Chapter 047: The Group Photo
“Huh?”
The person involved looked completely bewildered.
He was on the hot search?
And he was number one?!
Su Tang and Jiang Ge had been so engrossed in their chat that they hadn’t noticed it was already past eight in the evening. Tonight, Shi Xue was airing the very death scene he had filmed on the day he wrapped up production.
“Whatâs going on? Jiang Ge, you aren’t pranking me, are you?”
Jiang Cha was just as surprised that Su Tang could charge to the top of the trends. For him, this was a windfall of a surprise.
“Why would I lie to you? Hurry up, open your phone and look.”
Doubtful, Su Tang pulled out his phone as he walked and opened Weibo. Sure enough, the topic #SuTangDeathScene was sitting right at the top of the hot search list, followed by a dark red “Explosive” tag.
With a racing heart and trembling hands, the obscure little star Su Tang tapped into the number one topic. The first thing he saw was a short video clip posted by major marketing accountsâit was the segment where his character, Jiang Qingzhi, died in Shi Xue.
“So, it really is my death scene…”
In the scene, Jiang Qingzhi was fighting a horde of demons alongside his Shixiongs when he was ambushed. An enemyâs sharp blade pierced straight through his chest. Warm blood stained his white robes red, and it seemed as though the sword had pierced through his free and spirited soul as well.
Perhaps he was unwilling to accept that he could no longer slay demons and uphold justice alongside his Shixiongs, or maybe he regretted not yet seeing all the majestic rivers and mountains of the world or witnessing its myriad glories. As Jiang Qingzhi fell, his eyes were filled with too much reluctance and attachment.
The director had intentionally used slow motion in post-production. Wind curled the dust and smoke as Jiang Luoxueâs most pampered, proud, and noble Little Junior Brother clutched his chest and slowly fell like drifting willow catkins.
Tears, like broken pearls, slid from his long, curled lashes. Before Jiang Luoxue could see him struck and rush over to catch him, he had already collapsed into the flying dust.
If only I were a little stronger. If I had known it would end like this, I would have practiced diligently with my Shixiongs instead of acting spoiled and refusing to learn. If only I had listened to Shixiong more…
I haven’t eaten enough snacks from the mortal night markets yet. I haven’t received the picture book I pestered Jiang Luoxue for days to get. I haven’t even drunk the wine we buried under the pear blossom tree last New Yearâs Eve.
“Shixiong…”
Jiang Qingzhi was so unwilling, so reluctant to let go…
Through the lens, Su Tangâs portrayal of Jiang Qingzhi presented a sense of fragility that was beautiful to the extreme. Su Tangâs face, already naturally stunning, was even more heart-stopping on camera.
The young man in white robes stained with blood; from this moment on, the world would no longer have the spirited, unrestrained Jiang Qingzhi who had grown up surrounded by love.
Su Tang watched his own clip quietly, his mood somewhat indescribable. When he looked up, he met Jiang Chaâs rather fervent gaze.
Jiang Cha stared with satisfaction at the Omega whose expression remained calm, smiling kindly.
The comments section was almost entirely filled with people going crazy for Jiang Qingzhi tonight. No one expected such an unknown little actor to deliver such a brilliant performance in a TV drama, momentarily overshadowing even the male lead, Xie Xingzhi.
“Su Tang, this scene is absolutely viral. This hot search came at exactly the right time; I don’t even have to worry about how to build momentum for you now.”
Jiang Cha patted Su Tang on the shoulder. Seeing that it was getting late, he stood up to leave.
Su Tang quickly followed to see him out, but Jiang Cha stopped him at the door.
“Su Tang.”
Su Tang nodded, listening obediently. “Speak, Jiang Ge.”
Jiang Cha had worked in this circle for over a decade. He had seen the warmth and coldness of human nature, and he saw many things more clearly than others.
“This might be the first time in your life you’ve been on the hot search. I hope you won’t get too inflated. Everyone in our circle likes to take advantage of the wind to do things beneficial to themselves. We need to seize this opportunity to pick a few good scripts for you. Hone your skills properly and just focus on being a better actor.”
Su Tang agreed seriously. He watched Jiang Cha enter the elevator before returning to the living room.
The trending topic had come too suddenly. As the person involved, he didn’t have a very real sense of it yet. The extreme excitement lasted only a second before being washed away by a sense of unreal emptiness.
Guard against arrogance and rashness. Su Tang brewed himself a cup of tea just as Su Bingâs call came in.
“Hello, Jie.”
Su Bingâs voice was jubilant. “Yo, my good cub! I just clicked on the hot search and thought I was seeing things. Our family’s little brother actually made it to the hot search? Doesn’t that mean you’ll have tons of fangirls from now on?”
“I don’t think so, it’s not that exaggerated…”
Su Tang scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. Although his follower count had increased by a few million in just this short hour, surely it wasn’t that crazy.
“Alright, look at you being modest.”
Su Bing waved her hand dismissively. On her computer screen, the highlight reel of her Su Tang was playing on a loop. She smiled with relief, but looking at the family portrait on her bedside table, her nose suddenly felt a little sour.
Rarely, she didn’t tease her brother. Her tone was gentle, unlike her usual self. “If Mom and Dad were still here, they would be just as happy for you as I am. Stinky brat, you really did well, you know that?”
After their parents passed, Su Bing rarely mentioned them in front of Su Tang. The siblings tacitly buried the Su couple, who loved them most, in the most precious place in their hearts.
Perhaps there are people who are never mentioned, yet are never forgotten.
“En, I know, Jie. Let’s talk another day.”
Su Tang hung up the phone quickly. Clutching the safety charm hanging around his neck tightly in his hand, his eyes reddened. He stood in the living room looking at the neon nightscape outside the window, slowly calming his emotions.
Many of his WeChat friends had seen the hot search and sent their congratulations. Su Tang accepted them all and responded one by one to express his gratitude.
There were simply too many people to reply to. Only then did Su Tang belatedly realize his popularity. After the initial daze of being hit by this pie falling from the sky, Su Tang finally found some sense of happiness worth celebrating.
Just replying to his friends’ messages took him nearly an hour. After finishing that, following Jiang Chaâs instructions, he went to Weibo and reposted the official Shi Xue post from today.
By the time Su Tang finally remembered to share the news with Ye Xiansheng, the door to the house opened. His Alpha walked toward him, smiling, holding a massive bouquet of red roses.
“Congratulations on trending, my little Omega.”
Ye Chiyu handed the flowers to his little Omega, throwing in a gentle kiss on the forehead.
“I don’t think I’ve ever asked my Tangtang about his preference for flowers. I hope you like them.”
He had been working overtime at the company tonight when Qi Yuan reported the news of Su Tang trending immediately.
Ye Chiyu had directly called Lingyu, ordering them to protect Su Tang’s personal information to prevent anyone with ill intentions from using it. He also put the PR team on standby for any contingencies. Only then did he feel at ease.
Since his little one had decided to develop a career in the entertainment industry, he would protect his little Omega just as his father had protected his Papa. He wouldn’t let Su Tang suffer even a bit of harm.
President Ye, who had been working overtime for half a month straight, left his employees behind for the first time, openly skipping work to drive to a flower shop and buy a bouquet of roses for his Omega.
“Thank you, Ye Xiansheng! I love them!”
It was Su Tang’s first time receiving fresh flowers. He buried his cute little face in the blooms, sniffing again and again, then looked up at his Alpha with excitement.
Ye Chiyu raised his hand to dotingly rub the little guy’s head, smiling as he said, “You’re welcome.”
Then he watched his Omega holding that bouquet of roses, trying out every corner of the house to see where it fit best. The hesitant look as he picked and chose fell into Ye Chiyuâs eyes, looking utterly adorable.
After some struggle, Su Tang finally selected the low coffee table on the balcony as the place for the roses. Excitedly, he pulled Ye Xiansheng‘s hand, asking him to take a picture of him with the flowers.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, his small head popping out from beside the roses, making a happy “V” sign at the Alpha holding the phone.
It was the Alpha’s first time taking a photo of his kid. President Ye, who didn’t even blink when signing contracts worth billions, actually felt his hand tremble slightly from nervousness as he held the phone to press the shutter for his little Omega.
“Ye Xiansheng, did you take it?”
Su Tang changed his pose while holding the flowers, tilting his head to ask the silent Alpha.
Ye Chiyu chuckled lightly. “Done. Take a look?”
Su Tang obediently stood up and looked at the photo Ye Xiansheng had taken of him right from the Alpha’s hand. He was very satisfied and praised Ye Chiyu several times, saying “Ye Xiansheng is amazing” and “so capable,” practically praising Ye Chiyu to the skies.
Ye Chiyu just smiled and handed the phone back to Su Tang.
“Ah! Ye Xiansheng!”
Su Tang suddenly shouted excitedly and tugged at Ye Chiyuâs sleeve.
Ye Chiyu raised a hand to scrape the Omegaâs nose. “Hm?”
Then he saw the little Omega, who had just been shouting excitedly, slowly blush, looking at him with anticipation.
“Ye Xiansheng, today is such a celebratory day, can we…”
Ye Chiyu followed up: “Can we what?”
“Can we,” Su Tang was a bit shy, his slightly curled black hair soft and cute, his warm lips tinged with pale pink, “Can you take a group photo with me?”
They had been married for several months, yet their only photo together was the one on their marriage certificate.
Regarding the Omega’s request, Ye Chiyu only paused for a split second before quickly agreeing with a smile.
“I couldn’t ask for more.”
The Alpha’s soft voice carried an eager desire and expectation. Su Tang felt as if he had been hit by a sweet candy; his heart was honey-sweet.
He moved quickly to find a phone stand. After trying several times with his Alpha, they finally captured a photo of the husband and husband holding hands, smiling perfectly at each other.
The next day, Ye Chiyu had Qi Yuan find the best craftsman to frame the photo of him and Su Tang, hanging it in the most conspicuous spot in the study.
Recommended Reads
