Translator: Viv
Editor: thomas
Qiao He returned home for dinner and as soon as he turned on the TV, he saw news about Tang Zhen. The news covered Tang Zhen’s recent appearances on various shows, his performances in different locations, the addition of multiple concerts, the sold-out tickets within seconds, and more. The report also mentioned that Tang Zhen was currently dedicating his energy to rehearsing a play called “Butterfly Lovers,” which would have its premiere at the Garland Theater. The news predicted that the play would be a huge success upon its opening. However, Qiao He’s name was not mentioned.
The program released a video featuring the renowned actor Chen Zan, who was interviewed on set. When asked about Tang Zhen’s play, Chen Zan said, “I heard about it, my little seventh son is doing a stage play.”
“Did he inform you about it?” the interviewer asked.
“He called me, he did,” Chen Zan replied.
“What did you say?”
“What can I say? This Xiao Tang, he’s young but daring!” Chen Zan chuckled. “The theater stage isn’t a place to play around. Once you’re on it, you give it your all.”
“Will you attend the premiere to show your support?”
“It depends on the schedule. If I have the time, I will definitely go.”
Fan Xiao was packing Qiao He’s luggage in the bedroom, mainly including some fresh clothes. “You’re rehearsing a play together, and the whole crew is staying in a hotel. It’s really rare, they must be hemorrhaging money, huh?”
Qiao He smiled and replied, “I’m not spending my money, anyway.”
There was a knock on the door, and Fan Xiao asked Qiao He to go and open it. Qiao He, standing behind the security door, couldn’t see anyone. But when the door opened, he looked down and saw a little girl standing there, carrying a small backpack and two pigtails.
“Who is it?” Fan Xiao asked from inside the room.
“It’s Yuanyuan,” Qiao He answered. He then asked Yuanyuan, “What’s the matter? Your parents not at home?”
Yuanyuan made a shushing gesture with her finger to her lips and pulled Qiao He’s pants, urging him to enter the room. She said, “Uncle Qiao He, I heard a big secret.”
“What secret?” Qiao He smiled and nodded.
Yuanyuan’s eyes sparkled as if she had just discovered a new side of Qiao He. She pulled out a bunch of photos from her small backpack and held them up in front of Qiao He.
“I bought so many,” Qiao He didn’t know what she was planning, so he took the photos and looked at them one by one. They were all pictures of Tang Zhen. “You spent so much money on idol merchandise. Do your parents know?”
“I’m not a fan,” Yuanyuan said. “I only buy from those who sell well. Uncle Qiao He, if you can get me Tang Zhen’s autograph, I’ll buy you anything you want.”
When Fan Xiao came out of the room, Yuanyuan had already run off. She saw Qiao He holding a stack of photos and asked, “What’s that?”
“Photos of Tang Zhen,” Qiao He admitted openly.
As soon as Fan Xiao heard Tang Zhen’s name, she gave Qiao He a disapproving look and snatched the photos from his hand. “Who gave these to you? Did Yuanyuan bring them?”
“The kid wanted an autograph,” Qiao He explained.
“That little brat Yuanyuan, she never focuses on her studies,” Fan Xiao held all the photos in her hand. “I’ll talk to her mother about it. Otherwise, I doubt she’ll even make it to junior high!”
Qiao He laughed and didn’t stop her.
“Oh, by the way, Qiao He,” Fan Xiao suddenly turned back and tapped Qiao He’s chest. “You just said that your crew is staying in a hotel, and Tang Zhen is there too?”
Qiao He lowered his head, holding her hand and gently removing it. “He’s staying next door to me,” he confessed.
Fan Xiao looked at him indignantly.
“I’m telling you, if Tang Zhen comes to knock on your door or calls you at night, you better not open the door or answer!” she warned.
Qiao He sighed, torn between laughter and crying. He wanted to say that Tang Zhen was just a young adult and probably not that kind of person. However, he knew Fan Xiao’s temper well, and if he said those words, she wouldn’t let him off the hook.
Sure enough, he didn’t argue in the slightest, and Fan Xiao didn’t bring it up again.
“Qiao He, we need to pay the insurance premium. Did you receive your salary last month?”
“It’s in your possession. You can check it,” Qiao He replied.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Ktf olcjcmlji qgbvema P ybeuta bc sbeg jmmbeca lr jirb vef obg wjaeglas.”
“Ktfc olcv alwf ab klatvgjk la,” Hljb Lf reuufrafv.
“Gb sbe xcbk ktja tjqqfcfv ab Mjc Te, beg oglfcv?” Mjc Wljb jrxfv.
“P vbc’a xcbk,” Hljb Lf gfqilfv.
“Vtf abbx jvnjcajuf bo ItbeZe’r mbccfmalbcr jcv rfca tfg mtliv ab raevs lc atf FV obg tlut rmtbbi.”
“That’s great,” Qiao He said.
“I can’t understand why I never get any good opportunities,” Fan Xiao complained, squeezing the stack of Tang Zhen’s photos in her hand. “Finally, I meet someone capable, but I can’t make use of it. Out of the twelve members in our association, eight have sent their children away. ZhouMu takes care of everything. There are people over there to look after them, and ZhouMu’s daughter is living there. They’re willing to help with anything, saving us so much trouble.”
Qiao He looked at her silently.
“And then, before we even get married, ZhouMu falls ill. Look at our current income level. In the future, we might not even be able to afford to send our own child away,” Fan Xiao continued.
Qiao He said, “Isn’t it fine for our child to study in China?”
“It’s not enough to study in China,” Fan Xiao looked at him. “What can they learn here? Who can they meet?”
Qiao He nodded, not saying another word.
Fan Xiao grew increasingly frustrated and began to complain. She listed the expenses they needed to pay, such as insurance and rent. She mentioned that they couldn’t save much money each month, and Qiao He wasn’t getting promoted at work. Despite his salary and benefits, if they didn’t rely on her financial management, they wouldn’t be able to save money for who knows how long. She also pointed out that all their colleagues from the same batch had been promoted except for Qiao He.
The numbers floated past Qiao He’s ears, not registering a single word.
Suddenly, Fan Xiao said, “Qiao He, do you know what a family trust is?”
Qiao He had put on his jacket and was about to leave. “What?” he asked.
“I heard from Fan Yu,” Fan Xiao walked over and adjusted Qiao He’s collar, speaking to him, “ZhouMu set up a family trust in Hong Kong for their two children, so they won’t have to divide the inheritance.”
Qiao He sighed and smiled.
“Does it have anything to do with us?” he asked.
Fan Xiao stared at him. “What if it does have something to do with us one day? Don’t you want to live a good life?”
Qiao He put down the luggage Fan Xiao had packed for him. At this moment, Fan Xiao looked at him with a narrow forehead glistening with sweat, her bangs sticking to it. Her beautiful eyes were filled with anger and grievances. Qiao He knew Fan Xiao well. He had known her since they were in school together. She was a determined and competitive junior, often indulging in fantasies. She always had a spirit of not wanting to lose. Sometimes she was particularly shrewd, and other times she was incredibly naive.
He held Fan Xiao’s slender shoulders and gently kissed her forehead.
“I’m leaving,” he said, brushing Fan Xiao’s hair. “Wait for me to come home for dinner tomorrow.”
By the time Qiao He arrived at the hotel, it was already very late. As the car drove along the road, the assistant director called him, saying that the crew was having a late-night meal at the hotel, and everyone was bonding together. “We’re only missing you and Tang Zhen. He’s still working and hasn’t come back. Are you still working too? Everyone is so busy.”
Working until now? Qiao He glanced at the time in the car. It was almost 10 o’clock.
Outside the hotel’s parking lot, in the shadows of the backdoor garden fence, a motorcycle was quietly parked there.
A man sat on the motorcycle, smoking.
Qiao He glanced at him and drove past.
The man looked somewhat familiar. He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a black vest, and his arm muscles bulged. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, sitting astride the motorcycle, smoking while looking up at the balconies of the hotel.
Tang Zhen didn’t return to the hotel until after eleven at night. Qiao He sat in the assistant director’s room, listening to their casual conversation. Many of the crew members were from out of town, and now they gathered here, eating supper while discussing where to go for fun during the few days they didn’t have rehearsals.
Someone shouted from outside, “Tang Zhen is here!”
The assistant director looked at his watch. “What time is it? We’ve finished the late-night meal. It’s time to go back to sleep.” He grumbled, “Even these idols are working so late.”
Qiao He returned to his own room and took some time to freshen up. Just as he was about to change into his pajamas, the room phone rang.
It wasn’t his personal cellphone; it was the hotel room phone. Qiao He had never received a call from the hotel before this day.
He walked over, and for some reason, Fan Xiao’s absurd warning suddenly popped into his mind.
If Tang Zhen knocks on your door or calls you at night, don’t open it or answer.
He picked up the phone.
He heard a clear and bright voice on the other end, laughing and panting slightly. “Great, you’re not asleep yet, right?”
Qiao He chuckled. It was indeed Tang Zhen.
He looked down at his slippers and reached out to switch the receiver from his right ear to his left.
“No, what’s up?” He tried to make his tone sound like a respected elder.
“Lin-ye asked me to come back to the hotel and go over some lines with you,” Tang Zhen said, sounding like he was doing something, and he was also out of breath on the phone. “Sorry, I came back too late. Are you about to sleep? How about tomorrow? What time do you wake up in the morning? Can I come find you then?”
“I haven’t slept yet. Come over,” Qiao He thought for a moment and said. He looked up at the open script on the table and the half-empty cup of hot water. “What would you like to drink, coffee or tea?”
Then Tang Zhen’s voice came from what seemed like a distant place, calling him, Qiao-ge, Qiao-ge, over here.
It took Qiao He a while to react before he hung up the phone. He was always a bit slow. Tang Zhen had called him several times before he followed the sound and walked to the edge of the balcony. He opened the balcony door.
A gust of wind rushed into the room.
Tang Zhen was leaning on the railing of the adjacent balcony. Although it was nighttime outside, the light coming through the room was bright, illuminating Tang Zhen’s eyes, his hair, and even shining in Qiao He’s eyes. Tang Zhen looked like he had just taken a shower, his hair was damp, hanging around his ears. He was wearing a loose cartoon T-shirt, and when the wind blew, the thin fabric of the shirt clung to him.
The two balconies were only about ten centimeters apart. Qiao He stood on his balcony, feeling both amused and helpless. The curtains behind him fluttered in the wind as he looked at Tang Zhen, and Tang Zhen looked back at him. Tang Zhen said, “Qiao-ge, I’ve been calling you for so long, and you couldn’t hear me.”
Qiao He reached out and held onto the railing, feeling somewhat childish. He leaned against it in front of Tang Zhen and said, “What good thing happened? You seem so happy.”
Tang Zhen paused for a moment, his eyes filled with joy. “Am I happy?” he said, leaning forward on the railing, silly smile on his face.
“Indeed, you’re happy,” Qiao He said.
Tang Zhen thought for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe it’s because all the work is done. Today went pretty smoothly… I might be able to sleep early too.”
It was such a trivial matter.
Qiao He teased him, “It’s already past eleven, and you call that early?”
Tang Zhen replied, “It’s still early.”
Qiao He smiled.
“Speaking of which, aren’t you afraid of being secretly filmed here?” Qiao He asked him, squinting his eyes as the wind blew.
Tang Zhen took the script and leaned against the balcony, looking at the neon-lit night view outside. He turned to Qiao He, his eyes shining brightly. “Qiao-ge. Are you afraid of being secretly filmed?”
Qiao-ge. Every time Tang Zhen called him that, Qiao He felt his heart growing tender.
Qiao He didn’t know if the question was about himself or if most people who knew Tang Zhen would be influenced in this way.
“What do I fear?” Qiao He said, “They’re filming you, not me.”
Tang Zhen burst into laughter. “Qiao-ge, today is the first day I’ve met you, but you remind me so much of someone I know.”
“Who?” Qiao He asked.
“Liang Qiuyun,” Tang Zhen said as he flipped through the script, “He’s my partner, and he works in our company too. He came to the theater today as well and had lunch with us. The taller one. We all call him Yun-ge.”
“Do we really look alike?” Qiao He said.
“Yes. Not only in the way you speak but also in your mannerisms,” Tang Zhen said with a smile. It seemed like he was genuinely in a good mood, relaxed and holding onto the script, talking non-stop with Qiao He. “He also likes to say, ‘They’re filming you, not me.’ Every time I ask him, he says the same thing.”
“And it’s not just me who thinks you two look alike. Qi Lu also thinks so. Do you know Qi Lu? He had dinner with us too, the younger one.”
Suddenly, a figure flashed through Qiao He’s mind.
A black tank top, sparks from a cigarette, sitting on a motorcycle, concealed in the shadows.
Although he knew that Tang Zhen was referring to the tall, good-natured, and somewhat reserved person they had lunch with, that image of the person popped into his mind.
“When I arrived at the hotel, I think I saw him downstairs,” Qiao He said.
Tang Zhen didn’t catch it at first. “Who…?”
Qiao He’s sentence was fragmented. Seeing that Tang Zhen didn’t understand, Qiao He described the appearance of that person, mentioning the motorcycle and the cigarette. Tang Zhen’s smile froze on his face.
Tang Zhen leaned against the railing, as if it wasn’t high enough. He found something to step on, raised his upper body, and leaned over the railing, looking down with wide eyes.
Qiao He was alarmed and called out to him, “It’s too high, come down.”
He added, “He’s probably already gone.”
“He came here?… He was waiting for me downstairs?” Tang Zhen seemed incredulous, his eyes widened, and he turned to Qiao He, whispering.
Qiao He looked at Tang Zhen, observing the touching emotions flickering in the young man’s eyes.
“You should come down first,” Qiao He said. Once Tang Zhen obediently stood back and joined him, Qiao He asked, “He didn’t tell you he came?”
Tang Zhen shook his head.
Tang Zhen continued to look down, leaning his head to observe below the balcony. He glanced here and there, and his brow slightly furrowed.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao He lowered his voice and asked, “He didn’t tell you he came?”
“No,” Tang Zhen replied.
“Why not?”
“Maybe…” Tang Zhen hesitated. Qiao He watched him with a mixture of concern and worry, and Tang Zhen smiled at him.
That carefree joy disappeared from him.
Qiao He asked instinctively, “Is it something serious?”
“No, it’s not serious,” Tang Zhen’s expression was somewhat difficult to articulate. It was as if he couldn’t avoid answering Qiao He because of his concern, but at the same time, he couldn’t lie. He didn’t know where to start, “Yun-ge and I, we actually can’t meet privately. Except when it’s necessary for work, we…”
Qiao He was an adult, and he understood the principle of not revealing too much. However, Tang Zhen had just crossed the threshold into adulthood.
Upon hearing Tang Zhen’s vague words, he truly trusted Qiao He like an older brother, without any guard or caution.
“You can’t meet?” Qiao He didn’t understand. “Why?”
Weren’t they partners?
“A doctor said so,” Tang Zhen replied.
“What doctor?”
Tang Zhen stammered, “Just… a doctor.”
“Why would a doctor be involved in this?” Qiao He was puzzled.
Tang Zhen didn’t continue the conversation. He looked at the dark night outside the balcony, his slender hands gripping the railing tightly. His gaze wandered aimlessly as he spoke, “Yun-ge consulted with me before, suggesting… that we should avoid each other for a while. It’s better not to meet unless it’s work-related.”
Qiao He didn’t understand, “Avoid each other?”
Tang Zhen looked at him, becoming more uncertain about how to explain.
“It’s just… there were reporters who caught us on the street, and then we filmed another… movie. The news made quite a buzz,” Tang Zhen’s eyes flickered. “Yun-ge’s parents live in the countryside, and they’re more conservative. When they saw it in the newspapers… they got really angry and thought it was true. Yun-ge got a beating when he went home.”
Qiao He chuckled despite himself. “Parents?”
Tang Zhen nodded.
Qiao He laughed. “I still can’t quite understand.”
“I can’t explain it clearly either. Shall I call Yun-ge first?” Tang Zhen said to Qiao He. He probably wanted to make the call earlier, but he hesitated, and now his eyes seemed a bit anxious. “He’s quite a simple person, you know,” Tang Zhen added. “I’m afraid he hasn’t gone home yet.”
qiao he seems pretty chill so im going to trust him for a bit, but who knows if something happens… also, i really want to know what really happened between tang zhen and liang qiuyun, and the real reason why he tried to commit su1cide…
thanks for the translation! ❤