The Affectionate Backup is a Heartthrob [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Devoted Stand-In is Coveted (5)

Early the next morning, Jiang Han came to the film set. He treated the entire crew to milk tea, his gaze scanning the surroundings before finally landing on his raised wrist to check the time.

“Brother Jiang Han.”

A voice deliberately softened caused Jiang Han to look forward. He saw Jiang Ke, already done with his hair and makeup, jogging toward him with joy and excitement on his face. “Brother Jiang Han, did you come to see me?”

Jiang Han gave a hum of acknowledgment and then took a bag from the driver. “For you.”

Jiang Ke’s eyes lit up; he could tell from the bag it was a luxury brand. “Thank you, Brother Jiang Han.”

But just as Jiang Ke’s gaze shifted from the bag to Jiang Han, he noticed the man was looking into the distance, not even responding to his thanks. He followed his gaze and realized who he was looking at: it was Wen Zhe, who had also finished his styling.

In an instant, jealousy surged up. Wen Zhe was dressed in a white elaborate robe with silver-white hair. This look was very difficult to pull off; if not handled well, it would make a person look dark and rustic.

But Wen Zhe fitted the character perfectly, even adding extra brilliance. His skin was so white it seemed to glow, as if he had stepped out of a painting—he was breathtakingly beautiful.

“This styling really makes anyone look good,” Jiang Ke couldn’t help but say sourly.

Just then, he was called by the director to start filming. Jiang Ke looked unwilling, and it wasn’t until Wen Zhe approached that he specifically said to his assistant, “This is a gift from Brother Jiang Han. You must keep it safe for me.”

At this moment, Wen Zhe was holding a box of small cookies. He had woken up late and didn’t have time to eat. Seeing Jiang Han, he was startled for a moment, wondering why he had come—surely not to settle scores specifically for what happened last night.

He was naturally very happy that he came, but as soon as he reached him, he heard what Jiang Ke said and immediately understood: he was here to see his ‘white moonlight’s’ cousin.

Wen Zhe had a gentle smile on his face. “Why did you come over?”

“Am I not allowed to come?” Jiang Han said.

“Of course not, I’m very happy you’re here,” Wen Zhe said quickly, his voice softening slightly.

A flash of awkwardness crossed Jiang Han’s face. “I didn’t come to see you, of course. I was just passing by and brought some things for Jiang Ke.”

“Oh…” Wen Zhe knew, of course, that he hadn’t come specifically for him, but he still felt a bit heart-sore.

Just then, a figure ran over, shouting at him from a distance, “Master, Master!”

The person was Zhou Zhi. He was the high-energy life of the party on the set. Right now, he was wearing a white robe with a red belt tied at his waist. His sleeves fluttered as he ran, looking full of youthful energy.

Wen Zhe smiled at him. Zhou Zhi put his arm around Wen Zhe’s shoulder and directly took a few cookies from Wen Zhe’s hand. “Master, I woke up late. Of course, my first scene is starting, and I didn’t even have time to eat.”

Wen Zhe offered the cookies in his hand. “They’re all for you.”

“Thank you, Master!” Zhou Zhi took them happily. While eating, he realized a moment too late that the man in front of Wen Zhe was looking at him with pitch-black eyes that made people very uncomfortable.

“Zhou Zhi! Still eating? Get over here and get ready!” Director Liu said exasperatedly. Zhou Zhi didn’t dare eat anymore and immediately scurried away.

Wen Zhe looked at the cookies that had been returned to him and put one in his mouth. But when he looked up again, he found Jiang Han’s face tense, his gaze exceptionally dark.

“Your popularity in the crew is quite good,” Jiang Han said.

Wen Zhe looked at him, feeling that this morning with Jiang Han wouldn’t be very simple. “It’s okay, they are all nice people.”

Jiang Han sneered. “Wasn’t that the little ‘duck’ from last night?”

Wen Zhe’s hand holding the cookie paused. Why was he still calling him a duck? He immediately smiled and said, “Didn’t I tell you? He’s an actor in our crew, only twenty, a very lively person.”

“It seems you like communicating with these lively people,” Jiang Han said. “Hugging and comforting each other whenever you’re free.”

Wen Zhe’s eyes widened. He had noticed Jiang Han’s words were sarcastic earlier, but now he was being too ridiculous. Did the fact that he once crawled into his bed engrave the words “lacks self-respect” and “accepts everyone” into Jiang Han’s heart?

It seemed he hadn’t just come to give Jiang Ke things; he was also partly here to settle scores.

He quickly explained with a smile, “Young kids are like that, they like physical contact. Everyone in the crew treats him like a mascot. In my eyes, he’s just like Jiang Yan—both are children.”

Jiang Han’s gaze swept over his face inch by inch. Suddenly, he remembered that at home, Jiang Yan indeed stayed quite close to him and always spoke up for him. So, was he really popular with younger people?

Wen Zhe saw that his expression had softened, and the director was calling him over. “Then I’ll head over first.”

Jiang Han nodded and then turned to get into his car.

Wen Zhe didn’t expect Jiang Yan to come visit him on set. Logically, since the college entrance exam was coming up, he should be preparing for it.

This afternoon, while Wen Zhe was still filming, Jiang Yan arrived at the set. He had asked before where the set was, saying he would visit when he had time. Wen Zhe thought he was just making small talk and didn’t expect him to actually show up.

The people in the crew didn’t know him, but seeing his exceptionally outstanding looks, they couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances.

The first to greet him was Jiang Ke. He happened to be on a break. He had seen Jiang Yan twice at banquets and was deeply impressed; he also knew this was Jiang Han’s brother, so he immediately went up with a smile.

“You’re Jiang Han’s brother, aren’t you?” Jiang Ke leaned in, trying to show off his most perfect smile.

Jiang Yan’s eyebrows furrowed, and he gave a brief acknowledgment. “How do you know me?”

Jiang Ke immediately laughed. “I have a very good relationship with your brother, so of course I know you.”

“Oh,” Jiang Yan replied indifferently. He had heard this kind of thing a lot—people trying to get close to him, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit disgusted.

Jiang Ke didn’t mind Jiang Yan’s coldness and leaned in to ask, “Why did you come to the set? Did you come with your brother?”

Jiang Yan didn’t say anything and looked into the distance. Soon, he heard Wen Zhe’s voice. “Jiang Yan.”

Jiang Yan smiled. “Brother Wen Zhe.”

Wen Zhe had finished his scenes for the day, but seeing Jiang Yan as he finished was unexpected. “Why are you here?”

“I came to visit you on set. I tried calling you, but I couldn’t get through,” Jiang Yan said.

“I didn’t see it while filming,” Wen Zhe said. Although seeing him was a surprise, he didn’t have much of a reaction otherwise. “Come on, I’ll take you to dinner.”

Jiang Yan agreed happily, and the two walked off together. Jiang Ke, who had been ignored the entire time, glared at their backs, his eyes red with anger.

“I need to remove my makeup first, you’ll have to wait for me a bit,” Wen Zhe said.

“Brother Wen Zhe, this look of yours is too beautiful,” Jiang Yan praised sincerely, his hand naturally resting on Wen Zhe’s shoulder. “Can we take a photo? I want a photo with you.”

Being praised was naturally pleasant. Although the crew members had been praising him, it was still enjoyable. He had chosen this role very well.

“Of course, take one,” Wen Zhe said. Their looks had long been released through various leaks, so there was nothing worth keeping secret.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan immediately took out his phone. He intimately put his arm around Wen Zhe’s shoulder and leaned his head toward him, capturing the moment.

The two ate directly at the hotel restaurant. The food was average; the main thing was the conversation.

“How did you get here?” Wen Zhe asked.

“Didi,” Jiang Yan said.

Wen Zhe smiled. It was indeed the way young people traveled. If it were Jiang Han, he would probably be too disgusted to get in the car, or he might not even know how to operate the app.

“Aren’t the exams coming up soon? How do you have time to come here?” Wen Zhe said.

“I wanted to see you, of course. Don’t worry, the exam isn’t an issue for me,” Jiang Yan said, his handsome face filled with arrogance and confidence.

Wen Zhe was amused by him. “You’re quite cocky.”

Jiang Yan looked at the person opposite him, whose mouth was curved into a constant smile. Wen Zhe poked a cherry tomato and put it in his mouth; the juice that burst out stained the corner of his mouth, which was then licked away by the tip of his tongue.

“Are you full?” Wen Zhe asked.

Jiang Yan nodded. “I’m full.”

“Then I’ll go pay the bill.” Wen Zhe stood up and went to the front desk.

Jiang Yan took out his phone. He opened his moments, selected the photo, and edited: “Visiting the set, Brother is stunningly beautiful~”

After posting, just as he was about to put his phone away, a call from his brother came in. The smile that was on his face collapsed instantly.

He glanced at the front desk where Wen Zhe was still waiting in line, and then answered. “Hello.”

Jiang Han’s tone was very aggressive. “Jiang Yan, the exams are almost here, what are you doing running off?”

Jiang Yan’s tone was flat. “I should relax before the exam.”

“Relaxing by going to see Wen Zhe?” Jiang Han was suppressing his anger. “I didn’t know your relationship with him was so good that you’d go see him right before your exams.”

He knew Jiang Yan’s character, of course. They shared the same Jiang family blood; no matter how sunny and positive he acted outwardly, he was cold to the bone. He never wasted his energy or time on others. He couldn’t even remember the names of his classmates from middle to high school. On the birthdays of classmates he seemed to get along with, if he didn’t want to go, he wouldn’t—even if it meant staying home to play games. He could even skip his cousin’s engagement party without any psychological burden.

With a person like that, Jiang Han didn’t believe he’d travel twenty kilometers just to “relax” before an exam.

“Because I get along well with Brother Wen Zhe. Brother, it’s rare for me to click with someone like this, so can you just stop meddling?” Jiang Yan said.

Jiang Han gritted his teeth in anger. After a moment, he said in a low voice, “You know he’s my lover, right?”

Jiang Yan’s expression darkened. He looked at the back in the distance and said nonchalantly, “Of course I know.”

“It’s good that you know.”

Jiang Han hung up the phone. Jiang Yan’s eyes were dark. He scanned the table, originally intending to pour himself a glass of water, but he couldn’t find one.

His gaze landed on the half-glass of juice Wen Zhe had left. He curled his lips into a smile. While Wen Zhe was paying the bill, he picked up the half-glass of juice, looked at the faint lip print on the rim, stretched out his tongue to lick it, and then drank it all in one gulp.

At the front desk, Wen Zhe, who had finished paying, waved at him. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Yan put down the glass, stood up, and followed him.

Wen Zhe led Jiang Yan outside. He tried to call a car several times, but no one accepted the order. When the two came out, they realized that a heavy rain had suddenly started.

The rain was quite heavy. There was a stretch of mountain road from here to the city; going now was clearly unsafe.

“Do you want to get a room and rest for a bit to see if the rain stops?” Wen Zhe suggested.

Jiang Yan had no choice but to agree. Of course, this was exactly what he wanted.

The two went to the front desk, only to find out that the rooms were already full. Due to the rain, many people were even forced to spend the night in the lobby.

“How about you come to my room for now?” Wen Zhe asked.

A smile curled on Jiang Yan’s lips. “It seems that’s the only option.”

“It seems the rain won’t stop for a while,” Wen Zhe said with some frustration. He looked at Jiang Yan; with the exams approaching, the boy probably hadn’t expected to be trapped here. “Stay in my room for the night. You can leave tomorrow when it clears up.”

Jiang Yan covered his face with one hand, unable to stop his lips from curling up. “Okay, that’s the only way.”

In Wen Zhe’s view, his mood must be very helpless. And so, he brought the boy back to his room.

Wen Zhe’s room was a standard single, with only one bed, which meant the two would definitely have to sleep in one bed. Although there was a rug on the floor, it was clearly inappropriate for either of them to sleep on the ground.

He treated Jiang Yan as a brother, so he didn’t feel anything. He believed Jiang Yan similarly saw him as an older brother.

“Do you want to shower first?” Wen Zhe asked.

“Sure,” Jiang Yan replied, then smiled. “Then I’ll shower first, Brother Wen Zhe.”

“Okay, go ahead,” Wen Zhe said.

A moment later, the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom. Wen Zhe lay on the bed and stretched his back to relax.

But before he could space out for long, an abrupt ringtone sounded. It was Jiang Yan’s phone. He picked it up and saw the name “Jiang Han” displayed. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart; at this moment, the name suddenly gave him the feeling of a ticking time bomb.

Soon, the ringing stopped, but in the next second, his own phone suddenly rang. Wen Zhe’s heart tightened as he immediately grabbed his phone. The caller ID was indeed Jiang Han.

If he didn’t answer, it would be too obvious. After a moment’s hesitation, he answered the call. “Hello, Jiang Han.”

“Why hasn’t Jiang Yan reached home yet? When is he coming back?” Jiang Han’s tone was stiff, filled with deep impatience.

Wen Zhe explained patiently, “It’s like this: there’s a heavy rainstorm here, and he probably can’t make it back tonight. He’ll head back tomorrow morning once the weather clears.”

“Are you saying Jiang Yan is staying there for the night?” Jiang Han’s voice instinctively rose.

“Yes, he can’t go back now,” Wen Zhe said.

The other side was silent for a few seconds, as if accepting the fact. “Where is he staying?”

Recalling everything before, Wen Zhe thought it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. He planned to coordinate his story with Jiang Yan when he came out, so he said, “I got a room for him. He should be resting in his room now.”

Jiang Han gave a hum of acknowledgment. Just as he was about to continue speaking, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Wen Zhe’s heart gave a violent throb. At this moment, a crack opened in the bathroom door, and steam puffed out from inside. “Brother Wen Zhe, there are no towels in the bathroom.”

On the phone, Jiang Han’s furious voice erupted: “Wen Zhe! You’ve learned how to lie now, haven’t you!”

Wen Zhe winced at the roar and hurriedly handed the towel on the desk to Jiang Yan. The boy even asked him, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Zhe put his index finger to his lips and then waved him away, signaling for him to continue showering. He had originally wanted to avoid trouble, but who knew Jiang Yan would suddenly speak up? Now things were even more troublesome.

“Because of the sudden heavy rain, all the rooms were gone,” Wen Zhe explained honestly.

“So you lied to me?”

Jiang Han’s voice was cold and his tone was tight. He sounded very rational, but Wen Zhe knew that was only how he sounded when he was overly angry.

“No… I was afraid you’d overthink things,” Wen Zhe said. He knew this explanation would definitely trigger Jiang Han’s reaction, but it was the only explanation he could offer right now.

“Afraid I’d overthink? You really think highly of yourself,” Jiang Han mocked. “Actually, you have a guilty conscience, don’t you? What? Do you really like that kind of kid whose hair hasn’t even grown in?”

“What are you saying? I see him as a brother, and he only sees me as an older brother,” Wen Zhe explained helplessly. He wasn’t the original host, otherwise he would surely have been stung by his words.

“Are you two going to sleep in the same bed tonight? Are you going to have a go at it? You’re quite something, Wen Zhe. I see you’ve had enough of staying by my side, haven’t you? Have you been wanting to find someone else for a long time!”

The voice on the other end became increasingly uncontrolled, and his breathing grew rapid.

Wen Zhe massaged his forehead, his face turning a bit pale. His voice also turned firm. “Am I really that despicable in your eyes? Also, that’s your own brother. Don’t you think about whether he would snatch his brother’s person?”

If it were in the past, he might have fantasized about whether the other person was jealous. But having been together for so long, he knew, of course, that he wasn’t. He just didn’t care about his feelings at all and was unscrupulous toward him!

“Wen Zhe, it’s not your turn to lecture me,” Jiang Han said coldly. “You can hug people in a club, you can sleep in the same bed as my brother, and you even lie to me. You’re treating me like a fool, aren’t you?”

Wen Zhe felt a sense of powerlessness. “I’ve explained everything that needs explaining. Even if I say it ten thousand times, it’s the same thing. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Good,” Jiang Han was laughed in anger. “So you mean you’re breaking up with me, is that it?”

Hearing this, Wen Zhe didn’t speak. Both sides of the phone went silent for a moment. At this moment, it was unclear whose heartstrings began to tighten.

Wen Zhe sighed. He had been too deep in character just now, so he was emotional. But now it seemed he couldn’t just break up with him like this.

Although he was a devoted stand-in, he wasn’t completely without a temper, so his words just now weren’t out of place at all.

“No,” Wen Zhe said, his voice softening. “I never thought of that.”

“Then what did you mean just now?” Jiang Han was aggressive.

No matter what happened, Wen Zhe was always the first one to lower his head in front of Jiang Han. “Everything I said is true. Believe me, Jiang Han.”

Wen Zhe’s voice carried a clear flattery and weakness. “That day at the club, I listened to you and left immediately. Today was just a sudden event, there was no other way.”

Jiang Han responded better to softness than firmness. His tense face relaxed, but he still gave a cold snort. “You’re not allowed to lie to me in the future.”

“En, I definitely won’t,” Wen Zhe answered obediently.

There was a two-second silence on the other end, and a faint chuckle seemed to sound through the speaker. “What? Are you that afraid I won’t want you?”

Wen Zhe gave a soft “En.”

“You two sleep separately tonight,” Jiang Han said unquestionably. “I don’t care who sleeps on the floor or in the hallway, anyway, you can’t sleep in the same bed.”

By now, Wen Zhe had completely surrendered. How could he not agree? “Okay.”

After hanging up, Wen Zhe rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

When Jiang Yan came out, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Wen Zhe. “Brother Wen Zhe, what happened just now?” Wen Zhe waved his hand and sat up. Jiang Yan was wearing a bathrobe from the bathroom, his collar faintly revealing his collarbones and firm chest. He glanced at him and then looked away. “Nothing. Sleep if you’re tired. I’m going to shower.”

He paused. “Your brother called you just now, and you didn’t answer, so he called me. He was afraid it’d be too much work for you to squeeze into one bed with me. You sleep on the bed by yourself tonight.”

“Of course not, the bed is so big, how could it not fit us?” Jiang Yan said angrily. “My brother is just meddling. Ignore him. We’ll sleep as we please and tell no one.”

Wen Zhe smiled and rubbed his hair. “Okay.”

Jiang Yan watched Wen Zhe walk into the bathroom, his lips curling up uncontrollably. Then he lowered his head and pulled his clothes together, wondering to himself: was he not attractive to Wen Zhe?

When Wen Zhe came out after washing up, he saw Jiang Yan lying on one side of the bed already asleep. He didn’t want to make things hard for himself, so of course he lay down on the other side.

Not long after, Wen Zhe fell into a deep sleep. In the dark room, Jiang Yan opened his eyes and looked to his side.

To avoid suspicion, there was enough space for another person to lie between them.

Jiang Yan didn’t hesitate to fill this space. He wrapped his arm around Wen Zhe’s waist, his nose pressed against the back of his neck, and took a deep breath. A hidden wave of pleasure surged through his body.

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