The night was already deep, and everything was silent.
The gentle wind picked up the fragrance of flowers and carried it quietly to the two of them.
Xue Xiao didn’t know how to answer.
By the time he came back to his senses, the word ‘okay’ had already been spoken.
His voice was hoarse and didn’t sound like him at all.
He even doubted if he even said it?
But Shen Tingyan smiled. His smile was very beautiful?
The man pulled him closer again. The distance was very intimate. “So from now on, I don’t have to endure it any longer?”
Xue Xiao’s ears were burning, and his voice was as small as a mosquito. “…What are you enduring?”
Shen Tingyan raised an eyebrow and exposed him. “Aren’t you asking while knowing?”
Then he thought it was quite interesting. “You really want me to say it?”
Xue Xiao: “……” Was it too late to regret it now?
It was too late.
Shen Tingyan had already started to list them one by one. “For example, holding hands, hugging, kissing, caressing—”
Xue Xiao quickly covered his mouth.
This person couldn’t go any further!!
A playful look appeared in Shen Tingyan’s eyes.
He stayed in this posture and calmly said, “Okay, I won’t go any further. But I have one more request. Can I say it?”
Xue Xiao’s heart was beating quickly. He always felt that Shen Tingyan still wanted to tease him, but he also wanted to hear it. Therefore, he asked very cautiously, “…What?”
“We are already in love. Can you stop being so shy and act spoiled, Student Xue Xiao.”
Xue Xiao: “!!”
It was indeed teasing!
Shen Tingyan gently held his wrist and chuckled. “You are very cute even though you are shy.”
Xue Xiao trembled slightly.
The man pulled his hand down and held it in his own. “But from today on, I am no longer your Teacher Shen.”
“There is no need to be ‘respectful’ anymore. You can do anything to your boyfriend, and you can ask anything of your boyfriend.”
Xue Xiao felt that this was probably the hottest day in the entire summer.
It was so hot that he almost fainted.
He breathed out slightly and met Shen Tingyan’s eyes.
Xue Xiao had never tried to act spoiled even as a child. He simply couldn’t let go.
It was even harder to get him to act spoiled than to get him to confess his love. It was because he only needed courage to confess, while what he needed to act spoiled was…
What was it?
Xue Xiao’s brain was dizzy.
He felt that he might really be about to move on to the next stage of his life.
But he didn’t want to back down.
He liked Shen Tingyan, he liked Shen Tingyan so much. He wanted to study hard and learn how to fall in love.
Xue Xiao was silent for a while before finally opening his mouth.
He asked softly, “…Am I the only one acting spoiled?”
Shen Tingyan’s lips suddenly curved up in a smile. “Oh, then I can also act spoiled.”
Xue Xiao was hugged around the waist. He pursed his lips and smiled.
Shen Tingyan also looked at him with a smile and said, “I want to kiss you.”
“Okay, Xiao Xiao?”
Xue Xiao laughed.
He nodded. “Okay.”
Shen Tingyan lowered his head to kiss. Xue Xiao raised his arms and took the initiative to hug Shen Tingyan’s neck.
They embraced and kissed. The night wind carried the fragrance of flowers again. Xue Xiao felt that the kiss was so sweet.
They stayed on the top floor for almost an hour.
In the end, Xue Xiao fell into Shen Tingyan’s arms. He didn’t want to go down at all.
He looked up and asked, “So when did you make up your mind to pursue me?”
He hadn’t forgotten about this question yet!
Shen Tingyan tilted his head. “When I was fascinated by you?”
“…Answer seriously!”
Oops, he was starting to be mean to his boyfriend.
Shen Tingyan smiled, gently stroked the back of his neck, and whispered, “When I realized that I couldn’t give up on you no matter what.”
……
Xue Xiao finally found out about the mistake Zhang Chengyu made.
He covered his forehead and was speechless.
Shen Tingyan said, “So you acquiesced at that time, and I became a girl?”
“…Yes.”
Shen Tingyan lit a cigarette, took a puff, and laughed heartily.
Xue Xiao also laughed.
The two of them laughed for a while. This was indeed a bit funny, but if it hadn’t been for this…
Shen Tingyan gently blew out the smoke.
He probably wouldn’t have realized so quickly how much he liked Xue Xiao.
The little light bulb suddenly came to him.
Shen Tingyan looked over, and the little light bulb said, “I want to take a puff.”
He had smoked in the Praying Mantis play, but he hadn’t really smoked.
Shen Tingyan immediately moved his cigarette away. “I will start to quit smoking from tomorrow.”
“Why?” Xue Xiao was stunned.
“Smoking is bad for my health. I decided to try and live longer,” Shen Tingyan said calmly.
Xue Xiao smiled after being stunned, “…Why?”
“It isn’t easy to fall in love.” The wind swept away the smoke between the man’s fingers. “I want to be together for a few more years.”
Xue Xiao smiled with crooked eyebrows. “Then I want to take a puff now.”
This time, it was Shen Tingyan’s turn to wonder. “Why?”
Xue Xiao put his hands behind his back, rubbed into Shen Tingyan’s arms, and said, “Because I always think you look good when you smoke…”
Shen Tingyan paused.
The young man in his arms whispered, “Quitting smoking is a good thing, but Teacher Shen, just let me try it once, okay?”
Shen Tingyan: “………”
It didn’t sound like he just wanted to try cigarettes.
Xue Xiao pulled out of his arms, leaned over, took the cigarette in his mouth, and puffed lightly.
The young man’s eyes were extremely beautiful, and he looked as if he was sniffing a flower.
Shen Tingyan’s eyes gradually darkened.
He was the one who made the little light bulb act boldly, but when the little light bulb really started to act spoiled, he seemed to be a bit… unable to resist it.
Xue Xiao choked.
Smoke spilled from his lips.
Soon, the man lowered his head and kissed Xue Xiao.
Xue Xiao and Shen Tingyan went downstairs with calm faces.
At this time, no one was eating in the banquet hall. A group of people surrounded Old Gao and looked at the contents of his phone.
Xue Xiao listened for a while and realized that these people were looking at the score sheet of the four mentors in the first round of the game.
Xue Xiao’s appearance attracted the attention of the group.
The alarm bell rang in Xue Xiao’s mind. Just as he was thinking about whether to distance himself from Shen Tingyan or not, Chang Yun shouted at the top of his voice, “Xiao Xiao, come and see your score!”
Xue Xiao: “……”
Shen Tingyan said lazily, “Do you believe it or not, even if I walk in with you in my arms now, will they be surprised?”
Xue Xiao: “…………”
He pretended not to hear anything and walked over to join in the fun.
He scored 16 points in the first round. Xue Xiao estimated at the time that each of the four mentors might’ve given him 4 points, but the result wasn’t what he expected.
What surprised him was the first line in the score sheet. Gu Ling’s score…
Xue Xiao was surprised.
The only point that Gu Ling lost in the beginning turned out to be Shen Tingyan’s?
It just so happened that someone was talking about Gu Ling’s score and sighed. “Teacher Shen’s scoring is really strict…”
Shen Tingyan walked over and glanced at it.
The participant immediately coughed and became a bit embarrassed.
Gu Ling seemed to have expected it. He saw Shen Tingyan coming and said calmly, “It is because Teacher Shen has long seen that I am an instinctive actor.”
Xue Xiao continued to be shocked.
Shen Tingyan was doubtful. “Why are you so surprised?”
“……” Xue Xiao said in a confused manner, “…Because you were very serious when you were watching the performance.”
He thought that Shen Tingyan was particularly optimistic about Gu Ling…
“Really?” Shen Tingyan said casually. “When I saw him perform at that time, I remembered an actor who debuted at the same time as me. That person was also an instinctive actor. It took him a long time to escape from that type of acting style. He couldn’t find many films suitable for him. Later, he quit the industry.”
Shen Tingyan added casually, “It is a pity.”
Gu Ling’s eyes moved slightly.
Once Xue Xiao was called away by Chang Yun, Gu Ling glanced at Shen Tingyan. “…Do you really feel it is a pity?”
“?” Shen Tingyan saw his expression and sneered. “I don’t have to lie.”
He felt pity because he recalled the actor. He naturally shared some of that pity with Gu Ling.
It was just that even if he felt pity, it didn’t mean he would give any advice.
It wasn’t because this person later became his love rival. It was because, unlike the directors who could train all types of actors, Shen Tingyan had types of actors he wasn’t good at dealing with.
Instinctive actors were among them.
He wasn’t that good as a teacher. If they had compatible personalities, he would just say a few words. If they didn’t have compatible personalities, he didn’t bother to talk at all.
Everyone had their own opportunities in this circle and even in this world.
It wasn’t that without his teachings, some people could only go down a crooked path to the end.
Shen Tingyan didn’t think so highly of himself. If he said less to people with different personalities, sometimes it would reduce the misunderstanding caused by different ideas.
Gu Ling listened to his words and fell silent.
After a while, he said, “I will definitely film movies in the future.”
Shen Tingyan said, “Yes, that’s good. Otherwise, he will be sad.”
Both of them looked at the figure not far away.
Gu Ling suddenly remembered that day.
That day, he left the crew and ran without hesitation to the address where Xue Xiao was filming that was posted on the Internet.
He stood in the crowd and looked at Xue Xiao from afar.
He had never been so unwilling.
He was unwilling to be unable to understand the person he cared about most for the rest of his life.
Ye Rong woke him up. He tried to decipher it almost in a hurry. Then he found that when he really wanted to understand someone, he could still do it.
But what he understood was Xue Xiao’s gaze toward Shen Tingyan.
What was in those eyes wasn’t the worship of an idol by a fan.
It was the love of one person for another.
Gu Ling lowered his gaze.
He said, “Be good to him.”
Shen Tingyan smiled lightly. “Don’t worry.”
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Thanks for the update
Ayoo, and I kinda was still rooting for Gu Ling ಥ_ಥ I love Teacher Shen and Xiao Xiao, but I think I have a “second ML syndrome”
You and me both. (╥_╥)
Second ML syndrome all the way…
Same. It was because this author especially is very good to their second ML. Gu Ling had zero bad qualities towards Xue Xiao, and all his scenes oozed flavour of *milk kitten* .
I absolutely love Gu Ling character…it was complex but simple, i was thinking of why no one discussing him at all, He’s one of the SML i didn’t get second lead syndrome for. He likes Xue Xiao but it was a very silent liking, even to the point Xie Xiao a person who is used to observing (as a writer and actor) himself wasn’t able to realise it, like he did with our lovely teacher Shen, it’s not like he was never able to realise it either, he did…at the last live performance, because he know Gu Ling came to see him. The character growth of Gu Long was significant, from someone who knows his acting problem, to embracing that problem to finally finding a solution to it…even though it’s through losing hope of love. I love almost all the characters in this novel because of how distinctively different but similar they all were.
I need Gu Ling to have his own story with someone that will love him back and he’s gonna be happy. in any case he does not even need to try to understand his partner it’s just natural between them and so is their love.
I’m someone who suffers from second lead syndrome as well but I weirdly feel content. The author really wrote it so well, Gu Ling wanted to understand Xue Xiao, he wanted him to be happy and the person Xue Xiao chose was very very good, how could he feel bitter? I feel their mentalities are very well written.