TLSOTMTKOGAYWHTDI Chapter 69

Chapter 67: How About Switching to Directing?

Zhuo Huaimo’s fingertips trembled slightly in Qi Yanwang’s palm, the sunlight stretching their overlapping shadows long.

He gazed at the persistent look in the man’s eyes, his chest feeling as if two trapped beasts were tearing at each other.

“I…”

He opened his mouth, and Qi Yanwang immediately tightened his fingers, pressing his warm lips to his knuckles.

This reverent kiss made Zhuo Huaimo’s eyes burn, and he almost blurted out—

“It’s a curse.”

“Everyone who falls in love with me will meet with misfortune within three months.”

“My parents were like that, and so was my uncle…”

But Shao Fan’s pale face suddenly flashed in his memory.

Back then, the person who swore “to face everything with you,” bought a ticket back to M country overnight after hearing the truth.

In the shadows cast by the grape trellis, Qi Yanwang’s eyelashes created a small patch of bluish-gray under his eyes.

Zhuo Huaimo suddenly remembered how the lamplight had traced his contours when this man had stayed up all night with him to revise the script.

“You’re overthinking it.”

He abruptly pulled back his hand, his knuckles brushing against the rough vines, “I just…”

“Zhuo Huaimo!”

Qi Yanwang suddenly called him by his full name, “If you give me that bullshit about being tired of me again, believe I will kiss you right here until your legs go weak!”

Zhuo Huaimo turned his head away, avoiding his gaze.

How close, this washed-up actor of his almost broke character.

Qi Yanwang grabbed him and pinched his cheeks, saying fiercely,

“Not going to say it?”

He raised an eyebrow at him, “It doesn’t matter, see if there will be other people beside you, I have plenty of time to spend with you!”

Saying that, he landed a heavy kiss on his lips that were squeezed out of shape.

Night fell, the old house’s lights casting a warm, dim glow.

Grandma held a brand-new embroidered quilt, standing at the guest room door with a beaming smile.

“Huaimo, this is the room that is all tidied up.”

Grandma deliberately sighed, “The room next door is piled up with the newly harvested corn, and the one upstairs leaks when it rains…”

Zhuo Huaimo glanced at Grandma suspiciously, quickly walking towards the room next door and pushing the door open—

Sure enough, it was filled with golden corncobs, leaving no space to even put your feet.

“It was clearly empty this morning…”

Behind him came Qi Yanwang’s stifled cough of laughter.

Zhuo Huaimo turned his head sharply, just in time to see Qi Yanwang give Grandma a thumbs-up, while Grandma returned a playful wink.

“It’s the middle of the night,”

Qi Yanwang put an arm around his shoulder, “Are you willing to let the old lady fuss around again? You unfilial son!”

Saying that, he brought him into the room…

The carved wooden bed creaked under the strain.

Zhuo Huaimo lay down against the wall, wishing he could squeeze two more people between them.

“Any further and you’ll be embedded in the wall!”

Qi Yanwang stretched out a long arm and pulled him directly into his arms, “Don’t worry, just holding you.”

Zhuo Huaimo struggled, “It’s hot…”

“The air conditioner is on.”

Qi Yanwang’s nose brushed against the back of his neck, “Move again and I’ll kiss you.”

“Qi Yanwang! This is Grandma’s house!”

“Then I’ll just cover your mouth, anyway, that mouth of yours is always dishonest, so annoying!”

Qi Yanwang’s arm suddenly tightened.

His chest pressed tightly against Zhuo Huaimo’s back, the sound of his heartbeat transmitted through the thin pajamas, steady and strong.

“Don’t move…”

Qi Yanwang’s breathing gradually evened out, “Just let me hold you for a while.”

Moonlight streamed through the gauze window, painting rhomboid patches of light on the floor.

Zhuo Huaimo listened to the even breathing behind him, his tense body slowly relaxing.

Half-asleep, Qi Yanwang suddenly murmured, “To be able to hold you like this…”

His lips unintentionally brushed against the other man’s ear, “So good…”

Zhuo Huaimo opened his eyes wide in the darkness.

Qi Yanwang’s palm was pressed against his heart, warm and dry, as if trying to smooth out his grievances and wounds.

Outside the window came the chirping of katydids, mixed with the ticking of the old-fashioned clock in Grandma’s room.

Zhuo Huaimo gently turned around, tracing his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, but was accurately grabbed by Qi Yanwang, whose eyes were closed.

“If you touch me again, I won’t be able to hold back!”

The moonlight quietly climbed onto the pillow, illuminating two clasped hands.

As soon as dawn broke, Qi Yanwang tiptoed out of the room, afraid of waking Zhuo Huaimo, who was still sound asleep.

In the courtyard, Grandma was sitting on a small stool, husking corn, golden kernels falling between her fingers.

Qi Yanwang’s eyes lit up, and he immediately went over, squatting down diligently to help.

“Grandma, you’re up so early?”

He smiled sweetly, his hands moving non-stop, “Let me help you!”

Grandma glanced at him, smiling,

“Oh, little Qi, how did you sleep last night?”

Qi Yanwang immediately gave her a thumbs-up,

“You’re still awesome, Grandma! One is as good as two!”

Grandma smiled playfully, mysteriously saying,

“If you fight with me, your grandma will always be your grandma!”

“Grandma, it’s settled, we’re on the same side! You have to help me!”

Grandma nodded, “Comrade Little Qi, maybe!”

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Qi Yanwang pressed on while the iron was hot,

“Grandma, why don’t you live in the city with Huaimo? His place is pretty big.”

Grandma slowly husked the corn,

“I just like the countryside, it’s quiet!”

Qi Yanwang “tsk”ed in dissatisfaction, “Why are you like this, old lady, you just said we were on the same side, why aren’t you telling me the truth!”

Grandma knocked him on the head with a corncob, unable to help but laugh,

“You’re the one who tried to outsmart me first, you want to ask about Huaimo, right?”

Qi Yanwang was caught, so he stopped pretending, his shoulders drooping, and he moved closer with a pitiful look,

“Grandma, you have to stand up for me!”

Grandma didn’t even look at him, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Yanwang immediately turned into a drama queen, lowering his voice, with a hint of a sob,

“He and I… were perfectly fine, but he slept with me for three months and then refused to admit it, blacklisted my phone number, and even ran away overseas!”

Grandma stifled a laugh, “Really?”

Qi Yanwang had a resentful look of being abandoned,

“This time, if I hadn’t gone to M Country to drag him back, how would he have had the chance to come back and see you!”

Grandma listened and nodded seriously, “That really wasn’t right of him, how about this, Grandma will introduce you to someone better? Second brother Niu from the next village, he’s handsome and reliable, let’s not bother with him anymore!”

Qi Yanwang instantly became anxious, “No! I only want him! Grandma, please help me!”

Grandma pretended to be surprised, “He’s treated you like this, and you still miss him?”

Qi Yanwang had a look of deep affection, “Grandma, he and I are so good, if we get together, I’ll often bring him back to see you! I… I’ll take good care of you, we’ll bring you back two big, fat grandsons! You tell me, why is he like this, I just feel like he has a secret!”

Grandma patted his head with a smile,

“Your guess is right!”

Qi Yanwang’s eyes lit up instantly, “Really? He really has a secret? What secret? What is he afraid of?”

Grandma was silent for a while, and sighed,

“That child has always kept things to himself since he was little, he always feels like bad luck will come to anyone who gets close to him.”

Qi Yanwang frowned, “What does that mean?”

Grandma shook her head, “Alright, he’s still my grandson! I still have to respect him, you should let him tell you the specifics himself.”

“Grandma, tell me! Don’t you want great-grandsons anymore? Grandma, Gran—”

Qi Yanwang wanted to continue asking, but suddenly a sneer came from behind—

“Qi, Yan, Wang!”

Zhuo Huaimo stood under the eaves, holding soy milk in his hand, his face as black as the bottom of a pot,

“What nonsense are you spouting to Grandma again?!”

Qi Yanwang trembled and immediately hid behind Grandma,

“Grandma, save me! Domestic violence!”

Grandma laughed, patting Qi Yanwang’s hand,

“Alright, you two sort out your own affairs.”

Zhuo Huaimo walked over and grabbed Qi Yanwang’s ear,

“Get over here!”

While Qi Yanwang cried out in pain, he didn’t forget to turn back and wink at Grandma,

“Grandma! You have to help me!”

Grandma waved her hand with a smile,

“Go on, you young couple are just playing around.”

Zhuo Huaimo, “…”

The two stayed at Grandma’s house for two days, then went straight back to Jiang City.

As the black Maybach drove onto the Jiang City expressway, Zhuo Huaimo’s fingertips unconsciously fiddled with the seatbelt.

The billboards flashing past outside the window still had traces of his large posters from two years ago, now mostly replaced by the newly promoted Top-Tier (Idol).

“Nervous?”

Qi Yanwang’s palm covered the back of his hand, “Afraid of paparazzi or afraid of fans?”

Zhuo Huaimo stared at the surging river under the overpass,

“Afraid that things have changed.”

Qi Yanwang chuckled and, like a magician, pulled a kraft paper bag out of the storage compartment, “Take a look at this.”

Inside the bag was the latest project proposal for the film *Early Spring*, the gilded words *Early Spring* shining brightly in the sunlight on the cover.

Zhuo Huaimo opened the title page, and his own name was prominently printed in the director’s column.

“You…”

“The photography team is the original team that won the Golden Statue Award,”

Qi Yanwang looked ahead, his tone as relaxed as if they were discussing dinner,

“The scriptwriting team specially invited Old Lin to come out of retirement, the one you admire the most.”

Zhuo Huaimo’s fingertips trembled on the pages.

This setup was clearly aimed at an international film festival.

“I know you’re unwilling to go back in front of the camera, but you can’t bear to part with this circle, how about switching to directing?”

“Why directing?”

“*Early Spring* is the project you wanted to do most!”

Qi Yanwang steered the wheel, “Old Lin said that the storyboards of the rain night scene in *Dark Surge* were inspired. When you stayed up with me to take apart the script, I felt very potential! And you were originally an actor, and a very good actor, you will be use your interpretation of the camera and the mentality of the actor!”

“Are you praising me?”

“I’m telling the truth, and also for…”

“For what?”

“To return everything to its original place, I want to return everything that was originally yours to you!”

“I can’t go back to the entertainment industry.”

Zhuo Huaimo stared out the window, “Those videos…”

“They’ve been taken care of.”

Qi Yanwang’s tone suddenly turned cold, “Everyone who participated in that matter is now eating prison food. All platforms, if they still want to cooperate with Xingyue Media, will not allow such videos to be spread again!”

Seeing that Zhuo Huaimo was wavering, he softened his tone again,

“Going behind the scenes is just right, you don’t have to face the camera. But I have one request…”

Zhuo Huaimo looked at him, “What request?”

He leaned closer and whispered, “Don’t have any unspoken rules with actors, except for me!”

“Get lost!”

Zhuo Huaimo looked out the window, not expecting that he had considered everything and arranged everything.

“Back then, I unintentionally took the award that should have belonged to you, fulfilled my promise, made you stand at the highest, and then lost everything! Now, our positions are switched!”

Qi Yanwang looked at him, “This is fate, it means we’re destined to be entangled for a lifetime, destined to be together for a lifetime. Moreover, not only will you have everything again, but I’ll also compensate you with myself, is it interest? I don’t eat much, I’m very easy to take care of!”

A lifetime, can they really have a lifetime?

Zhuo Huaimo looked at the clouds outside the window, that ticking time bomb was still hanging over his head!

If they just get along normally like this, can they temporarily deceive the eyes of fate?

When Zhuo Huaimo looked back at the sunset of that evening not long after, he realized that luck should not exist in the first place…