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Join the ServerA soft splashing sound echoed from outside the stall.
Su Xuan held his breath, concentrating on the sounds outside. He didn’t notice Shen Chao slowly placing his hand, suspended in the air, near Su Xuan’s waist. Shen Chao’s eyes were closed, a faint, almost imperceptible blush coloring his pale face, and his long eyelashes trembled slightly.
The splashing outside paused, and Su Xuan let out a sigh of relief. He had just started to weakly push himself off Shen Chao when the sound of water resumed.
Su Xuan: “……”
‘Actor Wang, frequent urination is a medical condition. You should get it treated.’
A faint blush still tinged Shen Chao’s face. His brows were tightly furrowed as he began, “You…”
Wang Muzhe was still outside, so Su Xuan couldn’t allow Shen Chao to speak. He had originally intended to cover Shen Chao’s mouth, but realized his own hands were already locked behind his waist by Shen Chao. The man’s strength was considerable, and Su Xuan couldn’t break free.
Shen Chao regulated his breathing, then spoke in a cold voice, “What are you doing…”
Su Xuan closed his eyes and steeled his heart. Only his mouth was free. Blushing furiously, yet feeling utterly despairing, he kissed Shen Chao again. This time, however, Shen Chao was clearly prepared. He struggled, raising his knee to push against Su Xuan, trying to make him back away.
Su Xuan took a drastic step, deciding to go all the way. He fiercely—
—extended his tongue!
Shen Chao seemed profoundly startled. Su Xuan could see his pupils constrict slightly, his breathing hitched, and he froze, utterly still.
Once the person outside had left, Su Xuan finally rose from Shen Chao, who remained completely motionless. He dared not look at Shen Chao’s expression, his gaze darting around erratically. “…I really am gay, Shen Chao.”
Su Xuan’s throat felt dry. “I’m a gay man who likes you.”
His face was burning, and within a minute, his back was drenched in sweat. He could see white mist escaping his nostrils with every breath, feeling like a steam train, his mind filled with the sound of ‘chug-chug.’
He had just kissed Shen Chao, twice. It wasn’t Su Xuan’s first time kissing Shen Chao; they had kissed many times in their acting roles. However, this was their first kiss outside of a performance, and it was a forced one. Su Xuan felt he should be in despair, but he couldn’t control himself. He felt his brain had gone into overdrive, the dopamine of love threatening to obliterate all his negative emotions. Adrenaline surged through his veins, and his heart pounded as if it would give out.
He couldn’t help but let out a small smile, his eyes a little red. With a nasal tone, Su Xuan emphasized, “Let me prove that I’m gay. So far, I’ve only ever liked you. You’re a man, and I’m a man.”
“Therefore, I’m gay. Does that work, Shen Chao?”
Shen Chao’s gaze was still somewhat unfocused, as if he hadn’t fully returned to himself. He let out a barely audible “Mm.”
Su Xuan’s mind was a mess, unable to come up with any solution. He sniffled, then decided to throw caution to the wind. “Could I trouble you to stay here for a moment? I need to take care of some things, then I’ll come back for you.”
Shen Chao paused for a moment, expressionless, then nodded.
Su Xuan exited the stall, closing the door behind him. He couldn’t describe what he felt inside. His entire face was flushed, and he leaned his head against the stall door, softly saying, “I’m very sorry about earlier, Shen Chao.”
Su Xuan didn’t wait for a reply from inside, instead bolting away as if his pants were on fire.
Shen Chao sat in the stall. If Su Xuan had paid closer attention, he would have noticed that the man’s eyes were completely unfocused. Shen Chao slowly, slowly, leaned his head against the stall door. His face was blank, and he unconsciously bumped his head against the wall.
Liu Pangpang breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw Su Xuan emerge from the restroom alone. Wang Muzhe also relaxed upon seeing Su Xuan.
Both Liu Pangpang and Wang Muzhe thought, ‘Finally, we don’t have to chat with the person opposite us anymore.’
Su Xuan’s lips were moist, his eyes still red, and his voice had a nasal quality when he spoke. “I ate too much ice a few days ago and caught a cold, so I stayed in the restroom a bit longer.”
Wang Muzhe’s mood was incredibly complex. “…Your manager said you were ‘overheated,’ which is why you hadn’t come out of the restroom…”
Liu Pangpang offered a fake smile, trying to salvage the situation. “It’s the duality of ice and fire, you see, that’s why he caught a cold.”
Wang Muzhe: “……”
Su Xuan: “……”
Wang Muzhe felt more exhausted than he had ever been since his debut. “Junior Brother Su, I genuinely want to help you. You’ve read the script, right? That role truly suits you. I know what your concerns are. I won’t make any guarantees, as Shen Chao can indeed be difficult to talk to, but as long as you don’t cross his principles, he’s very reasonable. And I’ll do my absolute best. Even if it doesn’t work out on my end, Junior Brother Su should still be able to get into the ‘Nine Streams’ production team.”
With that assurance, Liu Pangpang finally felt relieved. “Then many thanks, Actor Wang.”
Wang Muzhe nodded. “Then I’ll be leaving first.”
Liu Pangpang finally showed a hint of joy. He nudged Su Xuan. “Go call Shen Chao out. Did you hear what Wang Muzhe just said? As long as you don’t violate his principles, Shen Chao is very accommodating. Even if this doesn’t work out, ‘Nine Streams’ should be a sure thing for you!”
Su Xuan stared at Liu Pangpang, giving an awkward laugh. “…Do you think forcibly kissing Shen Chao in the restroom counts as violating his principles?”
Liu Pangpang’s smile gradually vanished. “……”
Liu Pangpang said in despair, “Why don’t you kneel and beg Shen Chao? Given that it’s your first offense…”
Su Xuan scratched his face, adding, “I forcibly kissed him twice.”
Liu Pangpang: “……”
Liu Pangpang’s face contorted. “Su Xuan, I’m going to kill you!!!!”
After a few days of anxious waiting, Liu Pangpang discovered that Star Culture hadn’t withdrawn the invitation for ‘Nine Streams.’ He couldn’t help but marvel at Su Xuan’s sheer luck and Shen Chao’s magnanimity—despite the forced kiss, Shen Chao hadn’t interfered with the matter. It seemed that while Shen Chao might be hard to get along with, his temper was actually quite good.
At the same time, Wang Muzhe also informed Liu Pangpang that if the filming of ‘Nine Streams’ went smoothly, his suspense drama script could be finalized.
Aside from needing to increase Su Xuan’s workload, requiring him to burn the midnight oil to memorize the script, everything else was settled.
Good news came in pairs. After nearly three weeks in theaters, the box office for ‘Courtyard’ surpassed 2.5 billion yuan. However, its momentum had clearly waned compared to its initial run. Still, with an extended screening period, ‘Courtyard’ was expected to break 3 billion yuan.
The main reason for the dip in box office momentum was that the primary driving force, the CP fans, had been distracted. Gossip accounts were spreading rumors that Su Xuan was joining the ‘Nine Streams’ web drama production as the second male lead!
The male lead, Shen Chao, had been officially announced eight hundred years ago. When the second male lead was previously announced, it was Wang Muzhe. This was a recast!
Recasting would inevitably lead to conflict—as Lu Xun once said.
‘Nine Streams’ was originally a hugely popular novel, starting as a web novel but later winning international literary awards and holding a high status domestically. The first time it was adapted into a film, the book fans and actor fans clashed so violently that simply browsing Weibo would leave passersby splattered with the blood of their feuding factions.
The casting of the male lead was an even greater battleground for various fan groups.
At that time, while Shen Chao was popular, he hadn’t yet reached his current unparalleled status. Among the actors competing with him, some had more fans, some had deeper backgrounds, some had better acting skills, and some even resorted to underhanded tactics or ‘unspoken rules.’ There were even those willing to act for free.
Shen Chao was also bound by a performance-based contract at the time, with specific demands regarding his compensation and share of profits, effectively leaving him with no advantages.
However, Shen Chao was ultimately cast. The original author of ‘Nine Streams’ chose Shen Chao for two reasons: firstly, his appearance and acting skills met the requirements. He was young and closely resembled the male lead in the novel; his only flaw was being too handsome.
Secondly, among the dozens, even hundreds, of actors who auditioned, Shen Chao was the only one who could recite the entire text.
‘Nine Streams’ was 1.9 million characters long at the time.
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