Chapter 57 Part 2

He’d scour every filming location for Cloud End if he had to—search high and low until he dragged Wen Chaosheng out and got some straight answers!

But on the way to the airport, an email arrived from the private investigator. The inquiry he’d least expected results from delivered the most devastating news—and a single photograph—

“Mr. Xi, after several months of searching, we have finally located the target.”

“But we must tell you honestly: Mr. Wen Chaosheng already has a very stable romantic partner. That partner discovered our presence and ordered our tracking personnel to delete the illegal candid photos.”

“We’ve only kept one photo here for work confirmation. Also, please confirm if you need us to continue tracking.”

Xi Zhui opened the attached photo. The background was inside a coffee shop.

The long-unseen Wen Chaosheng was buried headfirst in studying a stack of documents, while a tall, thin man sat right beside him. The man had pulled his baseball cap very low, making his face impossible to discern.

The man held a drink in one hand as he leaned close to Wen Chaosheng, resting his other hand on the backrest of the bench behind him. His posture exuded strong possessiveness.

Xi Zhui recognized the baseball cap on that man’s head. It was the one Wen Chaosheng loved to wear in his daily life.

Given Wen Chaosheng’s socially anxious and introverted nature, such an intimate photo would have been impossible unless the two of them were extremely familiar with each other.

“…”

Xi Zhui stared at the two people in the photo, his inner courage suddenly draining away entirely.

He no longer dared to go find Wen Chaosheng.

He was even afraid of witnessing a similar scene play out before his own eyes.

For the first time, Xi Zhui clearly realized: They had broken up! Wen Chaosheng already had his own life now, while he was merely an ex-boyfriend who had been cast aside, with no right to interfere whatsoever!

After a long while, Xi Zhui messaged the private investigator back to stop the investigation, paid the final fee, then deleted the photo along with the email.

…

After his injury healed, Xi Zhui still did not leave the entertainment industry.

He couldn’t articulate what he wanted to prove, but he began joining film crews frantically, shooting movies one after another. He tried to escape reality through the fictional lives in the scripts, numbing the raw pain of his true emotions.

The unwillingness from their breakup, the resentment from the betrayal, the confusion from being abandoned—they all tangled together into a chaotic knot as time wore on.

Xi Zhui thought he could eventually forget this not-so-wonderful first love. But every time he woke in the dead of night, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of Wen Chaosheng.

It wasn’t until Old Mr. Xi passed away at an advanced age that Xi Zhui finally confessed his sexual orientation to his parents. He even told them honestly about the relationship with Wen Chaosheng that had ended without bearing fruit.

Afterward, Xi Zhui finally claimed the Baixiang Awards’ Best Male Lead trophy, fulfilling the promise he had once made to Wen Chaosheng.

This time, Xi Zhui finally mustered enough courage to make a decision—

He was going to Italy. He was going to find Wen Chaosheng!

Even if someone else was already by his side, he had to see him in person before he could truly let go!

But fate had a dramatic sense of humor. Just before Xi Zhui could set off overseas, the man he had been daydreaming about appeared right before him.

“Xi Zhui…”

The person in his arms suddenly shivered, murmuring uneasily. “Xi Zhui…”

Xi Zhui snapped out of his heavy, damp memories and immediately pulled Wen Chaosheng closer. “What’s wrong? I’m right here.”

Wen Chaosheng feebly lifted his eyelids, only to squeeze them shut tightly again moments later.

Xi Zhui noticed the unnatural flush on his cheeks. He frowned and touched his forehead. Sure enough, it was burning hot.

“…”

How had he suddenly developed a fever?

A flicker of regret flashed through Xi Zhui’s eyes, but it was quickly overtaken by overwhelming worry. He leaned in close and called softly, “Chaosheng? Chaosheng, wake up. You have a fever.”

Wen Chaosheng didn’t open his eyes. He seemed lost in a hazy, dreamlike void, mumbling aggrievedly over and over. “None of it worked… why… none of it worked…”

“What?”

Xi Zhui’s palm slid downward, gently caressing Wen Chaosheng’s cheek. “What didn’t work?”

Wen Chaosheng instinctively nestled closer to the familiar source of warmth. His whiny nasal hums carried an indescribable sadness. “Prayers didn’t work, birthday wishes didn’t work… don’t… don’t get hurt…”

Xi Zhui froze for two seconds as the truth dawned on him—

The November prayers had been for him. And so had the December birthday wish?

“…”

Love surged through him like a tidal wave.

Xi Zhui could no longer hold back. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Wen Chaosheng’s lips. “Don’t be scared. I won’t get hurt again. You be good, too.”

None of what had come before mattered anymore.

As long as Wen Chaosheng came back to his side.

…

Xi Zhui ignored his own minor discomfort, got up, and called for the night-shift nurse. He asked her to take Wen Chaosheng’s temperature.

38.7°C.

Xi Zhui obtained some fever reducers, cradled the man in his arms, and fed him the medicine.

Wen Chaosheng was delirious from the fever. When he saw the medicine Xi Zhui offered, he obediently took it into his mouth out of habit. But unlike before, a bitter taste spread across his tongue.

His already flushed face scrunched up from the bitterness, yet he stubbornly refused to spit it out. “Mm.”

“Who told you to swallow it dry?” Xi Zhui coaxed him while offering water. “Good boy, drink this and swallow.”

Wen Chaosheng cooperatively finished the medicine and drifted off into a drowsy sleep once more.

But Xi Zhui had lost all desire to sleep. He borrowed a thermometer from the nurse and checked Wen Chaosheng’s temperature every hour.

He stayed awake all night.

Before eight in the morning, Xiao Chao returned to the hospital. The moment he pushed open the ward door, he was met with this scene—

Wen Chaosheng lay peacefully asleep on the bed, a cooling patch still stuck to his forehead.

Meanwhile, Xi Zhui—the one who had been unexpectedly injured the day before—was awake, occupying the other half of the bed. His gaze never left the still-resting Wen Chaosheng.

“Brother Xi, what’s this…”

“Shh!”

Xi Zhui quickly covered Wen Chaosheng’s ears and shot his assistant a silencing glare. “He just broke the fever. Don’t make any noise.”

Xiao Chao mimed zipping his lips and tiptoed over to the sofa.

He had long since guessed at the nature of their relationship, so he didn’t seem overly surprised. “Brother Xi, how are you feeling now? Still dizzy?”

“I’m okay.”

Xi Zhui replied in a low voice before making a request. “Xiao Chao, go buy some breakfast. Something light.”

Xiao Chao had no desire to play third wheel anyway. He flashed an OK sign and bolted out the door.

The morning hospital corridors were never as quiet as at night. Before long, Wen Chaosheng woke up anyway.

The instant he opened his eyes, he met Xi Zhui’s concerned gaze. “Awake?”

“Mm.”

Wen Chaosheng sat up slowly, his eyes sore and gritty. “What time is it?”

“Still early.”

Xi Zhui peeled the cooling patch off his forehead and handed him a cup of warm water from the bedside. “You had a fever all night. Drink some water first.”

His head still spinning from dizziness, Wen Chaosheng wasn’t fully oriented yet. He obediently took the cup, tilted his head back to drink it down, then handed it back without thinking.

His lips now glistened with moisture, looking lush and inviting.

Xi Zhui’s gaze lingered subtly on Wen Chaosheng’s lips for two seconds. He tamped down the unspeakable urge rising within him and merely brushed his fingertip gently over the corner of his mouth.

“You had a bit of water there. Feeling better now?”

“You…”

Wen Chaosheng startled at the sudden intimacy. “I-I’m much better.”

Xi Zhui leaned in slowly. “Didn’t the fever break? Then why is your face still so red?”

Wen Chaosheng had never minded this kind of closeness anyway. He just quibbled, “I just woke up. It’s hot.”

Xi Zhui let out a short chuckle, not calling out his lame excuse. “Want to freshen up a little? Breakfast will be here soon.”

Wen Chaosheng nodded. “Sure.”

…

At the doctor’s insistence, the now-awake Xi Zhui underwent another full round of checkups.

The wound on his forehead wasn’t severe, but it had indeed resulted in a moderate concussion. He would need to rest properly for a while.

That afternoon, after consulting with Jian Jinzhao and the others, Wen Chaosheng decided to post a public statement about the accident on Weibo, along with a sincere apology.

With both male leads injured, the crew had no choice but to halt filming and take a break.

Fortunately, production had progressed smoothly so far, and only a little remained. Once they resumed, they managed to wrap before the New Year.

—Bang!

“Wrap successful!”

Confetti and cheers exploded in unison. “May Rotten Mud smash the box office!”

As the production’s core duo of male leads, Xi Zhui and Yu Yan were swarmed by the crew and ushered to the wrap cake. Wen Chaosheng and the assistant director—prepared ahead of time—each carried a bouquet of wrap flowers as they approached.

The assistant director spoke first. “You two have worked so hard! Thank you for starring in Rotten Mud. Wrap successful!”

“Thanks, Assistant Director.”

Yu Yan’s eyes flicked over Xi Zhui and Wen Chaosheng in turn, reading the room perfectly.

Without hesitation, he snatched the wrap flowers from the assistant director’s hands and chimed in with polished words. “The directors and all the crew have worked hard too! This was my first film. Thank you all for putting up with me!”

Xi Zhui had noticed the yellow roses in Wen Chaosheng’s arms from the start. He stepped closer. “Director, is this bouquet for me?”

“Mm.”

Wen Chaosheng hesitated to say more, simply handing over the carefully chosen yellow roses. “Xi Zhui, happy wrap.”

Thank you for becoming the male lead in my movie once again.

Thank you for giving me the courage and strength to keep living.

Wen Chaosheng held back those two sincere sentiments in the end. With so many staff around, he didn’t dare voice anything that might spark misunderstanding and bring unnecessary trouble to Xi Zhui.

In their brief moment of eye contact, however, Xi Zhui seemed to sense it intuitively.

The instant he reached for the flowers, he pulled Wen Chaosheng into a public embrace.

Cheers erupted all around at once—some people hooting deliberately, others just clapping along for the fun of it.

Caught completely off guard in the lively atmosphere, Wen Chaosheng couldn’t help but feel stunned and flustered. “Xi Zhui?”

“Thank you, Director.”

Xi Zhui maintained perfect public decorum throughout. But right before releasing him from the brief hug, he tilted his head and whispered a perfectly matched response into Wen Chaosheng’s ear.

“Thank you for letting me become the male lead in your movie once again.”