Crossover Actors - Chapter 48

Snowlight streamed through the bedroom window, making the room less dark. Lu Wen was holding Qin Yanting by the waist, his neck nestled against Qin Yanting’s head, feeling the soft hair tickle his Adam’s apple.

 

Kneeling on one knee at the edge of the bed, Lu Wen leaned over to place Qin Yanting down. He was awake but dazed and struggling, squirming in the soft bedding, occasionally tugging at his loosened collar.

 

Lu Wen pushed his hands away and began undoing the buttons of his shirt. He pulled it off, revealing a strip of white cotton T-shirt that exposed Qin Yanting’s flat, taut abdomen.

 

Qin Yanting’s eyes were half-closed, squinting as he looked up at the shadows by the bed in the dim light. Lu Wen smoothed out his T-shirt, keeping his hand on it, lightly resting on Qin Yanting’s belt buckle.

 

Qin Yanting lifted his hips in response, and once the belt was removed, he relaxed and fell back as if the alcohol had softened his bones.

 

Lu Wen remained in position, recalling how Sister Ling had taken care of him, and asked, “Do you have any lemons? I’ll make you some water.”

 

Qin Yanting shook his head, whether because he didn’t have any or didn’t want it. He turned onto his side, and as soon as his stomach was covered, his lower back was exposed again. Lu Wen pulled the blanket tightly over him and gave him a light slap through the cotton.

 

Qin Yanting frowned. “Do you dare hit me…”

 

Lu Wen didn’t argue with the drunk man. He turned around and was startled by Huang Shiling, who was crouched at the foot of the bed, mistaking him for a burglar. Lu Wen quickly went into the bathroom, with Huang Shiling silently following him.

 

With the figure by the bed gone, Qin Yanting, still sluggish, turned on the light and looked around in confusion. Lu Wen soon returned with a towel dampened with hot water.

 

Qin Yanting tilted his chin, his drunken face being wiped with the warm towel, becoming moist, flushed, and a bit dazed, before he collapsed back onto the pillow.

 

His hand reached out of the blanket, groping around the edge of the bed.

 

Lu Wen asked, “What do you need?”

 

Qin Yanting mumbled, “You.”

 

Lu Wen’s Adam’s apple felt itchy again.

 

Qin Yanting panted heavily. “Are you leaving?”

 

Lu Wen nearly lost his temper. It was one thing to be bullied by Qin Yanting when he was sober, but now he was being toyed with while drunk. He endured it, tucking Qin Yanting in tightly, and murmured an “Hmm.”

 

He glanced at the window, where the snow was still falling, unsure of how long it would last.

 

It was supposed to be a day of celebrating the end of filming. Instead of enjoying the moment as the lead, he had been working like a mule, eagerly waiting for a surprise, only to end up with a headache.

 

While Qin Yanting had been drinking heavily with the others, Lu Wen had watched him. After he got too drunk, Lu Wen had brought him home, undressed him, wiped his face, and tucked him into bed. Every step, from carrying him to covering him, had been Lu Wen’s effort. After a night of hard work, this drunkard was clean, lying flat, and couldn’t even straighten his tongue before asking him to leave.

 

Where was the energy from poking his chest?

 

Why not scold him for being ungrateful?

 

Wasn’t he worried about twisting his ankle in the snow?

 

Lu Wen had never suffered such a loss. Frustrated and annoyed, he was about to coldly say “goodbye” when suddenly Qin Yanting finally found his sleeve and tugged it.

 

“What?”

 

“Why don’t you… stay the night?”

 

Lu Wen was stunned, afraid of misunderstanding, or of being overly sentimental. He stared at Qin Yanting’s semi-conscious face for a long while, then cautiously probed, “I’m not sleeping on the floor.”

 

Qin Yanting replied, “Alright.”

 

Lu Wen added, “I will never sleep on the couch.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, the hand holding his sleeve let go and retreated back under the blanket. Lu Wen realized that being too accommodating had backfired. However, before he could correct himself, Qin Yanting silently turned to the center of the bed and made room beside him.

 

With half the blanket empty, Lu Wen’s mind went blank as well. “Mr. Qin?”

 

He took off his watch and outer coat, deliberately moving slowly to give Qin Yanting a chance to change his mind. But even as he removed his shirt and pants, Qin Yanting remained buried under the blanket, not making a sound.

 

Lu Wen lifted the corner of the blanket and carefully lay down, the mattress was indeed too soft, and the rebound made his heart flutter. He lay on his side, back to Qin Yanting, sharing the bed.

 

Before long, Qin Yanting’s breathing was even, indicating he was asleep.

 

Lu Wen was not sleepy at all. He carefully turned over and found Qin Yanting facing him, inching closer, distinguishing the outline of his sleeping face.

 

Qin Yanting did not sleep soundly. Occasionally, he murmured in his sleep, calling out to someone in a soft, drunken voice, like a cat mewing or birds chirping.

 

“Xiao Tang…”

 

Lu Wen realized after a couple of seconds that Qin Yanting was calling out the name of Ruan Feng, probably dreaming of his childhood. He added his own line to the script, “Hey, big brother.”

 

Qin Yanting reached out towards Lu Wen, touching his shoulder with a sleepy hand. “You’re so big…”

 

Lu Wen felt awkward, “Big brother, I’ve grown up.”

 

Qin Yanting’s hand moved unconsciously down to Lu Wen’s ribcage, a habit from his past, checking if Ruan Feng had gained any weight.

 

Lu Wen endured the tickling sensation, and when Qin Yanting finally stopped moving, he took his hand and placed it between them.

 

At this moment, Qin Yanting murmured something unclear.

 

Lu Wen leaned closer, their foreheads nearly touching, and asked softly, “What?”

 

Qin Yanting’s lips moved, calling out “Daddy.”

 

It was a child’s way of addressing someone, and Lu Wen didn’t dare to think too much about it or empathize. When Qin Yanting called out a second time, he extended his arm and held him in his embrace.

 

Qin Yanting nestled against Lu Wen’s shoulder, as if he were dreaming of his father.

 

Lu Wen felt complicated emotions, experiencing the consequences of his actions. If you once likened someone to a father, one day that person might see you as a father as well.

 

The snow finally stopped before dawn.

 

Qin Yanting slept unusually soundly, through to the afternoon. The room was bright from the fresh snow. As he opened his eyes, he felt a bit disoriented from the hangover.

 

The blanket was surprisingly warm, even hot. He pulled back the corner and discovered two solid arms wrapped around his waist.

 

His memory came back, and the events of last night resurfaced. He was wrapped up and confined by Lu Wen from behind, with the blanket squeezed between them.

 

A slight movement prompted a gruff voice from behind, “Don’t fu–cking move.”

 

Qin Yanting was stunned, unable to believe that this idiot dared to use such vulgar language. He looked down and tried to pry the arms off his waist, ordering in a hoarse voice, “…Let go.”

 

Lu Wen furrowed his brows tightly. “You’re so loud…”

 

Qin Yanting struggled. “Let go.”

 

Lu Wen was not fully awake but had no trouble getting irritable. “Can’t you just behave?”

 

Qin Yanting was held tighter, unable to exert much force lying on the bed. After struggling repeatedly without success, he got angry and decided to use all his strength to turn over.

 

Their bodies pressed together, and Lu Wen, startled, shouted, “What are you rubbing against?”

 

Qin Yanting turned over with difficulty. “Move away…”

 

Suddenly, Lu Wen reacted defensively and aggressively, rolling over and pressing Qin Yanting down. “Stop fu–cking around and get hard!”

 

The coarse, vulgar growl echoed in the room, a primal reaction from Lu Wen as a man. Qin Yanting finally became quiet, and Lu Wen woke himself up with his own shouting.

 

Lu Wen slowly opened his eyes to see Qin Yanting lying beneath him, turning his head away and sweating from their earlier struggles, his ears and neck redder than from last night’s drunkenness.

 

A cold sweat broke out on Lu Wen’s back, and he found himself in a dilemma. “Qin…”

 

Qin Yanting snapped, “Get off.”

 

Lu Wen hesitated, not daring to move, realizing that he really… propped himself up slightly and rubbed a little. Suddenly, Qin Yanting turned his head, his eyes filled with embarrassment and anger, and pushed him away forcefully.

 

Lu Wen rolled over, curling up like a cat with the blanket.

 

Qin Yanting got out of bed and, unsteady on his feet, rushed to the wardrobe. As he grabbed clean clothes, he kept an eye on the bed and, unable to resist, complained, “Aren’t you getting up?”

 

Lu Wen thought, “How can I get up so quickly?” “I, I can’t move that fast.”

 

Qin Yanting, holding a bundle of clothes, warned, “Don’t jack off in my bed.”

 

Lu Wen was stuck, feeling ashamed, “Of course I wouldn’t—”

 

“That’s good,” Qin Yanting said as he slammed the wardrobe door. “Otherwise, I’ll blacklist you.”

 

Lu Wen wished he could disappear into the floor. He was extremely embarrassed, his face burning. If Lu Zhanging knew he was making a fool of himself outside, he would probably kick him out of the Lu family’s household registration.

 

Qin Yanting went to the bathroom to shower. Lu Wen lay back, staring at the ceiling, taking deep breaths, but it wasn’t very effective. He got up and went to the balcony to distract himself with the flowers.

 

Huang Shiling, lying on the flower stand by the wall, perked up his neck.

 

Lu Wen was a bit intimidated and tried to flatter the irritable animal, “This is what they call having a fierce heart but a delicate nose.”

 

As he approached, he petted Huang Shiling’s head, curious, “Are you male or female? You must be neutered. You wouldn’t understand my feelings. Damn, I shouldn’t have said that; now it’s back.”

 

Lu Wen moved from the balcony to the living room. In the chaos of last night, Qin Yanting’s bag had been thrown on the floor. He picked it up, and a stack of documents slipped out, detailing contracts.

 

These were agreements and instructions related to the title sponsorship of the drama, and Qin Yanting had already signed them. Lu Wen skimmed through and found that all the terms concerned content changes but did not mention compensation.

 

The bathroom door opened, and Lu Wen quickly tidied up the contract and pretended to be proper.

 

Qin Yanting emerged from the bathroom, refreshed and with a head full of damp hair. Seeing Lu Wen sitting on the sofa, he asked perceptively, “Done?”

 

Lu Wen shyly nodded.

 

“Come and wash up.”

 

Lu Wen obeyed and entered the bathroom. On the marble counter was a new toothbrush. He unwrapped it on the left, while Qin Yanting dried his hair on the right, the warm air blowing against Lu Wen’s ears.

 

Holding the toothbrush, Lu Wen looked up at the mirror and caught Qin Yanting glancing at his lower body. He immediately said, “What are you looking at?!”

 

Qin Yanting turned off the hairdryer and applied lotion, ignoring Lu Wen.

 

Lu Wen felt wronged, thinking it wasn’t entirely his fault. “You invited me to stay overnight and even let me sleep in your bed.”

 

Qin Yanting said, “I didn’t tell you to sleep like that.”

 

Lu Wen argued, “Everyone sleeps differently… Maybe Hamlet slept like that.”

 

As a man, sometimes things happen. Qin Yanting had no intention of making a big deal out of it, but Lu Wen kept being unreasonable. With lowered eyelids, Qin Yanting said, “You were hugging and holding me and getting aroused. Whether you’re Hamlet or not, I suspect you’re gay.”

 

Lu Wen was stunned, swallowing a mouthful of toothpaste foam. “I was just not fully awake!”

 

“So?” Qin Yanting asked, “Did you take me for a girl?”

 

To avoid offending him too much, Lu Wen gritted his teeth and answered, “Of course not, I took myself for a girl.”

 

Qin Yanting laughed. “Oh, then what kind of man do you like?”

 

Lu Wen was taken aback. “Why would I like men?”

 

Qin Yanting said, “If women like women, then you’re indeed gay.”

 

Lu Wen was digging himself into a hole, biting into the minty toothpaste. He was flustered, turning on the faucet to rinse his mouth and wash his face, dripping water everywhere. “I’m not discussing this with you!”

 

Lu Wen dashed out of the bathroom, grabbing his coat and phone, hastily changing his shoes and leaving.

 

Qin Yanting slowly followed him to the door. Lu Wen, feeling confused, couldn’t help but make a parting remark before stepping out. “Just remember, don’t bring people home to stay overnight in the future.”

 

Bang, the door slammed shut.

 

Lu Wen stood on the doormat for a moment, then turned and walked away, taking the elevator down. Outside, the unit door was covered in snow.

 

Lu Wen walked through the snow, pulled out his phone to call a cab. Before he dialed, his phone rang. It was Sun Xiaojian calling. He answered, kicking at the fluffy snow on the ground. “Hello?”

 

“It’s me!” Sun Xiaojian’s voice was excited. “Come to the company this afternoon!”

 

Lu Wen had not showered or changed clothes, feeling physically unwell and mentally distressed. He didn’t want to go anywhere today and complained, “Why?”

 

Sun Xiaojian said, “The company wants you to participate in a reality show!”

 

Lu Wen stopped. “What reality show?”

 

“Wait until you get here,” Sun Xiaojian couldn’t help but reveal, “It’s a rare opportunity. Do you know who the other guests are?”

 

Lu Wen asked, “Who?”

 

Sun Xiaojian answered, “Top-tier celebrity, Jin Yanyu!”

 

On the ninth-floor balcony, Qin Yanting was watering a pot of flowers. He saw someone named Lu down below on the snowy ground talking on the phone. He looked on silently, smiling to himself.

 

“Fool,” he muttered to himself, “Only you have ever stayed the night at my place.”