AAUMOBIP C15

Chapter 15

Xiao He didn’t understand why, while Yun Ge was reading his script, his clothes somehow ended up gone.

Yun Ge seemed to feel hot. After a while, he undid one button of his pajama top, then another, until all the buttons were undone.

Xiao He could faintly catch glimpses of what was beneath.

But it wasn’t even warm.

He was confused.

With the buttons undone, the next step was, naturally, to take the whole shirt off.

Yun Jingqiu casually slipped out of his pajama top, sitting bare-chested at his desk, continuing to study his script as if he hadn’t noticed what he’d just done.

His perfect physique was on full display. Despite all the rich food he’d eaten these past few days, Yun Jingqiu hadn’t gained weight—his abs still looked stunning.

Xiao He had to admit—he was drawn to this body.

Yun Ge was reading the script. He, meanwhile, was looking at Yun Ge.

Xiao He buried himself under his blanket, holding his phone, watching.

“Xiao He, stick your head out. Watching your phone under the blanket is bad for your eyes,” Yun Jingqiu suddenly said.

Xiao He poked his head out, puzzled. “Weren’t you reading the script? How did you know I was hiding under the blanket? Are you pretending?”

From the phone came Yun Jingqiu’s low laugh.

Xiao He immediately knew he’d guessed right.

All of this had been an act—unbuttoning his shirt one by one, taking it off, pretending to be absorbed in the script, when really he’d been watching Xiao He’s reaction.

“Put your clothes back on. It’s freezing, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?” Xiao He said as calmly as he could. “Your arm hasn’t even healed yet—if you add a cold on top of that, you’ll be the one suffering.”

“My body’s fine,” Yun Jingqiu replied carelessly.

“Your body’s fine? If your body’s so fine, why did you break a bone?” Xiao He snapped half-jokingly.

Yun Jingqiu slipped his pajamas back on, brushing off the matter.

Xiao He watched him on the screen. As time ticked toward his usual bedtime, Xiao He yawned, his eyelids heavy. Still holding his phone, he drifted off to sleep.

[JingXiang Entertainment: Yun Jingqiu has been absent from filming for a month. As the lead in Crossing the River, he has seriously delayed progress. Should the production replace him to ensure the film releases on schedule? @CrossingTheRiver-filming]

[Orange News: Crossing the River shows no progress—will audiences be able to see it on screen as scheduled?]

[YuYu Entertainment: The entire crew is waiting for Yun Jingqiu. Isn’t this pace way too slow? Can’t he just act properly instead of playing diva?]

[??]

[What are these marketing accounts doing? Didn’t they see the hot search a few days ago?]

[What? Crossing the River has had no progress in a month? What exactly is Yun Jingqiu doing? Can I still see this movie by year’s end?]

[He’s dragging everyone down! The other actors are working hard, only he’s playing diva! If he can’t handle it, why sign the contract in the first place?]

[…Whose hired water army¹ is this?]

[Huh? Did I lose my memory? Didn’t Yun Ge break his arm because of a prop mishap on set?]

[Who still remembers the prop master’s mistake that caused Yun Ge’s fracture?]

[Checked the official account for Crossing the River—that Weibo post is deleted.]

[What’s going on?]

[Replace the male lead! @CrossingTheRiver-filming]

#ReplaceCrossingTheRiverLead

#YunJingqiuPlayingDiva

#WillCrossingTheRiverReleaseOnTime

These hashtags shot up overnight, landing on the trending list.

Most people were already asleep. The previous hot searches about Yun Jingqiu’s arm injury had rapidly cooled, related terms had been scrubbed, and scolding comments dominated, misleading ordinary users who didn’t know the truth.

Meanwhile, two hours before the storm broke out, the man in question had posted:

[Yun Jingqiu: My partner decided to move in with me! Today I can forgive anyone~]

When first posted, comments read: Congrats! Congrats!

Now, under that same post:

[Bro! Don’t forgive them! Someone’s out to get you @YunJingqiu]

[The hot searches about your fracture have all been wiped—capital has stepped in?]

[Whose path did Yun Ge block? They’re really going for him?]

[Wake up! How are you still asleep! @YunJingqiu]

[@BaldingManagerWang, Wang Ge, time to work!]

Xiao He woke up in the morning and opened Weibo, only to be greeted with recommendation after recommendation from marketing accounts demanding Crossing the River replace its male lead.

Xiao He: ?

Didn’t Yun Ge just get injured? Why would they replace him now? That’s breach of contract, isn’t it?

Xiao He couldn’t wrap his head around it, scrolling through posts while still lying in bed.

The Crossing the River team hadn’t made any official statement about recasting. The earlier post explaining Yun Ge’s injury was gone, their stance now ambiguous.

He couldn’t even find the keyword “Yun Ge injury” anymore.

Was Yun Ge okay?

Xiao He grew anxious.

It was just after 7 a.m.—his alarm wouldn’t go off until 7:30.

Since saying goodnight last night, Yun Ge hadn’t messaged him, nor updated Weibo.

Unable to hold back, Xiao He dialed his number.

The call rang for a long while before it connected. Yun Ge’s groggy voice came through: “Who is this? Calling so early, not letting me sleep. You’d better come up with a reason in the next three minutes for waking me up.”

Hearing his voice, Xiao He finally relaxed.

The man didn’t seem bothered by the online storm. Maybe he hadn’t even checked Weibo yet.

“Yun Ge, did you see Weibo?” Xiao He asked.

At the sound of Xiao He’s voice, Yun Ge instantly sobered. His tone softened: “It’s Xiao He? Did you call just to wake me? Early to bed, early to rise is good for you.”

He switched tones so quickly.

Xiao He blushed, tugging open his bed curtain. “Yun Ge, you should check Weibo.”

“So you found out?”

Of course he had—that was why he called.

“Last night I was too excited. Couldn’t help posting about us moving in together. Didn’t expect you to notice.”

Xiao He: ?

They weren’t even on the same wavelength—he wasn’t talking about that!

Xiao He held his tongue, sighing, phone in one hand, gripping the ladder as he climbed down from bed.

“Oh, that? No big deal. We’ve prepared for this long ago.” Yun Ge skimmed Weibo, piecing together the situation, sounding downright cheerful. “Xiao He, you called just to warn me? Were you worried about me?”

“I’m so happy.”

“Xiao He, just sit back and watch. I’m fine.” Yun Ge reassured him.

He then posted: [Yun Jingqiu: About the online chatter, an explanation will come later.]

Only then did Xiao He fully relax. Thinking it through, if it were really serious, Yun Ge’s agent would have already contacted him. If they couldn’t reach Yun Ge, his assistant—currently living with him—could.

The fact that Yun Ge was still asleep at this hour, oblivious to the situation, showed his team wasn’t worried.

“What’s Xiao He having for breakfast? Do you have time to eat?” Yun Ge, now awake, lounged on his bed, chatting.

“I’ll go buy two steamed buns at the cafeteria,” Xiao He answered softly.

“I need to go wash up. See you tonight,” Xiao He said.

Yun Ge’s gaze turned gentle. “Alright. See you tonight.”

With the promise of meeting later, Xiao He was distracted all day. He rarely lost focus like this. But the thought of living together with Yun Ge was huge—his mind kept wandering to him.

He sighed over his thesis, realizing he couldn’t concentrate. Saving his draft, he went into the lab.

One of the juniors, helping him with experiments, looked up and gossiped: “Senior, did you see what happened to Yun Ge last night?”

“I know,” Xiao He replied flatly.

The junior grumbled angrily: “Who the hell started this? They spread it overnight while most people were asleep. Half the movie’s already shot—replacing the lead now would be even worse!”

“This role belongs to Yun Ge! He’s not giving it up to anyone!”

“And those posts defending him? Deleted in no time! Whoever’s pulling this is brainless.”

The fan’s outrage was fiercer than the boyfriend’s.

Xiao He wondered if he was being too calm, too unconcerned as Yun Ge’s partner.

But Yun Ge had told him to relax, that it’d be handled easily.

Even Jiang Yi had brought it up today, asking about the situation.

Xiao He reassured him: “Yun… Jingqiu must have a plan.”

He almost slipped and called him “Yun Ge.”

Many fans called him Yun Ge, but Xiao He knew his “Yun Ge” wasn’t the same. Even though the junior wouldn’t understand the difference, Xiao He still couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud in front of others.

It made him shy.

The junior kept cursing while still working skillfully, completing the experiment neatly.

Xiao He: …

Being able to multitask like that was really something.

“Senior, this experiment needs a few more hours. I’m going to grab lunch, be back later~” the junior said with a grin.

Not long after he left, Xiao He’s phone alarm and the lunch bell rang together.

The junior’s sense of timing was enviable too.

The experiment needed several more hours. Xiao He left the lab, texted Yun Ge, and headed to the cafeteria.

[fon: Yun Ge, time to eat.]

[187Boyfriend: ?]

[187Boyfriend: Did you change today? Reminding me to eat?]

[187Boyfriend: What are you eating? Give me some reference.]

Xiao He stared at the messages, overwhelmed. He couldn’t help replying: [Yun Ge, are you really okay?]

[187Boyfriend: Relax. This’ll be resolved by the afternoon.]

[187Boyfriend: It’s nothing serious.]

[187Boyfriend: Would I ever lie to you?]

[fon: Haven’t you lied before…]

[187Boyfriend: That was back when we were just online. I had to be cautious—catfishing is everywhere these days.]

[187Boyfriend: But the moment I saw you, I knew you weren’t fake. You’re way too good.]

¹ Water army (水军) → paid trolls or hired commenters used to manipulate public opinion online.