Is This The Right Way To Repay A Favor? Chapter 38

Flower Sea

Shen Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, his gaze toward Jiang Zhou dark and intense.

Jiang Zhou read his question in his eyes: Are you trying to hurt yourself again?

Jiang Zhou shrank his neck, evading the silent accusation.

It hadn’t disappeared after all.

Jiang Zhou had thought his self-harm tendency was cured.

After that punitive kiss, he had felt much more at ease around Shen Zhiyu. Even on the night they stayed up to watch the sunrise, when he proactively kissed Shen Zhiyu, he hadn’t felt the uncontrollable urge to self-harm.

Just now, for some unknown reason, the thought of self-harm had suddenly sprung out.

Jiang Zhou couldn’t resist, nowhere to hide.

Shen Zhiyu held Jiang Zhou’s hand, gently prying open his palm, finger by finger.

Then, his fingertips softly traced the scars that had already healed. His tone seemed regretful, “Such beautiful hands. Jiang Zhou, how could you bear to do this?”

The restless urge for self-harm, which he couldn’t suppress, seemed to be soothed by the touch of Shen Zhiyu’s fingers, gradually calming down.

“Do you still remember, I once said…”

There would be a punishment.

Jiang Zhou finished the thought in his mind.

He looked up at Shen Zhiyu.

Shen Zhiyu merely looked back at him, taking no further action for a long time, offering no punishment.

His eyes were filled with deep affection, making one willingly fall into their depths.

Jiang Zhou felt uneasy under his gaze, his voice barely a whisper, “I didn’t mean to…”

His words were swallowed by a wave of warmth.

It wasn’t the domineering crushing of the previous punishment, nor the gnawing hunger before the sunrise. This kiss was gentle and lingering, like moonlight winding and drifting on soft ripples.

In the narrow space between them, Jiang Zhou let out a slight, warm gasp. Shen Zhiyu, as if he had discovered a treasure, pressed closer, even more gently and tightly, catching and consuming every bit of that lost breath.

Shen Zhiyu’s hand resting in Jiang Zhou’s palm hadn’t let go. His thumb gently stroked the center of the palm, and a comfortable, tingling numbness instantly exploded, traveling all the way up the spine.

The restlessness of self-harm completely ceased at this moment, surging into another kind of indescribable fervor.

Jiang Zhou’s rationality was thrown into a haze. He felt as if he had fallen into a warm, rushing river, willing to be swept away, drowned, and consumed.

With the response, both their breaths lost their rhythm, becoming intertwined and chaotic.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Zhiyu finally released him.

Jiang Zhou trembled as he opened his eyes, meeting Shen Zhiyu’s gaze, which was still profound but now tinged with a hazy mist.

The coat draped over him had fallen off at some point. No one cared, and no one spoke.

The mountaintop was silent, enveloped by their breathing—the only sound in that moment.

The sky gradually brightened. A hazy, dim yellow light spilled over the rapeseed flowers below the mountain, creeping up the slope.

Shen Zhiyu stood up first. He picked up Jiang Zhou’s jacket, shook it out, and then slowly and deliberately helped him put it on.

Jiang Zhou also stood up, his emotions seemingly still unrecovered, letting Shen Zhiyu guide him.

Shen Zhiyu put on his own jacket, and the two stood side by side.

The light grew brighter, and the scene of the rapeseed fields unfolded before them, like a magnificent rural scroll painting.

Shen Zhiyu’s voice softly sounded in his ear.

“Is it beautiful?”

Jiang Zhou slightly turned his face, looking up at Shen Zhiyu, taking in his clear features.

“Yes.” Jiang Zhou nodded emphatically, his eyes curving into a smile.

Shen Zhiyu looked at him, the corners of his lips unconsciously lifting, a thin layer of warmth spreading through his chest.

He didn’t notice that this warmth stemmed not only from physical desire but also from something deeper, something he hadn’t yet realized.

—–

The filming of “Peach Blossom Dream Weaver” officially concluded.

The guests finished the breakfast prepared by the production team and left the Peach Blossom Village one after another.

Yuan Chong left early in the morning.

Before leaving, he reported the results of his inquiries from the previous night to Jiang Zhou.

“He hasn’t dated anyone.”

Jiang Zhou recalled that lingering kiss and wasn’t entirely convinced.

On the other side, Lu Shen, knowing that the commotion from last night had been exposed, also made an early escape.

But he was decent enough to send Shen Zhiyu a message.

“He hasn’t liked Jiang Zhou, and he hasn’t touched him. They are just friends.”

Shen Zhiyu also recalled Jiang Zhou’s inexperienced and awkward response, and he believed the message completely. For some reason, his mood felt lighter.

All the guests had left.

The director found Jiang Zhou and reported the planned editing direction for the show, bringing the rough cut of the second week for Jiang Zhou to review.

The highlight material for this week was Dong Qianqian’s tarot card reading. The overall rough cut included the readings for Shen Zhiyu, Cai Zhiyang, Zhang Qian, and others, but deleted the readings for Jiang Zhou and Yu Liang.

“Why isn’t Yu Liang’s included?” Jiang Zhou asked.

The director hadn’t expected CEO Jiang’s focus to shift from Shen Zhiyu back to Yu Liang.

“Teacher Dong’s interpretation of Teacher Yu’s reading was a bit vague, and we were afraid it might cause misunderstandings. Also, Teacher Yu’s management team communicated with us, hoping that we…”

Before the director could finish, Jiang Zhou interrupted him coldly, “Why haven’t I heard that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can dictate the editing of a show produced by Languang Media?”

The director was startled by the remark.

When the director first heard that Jiang Zhou was coming to film the show, he was terrified, afraid of doing anything wrong. After all, he had long heard that Jiang Zhou was decisive and ruthless in the business world. Otherwise, how could a man from humble beginnings carve out a niche for Languang Media in the cutthroat entertainment industry in just ten years?

But after interacting with him this month, he found Jiang Zhou to be more approachable than expected, able to take a joke and play games.

Even later, when he asked him to review the footage, his attitude was gentle and polite.

What was wrong today?

The director cautiously observed Jiang Zhou’s expression.

Jiang Zhou was handsome and refined. His slightly round, deer-like eyes even made him appear somewhat innocent and harmless.

There was not a ripple of emotion on his face. His gaze swept over the director indifferently, his voice low, like the sound of cold jade striking.

“Hmm? Director Ye?”

The director’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably when he heard the name “Director Ye,” and cold sweat instantly drenched his body.

“No. I will change it immediately.”

Jiang Zhou had previously asked Wei Yan to investigate Yu Liang, and the results were as expected. Yu Liang had married someone at eighteen due to an unplanned pregnancy, without a wedding or marriage certificate. Two years ago, he switched to his current manager, secured resources for a BL drama, and subsequently, under his manager’s operation, successfully climbed the ranks to become a top celebrity.

Yu Liang was not originally planned for “Peach Blossom Dream Weaver.” The initial invitation went to Meng Yiran, a freshman at the Film Academy. It was only due to Zhou Mingfang’s connections that Yu Liang was substituted.

Zhou Mingfang’s father was also an insider, a variety show director. One of the directors of “Peach Blossom Dream Weaver” was his student. When Zhou Mingfang learned that Shen Zhiyu was participating in the show, she knew it was a good opportunity and begged her father to ask the student director to make the switch.

The director, constrained by their relationship, agreed to the request and, using the previous incident where Languang Media reviewed the guest list for Shen Zhiyu, passed on misleading information.

Thus, Meng Yiran was replaced by Yu Liang.

A major reason for Zhou Mingfang’s devotion to Yu Liang was her self-confessed love for him during a game.

Jiang Zhou didn’t care about their gossip, but he was furious that Shen Zhiyu was inexplicably dragged into this unwarranted disaster.

He explicitly demanded that Yu Liang’s tarot card reading be edited as the promotional focus for this episode. Then, through leaks, Yu Liang’s past would be brought to light, pushing him completely into the eye of the storm.

After giving his instructions, Jiang Zhou said meaningfully, “Be careful about confidentiality.”

“Rest assured, CEO Jiang.” Director Ye respectfully saw Jiang Zhou off. He reached out and touched his back, realizing it was soaked with cold sweat.

—-

After leaving the Peach Blossom Village, Jiang Zhou returned home.

Before entering the door, he saw two cars parked outside. The black car was there to pick him up; the other was a gray commercial van.

That van also belonged to the company, recently assigned to Shen Zhiyu along with an assistant.

Why would this car be parked outside the Jiang family home?

Jiang Zhou quickly walked into the courtyard. Jiang Hua was busy preparing lunch over the outdoor stove and large pot in the yard. Aunt Fang and Wei Yan were helping him.

The outdoor stove and large pot in the courtyard were specially built by Jiang Hua later, using earth and firewood. It was rarely used, usually only cleaned out during the New Year holidays to make rice porridge or fry sweet potato fritters.

Jiang Hua was currently frying fritters. Catching sight of Jiang Zhou, he smiled cheerfully, “A’Zhou, you’re back! Lunch will be ready soon. Go upstairs and call Teacher Shen down.”

Teacher Shen?

Jiang Zhou subconsciously looked toward the second floor.

Shen Zhiyu’s figure suddenly appeared in the open wooden lattice window of his room. The strong light pouring in at noon carved the deep and shallow wood grain of the window frame into a natural picture frame, with Shen Zhiyu embedded between the light and shadow.

“I’ll be right down.” Shen Zhiyu leaned forward slightly, sunlight surging around him.

Jiang Zhou’s gaze, cutting through the heat haze and the smell of cooking in the courtyard, was firmly locked on him.

Shen Zhiyu smiled at him from the sun-drenched window, “Jiang Zhou, you’re back.”

—-

Sitting at the dining table, Jiang Zhou learned from Jiang Hua that he had specially invited Shen Zhiyu to be a guest at their house to taste the food and fritters cooked over the earthen stove, knowing they were finishing filming today.

Shen Zhiyu had readily agreed and came directly to the Jiang house after leaving the Peach Blossom Village.

It was only then that Jiang Zhou realized Jiang Hua actually had Shen Zhiyu’s phone number. He had no idea when Jiang Hua had connected with Shen Zhiyu.

Jiang Hua urged Shen Zhiyu to eat, and didn’t forget to put food on Jiang Zhou’s plate, “A’Zhou, eat more. Teacher Shen also just said you were too thin.”

Jiang Zhou was indeed frighteningly thin.

He naturally had a lean physique, and he used to punish himself frequently by starving, drinking heavily, and smoking. After punishing himself so much, it gradually became a habit, and he didn’t enjoy eating.

This past month in the Peach Blossom Village, with Shen Zhiyu watching over him, his diet had been unusually regular, and he had even gained a few pounds.

“Mhm.” Jiang Zhou mumbled an acknowledgment while eating.

Shen Zhiyu ate several pieces of the tea-leaf fried crispy bone. “Uncle Jiang, this tea-leaf fried crispy bone is truly delicious. It’s a shame I probably won’t be able to eat it for a long time after leaving this time,” he said with a hint of regret.

“What are you saying, Teacher Shen? Why wouldn’t you be able to eat it?”

“A’Zhou is also in Haishi. If you crave it, just ask A’Zhou to cook it for you anytime.”