The Innocent 'Green Tea' Alpha at Home is Actually My Boss - Chapter 29

Jiangcheng was somewhat hotter than Haicheng and very humid; as the plane touched down, a drizzling rain was falling over the city.

Sang Weilian did not care for such weather. He lacked energy the moment he stepped off the plane, immediately donning sunglasses and a mask. After greeting the fans who had come to meet him, he got into the car and closed his eyes.

He slept fitfully throughout the drive. It wasn’t until he arrived at the hotel and finished checking in that Sang Weilian remembered to turn on his phone.

There were two missed calls and a flurry of messages, all from Lu Lin.

LLin: Ge, I’ve finished filming my scenes!

LLin: [Selfie.jpg]

LLin: I’m packing my bags to head home first. Have a safe trip, Ge. Let me know when you arrive, okay? [Starry-eyes.jpg]

LLin: Ge, are you there yet?

LLin: Ge?

Ten minutes later—

LLin: I asked Manager Wang; he said you weren’t feeling well.

LLin: Are you struggling with the change in climate?

LLin: [Hug.gif]

LLin: I just looked up the recent flights. If it’s convenient, should I come over there to take care of you?

Coming back to his senses, Sang Weilian called him back directly.

It was as if Lu Lin’s phone never left his hand; he picked up instantly. “Hello, Ge? Are you feeling better? Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”

“I’m not unwell, just a bit sleepy,” Sang Weilian reassured him instinctively. “The climate here is more humid than Haicheng; I’m just not used to it.”

“Is it raining outside?” Lu Lin seemed to hear the pitter-patter of rain through the phone.

“Yeah, it’s raining a bit harder than when I first arrived.” Sang Weilian slumped back onto the sofa.

“As long as you aren’t feeling sick.” Lu Lin let out a massive sigh of relief and let go of the suitcase he was holding. “If anything happens, remember to call me, Ge.”

“Why call you?” Sang Weilian arched an eyebrow.

“Didn’t we agree that I’d be on call whenever you need me? If you need me, I will definitely be by your side,” Lu Lin promised with a solemn, earnest expression.

Sang Weilian let out a low chuckle. “And how would you get here? Fly?”

“Yes, I’d fly over.”

Lu Lin’s tone didn’t sound like he was joking at all. Sang Weilian was slightly stunned, and just as he was wondering how to respond, a sweet, clear female voice suddenly came from the other end of the line.

“Xiao Lu, do you think Mom looks good in this for tonight?”

“Madam, you…”

The phone seemed to be covered by someone’s hand, and the voices became muffled and buzzing. Sang Weilian could no longer hear what was being said.

After a few short seconds, when Lu Lin’s voice became clear again, his surroundings were exceptionally quiet.

“Ge, sorry about that, my mom came to my place,” Lu Lin explained, his back pressed against the bedroom door.

“Oh, I thought I heard something like ‘Madam’…” Sang Weilian said inquisitively.

“That was the domestic helper,” Lu Lin explained hurriedly. “My mom thinks the house is too dirty, so she hired a helper to clean. My mom… she really loves playing ‘rich socialite’ games; she’s quite childlike and loves having people call her ‘Madam.’ Sometimes she isn’t even happy when I call her ‘Mom’ and insists I call her ‘Ms. Fang’ because she thinks it has more class.”

Sang Weilian couldn’t help but laugh. “It sounds like your mother is a very interesting person.”

Lu Lin immediately took the opportunity to push further. “Then does Ge want to meet my mom? I’ll arrange for us to have a meal together when there’s a chance.”

“With the nature of our relationship, it doesn’t seem appropriate to meet your mother, does it?” Sang Weilian mused. He couldn’t exactly blurt out, “Hello Auntie, your son is the canary I’m keeping,” if she were to ask.

“It’s appropriate! Why wouldn’t it be?” Lu Lin caught his breath. “I could say Ge is my senior, my teacher, or my friend. If Ge doesn’t mind, I could even say you’re my boyfriend.”

Sang Weilian assumed the last sentence was a joke, so he followed along. “Then when there’s a chance in the future, I’ll treat your mother to dinner.”

“How could I let you pay? I’ll arrange it when the time comes. Anyway, Ge, you promised!” Lu Lin firmly etched this into his heart.

“As you wish,” Sang Weilian smiled.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Zhang Chuntao’s voice came through: “Teacher Sang, Director He is looking for you.”

Hearing this, Lu Lin took the initiative. “Then you go get busy, Ge. Once you’re finished, can I call you back?”

“Why call back?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be used to it there. You struggle with insomnia, Ge; I want to coax you to sleep.”

Sang Weilian laughed again. “We’ll see. I don’t know what time I’ll be back tonight.”

After hanging up, Lu Lin opened his travel app and changed the flight to Jiangcheng which Wan Tianhai had booked for him to tomorrow.

Turning to open the door, Su Fangyi adjusted her shawl and looked at him. “Finished talking to your precious daughter-in-law?”

Lu Lin sighed. “I almost gave it away just now.”

“If you ask me, you’d be better off coming clean about your identity and pursuing him openly. Don’t end up losing the bride and the soldiers,” Su Fangyi lectured him.

“Mom, please wish me some luck.” Lu Lin wanted to confess too, but having reached this stage, coming clean had become the most difficult thing. If only Sang Weilian liked him back; then he would at least have the confidence that he wouldn’t be abandoned.

Su Fangyi teased him. “Coward. You’ve had a crush on him for over ten years and don’t dare to speak up. How useless. If you don’t catch him, don’t go out telling people you’re Su Fangyi’s son!”

Lu Lin smiled bitterly. “Let me help you look at your gown. After I accompany you to the banquet tonight, I have to leave tomorrow.”

This was a private manor located on the south bank of Haicheng, and it was Lu Lin’s true home. In the massive living room, servants stood by racks filled with various haute couture gowns, all prepared for Su Fangyi and Lu Lin to choose from for that evening’s banquet.

“Leaving tomorrow? Where are you going tomorrow?” Su Fangyi turned back to Lu Lin in surprise, her hand just touching one of the dresses.

“To Jiangcheng,” Lu Lin said. “Weilian is there filming alone; I’m not worried. It just so happens I’m starting a shoot in Jiangcheng in half a month anyway, so I’ll head over early.”

Su Fangyi mocked him. “You really are hopeless. I was going to say that since your mother has finally returned to the country, I wanted you to accompany me on a shopping trip. Forget it, I’ll find someone else to go with me.”

“I’ll have Wan Tianhai accompany you.”

“He won’t do. He has no taste a total ‘straight-A’ guy,” Su Fangyi said with a hint of disdain. “Why don’t you have Song He come over? He’s a good-looking kid and usually quite particular about his outfits.”

“Fine, then we’ll let Song He come,” Lu Lin agreed with a smile, then stayed to help Su Fangyi pick out her gown.

Sang Weilian left his room and followed Zhang Chuntao to the hotel’s large conference room.

Several key members of the Blind crew were already there. When Yu Guangxi saw him enter, he quickly patted the empty seat beside him.

All the other seats were filled, so Sang Weilian didn’t linger and went over to sit down.

Director He Ming looked around. “Everyone is here. I called you all together to talk about a very important matter.”

He stopped after speaking, looking at everyone with a serious expression.

Yu Guangxi asked nervously, “Director He, has something bad happened?”

One second he was full of gravity, the next He Ming suddenly jumped up with a brilliant smile. “I called everyone earlier to ask for opinions on a group meal, right? Tomorrow is the opening ceremony, which means! Tomorrow night, we are all having a big dinner together!”

“So, what does everyone want to eat?”

Everyone was stunned for a moment. The next second, the entire conference room erupted in thunderous cheers. The assistant director even hooked his arm around He Ming’s neck, shouting about him “being so dramatic.”

Amidst the ruckus, Sang Weilian didn’t feel his spirits lifted at all; instead, he felt even more drained. Looking out the window, the rain had intensified quite a bit.

After finishing his fun with the others, Yu Guangxi noticed that Sang Weilian didn’t look happy. He asked softly, “Teacher Sang, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Sang Weilian replied flatly, straightening himself up slightly.

“Does Teacher Sang have anything he wants to eat? Chongqing Hotpot?” Yu Guangxi suggested.

“Hotpot is good!” He Ming had spent a long time mentally preparing himself before asking Sang Weilian if he wanted to join the dinner. Since he had agreed to come, He Ming naturally wanted to prioritize Sang Weilian’s preferences. “Teacher Sang wants to eat hotpot?”

“Hotpot is quite lively.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Upon hearing that Sang Weilian might want hotpot, the crowd chimed in with their agreement.

Sang Weilian pursed his lips, feeling a bit like he was being forced into a corner. He couldn’t really refuse, but he didn’t exactly want to say yes either.

“Let’s have hotpot then.”

Hotpot had clear broth options; he could avoid the heavy oil and intense spice.

The group immediately took out their phones to search for online recommendations. In the end, He Ming called to book a table at a specialty Chongqing hotpot restaurant closest to the hotel.

Afterward, He Ming spoke seriously about the schedule for tomorrow’s opening ceremony. By the time the fuss was over, the sky was completely dark.

Sang Weilian returned to his room and took a shower. Just as he lay down on the bed, a massive crack of thunder exploded outside, startling him.

Even though the curtains were drawn, he felt as if he could see the giant raindrops slamming against the window.

With rain this heavy, would he be able to sleep well tonight?

The crisp ringtone of his phone suddenly sounded, piercing through the fear brought by the dark, rainy night.

Sang Weilian accepted the video call invitation, and Lu Lin’s handsome face appeared on the screen.

He tilted his head slightly, his bright, hawk-like eyes filled with obvious joy and anticipation, as if he had been looking forward to this video call immensely.

“Ge, I’ve come to coax you to sleep,” Lu Lin’s deep voice was laced with thick tenderness.

Sang Weilian’s heart, which had been trembling just a moment ago, instantly softened. His tense body slowly relaxed as he lay on his side in bed.

Through the phone held in his hand, Lu Lin chatted with him. “Ge, what did you have for dinner?”

“The crew ordered meals. Corn and pork rib soup, stir-fried pork, and tomato with eggs,” Sang Weilian, now acting like he’d opened a floodgate, complained, “The chili in that stir-fried pork was so spicy; I didn’t want to eat anymore after just one piece.”

Lu Lin frowned. “Chili is bad, Ge is good.”

Sang Weilian’s chest vibrated as he laughed several times. “Are you coaxing me like I’m a child?”

Lu Lin didn’t answer. Instead, he asked worriedly, “Does your stomach feel uncomfortable? Drinking some hot water might help, or should I find a courier to deliver a hot water bottle to you? Which hotel are you staying at, Ge?”

“It was just one piece of chili, I’m not that fragile. It’s no big deal,” Sang Weilian said. “Tomorrow is the opening ceremony, and there’s a dinner at night.”

“A dinner?”

“Yeah, Director He contacted me about it a long time ago. I was thinking about the pheromones…” Sang Weilian paused halfway through, swallowing the words “disorder syndrome.” “They picked a hotpot restaurant.”

“But Ge, you can’t eat spicy food.”

“I know, I’ll eat from the clear broth pot then.”

“Okay then.” Lu Lin still couldn’t hide his worry.

Seeing that he had gone quiet, Sang Weilian asked, “Didn’t you say you were going to coax me to sleep? How are you going to do that without saying a word? What did you do today?”

“I had dinner with my mom today and mentioned you to her. I also said I’d arrange for you two to meet when there’s a chance,” Lu Lin said slowly, his voice light and gentle. “She was very happy and said thank you for taking care of me. My mom also said she likes you very much and is a fan of your movies.”

Drowsiness continued to surge, and Sang Weilian gradually closed his eyes, subconsciously letting out an occasional “mm” in response.

Lu Lin thought he was so cute that he couldn’t help but reach out toward the screen.

His fingertips touched the glass before he realized with a start that this was just a video call and they were actually in two different places.

Thinking about seeing Sang Weilian tomorrow, Lu Lin’s irrepressible longing slipped out: “Goodnight, Ge. See you tomorrow.”

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