The Affectionate Backup is a Heartthrob [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Affectionate Stand-in is Coveted (9)

With a “thud,” Wen Zhe jumped into the pool. Jiang Han’s eyes widened as he watched that figure plunge into the water.

No one expected Wen Zhe to be so decisive, jumping in so cleanly and crisply that he didn’t give anyone time to react.

Jiang Han immediately ran to the edge of the pool and stood still, looking inside. In the pool, Wen Zhe was like a graceful fish, his slender silhouette submerged in the shimmering water, looking as aesthetic as a movie scene.

When Ye Baihuai heard the noise and looked over, he only saw a figure leaping into the pool. That figure was extremely familiar. He walked over to the poolside where people were gathered. “What happened?”

Someone immediately explained to him, “Young Master Jiang lost a game and was punished to swim a lap in the pool. Wen Zhe took the punishment for him.”

The person was grinning, just as excited as the others, but after thoughtfully explaining it to Ye Baihuai, he froze upon looking at him. Feeling a chill in his heart, he immediately slipped away cautiously.

Ye Baihuai was stunned for a moment after hearing the explanation, and then his face went cold. He looked at the person in the pool, his expression so grim it could be described as terrifying. He glared at the person in the water and then turned back to pick up his jacket from the ground.

By the time he returned, Wen Zhe had finished his lap. He reached the edge and suddenly broke through the water’s surface. Water rolled off his body as he swept the hair hanging before his eyes back. The scattered water droplets fell with a shimmering light, and Wen Zhe’s skin seemed to glow reflected by the water; it was as if the inside and outside of the pool were two different worlds.

The moment Wen Zhe entered the pool, he experienced what bone-chilling cold was. At this point, he couldn’t stop shivering. The color had drained from his skin, making him look even more cold and white like jade.

Wen Zhe looked up, his eyelashes wet, drawing a collective gasp of admiration. At this moment, the shore was silent.

Wen Zhe resented being the center of attention, feeling like a performing clown drawing a crowd. Just then, a hand was stretched out toward him. He looked over and saw it was Ye Baihuai reaching out. The other man’s face was tense, and his gaze was full of reproach.

At this moment, he didn’t care about avoiding suspicion. His current situation was miserable enough, and when someone reached out a hand to pull him up, he would naturally hold onto it without hesitation.

But at that exact moment, Jiang Han’s hand also stretched over. One on the left and one on the right. The onlookers watched this scene silently, but no one thought much of it. Ye Baihuai had always been out of place among them; he was a man who always put on airs, so making such a gentlemanly gesture seemed normal.

At this time, Jiang Han looked straight at him, his voice much softer than usual. “Hold onto me, come up.”

Wen Zhe looked at Jiang Han, his gaze sweeping over his face, but in an instant, he shifted his eyes away. He took the hand Ye Baihuai offered and climbed out of the pool.

The water on his body was brought onto the shore, splashing onto Jiang Han’s trouser legs, but Jiang Han didn’t notice. Instead, he stared blankly at Wen Zhe. His hand had clearly touched a cold sensation for a split second, but then it went empty; he hadn’t caught anything.

As Wen Zhe stood on the shore, his feet stepped together, and he shivered violently until a jacket was draped over him, bringing a sliver of warmth. His eyelashes trembled as he looked up at the man almost enveloping him. The other’s face was still grim, so tense he didn’t offer a single pleasant look.

Suddenly, a warm breath brushed his ear. Ye Baihuai said almost through gritted teeth, “You really are a pig-brain.”

Wen Zhe looked a bit embarrassed. Standing to the side, Jiang Han watched the contact between the two. A flicker of strangeness suddenly crossed his mind, but it vanished so quickly he didn’t have time to catch it before he saw Wen Zhe looking at him. His expression was indifferent, without sadness or even resentment.

It made Jiang Han’s chest feel tight, an indescribable feeling. This was the first time Wen Zhe had looked at him like this—clear, cold, and without a trace of emotion.

“Jiang Han, I have to go. I have filming tomorrow,” Wen Zhe said.

Wen Zhe didn’t cry or make a scene; he simply stated the fact. This made Jiang Han feel even more stifled, as if something important was slipping through his fingers. However, looking at the soaking-wet Wen Zhe, he had no reason to refuse his request.

“I’ll have someone send you back,” Jiang Han said.

Wen Zhe gave a faint smile. “No need. My assistant is waiting for me outside. You keep playing, I’m leaving first.”

With that, Wen Zhe waved his hand and walked out of the crowd.

Jiang Han stared blankly at his retreating back, feeling increasingly irritable. How could he possibly have the heart to keep playing?

Back in the car, Wen Zhe gave his assistant a fright. Seeing him soaking wet and shivering, the assistant immediately turned on the heater.

“Brother Wen, are you okay…?” the assistant asked tentatively.

Wen Zhe reached back to pull a blanket over himself, his teeth chattering. “I’m fine, let’s go.”

The drive back to the hotel took about two hours. Wen Zhe had recovered somewhat in the car. When the car stopped at the hotel entrance, Wen Zhe immediately hurried upstairs.

He went back to his room and took a hot shower. His skin was pale from the water. He hadn’t expected a party to leave him in such a miserable state.

When he came out, he felt light-headed and lay down on the bed. It was already past one in the morning. His eyelids were heavy, and he fell asleep in no time.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky was still a bit dim; clearly, he hadn’t slept for long. Just as he was about to prop himself up, he felt an ache throughout his body, a splitting headache, and a throat so dry it felt like it was smoking. He fell right back down.

His thoughts were a mess, and he felt completely dazed. In a moment of clarity, he called his assistant. When he spoke, the raspy voice startled even himself. “I think I have a fever. Bring some medicine over.”

After hanging up, Wen Zhe closed his eyes again, his head heavy and his body devoid of strength.

The assistant hurried over with the medicine. He didn’t have a room card, so he knocked on the door. After two knocks and no response, he kept knocking.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening rang out, but it wasn’t the door in front of him—it was the neighboring room. The assistant’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected that the person living in the next room was actually Ye Baihuai.

“President… President Ye, I’m sorry for waking you,” the assistant said.

Ye Baihuai didn’t look like he had been woken from a deep sleep. His suit was crisp and well-fitted, and his hair was perfectly styled. At this moment, his brow was furrowed, and his sharp, chiseled face carried a hint of sternness. “What’s going on?”

“Brother Wen Zhe seems to have a fever. I’m bringing him medicine,” the assistant said.

Ye Baihuai took the medicine from his hand. “Go downstairs and ask the front desk for a room card…”

Before he could finish his instructions, the door opened. Wen Zhe was standing before them, his body swaying, his eyes only half-open.

“Medicine…”

Wen Zhe froze, looking at the tall figure in front of him. He blinked. “Why are you here?”

Ye Baihuai’s face was tense, and the surrounding air pressure dropped. He reached out to touch Wen Zhe’s forehead; it was indeed very hot.

Wen Zhe’s head was spinning, and his reactions were slow due to the illness. He stared blankly at Ye Baihuai.

Ye Baihuai didn’t bother talking to him. He turned to the assistant and said, “I’ll take care of things here. You go back and rest.”

The assistant was a bit confused, but since Ye Baihuai was the biggest investor in Wen Zhe’s current drama, he didn’t dare ask much.

However, after he left, he felt more and more that something was wrong. Wasn’t Wen Zhe Jiang Han’s lover? Being in a room alone with Ye Baihuai in the middle of the night didn’t seem quite right…

At this moment, Ye Baihuai looked at the dazed person in front of him with feigned composure, unable to resist teasing, “Your brain wasn’t very useful to begin with, this time it’s going to be fried.”

Wen Zhe looked at him and blinked. “Why are you here?” Ye Baihuai didn’t answer. Looking at this swaying person with delayed reactions, he suddenly closed the door, forcing Wen Zhe to lose his support on the door frame, causing him to fall forward unexpectedly.

Ye Baihuai was right in front of him and reached out his arms, catching him as he fell into his embrace.

Only then did the tension in Ye Baihuai’s face soften. He picked Wen Zhe up in a horizontal carry. Wen Zhe felt his body suddenly become airborne and, out of fear, hugged Ye Baihuai’s neck tightly.

Ye Baihuai threatened him, “If you don’t behave, I’ll throw you right out.”

Hearing this, Wen Zhe wrapped his arms even tighter around him.

Ye Baihuai placed him on the bed, then took the medicine out of the packaging, read the instructions carefully, and went to get a cup of warm water. When he returned, he found that Wen Zhe had actually fallen asleep.

He immediately went forward to prop him up and wake him. The person on the bed reacted for a moment after seeing him, and then, as if seeing him for the first time, asked, “Why are you here?”

Ye Baihuai couldn’t help a light chuckle, but quickly put on a stern face on purpose. “I’m here to supervise the work. I’m checking if my actors are working hard. What’s wrong with you? Can you even work like this?”

Hearing this, Wen Zhe felt some guilt. It was indeed his fault for delaying the work progress. “I’m sorry…”

Ye Baihuai held the medicine to his lips. “Open up. You’ll get better faster if you take the medicine.”

Wen Zhe obeyed, letting Ye Baihuai put the pills into his mouth one by one, then took a large gulp of water and swallowed them.

Ye Baihuai let him lie down to rest. He got up and went to the bathroom, soaked a towel in cold water, and wrung it dry. He had never done these things, but his mother used to do this when he had a fever as a child. He followed the example, coming out to wipe Wen Zhe’s cheeks, neck, and palms.

Then he swapped for a fresh wet towel and placed it on Wen Zhe’s forehead.

Wen Zhe was indeed delirious with fever. His head throbbed, his thoughts were chaotic, and his mind was simply filtering through the events of the past few days.

He was professional. Even though he was burning up like this, the most important thing in his mind was still his plot and his performance in front of Jiang Han.

Images passed by one after another, like a movie playing.

Sitting by the bed, Ye Baihuai continued to wipe his palms with the wet towel, but suddenly heard Wen Zhe muttering something. The voice was small and unclear.

He leaned down and brought his ear closer. Wen Zhe’s voice grew louder. “Jiang Han…”

Ye Baihuai froze. This time he heard it clearly. The person on the bed was calling for Jiang Han.

He suddenly clenched the towel in his hand. He looked at the person on the bed fiercely; he had been made so miserable, yet he was still calling his name.

He was the one taking care of him, yet he was calling another man’s name in front of him!

Ye Baihuai had lived for over twenty years and had never suffered such an insult. For a moment, he had the urge to strangle Wen Zhe.

The room was silent, making the voice particularly clear. Ye Baihuai was so furious his breathing became heavy. The person on the bed, oblivious to the danger, was still calling out, “Jiang Han.”

Ye Baihuai’s blood boiled. He pinched Wen Zhe’s chin and directly blocked those lips. The sound stopped instantly. At the moment their lips touched, a scorching breath spread between them.

An act that was originally meant to be a punishment changed flavor the moment their lips met. The soft texture and sweet taste made him unable to stop himself, pushing open his teeth to entwine with that hot, dodging tongue.

And Wen Zhe, whose mind was filled with fragments of Jiang Han, suddenly felt a familiar aura invade, forcefully interrupting all his thoughts and causing a single person to involuntarily appear in his mind—Ye Baihuai.

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