Spilling the Tea on the Movie Star Who Won't Leave Me Alone - Chapter 19

Xu Chi didn’t hear a single word of the Spring Festival Gala after that. Gu Jingxuan sat right beside him, his long legs propped up on a corner of the coffee table. He crunched on potato chips, providing a running commentary of complaints about the show as he watched.

Xu Chi, on the other hand, was so stiff he didn’t dare move. He was surrounded by the scent of the body wash Gu Jingxuan had just used, and the smell made him feel a bit lightheaded and dazed.

Whenever Gu Jingxuan turned to complain to him, Xu Chi would just nod and smile like a fool, having absolutely no idea what was actually being performed on the screen.

When the final countdown finally began, Gu Jingxuan turned the TV volume up to the max. Outside, the sounds of fireworks from various households began to echo.

“…3! 2! 1!”

“Happy New Year, little one,” Gu Jingxuan said, leaning toward Xu Chi’s ear and practically shouting to be heard over the noise.

Xu Chi turned to see Gu Jingxuan’s smiling face. He let out a huge grin in return, his eyes curving into narrow slits until they nearly disappeared.

“Gu Jingxuan! Happy New Year!”

Initially, they were supposed to resume work on the third day of the lunar year, but on the night of the first day, a notice was sent out requiring everyone to return to work on the second.

Xu Chi was still curled up in his warm little bed, scrolling through Gu Jingxuan’s old dating rumors, when his phone rang.

“Has your assistant come back yet?” Gu Jingxuan’s voice came through, accompanied by the sound of a car horn. Xu Chi poked his head out from under the covers and checked the time.

“Not yet. He’s not back in City A until the fourth.” Xu Chi had originally planned to drive himself to the set today. If he had known work would start this early, he wouldn’t have bothered returning to his apartment and would have just stayed at the production’s hotel.

“I’ll come pick you up, then. I’m just about to head out.”

Hearing this, Xu Chi jumped out of bed instantly, stammering as he tried to decline: “No, that’s not necessary. It’s… it’s too much trouble for you.”

Hearing the honorifics Xu Chi unconsciously used whenever he got nervous, Gu Jingxuan let out an undignified laugh on the other end of the line.

“It’s on the way. I’m almost at your building, so hurry up and get out of bed.”

From the slight rasp in Xu Chi’s voice, Gu Jingxuan knew the boy hadn’t woken up yet. Without waiting for a refusal, Gu Jingxuan hung up the phone and swung the steering wheel toward Xu Chi’s home.

Xu Chi scratched his messy hair, rustled around to get dressed, folded his quilt, and rushed to the bathroom.

After finishing his morning routine at lightning speed once again, Xu Chi grabbed a carton of milk from the dining table and dashed downstairs. He opened the door to see Gu Jingxuan sitting in the car with the window down, smoking a cigarette.

Seeing Xu Chi arrive, Gu Jingxuan immediately stubbed out the cigarette and sprayed a bit of air freshener inside the car before watching Xu Chi climb in.

“Director Jiang is starting work today by taking us to a hot spring. A friend of his owns one that happens to be empty today, so he booked the whole place.”

Gu Jingxuan had received a call from Jiang Yusen last night and knew the real plan for today’s work.

“I’ll take you straight to the hot spring. I don’t feel like being squeezed into the crew’s van with everyone else.”

“To the… hot spring…” Internally, Xu Chi was incredibly resistant.

He was worried his secret would be discovered, even though he really wanted to see his idol’s abs and chest.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s a therapeutic spring; once you’re in the water, you can’t see anything. What’s there to be shy about? It’s all people from the crew; it’s just a matter of taking off some clothes.” Gu Jingxuan assumed Xu Chi was just embarrassed about being naked in front of others and tried to reassure him.

Xu Chi bit his straw and slowly sipped his milk.

It was just a hot spring, anyway. As long as he stayed in the water, he wouldn’t be found out. He just had to be careful.