Chapter 08
That day, Fang Ying was completely wilted, barely hanging on. As usual, dinner was four dry steamed buns, yet he didn’t even furrow his brow this time looking at the plate.
Xu Zong teased: “With the brutal torture from the show crew, a noble sunflower in our great garden has finally bowed its proud, innocent head.”
Fang shot a smile so pitiful it was worse than tears, then just bit into the buns with his head practically buried in the bowl.
Xu Qiuluo glanced at him, grabbed a bowl of beef from Xu Zong’s side, and said, “If meat doesn’t shut your mouth, then don’t eat at all.”
“Hey! What did I ever do to offend you, Young Master?” Xu Zong protested, chopsticks raised.
Xu Qiuluo carried the beef over and plopped it in front of Fang Ying: “Don’t mind him. Eat up.”
Fang didn’t budge, so Xu ripped a bun, stuffed it with beef, switched it with Fang’s, and leaned in, whispering: “Eat plenty. You’ll need strength to help me carry luggage later, to see me off.”
Fang caught the last four words keenly, peered up at Xu Qiuluo, eyes shimmering oddly under the lights, but before Xu could ponder what was going on, Fang’s gaze dropped back to his bun, softly replying:
“Okay.”
Finally, after filming the sixth episode of Making Trouble for Nothing, After filming ended, the partners invited by the production team gradually started heading back. Fang Ying dragged Xu Qiuluo’s suitcase and walked him to the entrance of the village. Xu Qiuluo’s nanny van had been waiting at the foot of the slope since early on. He took the suitcase from Fang Ying’s hand—but didn’t head down right away.
He just stood there, feeling like Fang had something to say.
After a long silence, Xu sighed, breaking the quiet: “Quit eating buns every day, okay? Try to eat better.”
Fang nodded, lips pressed tight.
Xu continued, “Mosquitoes are bad in the room, but the production gave us coils—they’re on the cabinet. Don’t skip lighting them because you’re lazy.”
Fang stared at his toes: “Yes.”
“And the coming days will be hot, so remember to use sun protection during tasks, and find ways to cool yourself between scenes…”
Xu lectured like some strict mom, listing the exact stuff Fang already knew by heart from company trainings, but he didn’t interrupt. Just nodded attentively and obediently.
With nothing more to say, Xu looked around. The others were gone. The long hill was empty except for them, bathed in gentle orange streetlight—the mood was almost intoxicating.
Xu stepped closer, lifted Fang’s chin, and raised his face.
Fang’s complexion was dry and smooth, but his eyes glistened with a thin veil of moisture.
Xu reached out, fingers hesitating halfway down to Fang’s eyes, then changed course.
Xu Qiuluo ruffled Fang Ying’s hair twice, his tone no different from coaxing a nephew.
“I’m leaving now,” he said, “be strong.”
Those four words—he might have meant them for Fang’s upcoming solo tasks, or maybe the quiet Fang sitting there now.
Xu turned and left without looking back. Fang watched him vanish down the hill, where no streetlight reached, a tiny dark dot bending over, climbing into the van. The van’s lights blinked as it turned and sped off.
Shrugging, Fang finally started his way back.
A week later, Xu Qiuluo, on a break from filming, snagged his phone back from his assistant and was mid-scroll on Weibo when Xu Zong pinged him on WeChat:
Those four words—he might have meant them for Fang’s upcoming solo tasks, or maybe the quiet Fang sitting there now.
Xu turned and left without looking back. Fang watched him vanish down the hill, where no streetlight reached, a tiny dark dot bending over, climbing into the van. The van’s lights blinked as it turned and sped off.
Shrugging, Fang finally started his way back.
A week later, Xu Qiuluo, on a break from filming, snagged his phone back from his assistant and was mid-scroll on Weibo when Xu Zong pinged him on WeChat:
“Then add one more meal—treat me when you get back.”
The message was in reply to one Xu had sent earlier: “Look out for Fang Ying; tell me if anything happens.”
Xu bit back with gritted teeth, “How is it your phone still isn’t confiscated by the crew?”
Xu Zong shot right back, “You can report it if you want. I don’t care. But then no one will see the Chinese rural dog living it up in the countryside anymore.”
Xu: “Buzz off!”
Of course, Xu Zong didn’t do that.
Instead, he lifted his phone, hid behind a broken straw hat, and snap! Took a pic of the person sitting across from him.
Miles away, Xu Qiuluo got the photo.
Fang was thinner, a bit darker, but his face relaxed and eyes shone bright—sparkling with laughter about to spill over.
Just looking at it across the screen, even Xu couldn’t help but smile along.
Xu Zong added, “Did you light incense and pray for Fang Ying when you left? As soon as you were gone, this guy’s been wired on energy drinks! No one can beat him in tasks. The scriptwriter even told me, his stamina’s catching up to ours.”
Xu Qiuluo didn’t comment but zoomed in on Fang’s table in the pic: rice, a chicken leg, and a bowl of pork rib soup.
Good. At least he’s eating meat now.
Xu smiled, locked his phone, handed it to his assistant, and readied to work.
Next chapter
Xu bit back with gritted teeth, “How is it your phone still isn’t confiscated by the crew?”
Xu Zong shot right back, “You can report it if you want. I don’t care. But then no one will see the Chinese rural dog living it up in the countryside anymore.”
Xu: “Buzz off!”
Of course, Xu Zong didn’t do that.
Instead, he lifted his phone, hid behind a broken straw hat, and snap! Took a pic of the person sitting across from him.
Miles away, Xu Qiuluo got the photo.
Fang was thinner, a bit darker, but his face relaxed and eyes shone bright—sparkling with laughter about to spill over.
Just looking at it across the screen, even Xu couldn’t help but smile along.
Xu Zong added, “Did you light incense and pray for Fang Ying when you left? As soon as you were gone, this guy’s been wired on energy drinks! No one can beat him in tasks. The scriptwriter even told me, his stamina’s catching up to ours.”
Xu Qiuluo didn’t comment but zoomed in on Fang’s table in the pic: rice, a chicken leg, and a bowl of pork rib soup.
Good. At least he’s eating meat now.
Xu smiled, locked his phone, handed it to his assistant, and readied to work.
Next chapter
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