Extra 2...

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“Film Emperor”

Xia Xingcheng complained how the Western cuisine didn’t taste that good, and that they would have been better off going out for hotpot that night. Nonetheless, he still left feeling full. He dejectedly lifted a hand to rub his stomach, annoyed that it would take several days of working out to completely burn off the calories from this meal.

Dong Dong was full too. He leaned against the wall and rubbed his tummy, sighing along with Xia Xingcheng.

Yang Youming was still conversing with his chef pal. They talked for a while before shaking hands and saying their goodbyes.

When Xia Xingcheng noticed the white chef waving to him, he lifted his hand and waved goodbye.

When they entered the elevator, Xia Xingcheng asked Yang Youming, “What did you introduce me to your friend as?”

“My wife, of course,” Yang Youming said.

Xia Xingcheng laughed and nudged him with his body.

Yang Youming swayed from the impact, then laughed too. He asked Xia Xingcheng, “Doesn’t that make you happy?”

Xia Xingcheng looked down and glanced at Dong Dong, who was still absentmindedly rubbing his tummy. He smiled and moved closer to Yang Youming’s ear, saying, “It does.”

Yang Youming took his hand in his and laced their fingers together. He brought their hands in front of them and said, “You’re wearing your ring today.” He held the wedding ring on Xia Xingcheng’s finger between his fingers and turned it.

Xia Xingcheng was practically leaning against him as he examined the ring. “Yeah, I always wear it when I don’t have to face the media.” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to wear it in front of the press. In reality, it was simply too bothersome to look for an excuse to explain its existence.

These days, there weren’t many people who classified him as an idol. Despite this, he had a slew of die-hard fans who followed him constantly and obsessed over him still. Even so, none of them were aware that he’d actually been married for several years, and that the person he’d married was Yang Youming.

Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming had both drank that night. They weren’t drunk, but their emotions were running a little high. “Sometimes I feel bad about keeping my fans in the dark,” Xia Xingcheng said, looking at his wedding ring.

Yang Youming glanced at him before wrapping his palm around Xia Xingcheng’s hand. “You can’t help it.”

Xia Xingcheng rested his head on Yang Youming’s shoulder. “If I announce that I’m married but don’t mention who I’m married to, would that be okay?”

Yang Youming turned his head and gently kissed Xia Xingcheng’s forehead. “There’s no need to.”

Xia Xingcheng heaved a sigh.

Their car was already waiting for them on the side of the road when they exited the restaurant. The restaurant was situated on a hillside, with a dozen buildings scattered around the area. There were hotels, coffee shops, and bars open late at night. A high-end villa area was also nearby.

Although this side of the mountain could be considered to be a commercial block, the surrounding area was deserted, with almost no pedestrians in sight after dark.

Xia Xingcheng took Dong Dong’s hand and led him to the car, but just as he opened the door and moved to help Dong Dong up, Dong Dong came to a halt and looked up at Xia Xingcheng.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Xingcheng probed.

Due to the dim streetlight closest to them, it was impossible to see Dong Dong’s expression because it was quite dark. Xia Xingcheng knelt down and saw Dong Dong’s furrowed brows.

Behind them, Yang Youming also bent down and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Dong Dong whispered, “My tummy hurts.”

Xia Xingcheng quickly grew concerned. He reached out to touch Dong Dong’s stomach. “Is it a stomach ache or do you want to poop?”

“I want to poop,” Dong Dong said.

Xia Xingcheng was slightly relieved.

Yang Youming stroked Dong Dong’s head and said, “I’ll take him. It’ll take a while to go down the mountain, he won’t be able to hold it in.”

Xia Xingcheng nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll wait for you guys here.”

Yang Youming led Dong Dong by the hand and headed back to the restaurant.

Alone, Xia Xingcheng wasn’t in a hurry to get in the car. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked a few paces forward.

The temperature on the mountain was not as high as in the city. At night, after sunset, the mountain seemed to darken. Wearing a short-sleeved tee that seemed slightly thin, though he felt somewhat cold, Xia Xingcheng felt that his face was a little feverish. His thoughts flitted about in his head; there was always something running through his mind. When he clenched his left hand, he could sense the presence of the ring, and as a result, he was struck with the temptation of announcing his and Yang Youming’s relationship to the world.

In truth, over the years, Xia Xingcheng had always harboured these thoughts from time to time. But he also knew that it was both inappropriate and impossible, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt lost.

Right then, Xia Xingcheng noticed a sedan emerge from the parking lot, but before it went far, it stopped under the streetlight across the street.

The car remained in place for about five minutes before the front passenger door opened and a girl dressed in a shirt and jeans got out. She said to the person inside. “You can go. We’re over.”

It was only then did Xia Xingcheng realise that the car had stopped there because the people inside were arguing.

The driver said something that Xia Xingcheng didn’t hear.

The girl slammed the car door shut, then watched as the car immediately accelerated, increasing speed until it disappeared from view around the mountain. The girl stood on the roadside for a moment. She turned her head and spotted Xia Xingcheng, and called out in shock, “Xing ge?”

Xia Xingcheng tried hard to remember her name. “Xiao Xuan?”

Dai Xiaoxuan and her boyfriend had fought.

In fact, Qin Chi had been extremely dissatisfied with her behavior throughout dinner. He gave her the stink eye the entire night, and his annoyance lasted until they saw Qin Chi’s friend off. They got into a fight as soon as they got to the car.

Qin Chi had said, “Aren’t you a reporter at that fashion magazine? Don’t you interview superstars everyday? How come you won’t say anything in front of my friend?”

Dai Xiaoxuan found his anger towards her baffling. She could only say, “You guys were talking about your affairs, what do you expect me to say?”

Qin Chi pulled over at the side of the road. “Why couldn’t you say something? Just talk about your life! If not to him, then talk to his wife! I took you out to dinner, and yet you didn’t change your clothes, didn’t put on makeup, do you know how humiliated I was today?!”

Dai Xiaoxuan hadn’t deliberately not worn makeup in the first place, but she had never dressed up with the intention of giving her boyfriend face. She got slightly mad. “You lost face because I didn’t put on makeup? Then I won’t bother with makeup in the future. I’ll live however I want to live. Are you going to break up with me?”

Qin Chi frowned. “Can you not be so emotional? If you’re right then you’re right, if you’re wrong then you’re wrong! Don’t always threaten to break up with me!”

Dai Xiaoxuan took a deep breath. “I’m not threatening you. I’m serious. I’m afraid I’d humiliate you again in the future. Why don’t you take this opportunity to go out and find a girlfriend who’ll help you maintain your image before it’s too late.”

With that, Dai Xiaoxuan opened the car door and said to Qin Chi. “You can go. We’re over.”

Qin Chi jabbed a finger at her. “You better reflect on where the problem lies! Don’t threaten me with this! If you want to break up, then fine. Do you honestly believe that I won’t be able to find someone better?”

Dai Xiaoxuan was no longer able to listen to him. She slammed the door shut, yet she didn’t expect that Qin Chi would actually step on the gas pedal and drive away, abandoning her on a deserted hillside, all alone.

In that split second, Dai Xiaoxuan’s only thought was how ridiculous her relationship was. She then turned around, and as she fished out her phone to see if she could call a taxi, she noticed Xia Xingcheng standing up ahead.

Luckily—and to her surprise—Xia Xingcheng still remembered her.

Dai Xiaoxuan’s mood was a bit complicated. The pleasant surprise of bumping into Xia Xingcheng was overshadowed by her depressing fight and subsequent breakup with her boyfriend. She stared at Xia Xingcheng and couldn’t think of anything to say for a brief moment.

She could hear Qin Chi slam on the emergency brakes in the distance.

Xia Xingcheng stared at her for a while, before asking her, “Need a ride down the mountain?”

Dai Xiaoxuan’s heart suddenly soared. She realised that Qin Chi had never been all that important to her in the first place. She eyed the black van behind Xia Xingcheng dazedly, and cautiously asked, “Would that be all right?”

Xia Xingcheng smiled. “Of course. If taking a taxi is inconvenient, I can send you home.”

Dai Xiaoxuan suddenly felt that her lips were a little dry. She licked her lower lip, then walked over to Xia Xingcheng.

“It’s a bit cold out here,” Xia Xingcheng said. “You can get in first.”

Dai Xiaoxuan climbed into the black van, only to discover that it was empty except for the driver. She didn’t notice anyone else. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked a question to which she already knew the answer: “Xing ge, are you waiting for someone?”

Xia Xingcheng stood by the car door, his head turned to look back. “Here they are,” he said.

Dai Xiaoxuan turned her head as well, but she couldn’t see anything. She stifled her racing heart and debated whether she should get out of the car. Soon after, she heard Xia Xingcheng’s voice on the other side of the car door say, “I ran into a friend. Can we send her home on the way?”

Another deep voice rang out, “A friend?”

Dai Xiaoxuan’s heartbeat was almost unnaturally fast. The voice she heard was unmistakably Yang Youming’s. She then spotted the man’s tall figure approaching the car door. When he peered inside to take a look, she immediately rose from her seat, bowing at the waist with her head lowered and greeting Yang Youming, “Ming ge!”

Though Yang Youming clearly didn’t know Dai Xiaoxuan, he still gave her a polite nod. “Hello.”

Dai Xiaoxuan sat back down with a racing pulse. She found that she was more nervous and excited when she saw Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming together than when she had seen Xia Xingcheng on his own.

Yang Youming turned around and picked up the boy and lifted him into the car.

Dai Xiaoxuan sat at the very back. She saw the little boy looking into the car, then sitting in a separate window seat in the front row. Yang Youming leaned over to help him fasten his seatbelt before getting into the car and sitting on the two-person seat in the same row. Xia Xingcheng was the last to get on. He sat down next to Yang Youming after closing the door.

“This is Xiao Xuan,” Xia Xingcheng said to Yang Youming. “I had a magazine photoshoot a while ago, didn’t I? It was Xiao Xuan who interviewed me.”

Dai Xiaoxuan surmised that Xia Xingcheng only remembered that she was called Xiao Xuan and had no idea her surname was Dai. As a result, she took the initiative to introduce herself “Hello, Ming ge. I’m Dai Xiaoxuan, a reporter from XX Magazine.”

Yang Youming turned to her and said, “Nice to meet you.”

The car set off at a moderate speed.

It was silent inside the car for a few moments.

In a daze, Dai Xiaoxuan stared at Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s backs. The two men didn’t appear to be particularly close, but she always had the impression that there was something too natural between them. She suddenly remembered those years of frantically chasing them on the internet, the wild imaginations, the many hopes. In the end, when she had calmed down, most people, like her, would think—how could it be? All of it was just wishful thinking. Ultimately, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming were nothing more than close friends, and it was possible that they weren’t even friends, but simply had a regular working relationship.

Right now, though, Dai Xiaoxuan could at least tell herself that they were really friends.

Xia Xingcheng was fiddling with his phone with his head lowered. The phone screen illuminated his face, outlining the bridge of his nose. He said, “Where do you live, Xiao Xuan?”

Dai Xiaoxuan gave him an address.

“Are you familiar with that area?” Xia Xingcheng asked the driver.

“I know the general direction,” said the driver.

“Okay,” Xia Xingcheng replied. “Just turn on the navigation when we’re near.”

Dai Xiaoxuan thanked him again.

Xia Xingcheng smiled and said, “No problem. How could we let a girl go down the mountain on her own? It’s too dangerous.”

Yang Youming didn’t ask Dai Xiaoxuan what had happened to her. Instead, he suddenly spoke, “Don’t play with your phone.”

Dai Xiaoxuan saw Xia Xingcheng look up at Yang Youming after hearing these words.

“It’s too dark,” Yang Youming added.

Then, she saw Xia Xingcheng swiftly lock his phone and stuff it back into his pocket. After that, he said to Yang Youming, “Okay then.”

Dai Xiaoxuan stared at them with wide eyes.

☆ ☆ ☆

⟵ Extra II Part 2 | TOC | Extra II Part 4 ⟶

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