After driving across half of City B in the dead of night, going through numerous hardships to escort a drunk person home, quarreling and comforting each other in the hallway, that sentence can only be described as an unexpected blow. It was impossible to guard against.
Huo Mingjun was killed without shedding any blood, and the expression on his face instantly felt like someone stabbed him clean through.
Xie Guan closed his eyes and refused to look at him. He turned his head in the opposite direction, silently conveying the message of “You can leave now.”
Of course, he knew that Huo Mingjun was accommodating for the first time in his life, lowering himself to take care of someone. Xie Guan should have been touched, or at least welcomed it with a smile, but there was a voice inside him constantly asking: “Is Huo Mingjun really being good to you?”
When Huo Mingjun looked at Xie Guan, who did he see?
Was his accommodation, tolerance, and concessions, all the gentleness and comfort, for Xie Guan the person, or for Xie Guan’s face?
At the moment those words slipped out, an overwhelming sense of sadness surged uncontrollably in Xie Guan’s heart. In the hallway, he kept trying to push Huo Mingjun away, but he was consistently stopped. Huo Mingjun owed him a favor, and he didn’t want to hurt this person too much. However, in the end, he dealt a blow that hurt both of them.
Perhaps from now on, he and Huo Mingjun will completely sever ties.
Xie Guan closed his eyes and thought, “Does it hurt? Well, if it does, you’ll know to be scared.”
He waited for Huo Mingjun to get angry and walk away, but he was too exhausted. Xie Guan only vaguely heard the footsteps receding in the distance before falling asleep.
Huo Mingjun quietly walked into the bedroom with a cup of water. Seeing Xie Guan asleep, he intended to put the cup down, but after looking around, he realized there wasn’t even a bedside table in the room. So, he placed the cup on the windowsill, and then quickly walked to the bedside and covered him with a blanket.
Xie Guan’s face still bore traces of lingering fatigue. Buried in the pillow, his brows furrowed beneath the disheveled hair, he appeared somewhat aggrieved.
Huo Mingjun turned off the overhead light, but instead of leaving in a hurry, he returned to the bedside and sat down. The old wooden bed creaked under his weight, emitting a harsh “creak.”
Although Xie Guan’s words did hit his sore spot, Huo Mingjun weathered many storms over the years, making him more composed in his demeanor. He was past the age of impulsive youth and wouldn’t easily let a few harsh words cloud his judgment.
There were no outsiders around, and he let go of his intimidating aura, revealing only his natural charm. Huo Mingjun gazed at the sleeping Xie Guan under the soft, silver moonlight, his expression calm and almost gentle.
“I know you’re not Cheng Sheng. It’s true that you two look alike, but I never confused you both. I just… couldn’t let go, for a long time,” he confessed.
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.
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He murmured softly, “I’ve lost once before, making the same mistake. I won’t repeat it this time.”
After saying those words, the heavy weight that burdened his heart for many years loosened slightly. It felt as if a huge stone that was blocking his head moved aside just a crack, allowing a breath of fresh air to seep in and dispelling the stifling atmosphere.
Unfortunately, Xie Guan was still asleep, unaware of his words and unable to react.
The next day, Xie Guan dragged himself out of bed while nursing a splitting headache. Just as he was about to turn towards the bathroom to freshen up, he caught sight of several white plastic bags on the dining table. He stopped in his tracks, confused.
His mind felt like mush, and he strained to recall the blurry memories from last night when Huo Mingjun sent him back home after he got heavily drunk. The chaotic and blurry fragments in his mind ran wild, and Xie Guan could only grasp a few key images… Didn’t he give Huo Mingjun a hard time last night?
The saying “wine emboldens the timid” made perfect sense. When he was drunk, Xie Guan became downright audacious and ruthless, but now that he was sober, he immediately reverted to his usual self. He sheepishly touched his nose, thinking, “This is bad, I’ve really offended the big boss this time.”
He caught a whiff of food, and his feet unconsciously led him towards the dining table. On the table were two bags of breakfast that had long gone cold, along with a pharmacy bag containing a box of hangover medicine… and a box of loratadine.
Xie Guan glanced at the clock; it was half past one in the afternoon.
He recognized the breakfast items from the local stalls downstairs; the earliest one usually opened at half past five in the morning.
In other words, Huo Mingjun stayed with him the entire night, foregoing sleep. Before leaving, he even prepared breakfast and medicine for him.
Xie Guan stood in front of the table, staring at the bags, and recalled his actions from last night. His heart was in turmoil, and he was unable to speak for a while, overwhelmed by the subtle sense of warmth.
“Really…”
Thousands of words condensed into a simple “damn it.” Xie Guan forcefully wiped his face and turned around, quickly heading to the bathroom, where he splashed several handfuls of cold water on his face.
It happened to be the weekend. Huo Mingjun left Xie Guan’s place at seven in the morning and was driving back to his own residence. However, he only covered a distance of three hundred meters before getting stuck in the morning rush hour traffic.
Worried that Xie Guan might have an adverse reaction to alcohol, he didn’t dare to leave last night. It was only after confirming that Xie Guan was fine in the morning that he went downstairs to buy medicine and breakfast.
For someone his age, staying up late took a toll on the body, and it took a day or two to fully recover. However, Huo Mingjun found himself trapped in place, surrounded by vehicles in front and behind, and he watched as an electric scooter that left the residential area at the same time as him gradually pulled ahead and disappeared into the distance. Despite feeling a bit mentally fatigued, he didn’t feel impatient at all.
The restlessness and hesitation that plagued him since he met Xie Guan seemed to be dissipating as if being blown away by a gentle breeze. Gradually, Huo Mingjun regained his familiar calmness and sense of rhythm. After shattering the illusions and readjusting his perspective on Xie Guan and their relationship, things began to make sense.
During this night, under the hazy moonlight and Xie Guan’s peaceful sleeping face, Huo Mingjun calmly uncovered the ten-year-old memories that were obscured for so long. He vividly recalled that stormy night, the heart-pounding escape, the unforgettable pain, and the fall that was etched into his memory, as well as the stubbornness and delusion that persisted for a decade.
Then the figure in his memories gradually blurred and faded away. The memories associated with Xie Guan became clear before his eyes. At first, Xie Guan still carried the shadow of another person, but gradually, he moved closer to Huo Mingjun, and his features became sharper. Until the moment Xie Guan said, “Let’s not interact anymore,” he and Cheng Sheng finally appeared in Huo Mingjun’s mind as two completely distinct images.
The infatuation of the past ten years was finally brushed away, settling as a cherished memory deep within his heart. That person was washed away by the rain and blown away by the wind, but the person in front of him…
Huo Mingjun glanced at the peacefully sleeping Xie Guan.
—The person in front of him was still here.
After returning home, Huo Mingjun washed up and went to bed, but he didn’t immediately fall asleep. Instead, he made a phone call to Xie Guan’s direct supervisor, Mr. Ye.
The call rang for a long time before it was answered. Ye Zheng probably just woke up and lazily asked, “Calling so early in the morning, it seems you don’t have a nightlife… Director Huo, what’s up?”
Huo Mingjun couldn’t be bothered to argue with this talkative person and got straight to the point, “I need you to handle something. Are you awake?”
Ye Zheng said, “Wait a moment,” and murmured something softly to someone nearby. Huo Mingjun faintly overheard it, something like, “It’s okay, go back to sleep.” Then there was a barely audible sound of footsteps and a closing door. After a while, Ye Zheng picked up the phone again and said, “Okay, go ahead.”
“Sorry for bothering you,” Huo Mingjun said. “I have two things to ask you about. First, it’s regarding Xie Guan’s assistant. Since Xie Guan started filming, I’ve only met him twice. Whenever I need to contact his assistant, I can never find him. Last night, Xie Guan got drunk, and there was no one around who could take him home. What exactly is his assistant doing?”
When Ye Zheng heard “Xie Guan,” he immediately felt a headache. “Director Huo, I run an entertainment company—you know what that means, right? I specialize in squeezing out the remaining value from small artists like Xie Guan. I’m not running a daycare center!”
Huo Mingjun conveniently turned a deaf ear. “His current assistant is unreliable. If your company doesn’t have a suitable candidate, pick someone from my side.”
Ye Zheng sarcastically remarked, “Oh, Director Huo, do you know that your behavior is remarkably similar to something? It’s like those foolish dads who demand a change in teacher when their child’s grades drop a little. Are you that childish?”
“Cut the nonsense,” Huo Mingjun said. “If I ask you to change, you’ll change. If I see something like this again, you, as the director of this daycare center, might as well retire early and go home to enjoy your old age.”
“You, as the chairman of such a big corporation, are actually threatening me,” Ye Zheng remarked insincerely, “I'm really scared to death, baby. Is there something else?”
Huo Mingjun continued, “Xie Guan should have had a dinner gathering last night at the Blue Horizon Club. Find out for me who attended and what they discussed.”
Ye Zheng curiously asked, “Why are you suddenly interested in asking about this?”
“‘Suddenly interested’?,” Huo Mingjun sneered. “He’s almost drunk to the point of alcohol poisoning, and you call that ‘suddenly interested’?”
While Ye Zheng inwardly marveled at how heartless Huo Mingjun appeared, he didn’t expect him to have the potential to be equally ruthless in his actions. Nevertheless, he agreed, “Fine, I got it. I’ll ask the manager and get back to you on Monday.”
On the eve of the Lantern Festival, the Youth of Martial Arts crew finished shooting and began their New Year break. Xie Guan was called back to the company by Lin Yao. First, the chief agent sincerely apologized for the assistant selection mistake and assured him that they would hold Fang Wei responsible. Then, she introduced him to a new male assistant, Huang Cheng.
Xie Guan was puzzled about how the company found out so quickly. He told Fang Wei that he could leave after the completion of Youth of Martial Arts. Unexpectedly, Lin Yao acted ahead of him.
“Hello, Teacher Xie, I’m Huang Cheng.”
“Hello,” Xie Guan shook hands with him. When he felt the rough calluses on Huang Cheng’s fingers and palm, he asked casually, “Were you in the military or did you practice martial arts?”
Huang Cheng had slightly tan skin, and he smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. “Yes, I served in the army for two years and then looked for work after being discharged.”
Lin Yao asked Huang Cheng some more questions, and he answered each one. He was twenty-nine years old, six years older than Xie Guan, down-to-earth and reliable, making him suitable for taking care of others. Lin Yao was mostly satisfied and turned to ask for Xie Guan’s opinion, “Xiao Xie, what do you think?”
“He’s good, I’m very satisfied,” Xie Guan was not very picky about this matter, and he had an inexplicable fondness for people from a military background. He readily agreed, “Let him stay.”
Like a well-trained police dog, Huang Cheng nodded immediately and stood behind Xie Guan. Lin Yao observed this and was secretly amazed. No wonder they didn’t want to use her chosen assistant and sent someone directly. This kind of person was likely overqualified to be an assistant; he could easily serve as a personal bodyguard. Using him as an assistant for an artist of Xie Guan’s caliber was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
She recalled the questions President Ye asked her when she was called to the office earlier today. As she looked at Xie Guan, her gaze became increasingly profound and sharp.
This relatively unknown artist, who had been struggling quietly on the lowest rungs of the entertainment industry, what was his true background?
Xie Guan getting good treatment finally.
I rly do hope that XG isn’t actually CS. xD
but I’m glad that XG is finally gonna be treated with some respect. T-T tho I’m not sure what he’ll do when he realizes why.~
Finally some action from ML’s side! Make sure to protect him well after this huo mingjun~