Chapter 172: Boys Should Protect Themselves When They’re Out
For the next few days, Father and Mother An didn’t give Gu Fei a pleasant look, but they ultimately didn’t oppose the relationship.
However, it was impossible for them to treat him with the same politeness and friendliness as before. It would probably take a year or so for their attitude to completely change.
Yu Qingtong was also caught in the crossfire, nearly losing her best friend of many years. To save their friendship, she used every trick in the book to beg for Song Shuman’s forgiveness, a task more difficult than pursuing a romantic interest.
Because of this, Gu Fei received no shortage of eye-rolls from Yu Qingtong these days. It was all because of this brat that she had been reduced to such a state, groveling in the dust before her best friend.
Fortunately, in the end, Song Shuman finally forgave her.
As for An Jing and An Lingkang’s plan to put a sack over Gu Fei’s head and beat him up in an alley, it had yet to be realized and was rather unrealistic. If they ended up injuring Gu Fei, wouldn’t Yanyan be the one whose heart ached in the end?
And wouldn’t they be the ones Yanyan blamed?
Although Father and Mother An didn’t look kindly on Gu Fei, they were still very good to An Qingyan. After all, he was their precious baby boy. They fed him well every day, and in the few days he was home, he gained two or three pounds.
He was afraid he wouldn’t fit into his role when he returned to the set.
“Yanyan, why are you eating so little tonight? No appetite? Mom made all your favorites.”
“I have to go back to the set tomorrow. I need to maintain my figure, I can’t eat anymore.”
“One meal won’t make a difference. How much weight can you gain from one meal? Look, you’re leaving tomorrow, who knows when you’ll be back.” Song Shuman persuaded, placing a handmade beef meatball into her son’s bowl. “Eat up, it’s fine.”
An Yu: “Here, little brother’s favorite Coke chicken wings.”
An Jing: “And this braised pork rib.”
An Lingkang: “Here, braised prawns. Dad peeled them for you.”
An Qingyan: “…”
Well… Mom does have a point.
One meal won’t make a difference.
And so, An Qingyan buried his head in his bowl and started eating again.
After dinner, he went back to his room to pack his luggage for his return to the set tomorrow.
Halfway through packing, there was a knock on the door. He opened it to find Gu Fei standing there.
The man was wearing a dark high-necked sweater with a matching overcoat. He was tall with long legs and a straight posture, his features deep and handsome. He seemed to carry a trace of the winter night’s chill from outside.
An Qingyan was stunned. “How did you…”
Before he could finish, Gu Fei wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him into the room, locking the door behind them. The man chuckled softly. “Be careful, don’t let Uncle and Auntie find out.”
An Qingyan: “…”
Why does this feel so much like an illicit affair?
They were in a perfectly legitimate relationship.
Then again, if Gu Fei came over openly, his parents would probably kick him out.
“You snuck in? My parents didn’t see you?”
Gu Fei: “Mm, An Yu covered for me.”
An Qingyan: “…” You’ve got some nerve!
“Aren’t you leaving for the set tomorrow? I came to see you.”
“I’m more curious about how you bribed my second brother.”
“That’s not important. Let Fei ge have a kiss first.” Gu Fei’s lips curled into a smile. He held the young man by the waist, pulling him into an embrace, and leaned down to kiss him, taking full advantage of the situation.
They ended up on the bed.
“Don’t…”
“Be good. Keep your voice down later, don’t get caught.”
“O… okay.”
…
The night was deep.
Gu Fei carried the sleeping An Qingyan out of the bathroom and gently placed him on the bed, tucking him in. He had no intention of leaving just yet, instead lying down beside his young lover.
He must have been exhausted. The person in his arms was breathing evenly, sleeping soundly. Gu Fei idly held the young man’s right hand, lowering his head to kiss the fair, well-proportioned fingers.
Suddenly remembering something, the man let go of his hand, carefully got out of bed, and found a soft tape measure in a nearby drawer. He then meticulously measured the circumference of the young man’s left middle finger.
An engagement ring is worn on the left middle finger.
“Yanyan, it’s getting late. Time to get up for breakfast.” Song Shuman knocked on the door for about thirty seconds before it opened.
Song Shuman froze.
Gu Fei nodded slightly, politely greeting her. “Good morning, Auntie.”
“Gu Fei, you! It’s so early in the morning, what are you doing in Yanyan’s room!” Song Shuman’s voice rose, and An Lingkang, who was downstairs, heard her and rushed over.
Gu Fei: “Good morning, Uncle.”
“What’s good about it!” An Lingkang glared at him, exasperated. “You better explain what’s going on! When did you get in here!”
“Last night.” Gu Fei was composed, a faint smile even gracing his usually stoic face. “Uncle, Auntie, Yanyan is still asleep. I’ll go wake him.”
An Lingkang: “Wake him for what? Get out!”
Song Shuman shot her husband a look. “Alright, don’t be so fierce, you’ll scare Yanyan. Let’s go downstairs first.”
An Lingkang: “You’re just going to let it go?!”
Song Shuman sighed helplessly. “What can I do? It’s impossible to guard against him. Looks like I’ll have to prepare an extra set of bowls and chopsticks.”
An Lingkang was even more surprised. “You’re letting him eat breakfast with us?!”
Song Shuman glanced at him. “What? Is that not okay? Should I give him your bowl and chopsticks then?”
“No, no, no, how could I say it’s not okay.” An Lingkang smiled placatingly, his bravado gradually fading, his voice getting smaller and smaller as he tried to please her. “Whatever my wife says, goes…”
In the end, Gu-ye successfully infiltrated the An family.
After a satisfying breakfast, Gu-ye left under the resentful gazes of his future father-in-law and brother-in-law. If he didn’t leave soon, he was afraid the two of them would chase him out with brooms.
An Qingyan continued to pack his luggage. He would have finished last night, but who knew Gu Fei would suddenly show up. The commotion lasted until midnight, leaving no time for packing.
His mother had also prepared a suitcase full of snacks and pastries for him to take, afraid that he wouldn’t have enough to eat on set. In the end, he returned to the set with bags of all sizes.
Before he left, An Lingkang earnestly advised his youngest son that boys should also protect themselves when they’re out and not be easily deceived by a certain someone with the surname Gu.
He might as well have said his name.
The next two months of filming went smoothly.
Duan Ci didn’t cause any more trouble, nor did he target An Qingyan and Lu Yuqi. He greeted them with a smile every day, the very picture of a sycophant.
He even started to take acting seriously. His diligence and eagerness to learn surprised even the director. What had happened to this kid? A complete change in personality?
However, Duan Ci had simply come to understand two things.
First, offending An Qingyan was the same as offending Gu Fei, and offending Gu Fei would lead to no good end!
Second, a real man must rely on himself!
An Qingyan also found Duan Ci’s change strange, but as long as others didn’t bother him, he wouldn’t bother them. It was best for everyone to mind their own business.
In mid-April, the final scene of “Chronicles of the Nine Provinces” was filmed. The moment the director announced the wrap, everyone cheered excitedly. The five-month filming journey had finally come to an end.
“Everyone has worked hard during this time. The wrap party will be held tomorrow night. The specific time and place will be announced later!”
“Yay!! It’s a wrap, it’s a wrap!!”
“Sob… I won’t get to see my Yanyan and Qiqi’s beautiful faces anymore!”
“Quick, let’s take pictures with the handsome guys!!”
The crew members rushed to take photos with the actors, with An Qingyan and Lu Yuqi being the most popular.
Amidst the noise, An Qingyan posed for photos with everyone, a patient and gentle smile always on his face. When he saw a certain person suddenly appear, the smile on his face widened, as bright as the spring sunshine.
The people around him were stunned.
My god, why is Yanyan suddenly smiling so beautifully? Even his eyes are sparkling!
A gasp suddenly rippled through the crowd.
“Holy crap, isn’t that Gu-ye!”
“Ahhh, so handsome!”
“Gu Fei is holding flowers, who are they for?”
“Holy crap, I think he’s walking towards me!”
“Dream on, he’s clearly… holy crap! It’s Yanyan!”
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Gu Fei walked through the crowd, his long legs taking him step by step towards An Qingyan. The handsome and mature man was dressed in a gray casual suit, holding a bouquet of vibrant red roses.
Isn’t this the affectionate and overbearing male lead from a novel?
The man finally stopped in front of An Qingyan and handed him the flowers. “Yanyan, happy wrap.” He took a half step forward and gave the young man a polite hug, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, “And, happy birthday.”
Today was An Qingyan’s twentieth birthday.
In front of so many people, An Qingyan didn’t dare to be too intimate with Gu Fei. He smiled politely, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Gu.”
Gu Fei gave a faint smile. “You’re welcome.”
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
My dear mother!
What’s going on?
What’s going on between Yanyan and Gu-ye?
Holy crap, so romantic, they look so good together!
No! I can’t betray the ‘Arrogant King x Dumb Beauty’ ship!
Only the director, Wu Weiguang, was heartbroken. Gu-ye had gotten his hands on his little treasure?!
No! Way!
Beside them, Lu Yuqi looked away, unable to watch. He felt a little unhappy. Even someone as boring as Gu Fei knew how to be romantic, but he had nothing. Not to mention flowers, he hadn’t even received a single WeChat message.
“I’m going to the dressing room first.” With that, Lu Yuqi walked off to the dressing room alone.
However, the moment he opened the door, he froze.
“Qiqi fly high, your husband will always be by your side!” An Jing was standing inside, holding a support banner with Lu Yuqi’s headshot on it. It was even pink. “Qiqi, happy wrap!”
Lu Yuqi: “…”
Is there something wrong with this person?
He quickly went inside and closed the door.
An Jing picked up a bouquet of flowers from the side and stuffed them into his hands. “Here, here, take it.”
Are you handing out eggs here?
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