Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Jiang Mochen waved to him, and Yan Qingchi stood up, leaning forward with his hand on the table. Jiang Mochen reached out a hand to shield his ear and whispered, “I noticed that you’ve been cooking the whole trip, which is a pleasant surprise.”
Yan Qingchi chuckled, mimicking his gesture, and whispered, “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to cook before, it was just that you wouldn’t let me. If you like, we can continue this division of labor for the rest of the trip.”
Jiang Mochen glanced at him and whispered, “I was just being considerate of you.”
“So you want us to continue this division of labor for the rest of the trip?”
“That’s fine for the trip, but it won’t change when we get back.” Jiang Mochen held out his hand.
Yan Qingchi gave him a high five, as a deal, “Deal.”
After the two finished eating, Jiang Mochen naturally washed the dishes and went upstairs with Yan Qingchi to prepare for bed.
Once inside, Jiang Mochen walked to the camera and said, “Now it’s time to sleep.” Then, he turned off the camera.
Yan Qingchi asked him, “Is this okay?”
“Anyway, no one told us it wasn’t allowed.”
“But the production team definitely wants to use the idols’ pajamas segment as a selling point.”
“What if someone sleeps naked?” Jiang Mochen asked him, “Wouldn’t that be…”
“Shut up.” Yan Qingchi looked at him, “You’re practically a little train being dirty, it’s beyond just becoming yellowed.”
Jiang Mochen moved closer to him, “Do you know what ‘little train being dirty’ means?” He pulled Yan Qingchi into his arms, “Now the cameras are off, the microphones are off, a lone man and a lone man in a room, how do you think the rest of the story is going to go?”
Yan Qingchi pointed to the 1.2-meter single bed, “Wake up, the bed is only this big, behave yourself, Mr. Jiang.”
Jiang Mochen turned to look at him and asked, “Do you know why I suggested we stay in this room?”
Yan Qingchi poked his heart, “Your intentions are obvious to everyone.”
“When I was at the hotel in G City, I was thinking, I’m not afraid of staying in a standard room, I’m afraid of two beds in a standard room. That’s the greatest distance in the world, not between life and death, but between you sleeping in the bed by the window and me sleeping in the bed against the wall. It’s not that far, but I just can’t cross that distance.”
“Then why didn’t you turn off the camera back then?”
“I didn’t think of that at the time.”
“So you thought of it now?”
“Mainly because when we’re sleeping. Under normal circumstances, there’s not much to film. And for an actor like me who takes a high-class route, I can’t be too down-to-earth. I need to leave room for fans’ imaginations. So how could I let fans see what kind of pajamas I usually wear and what my sleeping posture is? All of this was agreed upon when Wu Yuan signed the agreement with the production team. Basically, anything I didn’t want to record or that I didn’t want to be edited out for broadcast would be done according to my wishes. It’s all your fault for saying on the mountain that we were like high school students in puppy love, and the director was the head of the department. So I didn’t realize it when I got down the mountain. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have needed to sleep in separate beds that night.”
Yan Qingchi pushed him. “You know, the right distance helps to create beauty.”
“I think you’re quite beautiful even up close.”
Yan Qingchi couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re getting better and better at talking.”
“I told you, it’s from the bottom of my heart.”
“Alright, let’s hurry up and wash up, it’s time to sleep.”
Jiang Mochen hugged him, asking with a hint of anticipation, “Can we shower together?”
Yan Qingchi smiled. “Of course not.”
The standard answer, Jiang Mochen thought, releasing Yan Qingchi. “Then hurry up.”
“Okay.” Yan Qingchi turned and went into the bathroom.
The two finished washing up and squeezed onto the single bed. The bed was a bit narrow for two adult men, so Jiang Mochen simply pulled Yan Qingchi into his arms, which made him feel more comfortable.
“You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you?” Yan Qingchi asked him.
Jiang Mochen didn’t hide anything, “That’s right, but it seems this room is pretty good now. It has its own bathroom, and once we close the door, we can hide inside and not have to go out.”
Yan Qingchi chuckled, “That’s true.”
Jiang Mochen looked down at him, “Does it feel cramped?”
“Isn’t this the effect you wanted?”
“Don’t you think this is a bit like a college romance? Two people like each other, they work well together when they’re out, and when they get back to the dorm, they close the door, squeeze onto a dorm bed, and hug each other. Even though they don’t have money, it’s still sweet.”
“We have money,” Yan Qingchi reminded him, “We’re the richest people here right now.”
“Is having money the point?” Jiang Mochen was almost driven crazy by him, “The point is the feeling, the feeling!”
Yan Qingchi laughed, “So you want to start simulating a college romance with me now, after we just simulated high school puppy love?”
“Is it not allowed? After graduating from high school, it’s time to go to college.”
“Alright then,” Yan Qingchi readily agreed. “We’ve really had a tough time, sticking together from high school to university for so long. We’re practically a model couple.”
“What was your high school like?” Jiang Mochen suddenly asked. He’d only seen Yan Qingchi’s high school information in previous documents, but those documents, which he’d had someone investigate, clearly had many problems, so Jiang Mochen had long since stopped believing them. Now, with this topic on, Jiang Mochen couldn’t help but be curious about what Yan Qingchi’s high school life was like, something he hadn’t seen or participated in.
Yan Qingchi thought for a moment. His high school years were pretty good; excellent grades, loyal friends, a harmonious family— nothing unpleasant about him. But that was his high school, not the original owner’s. Afraid of saying too much and making a mistake, Yan Qingchi only said, “Just like everyone else, seemed fine.”
Jiang Mochen felt this answer was too vague and pressed, “Back then, did you have a crush on anyone? Or what type did you like?”
Yan Qingchi didn’t really want to continue the topic of his high school, worried that he might accidentally say something wrong and arouse Jiang Mochen’s suspicion. So he looked up, smiled, and kissed Jiang Mochen. “Don’t just ask me. Did you have a crush on anyone in high school? What type did you like?”
“No, I didn’t have the mind to think about those things back then.”
“Me neither.”
“Really?”
Yan Qingchi nodded, smiling slightly at him.
Jiang Mochen looked at him and couldn’t help but lower his head to kiss him. Yan Qingchi reached out and hugged him, letting out a sigh of relief as he returned the kiss, thinking, “Finally, this topic is over.”
Because of the bed, the two of them embraced more tightly than before that night, probably both afraid of falling off if they weren’t careful.
When Yan Qingchi woke up the next morning, he checked the time and it was only 7 a.m. He always woke up earlier than Jiang Mochen, but usually he could play on his phone while waiting for him to wake up. Now that his phone had been confiscated, he was inevitably a little bored.
Yan Qingchi scratched Jiang Mochen’s Adam’s apple and then his chin. Jiang Mochen reached out and grabbed his playful right hand, his voice still a little deep from sleep, “Stop fooling around, let me sleep a little longer.”
Yan Qingchi had no choice but to snuggle in his arms and wait for him to wake up.
Jiang Mochen slept for another half hour before waking up. He kissed Yan Qingchi while asking, “Why did you wake up so early?”
“It’s not early, it’s my normal routine.”
“Don’t you have jet lag? Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m young, I’m not tired.”
“Yeah, I’m six years older than you, but that doesn’t mean I’m older.”
Yan Qingchi kissed his chin ingratiatingly, “You’re not old either, you’re young too.”
Jiang Mochen hugged him, lowering his head to kiss him, but Yan Qingchi quickly pushed him away, “Go brush your teeth! No kissing without brushing your teeth! That’s a principle!”
Jiang Mochen thought about how every morning when he woke up to spend some time with him, he was defeated by this principle. He reached out and ruffled Yan Qingchi’s hair hard, “You’re so principled.”
Yan Qingchi grabbed his mischievous hand and slapped it twice, “That’s one of my admirable qualities, I’m just a principled person.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Jiang Mochen chuckled and pinched his cheek. Before Yan Qingchi could retaliate, he rolled off the bed. “I’m going to wash up. Remember to make it up to me when you get back.”
“Hmph, dream on.” Yan Qingchi also got out of bed, walked to the curtains, and pulled them open. The moment the sunlight streamed in, he felt instantly energized, as if he could run a kilometer.
Yan Qingchi walked onto the balcony, looking at the city streets in the morning. The sky was blue, the leaves were lush, and the sunlight cast long shadows on the trees. No one was out yet; the street was empty yet filled with peace and warmth.
“Good morning,” Yan Qingchi whispered.
He looked at the street scene outside, the sunlight slowly reaching the small balcony and onto him. He basked in the sun contentedly, feeling its gentle warmth.
When Jiang Mochen found him, he saw him comfortably gazing into the distance, basking in the sun. So he walked over and hugged him from behind. Yan Qingchi turned around. “Are you done washing up?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s my turn.”
Yan Qingchi said, preparing to break free to wash up. However, Jiang Mochen hugged him tightly. “You promised to make it up to me when I got back.”
“I clearly said ‘dream on.'”
“Really? I didn’t hear you.”
“Then it seems you’re really getting old; your hearing isn’t working well anymore.” Yan Qingchi feigned melancholy.
Jiang Mochen: …
“Can’t you say something nice this early in the morning?” Jiang Mochen said helplessly.
Yan Qingchi smiled. “Good morning.” He said, his eyes crinkling.
“Anything else?”
Yan Qingchi shook his head. “Nothing else.”
Jiang Mochen frowned.
Yan Qingchi immediately broke free from his embrace. “We’ll talk about the rest tonight. That’s all for this morning.”
After saying that, he blew Jiang Mochen a kiss and turned to walk towards the bathroom.
Jiang Mochen watched his retreating figure and couldn’t help but smile. He felt that Yan Qingchi was like a pool of water, sometimes quiet and gentle, sometimes lively and agile. When he was mature, you wouldn’t think he was a young man who had just graduated from university; but when he was lively, you would feel that he was still a boy full of childlike innocence. However, no matter which one he was, Jiang Mochen felt that he liked him very much, because no matter which one he was, it was the most authentic Yan Qingchi— the one he liked the most.
After Yan Qingchi finished washing up, he and Jiang Mochen closed the door and went downstairs. Li Mo was setting out breakfast for everyone. When she saw the two of them come down, she was stunned. She looked at Yan Qingchi and Jiang Mochen’s clothes and said uncertainly, “Are you two also wearing matching outfits?”
Mo Xiaoxiao laughed instantly.
Li Mo turned to look at Mo Xiaoxiao, “Sister Xiaoxiao, did you two groups agree on this beforehand? Why are you both like this? Are you cosplaying twins?”
Yan Qingchi looked at Mo Xiaoxiao when he heard this and realized that Mo Xiaoxiao and Zhang Ningwei were also wearing matching outfits. Mo Xiaoxiao wore a pink plaid shirt and a white pleated skirt, while Zhang Ningwei wore a blue plaid shirt and a white pleated skirt.
Mo Xiaoxiao waved at him and laughed, “Looks like we thought of the same thing.”
Yan Qingchi denied it guiltily, “No, no, no, it’s just a coincidence between Chen-ge and me. We wanted to dress simply when we came out to play. You know, we guys don’t have as many clothes as you girls, so it’s easy to run into someone wearing the same thing. But you two, don’t girls generally dislike wearing the same clothes?”
“That’s for ordinary girls. Weiwei and I aren’t worried, and we didn’t bring all the same clothes.”
Yan Qingchi nodded, “It really is quite a coincidence.”
“Too much of a coincidence,” Li Mo said, “You two could practically form two couples, but I won’t let you form one, otherwise the fans of the two brothers will probably be angry. And…” Her gaze swept over Yan Qingchi and Jiang Mochen, she chuckled a few times and then fell silent.
Yan Qingchi didn’t understand what she meant by “and,” so she turned to Jiang Mochen and asked, “Did you understand the ‘and’ part of her sentence?”
Jiang Mochen shook his head. “Don’t try to guess what a young girl is thinking; you’ll never understand.”
Li Mo and Li Bozhong had prepared bread and salad for breakfast. They brought their own bread and also borrowed some from Mo Xiaoxiao and Zhang Ningwei. The salad was made with salad dressing from the kitchen and fruit from the refrigerator. Everyone knew they had checked in hastily the night before and there was no food in the room, so they all understood.
Li Bozhong told everyone about today’s arrangements while eating, and everyone readily agreed. The six groups of guests quickly finished their meal, picked up their bags, and went out together.
Li Mo and Li Bozhong, as tour guides, walked in front, with the others loosely following behind them. Yan Qingchi and Jiang Mochen walked at the back, chatting and looking around, quite content.
They boarded the bus at this stop, taking a local special bus. When they got off, Li Mo saw a large crowd gathered in the square not far ahead, looking quite lively. She pulled Mo Xiaoxiao aside and asked, “Xiaoxiao, do you want to go take a look?”
Mo Xiaoxiao, seeing that she wanted to go, nodded understandingly. Zhang Ningwei chimed in, “I want to go take a look too.”
So they decided to go and see.
Yan Qingchi saw pigeons in the square, nudged Jiang Mochen, and pointed them out to him, “Pigeons.”
“You want to feed the pigeons?” Jiang Mochen asked him.
Yan Qingchi nodded, “I kind of want to.”
“Then let’s see if we have time later.”
“Okay.”
They followed Li Mo closer and discovered that several people were sitting on benches in the square painting, with many people watching them.
Yan Qingchi looked closely and noticed that each painter had a person standing in front of them, and the painters were painting the person in front of them.
Li Mo was curious about what they were doing, but her English wasn’t very good. Seeing Jiang Mochen standing nearby, she nudged him and asked, “Brother, could you ask them what they’re doing? Why are so many people drawing?”
“Sure,” Jiang Mochen replied, turning to the black man next to him. The man was very enthusiastic and explained that they were having a competition. The owner of the BLACK bar on the next street said that whoever drew the most lifelike portrait could buy free beer for him and his friends— all the beer in the bar would be free. Jiang Mochen asked how they determined who drew the most lifelike portrait.
The man explained that it was simple: just show the finished painting to the person who was drawn. If the person thought it looked like the portrait, it was; if not, it wasn’t. If the person liked the painting, they could even buy it on the spot.
“We have to pay?”
“Yes, drawing is hard work, but you can pay a little, just a token amount. Nobody will take it seriously,” Jiang Mochen explained to Li Mo and the others.
Li Mo had never been to a foreign bar before, and she was immediately intrigued. She asked him, “Brother, can you draw?”
Jiang Mochen smiled and shook his head.
“Are there any of us 12 who can draw? If he wins, can’t we all go for free beer?”
Yue Ziming saw that she wanted to go, and remembering how their two groups had parted on bad terms because of Fei Jingyu on the island, she felt a little sorry for Li Mo and Li Bozhong. So she said, “Jingyu can draw, and he’s very good at it.”
Upon hearing Fei Jingyu’s name, Li Mo’s joy instantly diminished by half. She turned to Fei Jingyu and asked him, “Brother Fei, are you willing?”
Yue Ziming shook his hand and persuaded him, “Go ahead. If you win, we can go to the bar here together.”
Fei Jingyu was reluctant. He felt that this was a bit low-class. “If you want to go to a bar, we can just go ourselves. Why do we have to do it this way?”
“We don’t have much money to begin with, so of course we have to be careful with our spending,” Yue Ziming advised.
“I learned to paint, not to participate in this kind of competition,” Fei Jingyu said disdainfully, looking at the people painting on the benches. “It’s shameful.”
Jiang Mochen frowned, and Yan Qingchi also felt that these words were unpleasant. “Fei Jingyu,” he reminded him, “even if you don’t like it, don’t say it out loud. They’re just playing a game, having some fun. They didn’t steal from or rob anyone, there’s nothing shameful about it. Besides, we’re on their turf. If they don’t understand Chinese, fine, but if they do, and a fight breaks out, we might not be able to leave here unscathed.”
“What do you know?” Fei Jingyu looked at him. “Can you paint? Have you ever studied painting? An artist showing off his skills in public for a few free beers, asking for critiques, that’s shameful. Professional artists only participate in designated competitions, understand?”
Fei Jingyu said, his tone full of contempt. He wasn’t afraid of Yan Qingchi; in fact, he thought it would be a good thing if Yan Qingchi argued with him. Before Fei Jingyu appeared on the show, his agent told him something: “Being infamous is still being famous.” The entertainment industry is never afraid of having many haters, nor of being infamous; what they fear most is being unknown. Fei Jingyu and his agent analyzed the guests for the recording and finally focused their attention on Yan Qingchi.
To them, Jiang Mochen was too high-class; Fei Jingyu couldn’t reach him even with a ladder. Others might have similar or even lower fame. Only Yan Qingchi was more famous, but hadn’t been in the industry for long, and his fans weren’t fanatical. If they could get close to him, even if it meant arguing on the show and becoming rivals, it would be worthwhile.
If Fei Jingyu could outshine him in some way, a press release could be published and promoted across the internet, which would be even better.
So Fei Jingyu was quite pleased with himself. He had almost already decided on the title for his press release: “Of the 12 guests in ‘Best Partners,’ his talent surpasses Yan Qingchi’s, ranking first.” He looked at Yan Qingchi with a disdainful tone, “That’s what specialization is all about. Brother Yan, perhaps my popularity isn’t as high as yours, but in painting, I’m a professional.”
The author has something to say:
Yan Qingchi: Who was the last person to be so arrogant in front of me, trying to crush me? Liao Sibo?
Liao Sibo: …Suddenly being called out, I’ve already reformed! I’m a new person!
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