Chapter 60: Beating Him to the Punch
With no intention of hiding, most of Xu Sinian’s face was illuminated by the light, and his voice was cold, each word crisp and clear like the sound of jade striking.
His dark eyes didn’t flinch as he looked straight ahead, his actions polite and composed.
Even without an introduction, Chu Mingyuan knew who he was.
Xu Sinian, the award-winning movie king, a natural center of attention, a walking topic, and someone who had always overshadowed him.
And single.
Chu Mingyuan had encountered Xu Sinian a few times before. Xu Sinian maintained basic politeness with everyone, always keeping a distance that was impossible to cross—courteous but aloof.
Xu Sinian’s schedule and private life were tightly guarded. Chu Mingyuan had only seen him at award ceremonies, banquets, and on set.
But he had never expected to meet him here, someone who had been out of the public eye for so long.
This time, Xu Sinian’s demeanor was still polite, but the usual aloofness and detachment were missing.
Those eyes that now gazed at him carried a pressure and an underlying possessiveness completely different from the polite facade.
Chu Mingyuan’s gaze fell on the two hands clasped together. He forcibly tore his eyes away, meeting Xu Sinian’s still-extended hand, and finally lifted his own to shake it, smiling as he said, “Hello.”
The handshake was brief.
Chu Mingyuan’s smile was still there, but it was fainter than usual, the curve of his lips barely noticeable.
A good neighbor had suddenly appeared. Feeling the warmth from Xu Sinian’s hand, Chen Bai didn’t struggle but instead quietly asked, “Why are you here?”
Xu Sinian replied, “I didn’t get your message downstairs, so I came up.”
His voice was calm, his tone unchanged, but it sounded different from how he usually spoke.
Chu Mingyuan’s gaze returned to the thin, pale hand held firmly in Xu Sinian’s grip. He let out a breath, then lifted his eyes to meet Chen Bai’s, whose light-gray pupils peered out from under his tousled white hair. Chu Mingyuan asked, “And this is…?”
Before Chen Bai could answer, his neighbor tightened his grip slightly and replied first, “Just what you think.”
His voice was steady, without any hint of confusion or hesitation.
Chen Bai “…”
So, what exactly did he mean by “just what you think”?
Had these two people secretly exchanged some kind of mental communication?
The solitary “war god” Chen Bai’s mind couldn’t process the current situation anymore; he was still stuck in the phase of imagining 100,000 braised chicken soldiers attacking Earth. So, he gave up thinking and chose to unconditionally agree with his good neighbor, nodding in response.
The barely-there smile at the corners of Chu Mingyuan’s lips completely disappeared.
He wanted to say something more, but the man standing across from him glanced down at his watch, then looked up, gave a polite nod, and said, “It’s getting late. If there’s nothing else important, I’ll take ‘Yibai’ home now.”
Though the words sounded polite enough, the man had already started walking away, holding Yibai’s hand firmly, his entire demeanor far from gentle.
Chen Bai, still unsure of what was going on, was relieved that he didn’t have to answer the awkward question about giving a chance. He followed his neighbor, and halfway through their departure, he remembered to turn back, wave, and say a polite goodbye.
Chu Mingyuan stood in place, watching the two of them leave together.
The hands remained clasped. Unlike Chu, Mingyuan who had to rely on photos to bridge the distance, the two were very close, still talking. Even the aloof Xu Sinian would bend down and lower his head to listen when Yibai spoke.
The two figures eventually disappeared completely.
The night breeze continued to blow across the sky, and the small garden returned to its quiet state.
Relieved from the dilemma, as soon as he stepped out of the garden, Chen Bai was filled with joy, his whole body radiating a sense of relaxation.
The elevator was near the garden entrance, leading directly to the underground parking lot. With no one else around, Xu Sinian, who hadn’t been wearing a mask, removed his hat and gently placed it on Yibai’s head, covering his striking white hair.
He still hadn’t let go of Chen Bai’s hand. Inside the elevator, feeling how cold Chen Bai’s fingers remained, Xu put their joined hands into his coat pocket and asked, “How long were you out there in the wind?”
The warmth of the pocket immediately made a difference, and Chen Bai squinted his eyes, saying, “Not long.”
He gave a thumbs-up, looked up, and praised, “Comrade Xu, you’re really impressive.”
With the hat pressed down low, he had to work harder to lift his head and talk.
While they were in the garden earlier, Chen Bai had spaced out for a bit and hadn’t fully grasped how things had been resolved, but praising Xu Sinian seemed like the right move.
Whatever the problem had been, Xu Sinian had solved it in two minutes, which was far more efficient than Chen Bai’s attempts.
Comrade Xu modestly said it was nothing.
The elevator descended and stopped at the parking lot. Chen Bai, eager to leave the hotel with its strange atmosphere, rushed out as soon as the doors opened.
Halfway through, he felt a tug holding him back. Only then did he remember that his hand was still in Xu Sinian’s pocket, so he walked back and politely asked, “How much longer do we have to hold hands?”
Although he hadn’t fully understood the situation before, he had guessed that the hand-holding was likely just to deal with Chu Mingyuan. Now that they were downstairs and no one was around, he figured it was okay to let go.
The last time he had seen hand-holding like this was in high school, when girls would hold hands on their way to the bathroom. He hadn’t seen guys do it. The last time a friend grabbed his hand, it was to “read his palm,” and after looking for a long time, the friend couldn’t even decipher it.
It wasn’t that Chen Bai was against physical contact with friends—holding hands wasn’t a big deal. He just felt that holding on for too long seemed a bit odd.
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about it didn’t feel entirely right. After all, they were quite different from high school girls holding hands to go to the bathroom.
Xu Sinian asked quietly, “Can we hold on a little longer?”
So, they held on a little longer.
A good friend always fulfills their friend’s requests unconditionally. Chen Bai bounced back and continued walking with his neighbor toward the parked car.
He chatted as they walked, feeling light and carefree after solving a tough problem. His head was down, obstructed by the brim of his hat, so he didn’t notice that his good neighbor’s gaze was still fixed on him, following his every movement without wavering.
This time, the car was parked quite far away, and they had to walk for a while before reaching it. Just before getting in, Xu Sinian finally let go of his hand, bent down, and opened the car door for him. Chen Bai climbed into the passenger seat.
Xu Sinian walked around to the driver’s side, got in, inserted the key, and started the engine. Then he turned and said, “This was an exception. If someone else ever does something like this, remember not to agree.”
Now that his hands were fully warmed up, Chen Bai swiftly fastened his seatbelt, thought for a moment about what Xu Sinian meant by “something like this,” then leaned back and said, “Don’t worry.”
He waved his hand, saying, “This is a special privilege for close friends.”
Having a friend who liked holding hands was normal, even if it was a bit strange. But Chen Bai didn’t mind going along with it.
Xu Sinian turned and confirmed, “So, I’m still your only close friend?”
Chen Bai gave a thumbs-up and nodded.
Officially recognized and verified.
Xu Sinian smiled and said, “Let’s head home.”
—
Meanwhile, Chu Mingyuan’s agent had had a bit too much to drink and went to the restroom to sober up.
He swore he had only been gone for a moment, but when he returned, Chu Mingyuan was nowhere to be found.
Unable to reach him by phone, the agent asked around but got no clue where he had gone. However, he did hear that Chen Bai might have gone up to the rooftop garden and had been there for a while.
Uh-oh.
A bad feeling flashed through his mind, and he rushed upstairs immediately.
The rooftop garden was easy to find. One turn, and there it was. But there was only one person there.
Chen Bai, who was supposed to be in the garden, was gone, and the only one left was the award-winning actor who hadn’t been answering his phone. Chu Mingyuan stood by the railing, not looking at his phone, seemingly just enjoying the breeze.
The agent walked over, and Chu Mingyuan noticed him, turning his head.
Chu Mingyuan’s face showed no expression. For a moment, the agent couldn’t figure out if something had happened or nothing had happened at all. Hesitant, he wondered whether he should ask about Chen Bai.
Chu Mingyuan spoke up and said, “You have cigarettes on you, right? Give me one.”
The agent skillfully pulled out a cigarette and handed over a lighter as well, saying, “Weren’t you off cigarettes for quite a while? Why the sudden urge?”
Uh-oh.
Before Chu Mingyuan could respond, the agent figured it out himself.
One person, presumably Chen Bai, who might have come to the garden but had since left, and a cigarette. It seemed like something had definitely happened, and the outcome wasn’t ideal.
Chu Mingyuan lit the cigarette, the small flame briefly illuminating his face, as smoke began to swirl around him.
The agent cautiously asked, “Got rejected?”
Though phrased as a question, from the way Chu Mingyuan lit the cigarette, the agent could already guess the answer.
From the agent’s perspective, he was pleased—he even felt like setting off some fireworks. But as Chu Mingyuan’s friend of ten years, there was still a small part of him that… well, he was still pretty happy.
Chu Mingyuan wasn’t one for long-lasting relationships. Better to not start one than spend a long time only to break up in the end.
Chu Mingyuan said, “Someone got there first.”
The agent didn’t immediately grasp the meaning of this. Or maybe he did, but he just didn’t think it was what it sounded like.
Chu Mingyuan’s cigarette glowed briefly before fading again, and he added, “He has a boyfriend.”
The agent “Hm.”
The agent blinked. “What?”
That blockhead of a guy?
He asked, “Do you know who?”
If someone could get through to such an emotionally dense person, they had to be quite impressive.
“Xu Sinian,” Chu Mingyuan replied.
Xu who?
The agent took a closer look at Chu Mingyuan’s expression, confirming that he hadn’t misunderstood. Eyes wide, his tongue stumbled as he said, “But wasn’t he always single?”
This was completely unexpected and, frankly, sounded so ridiculous that if you posted it online, you’d be ridiculed.
Chu Mingyuan exhaled a puff of smoke. “Chen Bai was single two months ago too.”
In just two months, he had fallen behind by one step. And in that one step, someone else had already taken the lead.
One shocking revelation after another, the agent struggled to digest everything he was hearing. For the moment, he was at a loss for words, so he could only offer some tentative comfort: “It’s fine. You just brought your character’s emotions into real life again. Give it some time and…”
Oh, right, he suddenly remembered—there was no romantic plotline between Chu Mingyuan and Chen Bai this time.
The agent “…”
Realizing this, the agent’s eyes narrowed slightly. He was completely at a loss for how to comfort Chu Mingyuan now. So instead, he glanced at the half-burnt cigarette in Chu Mingyuan’s hand and asked, “Want another one?”
Chu Mingyuan lit another cigarette.
Leaning against the railing, he looked down at the bustling traffic and the bright city lights below.
—
At 10:30 p.m., Chen Bai returned to his long-unseen, familiar neighborhood right on time.
As he stepped into the elevator, he leaned against the wall, exhaling deeply. “Feels like I haven’t been back in 800 years.”
It wasn’t 800 years, or even 8 months. His good neighbor smiled and said, “The sheets at home have already been changed. You can sleep upstairs tonight.”
“Anywhere’s fine,” Chen Bai nodded. He raised the brim of his hat slightly and held up one finger, saying, “But tonight, I definitely want to play a game of Ludo.”
His neighbor agreed.
He guessed it wouldn’t just be one game.
Indeed, that night, after playing game after game, Chen Bai racked up an impressive series of losses, solidifying his less-than-stellar track record.
That night, he went to bed bitterly, falling asleep with a frown on his face.
With no work lined up after the wrap party, this period was set aside for rest. In theory, he could sleep in as long as he wanted. But due to the unfortunate habit he’d developed over months on set, Chen Bai woke up at 5 a.m., confused by the familiar ceiling.
Realizing he didn’t have to work today, he promptly went back to sleep.
When he woke up again, it was already past 10 a.m.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, lighting up the room. Still groggy, he struggled to get out of bed, his eyes barely open as he groped around for his slippers. When he couldn’t find them, he just stepped barefoot onto the floor.
He brushed his teeth purely out of instinct—roughly, but it got the job done. With water dripping from his hair, he pushed it back and stepped out of the room.
He headed down the hallway to get a drink of water, and before he even reached the dining area, he heard a voice.
It was his neighbor, talking on the phone, his voice low and indistinct.
Not wanting to interrupt, Chen Bai continued his search for water. He found his cup in its usual spot, squinting to clear his still-blurry vision. With the kettle in one hand, he carefully poured himself half a cup of water.
“It’s not convenient here right now. You guys should take Xu Lang home first,” Xu Sinian was sitting in the living room, speaking quietly into his phone.
He kept his voice down since Chen Bai was still asleep. As he listened to the person on the other end of the line, his brows furrowed slightly. Then he heard a soft sound from the living room.
It was the sound of a cup hitting the table. Turning his head, he saw Chen Bai standing there with a cup in hand, raising it to drink. Xu Sinian stood up, his tone changing as he said, “We’ll talk in a few days… That’s cold water, don’t drink it.”
Chen Bai glanced over, realizing what Xu Sinian was saying, but his body had already acted. He gulped down the cold water.
It was definitely cold—one sip was enough to wake him up. After setting the cup down, he scratched his head and laughed, “Yeah, it’s pretty cold.”
Xu Sinian had already walked over and, upon seeing that Chen Bai wasn’t wearing slippers, momentarily set aside the water issue to find some for him.
While Xu Sinian was busy, the person on the other end of the phone, Mrs. Jiang, and Mr. Xu, who was listening in, went quiet for a moment. Then Mrs. Jiang skipped over the previous conversation and asked, “So, Yibai’s back with you?”
Her voice rose two pitches higher, clearly showing her excitement.
Xu Sinian didn’t respond. He opened the room door and eventually found the missing slippers in a corner under the bed.
It was hard to imagine how the slippers had been kicked all the way to that spot.
Though he stayed silent, Madam Jiang on the other end of the phone was still chatting away, saying, “No wonder you didn’t want your brother to come over. So, this is why it’s ‘inconvenient.’”
She pretended to address Mr. Xu: “Yibai just returned to A City yesterday, and today he’s already at your place. Mr. Xu, your son moves fast!”
Bending down to grab the slippers, Xu Sinian finally responded, asking, “How do you know he only just got back yesterday?”
His tone had unconsciously changed to something more casual.
Madam Jiang laughed, replying as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “I chat with Yibai all the time.”
Mr. Xu chimed in, adding that they sometimes chatted too.
Xu Sinian “…”
Xu Sinian’s eye twitched. He couldn’t quite figure out just how many people Chen Bai talked to in a day.
He went quiet for a moment, while Madam Jiang continued speaking on the other end. Xu Sinian held the phone a little farther from his ear as he walked back to the living room with the slippers in hand.
Madam Jiang’s laughter was long and hearty, loud enough for Chen Bai, who was waiting in the living room, to hear. After thinking for a moment, Chen Bai asked, “Is that Auntie Jiang?”
Correct guess. Upon hearing his voice, Madam Jiang quickly confirmed and immediately requested that her son hand over the phone.
Bending down, Xu Sinian placed the slippers in front of Chen Bai, who was sitting in the chair, silently asking if he wanted to take the call.
Having someone to chat with so early in the morning sounded appealing to Chen Bai, so he gladly took the phone.
Sunlight streamed in beside the living room sofa, and his good neighbor called him over to sit by the sunlit area to take the call. Crossing his legs on the sofa, he grabbed a cushion and hugged it to his chest. Then, accepting the soybean milk his neighbor handed him, he mumbled a “thank you” and took a big sip, half-asleep.
His messy white hair shimmered in the sunlight, strand by strand catching the light. He occasionally responded as Auntie Jiang spoke on the other end.
“Little brother’s off today? That’s great… does he still have time to hang out?”
“…Inconvenient? How could it be? I’m off for the next few days.”
Realizing what Madam Jiang was hinting at, his good neighbor, who had quietly sat down, glanced over.
Sure enough, after a little more chatting, Chen Bai turned his head and said, “Aunt Jiang and your family want to come over today. She’s asking if you’re free.”
Letting out a barely perceptible sigh, his neighbor closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and said, “Sure.”
Chen Bai relayed the message truthfully, and Auntie Jiang seemed quite pleased.
So, by the end of the call, they had all cheerfully agreed on today’s plan. Madam Jiang and her husband would pick up their younger son from school nearby and then head over.
The school let out at noon, so they’d arrive in time for lunch.
With the plan set, Chen Bai handed the phone back to his neighbor, casually rolling up his pajama sleeves.
It was already past 10 a.m., nearing lunchtime. If they wanted to have lunch on time, they could start preparing now. Without even considering the option of eating out, Chen Bai had already decided they’d cook at home. Rolling up his sleeves, he transformed into Chef Chen.
His trusty assistant Xu helped tie on the apron.
The fridge was surprisingly well-stocked, so there was no need for a big trip to the grocery store.
The survival skills Chen Bai had developed were ingrained in him. Though it had been over a season since he’d last cooked, he hadn’t lost his touch. As soon as he entered the kitchen, Chef Chen was as skillful as ever.
While washing vegetables, his neighbor suddenly remembered something and asked, “Did you tell ‘Auntie Jiang’ about what happened last night?”
Rolling up his sleeves, Chef Chen was busy flipping the food in the pan. Finally remembering the dramatic confession from the previous night, he wiped his face and said, “No.”
Due to their different schedules, Madam Jiang rarely chatted with him at that hour, and it wasn’t exactly an easy topic to bring up. He had already planned to bury it deep.
His neighbor just nodded in understanding.
At noon, Madam Jiang and Mr. Xu arrived with their high schooler in tow, just as they’d said. Chen Bai opened the door to greet them since Xu Sinian was busy washing another round of vegetables.
“Click—”
The door opened, and Chen Bai looked out, but at first, he didn’t see anyone. His field of vision was filled with a large, bright bouquet.
Chen Bai “?”
As Chef Chen’s brain quickly processed this, a head popped out from behind the flowers—a high schooler calling out, “Brother Bai!”
Behind him were the beaming faces of Madam Jiang and Mr. Xu. Madam Jiang laughed and said, “Isn’t there a tradition of giving flowers at a wrap party?”
She continued, “Even though it’s a bit late, Auntie still wanted to give you a bouquet.”
The flowers were from Madam Jiang and her husband, with the high schooler acting as a strong, youthful delivery boy.
Realizing the flowers were for him, Chen Bai came back to his senses, smiled, thanked them, and took the bouquet into his arms. He invited them inside, saying, “Old… Xu Sinian is in the kitchen washing vegetables.”
Still not satisfied, Chen Bai hugged the flowers tighter and dashed off to the kitchen, eager to show off his bouquet to his old buddy Xu in full detail.
After making sure Xu Sinian had seen the bouquet from every angle and received his approval, Chen Bai took the flowers to the living room, looking for a place to put them.
He seemed quite busy.
As soon as Xu Lang entered the house, he automatically turned into brother Bai’s little shadow, following him around the room. Madam Jiang, however, headed straight to the kitchen to take a look.
Her son, who hadn’t cooked once in decades, was actually wearing an apron and washing vegetables. Glancing back at the living room, she asked, “You went to pick him up yesterday, but didn’t bring any flowers?”
Placing the washed vegetables aside, Xu Sinian replied, “No.”
Madam Jiang gave a short critique: “You’re so slow.”
She leaned against the door and laughed, “If you keep going this slow, be careful someone might beat you to it, like confessing their feelings first or something.”
To be fair, Madam Jiang was just joking, but the person washing the vegetables paused slightly. It was only for a moment, and then Xu Sinian resumed as usual. He turned around and said, “It’s time to eat. I’ll set the table; let Xu Lang wash the vegetables.”
His voice was as calm as ever, with no hint of change.
—
Xu Sinian is VERY slowly boiling the frog… he’ll get there.