Chapter 44

In total, four cast members of《Wind Wanderer》were attending. In addition to all of their a.s.sistants, the stylists for Fang Shaoyi and another young actor, and Yuan Ye, their entire team contained over ten people.

Fang Shaoyi and them didn’t leave with the others. They were scheduled to fly over three days in advance. The small town of Cannes had long since been surrounded by reporters. Thousands of reporters from all around the world had already started waiting there. It wasn’t a secret when any celebrity arrived. Thus, in order to ensure peace across the next couple of days, they weren’t flying directly to Cannes. They would first stop in Paris for three days and wait for the director and the rest of the team before leaving Paris together.

Ji Xiaotao had booked the hotel rooms a month in advance. He had worked with Fang Shaoyi for several years. Each time they came to Europe for a film festival, there were challenges. Not only for film festivals, though – other scheduled events were the same. Only, Fang Shaoyi always rejected the invitations to other events if he could, as long as they weren’t film festivals. Sometimes, when Fang Shaoyi needed to film movie scenes outside of the country, Ji Xiaotao also needed to schedule things in advance. Travelling internationally was a very strenuous and difficult task.

On the way to the airport, they first stopped by Yuan Ye’s place to pick him up. The car was a van. As soon as Yuan Ye got in, he reached his hand out to stroke Fang Shaoyi’s hand. He greeted, “Yi ge.”

Fang Shaoyi wrapped his hand around the other’s. He smiled and asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

There were other people in the car, after all. Yuan Ye was too embarra.s.sed to keep holding Fang Shaoyi’s hand for too long. They basically just squeezed each other’s hands for a moment before retreating. Yuan Ye chuckled and answered, “I’ve eaten.”

Fang Shaoyi nodded. Yuan Ye asked too, “Have you eaten? Have you taken your medicine?”

“Yes.” Fang Shaoyi gazed at him. Then, he laughed and lowly said, “Don’t be nervous.”

“Un, I’ve already been through this many times.” Yuan Ye blinked at him playfully. “Watch me.”

Fang Shaoyi lifted his hand and brushed Yuan Ye’s hair with his fingers. Yuan Ye openly tilted his head in the other’s direction, allowing him to brush more. Because of this minute action, Fang Shaoyi smiled again faintly. There were slight wrinkles by the corners of his eyes when he smiled. This made him look extra gentle.

After getting on the plane, Yuan Ye immediately placed the pillow behind Fang Shaoyi’s neck, then handed him the eye mask. Fang Shaoyi burst into laughter. He accepted the items and said, “I’m not sleepy. Let’s chat a bit.”

“Okay.” Yuan Ye turned around and glanced at Ji Xiaotao and the stylist. The two of them were conversing quietly. Ji Xiaotao smiled dumbly at Yuan Ye upon making eye contact. Yuan Ye turned back around to tell Fang Shaoyi, “Xiaotao’s not young anymore.”

Fang Shaoyi made a noise of acknowledgment. “I’ve talked with him about it, saying that I want him to stay at the office. But he doesn’t want to.” Fang Shaoyi used a voice low enough that only the two of them could hear. This seemed slightly intimate. “Xiaotao is too loyal. He can’t let me go and also doesn’t want to switch jobs.”

Yuan Ye said, “If he wants to follow you around, just let him. There’s no rush. When he decides himself that he wants to live a more stable lifestyle and doesn’t want to rush around all the time anymore, arrange for another job for him. Otherwise, no matter how you phrase it, it’ll seem like you have a cold heart. Which would be quite disheartening.”

Fang Shaoyi nodded and started talking to Yuan Ye about his work. He asked, “Is there anything you’re busy with these days? What are you writing?”

Yuan Ye shook his head and said, “I already rushed and finished all the jobs I owed people prior to joining the film crew last year. Right now, there’s only one script I have to write. Leizi has been bugging me about it for too long. I’ll try to write it when I get back, I guess. But honestly, I don’t have many ideas for it in my head. No details, just a brief concept that can’t even be considered an outline. I do like the little bit I have, though.”

“That means you want to write it,” Fang Shaoyi laughed and told Yuan Ye while gazing at him.

Yuan Ye paused for a moment. After, he smiled and nodded, “Seems like it.”

Like this, the two of them held a normal conversation. It was very comfortable and natural. Yuan Ye didn’t express any other emotions; he was even less pa.s.sive than usual and gentler. He took the initiative to discuss his work matters with Fang Shaoyi, gossipping about the interesting stories and rumors of the literary circle. For example, he spoke about how Feng Leizi was scared of his wife and how last time, Han San’er got teased by a certain someone at the dinner table for half the evening because of his Shandong accent. Usually, they likely wouldn’t hold a long conversation about these things. Yuan Ye also wouldn’t take the initiative to talk about them. When they were together, Yuan Ye was more used to talking about Fang Shaoyi’s business and his movies. Or, they wouldn’t speak at all, only quietly accompanying the other.

When Yuan Ye laughed, Fang Shaoyi would laugh too. Yuan Ye asked, “Do you know Tao Li? I don’t think you do.”

Fang Shaoyi said, “That doesn’t matter. Keep speaking.”

Yuan Ye continued. If this were normally, he might not have. He always felt like Fang Shaoyi wasn’t interested in these things. Fang Shaoyi was so busy. When he wasn’t working, Yuan Ye usually wanted him to rest more. But right now, they were on a plane and bored. Yuan Ye was worried that the other would have nothing to do, so was chatting with him to distract him. Thus, he spoke nonstop.

“Tao Li’s gay too, and quite annoying. That facetious person always asks me about that stuff. So bothersome.” Yuan Ye tsk’d upon thinking about Tao Li. He shook his head and said, “His writing always heads straight to the nether regions. Previously, a team bought the license for one of his books and wanted to turn it into a movie. The f.u.c.ker said he needed to be the screenwriter, otherwise, he wouldn’t sell the copyright. As the screenwriter, he wanted practically half the scenes to be filmed in bed. That wouldn’t have been a mostly closed off set anymore. It was close to being completely p.o.r.n.”

Fang Shaoyi asked, “And then? They got a different screenwriter?”

Yuan Ye shook his head. “No, things fell through. He said that this was the way he wrote and he wouldn’t change his writing to pa.s.s a review. Thus, he refused to sell the license. The usual proud litérateur nonsense.”

Fang Shaoyi burst into laughter and shook his head. Yuan Ye added, “Han San’er says that sometimes, we’re actually all dumba.s.ses who only think that we’re rebellious and unconventional swordsmen with tendons of steel and bones of iron.”

Fang Shaoyi couldn’t agree with this statement. He lowered his voice to tell Yuan Ye, “You really are an unconventional swordsman with tendons of steel and bones of iron.”

Yuan Ye glanced at him and promised, “I’ll change. I’ll make myself a bit softer.”

“There’s no need,” Fang Shaoyi furrowed his brows and replied without thinking. Then, he stared straight at Yuan Ye and repeated himself, “There’s no need.”

Yuan Ye smiled. He didn’t say anything else, only nodding.

The flight was more than ten hours long. Fang Shaoyi didn’t eat anything the entire time. He only drank a cup of milk and two cups of coffee. Yuan Ye didn’t force him to eat either. Fortunately, Fang Shaoyi wasn’t hungry in the first place. Later on, Yuan Ye wouldn’t let him keep talking. He only allowed Fang Shaoyi to close his eyes and go to sleep. Actually, Fang Shaoyi didn’t fall asleep at all. He felt uncomfortable, but in order to allow Yuan Ye to rest at ease, he kept his eyes closed the entire time, almost as if he was truly asleep.

There were a few times during this that Yuan Ye reached a hand out to check the temperature of his forehead. His palm was hot and felt very comfortable pressed against Fang Shaoyi’s skin.

After Fang Shaoyi closed his eyes, Yuan Ye pulled out a book to read. Halfway through, a flight attendant walked over, wanting to help cover Fang Shaoyi with a blanket. Yuan Ye quietly stopped her. “Thank you, but there’s no need. He feels warm.”

Things were okay in the beginning, but starting in the last few hours of the flight, Fang Shaoyi’s face slowly got paler and paler. By the time they needed to disembark the plane, even his lips were practically colorless. His entire face was pale as a sheet.

The stylist was someone Fang Shaoyi had worked with for many years. They knew each other extremely well. There was no need to ask questions.

There was a car from the hotel waiting to pick them up at the airport. The entire way, Yuan Ye didn’t say a word to Fang Shaoyi. He only kept holding onto the other’s hand, allowing the warmth of his palm to transfer over to him. In a daze, Yuan Ye seemed to see himself from many years ago, when he had first accompanied Fang Shaoyi to Europe. At that time, he had been very panicked. His heart had also continuously twinged with pain.

That had been the first time Yuan Ye had discovered that Fang Shaoyi had a weakness too. So the perfect face under the spotlight dealt with so many difficulties in secret.

Fang Shaoyi couldn’t eat anything at all, not even a bite. He couldn’t drink any water either. A seven hour time difference caused Fang Shaoyi’s entire nervous system to collapse. Each of his nerves seemed to have stopped working. Fang Shaoyi kept his head lowered as he sat on the edge of the bed after taking off his jacket. His arms rested on both his knees. His hands were loosely clasped together as they dangled down. He was still dressed properly in a white dress shirt and pants.

Yuan Ye knew he was uncomfortable. Yuan Ye knew that right now, Fang Shaoyi had a headache, felt nauseous, his chest hurt, and he was having heart palpitations.

Yuan Ye pulled out a thin, comfortable pair of pajamas from the suitcase and walked over to gently caress Fang Shaoyi’s face. His voice was low and soft, “I’ll change you out of your clothes, baobei’er.”

Fang Shaoyi’s breathing sounded a bit rough. He said, “It’s fine. I’ll do it myself later.”

Yuan Ye undid the b.u.t.tons of his shirt one by one, then put the pajamas on him. He very rarely took care of Fang Shaoyi like the other was a child, because since the beginning, regardless of if they considered age or status, Yuan Ye had always been the one getting taken care of, though not to the extent of what he was currently doing. It was true that Fang Shaoyi had always been the stronger one in their relationship.

So the first time Fang Shaoyi had suddenly pa.s.sed out, face ashen pale as he collapsed against Yuan Ye, eighteen year old Yuan Ye hadn’t been much better off than Fang Shaoyi. He had been too panicked and scared. As he hugged Fang Shaoyi, he felt excruciating pain in his heart, but he also didn’t know what to do.

At that time, Fang Shaoyi’s a.s.sistant told Yuan Ye that there was no need to go to the hospital. Fang Shaoyi just needed to head to the hotel and sleep it off. Yuan Ye sat cross-legged on Fang Shaoyi’s bed. He stared at the other until he woke up four hours later. When Fang Shaoyi opened his eyes, Yuan Ye’s eyes were already red from how long he had been staring. He softly asked, “What’s wrong with you, ge?”

A monkey pretending to be calm. His voice sounded relaxed, but his expression was very pitiful.

Fang Shaoyi reached a hand out to him and spread his arms. His voice was raspy as he said, “Come.”

Yuan Ye thus buried his round head against one of Fang Shaoyi’s collarbones. His eyelashes gently fluttered against Fang Shaoyi’s neck. Fang Shaoyi chuckled. As he did so, his chest vibrated. He asked, “Scared?”

Yuan Ye nodded against Fang Shaoyi’s neck. He didn’t make a noise.

One of Fang Shaoyi’s hands rested on the back of Yuan Ye’s head. He gently caressed it a few times, then said, “Don’t panic. It’s fine.”

“How could I not panic?” Yuan Ye’s voice sounded out, m.u.f.fled. “You didn’t even say anything before pa.s.sing out. I was so scared I almost spat my heart out.”

Fang Shaoyi laughed and said, “So spit it out for me to see.”

Yuan Ye opened his mouth, pretending to spit. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he closed his teeth around Fang Shaoyi’s neck. Then, he ground his teeth together, biting on the tendon in Fang Shaoyi’s neck to vent his anger. Fang Shaoyi slightly hesitated, as if wanting to say something. In the end, though, he only laughed and stroked Yuan Ye’s head; he didn’t say anything, letting the other do as he wished.

At that time, Yuan Ye had still been a child. He hadn’t encountered anything like this before, hadn’t felt such grueling pain in his heart before. These emotions appeared aggressively and suddenly. He didn’t know how to deal with them.

The result of him using someone else’s neck as a chew toy was that this person could no longer wear the shirt he had already decided upon for the film festival. He had to make an impromptu change into a high-collared dress shirt.

Too many of his initial emotional experiences had come from Fang Shaoyi. That experience had left an extremely strong impression on him. To the point that even now, every time Fang Shaoyi headed to any location with a time difference, Yuan Ye would get very nervous. Even though he later lived through many other situations, and also now got called “Uncle” by children, he still felt nervous.

When Fang Shaoyi woke up, he quietly looked at Yuan Ye. After, he suddenly chuckled. He opened his mouth and asked, “Are you going to bite again?”

These six words seemed to have come from fifteen years ago. They carried with them an aura that seemed to have transmigrated through the years.

Yuan Ye sat on the couch nearby. His gaze was filled with a warm and distant light. He gently snapped his teeth together in front of Fang Shaoyi, pretending to bite. Then, he walked over and leaned down before softly kissing the other’s neck.

When his lips brushed against Fang Shaoyi’s pulse, it seemed almost as if he had touched the other’s heartbeat——like he had used his lips to kiss that gentle and strong heart.