The scene started filming from when Yu Xi returned and they argued.
Yi Chen thought Yu Xi’s solo outing was too dangerous, too immature—like throwing a tantrum. There was no need to use going missing to threaten, punish, or torment each other.
But Yu Xi refused. He didn’t want to be controlled or lectured. He just wanted to go somewhere no one knew him and let loose. He just wanted to clear his head alone.
They wouldn’t even give him that much freedom?
They had already done one round of arguing, and neither was speaking to the other.
In the heavy silence, Yu Xi broke it.
“What right do you have to control me? What are you to me?” Yu Xi looked at Yi Chen. He wanted to appear as calm as possible, but he couldn’t.
The boy in front of him.
The boy with whom they secretly held hands and hugged in hidden spots.
The boy he carefully hid in his heart, their ambiguous understanding unspoken.
This boy—
What identity was he standing there with now?
His classmate? His ambiguous interest? His boyfriend?
Or, his brother?
“Bro? Is that what you want me to call you?” Yu Xi’s eyes were red-rimmed, his lips trembling slightly, even his voice shook. He was angry, furious, yet carefully probing. “Bro…?”
“Cut—!”
“Perfect take!” Wang Hui praised. “Emotions full and spot-on! Take a break, props team—prep the next one!”
Yu Xi didn’t snap out of the emotions immediately. Every emotional outburst scene drained his mental energy.
The door closed, staff left, and the resting room held only Yu Xi and Yi Chen.
The redness in Yu Xi’s eyes hadn’t faded. He was still immersed in the argument’s anger.
Because it was too similar, he empathized with his role almost like reliving the scene.
He looked at Yi Chen. The lights were too bright, making his already red eye corners glisten with a faint sheen of moisture.
Yi Chen’s emotions seemed unsteady too.
—They had once had a similar argument.
But now, Yi Chen didn’t want to recall that past quarrel.
No need, no point.
The past was settled. Now, they were the same as back then, yet completely different people.
At this moment, Yi Chen gazed at Yu Xi with deeper-than-usual eyes, emotions surging, nearly swallowing the person before him.
Emotions right, atmosphere perfect, door locked, no one in the resting room, no one coming in soon—they naturally fell into a passionate kiss.
They gripped each other tightly, breathing each other’s air, sharing each other’s pheromones.
Peppermint pomelo intertwined with gardenia scent, like their close shadows that hated to be apart, melting into each other’s embrace.
Their chests heaved as they collided, their ten fingers tightly interlocked, their gazes gradually blurring, their breaths becoming fragmented. They pressed each other forcefully toward themselves, as if desperately embracing the selves they had once argued with, misunderstood, and felt lost alongside.
Perhaps they had truly kissed for a very long time, or perhaps it was because he had just been marked a few days ago, but Yu Xi felt like he was running out of oxygen. His head spun, and his heart raced wildly.
He slumped onto Yi Chen’s shoulder and leaned in close to Yi Chen.
—He was truly relying on Yi Chen far too much now.
Yu Xi’s voice was somewhat hoarse as he said, “I never noticed before how good your pheromone smells.”
Yi Chen supported Yu Xi’s waist, and this time Yu Xi didn’t dodge. Instead, he adjusted into a more comfortable position along with Yi Chen’s palm.
“I never saw you this soft before either,” Yi Chen said, his eyes curving slightly.
Yu Xi: “.”
He straightened his back, about to speak, when Yi Chen’s palm lightly brushed against him. It was as if Yu Xi had been poked at some acupoint; his entire body went limp, and he softly flopped back onto Yi Chen’s shoulder once more, a sweet gardenia fragrance overflowing.
Under different states of mind, the scent of pheromones would manifest differently.
Pheromones released in anger were sharper and colder, while those released in pleasure were much softer.
—Yi Chen loved Yu Xi’s pheromone at this moment the most. It was very sweet, like chewing on gardenia-flavored candy.
Yu Xi’s mouth was tough, and only at times like this would he soften just a little.
“Once I’m recovered, I’ll settle the score with you,” Yu Xi said.
“Okay,” Yi Chen readily agreed, delighted.
“Kissing after just one scene—isn’t that a bit unrestrained?”
Yi Chen was utterly honest. “I wouldn’t mind an even deeper exchange.”
Yu Xi lifted his head. “What about your pure love?”
“We can put that on hold for now.”
“You’re so spineless,” Yu Xi said. Then he wrapped his arms around Yi Chen’s neck again, leaning in to sniff his pheromone. “Neither am I.”
The next scene was a bit calmer emotionally, but it required more props to prepare. Wang Hui sent a message saying they needed to wait a little longer. Yu Xi was happy to rest and lingered in Yi Chen’s arms for a good while longer.
Just as he was about to get up and stretch his legs, a staff member knocked on the resting room door. “Teacher Yu Xi, Teacher Yi Chen.”
“What’s up?” Yu Xi asked as he walked toward the door.
“Um…” The staff member hesitated, unsure how to broach the topic.
Strictly speaking, no outsiders were allowed in the resting room, but… the person who insisted on coming in couldn’t exactly be called a complete outsider.
“It’s just that…” The staff member finally decided to speak, and at the same moment, Yu Xi opened the door.
“Teacher Yu Wan is here.”
Outside the door, the woman wore a fitted long skirt, exuding a gentle temperament. She gave Yu Xi a warm and beautiful smile.
Staff members passed by, all glancing toward Yu Wan.
Having worked with Yu Xi for these past days and seen the hot searches, and with Yu Wan having deliberately said things like “I hope to reconcile with Yu Xi” on that dance variety show livestream, everyone naturally knew about the grudge between Yu Xi and Yu Wan. They continued with their tasks on the surface but secretly paid attention.
Feeling the gazes directed her way, Yu Wan curled the corner of her mouth.
She had no intention of going inside.
With so many people nearby, someone was bound to capture her encounter with Yu Xi. She could use his popularity.
But before she could even open her mouth, Yu Xi enthusiastically took her arm and pulled Yu Wan into the resting room. “Mom, you came! Come on in and sit!”
In an instant, Yu Wan was dragged out of everyone’s sight. The door slammed shut with a “bang,” leaving the onlooking staff with nothing but a merciless door panel; they hadn’t even heard a single word.
Yu Wan: “…”
There was not only Yu Xi in the resting room but also Yi Chen. Yu Wan quickly adjusted her expression. “Xiao Xi.”
“Here’s something you love,” Yu Xi said, taking dried fruit from a bag nearby, plating it neatly, and pushing it in front of Yu Wan. “Try some?”
Yu Wan’s mind went blank from Yu Xi’s preemptive enthusiasm. She paused slightly before smiling. “You still remember.”
“Of course I remember,” Yu Xi laughed. “I’ve also prepared your favorite drink, from the shop you like, the brand you like, and the accessories you like and need.”
As Yu Xi spoke, Yi Chen beside him displayed the items Yu Xi had prepared, finally holding up a portable camera.
“And of course, this camera for recording our daily life anytime, which you can wear on your head.”
Yu Xi’s eyes curved, but his smile didn’t reach them. “I’m your good son, after all.”
Yu Wan finally understood—Yu Xi had no intention of having a proper conversation with her.
“It’s not that A-Yu doesn’t want to talk properly,” Yi Chen said, seeing through Yu Wan’s thoughts. “It’s that you never intended to come talk to him properly, right?”
Yu Wan’s gaze turned cold.
From the day she had told Yi Chen the truth, Yu Wan had known that Yi Chen would side with Yu Xi.
Since that was the case, she saw no need to keep up the fake smile or pretend to be calm.
Yu Wan’s expression suddenly turned icy. She sat down and lifted her eyes. Her eyes were very beautiful, with slightly downturned corners that, even in anger, swept up into a gentle arc, softening the look on her face so that she even appeared tender when furious.
“You want to block all my paths?” Yu Wan turned her gaze to Yu Xi, her tone carrying the sharpness of someone in a superior position.
“Yes,” Yu Xi replied without any intention of hiding it. He lifted his eyes to meet Yu Wan’s stare.
Yu Wan hadn’t expected Yu Xi’s answer to be so straightforward. In that instant, her mind went blank. The anger she used to feel toward Yu Xi surged up, and for a moment, she desperately wanted to raise her hand and slap him hard across the face.
Just like all those times before.
But no, she couldn’t now.
She couldn’t show it. She couldn’t let anyone see. She needed to maintain her image, gentle as always in front of the camera.
Yu Wan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury and disdain in her eyes, doing her best to calm down. “What exactly do you want?”
“And you?” Yu Xi countered.
“I want to come back. I want to have my career here.”
“Impossible,” Yu Xi said firmly.
There was nothing left to discuss. Yu Wan didn’t want to waste time or energy. She was already using all her effort just to barely control her expression.
Yu Wan grabbed her bag and turned to leave. Behind her, Yu Xi’s voice came, faint and devoid of much emotion.
“Mom, I think you need to apologize to me.”
