CH 75

“Aren’t you naive,” 

Chen Yi stroked Fu Xiu Nian’s face gently for a while before squeezing him by the cheeks, 

“If I really disliked you, I would present a different face otherwise, and in the future, I would still throw you away anyway. Sweet words, honey filled talks, these are the most useless things in the world.”

Chen Yi’s no fluff attitude with no additives was scarily blunt, so much so that only a small handful of the earth’s population could take it straight to the face. But it was also this kind of attitude that made others feel safe, far safer and far more comforted than any promises to go the length of the earth could ever be. Fu Xiu Nian didn’t know if he should be happy or mad at this and said, 

“You think it is useless, so you will never say those words out loud?”

“It’s not really all that,” 

Seeing that the soup was almost boiling over, he turned off the stove before continuing, 

“They say when I compliment someone, it doesn’t sound like I am.”

Fu Xiu Nian laughed, showing off his hidden dimples lightly, 

“That’s true. It’s already considered an improvement if you aren’t saying bad things.”

The soup was just about done with the potatoes that he put in a few moments ago having gone soft; if they were boiled for any longer, they would only turn into mush. Fu Xiu Nian ladled out some soup into a bowl as he said very nonchalantly, 

“Right, what film offer did you accept?”

Chen Yi took over the boiling hot bowl of soup from his hands as he also very nonchalantly replied, 

“It’s called << Minister >>. I am going to act as the main supporting male actor, as the main villain.”

<< Minister >> depicts how a protagonist, Yan Dao Ning, who started as a ninth ranked official, worked his way up into the central court of power and became a famous official in the end. Chen Yi was playing the role of the ninth prince, Meng Yu, who was a wild, nefarious schemer and one that had a personality that could not be reeled in. 

Because Yan Dao Ning was part of the Crown Prince’s party, he had the mind to kill him off. Each scene that featured Chen Yi’s part was heavily involved with the plot, and this kind of cool, handsome villain, if played well, would become very popular with the general public.

Fu Xiu Nian made a strange sound at that, 

“Ah? What a coincidence that you also accepted a role in << Minister >>?”

Chen Yi paused from sipping on his bowl of soup and furrowed his eyebrows slightly, 

“What, you also accepted a role in this?” 

Fu Xiu Nian nodded his head, 

“Hmm. But I don’t have a lot of parts. Just a small character. I’ll be playing Lu Shuang.”

Lu Shuang was the top strategic advisor for the ninth prince, Meng Yu. He was a man with many skills, and his mind was even better. But in truth, he was really the Crown Prince’s spy, and during Meng Yu’s most desperate time of need, he would take off his mask. So to say…… their roles were intertwined very tightly.

Chen Yi gave an “oh” face at that, 

“It doesn’t matter if you have a small part. In the end, I still die by your hands.”

Hmm. The final ending, Lu Shuang kills Meng Yu with one sword swing.

Fu Xiu Nian interlaced his fingers together and lightly kicked Chen Yi’s feet under the table. He jokingly said, 

“My martial arts skills aren’t as good as yours. What if I get killed by you in the end instead?”

His skin was very pale and his eyes were used to displaying a naivety, an innocence. And that one lift of his eyes just now actually had a hidden seductiveness to it. His thick eyelashes created a shadow on his cheeks, as if they were butterflies ready to take flight. It was a look that scratched and tickled at the hearts of those who saw him like this.

Chen Yi lifted both of his arms and dropped them casually on the backs of the chairs beside him. Looking at Fu Xiu Nian nonchalantly, he said, 

“Well then, I just won’t return any of your blows. Go ahead and kill me, hmm.”

Mhmm. This sentence sounded good.

Chen Yi finished his bowl of soup, and for once, he wasn’t playing with his phone. Instead, he was staring straight at Fu Xiu Nian, making the latter look down at his empty bowl to avoid his gaze. In response to Fu Xiu Nian averting his stare, when he wasn’t paying attention, Chen Yi got out of his seat and walked up right behind him. With a stretch of his arm, Fu Xiu Nian was lifted up from his chair.

Fu Xiu Nian stumbled clumsily as he was pulled towards the bedroom and he had an idea of what was going to happen next. He stuttered out, 

“Chen….. Chen Yi……”

Chen Yi said, 

“No need to explain. I know you have been drooling over my good looks for a very long time now.”

Fu Xiu Nian was meticulous, where every single thing he would have prepared was prepared to the miniscule details and very clearly. And right now, he was kneeling by the floor and just zipping up the suitcase when Chen Yi stuffed himself right beside him. Chen Yi wrapped his arms around Fu Xiu Nian’s waist as he said, 

“My family always said to marry a wife who would be virtuous1, a pretty adept teaching.”

Chen Yi had been keeping up with his exercise everyday and this could definitely be felt through the clothes. Fu Xiu Nian’s back was leaning against his chest, and he suddenly had the same thoughts as the many people in the fan group that salivated over Chen Yi’s waist and legs and his face started to burn hot without his control.

He embarrassingly coughed a few times, 

“Marry what, marry who. I never said I would marry you.”

Chen Yi turned gleeful, 

“I also never said I would marry you either.”

Fu Xiu Nian unhappily pursed his lips and went to pinch Chen Yi’s calf but found that it was too muscular and he couldn’t even pinch any skin at all. Chen Yi stopped his hand and tilted his head to bite him lightly on his pale white earlobes, 

“What, not happy?”

Fu Xiu Nian’s body was melting into his shivers with Chen Yi’s biting and that tickling feeling was spreading down to his spine and transmitting through his entire body. He rubbed his ears hard and his eyes were sparkling with a gentle light, 

“Are you a dog? Why do you keep biting people?”

Chen Yi didn’t reply and softly patted his head, 

“So you should follow whoever you marry. Marry a chicken, become a chicken, Marry a dog, become a dog.” 

Hearing this, Fu Xiu Nian smiled again and fell back into his embrace. Rolling into a clump together, the two of them began kissing, forgetting everything else.

After the photos of their characters were taken and edited, the marketing team of << Minister >> started posting their official release statements and shared the promotional posters. As the first bit of marketing, they uploaded a small set of photos. 

Because this movie was being personally directed by renowned film director, Kong Qiao, and this was paired with a first rate script writer and producer, the entire project could be said to be of excellence and an extravagant affair. 

One could say that before the film was even released, it was already riding on its fame. The moment the first post was published, a huge amount of people went storming into its official account to see what was going on, as the general public had never stopped discussing who the actors should be since it was announced.

Cen Qing had always been walking down the path of an actor with the skills to back him up and so it was easy to see him in the role of the main protagonist, and not a lot of people were raising questions at this. Yet when they saw the photo set for Meng Yu, the first reaction the netizens had was, Who the fuck was this handsome guy?! And then once they took a closer look, What the fuck, it was Chen Yi?!!

The man had a jade crown in his topknot, wearing a black coloured outfit with specialized sections of armor on his wrists and a sheathed sword by his side. A jade amulet was tucked alongside into the waist belt of his dark black robe that was decorated with embroidery of the ocean and cliffs2. His aura felt encompassing and authoritative with this outfit. 

In the picture he had unsheathed his sword and his eyes were serious and stern, containing a sense of fierceness and sharpness yet his mouth brought on the implication of something more, something a bit playful yet also freeing and seductive. A war of discussion was blowing up but at the same time, he was netting a whole bucket full and more of fans who were drooling over his looks.

>> AHHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHH I’m dying. Mommy, I suddenly /get/ the handsomeness of Chen Yi, what a fucking alpha. My legs and pulse are so weak. I’m suffocating from his attractiveness!!!

>> I *** Why did they make Chen Yi the supporting actor?? Has the renowned director fallen to his knees to the hot charts too?

Notes:

*1 marry a wife who would be virtuous: This usually has a second part where it’s to marry a woman who’s virtuous/beneficial to your family/continuation of your family/lineage over a pretty woman/eye candy, which you may have guessed was pertinent mostly in ancient china, but sometimes referenced now too. Specifically, the virtuous meant upholding a certain standard, being a feminine woman that should know her boundaries/what she can or cannot do, shouldn’t be evil/jealous, being faithful and obedient to your husband/his family, basically what was the “ideal” for women to be, which you may have more famously heard about from a certain scroll…

*2 parts of Yi-Ge’s outfit!

jade crown in his topknot (發束玉冠)

outfit with armor (交領劍袖服)

embroidery of the ocean and cliffs (海水江崖紋)