"Can't you be a little more dignified? You're acting like this just because you missed dinner?"
Bie Yunzong felt a pang of sadness in his heart: "It's not just that I'm hungry for dinner, it's mainly because I haven't seen my wife in so long."
"Too long?" Su Yanxi asked, both amused and exasperated. "Only two days!"
"Isn't two days a lot?" Bie Yunzong said seriously. "A day apart feels like three autumns! It's been two days already—six autumns!"
"Alright, alright, six autumns. I've neglected you for two days, you must be feeling really wronged." Su Yanxi helped her nemesis sit down and considerately took off his light coat. "Would you like something to eat first or take a shower?"
Similar to Bie Yunzong's thoughts, before Bie Yunzong started whining and acting cute, Su Yanxi had always had the urge to have a big fight and talk things out.
As the saying goes, a short pain is worse than a long one. As long as Bie Yunzong gets angry with him, he will have an opportunity to argue. He can take advantage of the anger during the argument to interrogate Bie Yunzong about the matter of "cheating".
However, since Bie Yunzong didn't get angry at him, he didn't get into a fight.
How many people can resist the pitiful whining and pleading of a soft, big dog? Su Yanxi, for one, certainly couldn't.
"I don't want to think about anything else, I just want to sit with my wife for a while."
Bie Yunzong nestled into Su Yanxi's arms, snuggling intimately with his wife.
"Honey, although I'm quite tired from flying tonight, I'm happy to see you."
"Look how well-behaved I am. I was afraid the security check would scratch your bag, so I even put it in a velvet bag."
As if seeking praise, Bie Yun took the expensive luxury handbag out of the velvet protective bag and handed it to Su Yanxi.
Su Yanxi, who didn't care about the handbag at all and just wanted to test his feelings, was a little guilty.
When he took the handbag, he didn't avoid Bie Yunzong's gaze: "Thank you, husband."
Although Bie Yunzong wasn't as sensitive and perceptive as Su Yanxi, he was always serious and meticulous when it came to his wife: "Wife, you're acting strange tonight?"
Su Yanxi sighed softly, "Nothing much. Didn't you say you were hungry? Quickly grab the menu and take a look. At this hour, there probably isn't much food left in the hotel; we'll have to order takeout."
"Wife, don't change the subject." Bie Yunzong was unusually serious, not joking around. "Not only tonight, but your behavior of suddenly returning to Beicheng that day was strange, and your anger that night... was also a bit strange."
"Just tell me what you're unhappy about, okay? I'm not as thoughtful as you, so don't make me guess what you're thinking—I can't guess accurately."
Bie Yunzong's words were very straightforward, honest, and pleading—flawless.
If it weren't for the unfamiliar perfume scent that had lingered on Bie Yunzong's clothes, the hotel room key that had fallen out of his pocket, his occasionally mysterious whereabouts, and his frequent late returns...
If Su Yanxi hadn't remembered these things, she would have truly believed Bie Yunzong's humility.
"Should I be frank...? Where should I even begin to be frank?"
Should we start with an unfamiliar perfume from who-knows-when, or with something more recent... well, about its viscosity?
No matter where you start, Su Yanxi seems like a resentful husband demanding repayment of a debt. Proud and aloof, he absolutely refuses to be a resentful husband or demand repayment of a debt of affection, which is why he turned a blind eye for so many years, yet never dared to confront Bie Yunzong about it.
What Su Yanxi wanted was some semblance of dignity.
“Yunzong, just as I understand you, I believe you understand me too. I am a very strong-willed person and I value my reputation. Many times I don’t want to talk things out because I still have feelings for you and want to give you a chance.”
"Mmm." Bie Yunzong nodded repeatedly. "I understand, wife, I understand everything."
He not only understood, but he also knew that his wife's overly independent and self-reliant behavior could be simply summarized as "lack of self-confidence".
Su Yanxi is mostly arrogant and confident, making her seem unapproachable and untouchable. Only Bie Yunzong, her husband, knows that his wife is actually an insecure and pitiful little thing who needs to be carefully cared for.
"But honey, we've been together for seven years. Isn't seven years enough to build your confidence in me? Just tell me straight. If there's any misunderstanding, I'll definitely explain it to you."
Unlike Su Yanxi, Bie Yunzong had absolute confidence in his relationship with his wife.
In his opinion, no one in the world is a better match for him and his wife! He and Su Yanxi are a perfect match: one is free-spirited and unrestrained, the other is restrained and calm; one is rough and straightforward, the other is meticulous and reserved.
Chapter 38
One is absolutely confident, the other is sometimes insecure.
Look, look, look! What a perfect NS! What a perfect couple!
A perfect match made in heaven, arranged by the God of Love—it couldn't be more perfect!
Su Yanxi softened her stance and finally spoke under Bie Yunzong's persistent questioning.
"I'm asking you, in July of the year you graduated from university, what happened between you and—"
Before Su Yanxi could finish speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang.
The ambiguous atmosphere, perfect for a heart-to-heart talk, was interrupted by the untimely doorbell. Bie Yunzong immediately flew into a rage, cursing as he jumped up to open the door.
"Damn it, who the hell rang the doorbell at this crucial moment when I'm trying to find love?!"
Bie Yunzong flung the door open, only to find a woman with a short bob haircut and oversized earrings standing dumbfounded outside.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, the two spoke at the same time.
Who are you?
Who are you?
Su Yanxi straightened her appearance and composed herself before stepping forward to greet the guest: "Sister Tong, I'm sorry, I forgot you said you were coming tonight."
"I just finished discussing the rehearsals with the directing team, and here I am with the new schedule to show you."
Zhou Tong sized up the tall man in front of her, keeping an eye on him as she walked around him into the room.
"This...could this be your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?" Bie Yunzong scoffed, then flashed a smug smile. "Not boyfriend, but old man—"
"Old lovers".
Su Yanxi covered Bie Yunzong's mouth and kicked the stinky dog.
They've been in love for many years and have a relationship as good as that of an old married couple.
"Sister, sit down. I'll get you a glass of water."
Su Yanxi glared at Bie Yunzong, then glanced at the bathroom, as if to say: If you have nothing to do, go take a shower!
Bie Yunzong looked aggrieved and lowered his head to touch the hem of Su Yanxi's clothes, meaning: Waaah, wife, I didn't bring any clothes.
Su Yanxi clicked her tongue and then pointed towards the bathroom with her chin, meaning: You go first, I'll think of a solution for you later.
And so, Bie Yunzong obediently went into the bathroom, leaving Zhou Tong completely bewildered.
"What are you two doing, exchanging glances? Are you trying to bully a single guy like me?"
"It's nothing, I was just urging him to take a shower." Su Yanxi sat down on the sofa as well. "Let's talk about serious matters. Have there been any major changes to the rehearsal schedule?"
"No major changes. Compared to the changes in the schedule, you gave me a bigger shock." Zhou Tong handed over the form with a hint of annoyance, and said helplessly, "You're really bold to bring your boyfriend to the hotel on set?"
"If it were all people from our film crew, that would be fine. But did you know that another film crew is moving into this hotel tomorrow?"
"Another one...? Which production crew specifically?"
"Our biggest financial backer has invested in two period dramas related to the reform and opening up this year. One is 'Red Flower'—which is us; the other is 'Rising Sun,' which is the production team that will be moving in tomorrow."
"They also needed to film on Guangcheng East Road, so they stayed at the same hotel as us nearby."
"I see..."
"Although we are 'half-brothers' with them, their schedules are similar to ours, and the investment and production teams they receive are no less or worse than ours. So you'd better remember this lesson and not let your competitors find a handle against you."
"By the way, the lead actor in their show went to the same school as you. I think his name was... Qi Xiang'an?"
Su Yanxi involuntarily frowned: "—Qi Xiang'an?!"
Although she had never had any in-depth contact with Qi Xiang'an, for some reason, Su Yanxi felt a strange sense of dread when she heard the name.
He had a premonition that the connection between Qi Xiang'an and him was anything but simple.
#21 The seven-year itch!
“Qi Xiang’an…”
After Zhou Tong left, Su Yanxi searched for information about Qi Xiang'an online, carefully going through all the information in the encyclopedia.
He had indeed been out of the entertainment industry for too long. Apart from the older generation of artists he already knew, he was unaware of the current situation of most of the new generation of actors. Several times, he only discovered after searching that this person was a graduate of the Beicheng Drama Academy, just like him.
Qi Xiang'an is a case in point. After reviewing the information, Su Yanxi finally remembered that he was the second-place winner at the Beijing Academy of Drama that year.
Just as her thoughts were wandering, the bathroom door creaked open, and Bie Yunzong, who had just finished showering, rushed towards Su Yanxi's seat like a wild man, covered in moisture and heat.
"Wife~"
Su Yanxi dodged to the side in disgust: "You're all hot and bothered, don't bother me."
"What's wrong with it being piping hot? It's my passionate love for you!"
"Honey, smell me! Don't I smell as good as you?"
"Stinky!"
Su Yanxi pushed away the arm that was stretched out in front of him, and in the instant she looked down, she finally realized that something was wrong.
"Why aren't you wearing any clothes? Aren't you ashamed, running around with your penis exposed?"
"It's not shameful!" Bie Yunzong shamelessly put his hands on his hips and walked his bird with a straight face. "Why should I feel ashamed of such a magnificent creature?"
"Hey honey, stop looking, or it'll start to lift up."
"I can't be bothered to watch!"
Su Yanxi hurriedly turned her face away, got up, went into the bedroom, found a bathrobe, and threw it at Bie Yunzong's face.
"Hurry up and put it on. You really aren't afraid of strangers being around."
"I know your manager left, otherwise I wouldn't be out like this." Bie Yunzong said as he put on his bathrobe. "Besides your manager, who else could it be? Honey, you wouldn't be cheating on me with another man, would you?"
Su Yanxi rolled her eyes, not wanting to pay any attention to Bie Yunzong.
He thought to himself, "I'm not like you, with other people's fragrances on my clothes and room cards of dubious origin in my pocket every day."
"Shall we continue what we were just talking about?" Bie Yunzong asked tentatively. "You just asked me about July of the year I graduated from university, what happened to me—what happened to me?"
"Nothing much."
After the atmosphere and emotions from before dissipated, Su Yanxi didn't want to talk about what had just happened. Seeing that Bie Yunzong seemed to not remember and didn't care, she figured she wouldn't get anything out of him even if she talked to him.
Chapter 39