, and then he realized exactly what was wrong with this sofa. Just as he was about to get up, Xiao Bojun quickly stood up from his own sofa and pressed directly down on Zuo Qiu.

Pinned down, Zuo Qiu found that he couldn’t move at all.

And at that moment, Xiao Bojun was taking off his clothes…

…

Half an hour later, Zuo Qiu, who had been completely devoured without even taking off his clothes, felt like all the bones in his body had been dislocated. He spoke only two words to express his grief and indignation:

“Contemptible!”

Xiao Bojun didn’t mind Zuo Qiu’s sour expression at all. After wiping Zuo Qiu clean with a tissue, he carried him to the lounge chair to rest.

Zuo Qiu lay down on the lounge chair, which allowed him to stretch out fully. The chair was made of real leather, making it extremely soft to lie on. He then looked at the novelty sofa Xiao Bojun was deflating and said coolly, “I really doubt if you truly love me right now.”

He made me awkwardly squeeze onto a short, short novelty chair while he enjoyed a luxurious sofa next to me. Is that what a human does?

Xiao Bojun’s expression didn’t change when he heard Zuo Qiu’s complaint. After folding the deflated sofa, he walked over. “Yours is yours, and mine is also yours. My whole being belongs to you. How can you say I don’t love you?”

Yesterday, when he was shopping for lounge chairs online, he accidentally discovered this novelty freebie. After learning about its unique charm, he didn’t hesitate to buy the expensive lounge sofa.

Zuo Qiu was speechless when he heard Xiao Bojun’s subtle confession. “If everything of yours is mine, then why couldn’t you use my money to buy me a better sofa?”

Xiao Bojun didn’t answer. Instead, he climbed onto the lounge chair and lay on his side next to Zuo Qiu. The chair had plenty of space for one person but was a little crowded for two, especially two tall, well-built men. Zuo Qiu was forced to be skin-to-skin with Xiao Bojun.

“Don’t you think it’s more fun when two people lie together? I like the feeling of piling up with you,” Xiao Bojun said to Zuo Qiu, propping his head up.

Zuo Qiu’s heart instantly melted from Xiao Bojun’s words. He realized that ever since they started dating, Xiao Bojun seemed to have opened up, showering him with sweet words as if they cost nothing, often surprising and warming his heart immensely.

…

The next day, when Guo Chen took the two to the set, the entire crew was already assembled. Zuo Qiu knew that Ou Sheng had not invited reporters for a launch ceremony. Instead, he quietly lit incense with the main actors, shared a cup of tea with the entire crew, and promised a celebratory dinner after the evening wrap-up, and that was it.

Zuo Qiu was a little surprised by Ou Sheng’s approach. After all, exposure was crucial for a film or TV production. If they didn’t even notify the media about the launch, how would it appear in the news later?

Xiao Bojun, who knew more about the situation, enlightened him. “As a film with a same-sex theme, it wasn’t easy for Wilderness King to get all the necessary permits. Therefore, it’s better to keep a low profile before the release to avoid unnecessary trouble.”

In general, the domestic atmosphere was not very encouraging toward same-sex topics. Plus, there were too many people who hated seeing others succeed and liked to gloat over their misfortunes, so it was better not to draw attention.

Zuo Qiu nodded. He genuinely loved Brother Sheng’s story. Brother Sheng had done many things in high school that Zuo Qiu hadn’t dared to do. Acting out Brother Sheng’s story made him feel like he was living an alternate life. Zuo Qiu hoped the film would be completed and that more people would see their story, so he decided to follow Brother Sheng’s lead and keep a low profile.

…

After the launch ceremony came the first scene. The content of the first scene was the protagonist, He Lang, meeting his first love, Shen Rui, on his first day in the high school dormitory.

He Lang, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and dark blue school uniform pants, slowly walked toward the dorm with his suitcase. His hair was a newly done style—light brown short hair, thick, fluffy, and cut at the eyebrows, which made his eyes look large and expressive. With his fair skin and high nose bridge, he was handsome with a touch of cuteness.

The boys and girls he passed couldn’t help but look at him. He Lang, the failing student, successfully grabbed the attention of the entire school on his first day with his outstanding looks.

When He Lang opened the door to Dorm 415 with his key, he froze. A boy taller than him was standing on the balcony, reading, silhouetted against the light. The early autumn sunset bathed him in a golden, soft glow, and his beautiful profile was so perfect that one didn’t want to blink.

He Lang stared blankly at the handsome boy, speechless. Instead, the reading beauty noticed He Lang first.

“Hello, my name is Shen Rui. Are you He Lang?”

He Lang felt a joyous flutter inside, like a little person dancing the seaweed dance, hearing the handsome boy across from him say his name.

The first shot was passed by Director Tang after only two takes for Zuo Qiu. Right after the performance, Ou Sheng called him aside for a private coaching session.

On the other side, Cheng Ye and Xiao Bojun were “biting their handkerchiefs.” One was feeling jealous because he saw his own spouse looking nostalgic, while the other was aching because he saw his boyfriend openly drool over another man, and even though he knew it was acting, it still hurt his chest.

“Brother Ye, didn’t you say you wanted to compete on who could fly a plane better? Why postpone when we can do it today?”

“Let’s go! Who’s afraid of whom!”

For the first time, the two men who couldn’t stand each other agreed. They strode out. For something they didn’t want to see and were powerless to stop, they both chose the “out of sight, out of mind” approach.

Zuo Qiu, having finished talking with Ou Sheng, looked back and couldn’t see Xiao Bojun in his seat. He quietly muttered, “Where did he run off to?”

Unexpectedly, Ou Sheng heard him and replied, “He went to play with planes.”

Zuo Qiu, whose mind went straight to the gutter, couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Both boyfriends are going to play together? How would they play?

Ou Sheng, who was looking down at the script, raised his gaze to Zuo Qiu’s face and looked at him. “Pervert. I was talking about real airplanes. They went to compete on who is better at flying real planes.”

The explanation only made Zuo Qiu laugh harder. Even though he understood what Ou Sheng meant, he still couldn’t stop laughing. He couldn’t be blamed for being a pervert; the Chinese language was simply too broad and profound!