T/N: I’m ending one modern-day novel and starting another. This one is short, only fifty-seven chapters, but it’s the cutest frickin’ thing you’ll ever read. The plot is the healing journey of the two characters, so if you want a whole lot of sweetness mixed with a little angst and humor, this is the story for you. Also, the MC is a cinnamon roll with a spine of steel.

At the end of June, summer officially began in Shanghai. Even standing under a tree made a person feel hot and dry, not to mention that there was someone chattering in her ear…..

A girl waiting for the bus frowned and looked for the third time toward the other end of the bus stop, where a slender boy stood. The weather was hot, but his appearance was refreshing. His hair was a bit long and fell against the back of his neck, making his skin look cool and white, like milky ice cream that could melt at any time. 

Of course, such a handsome young brother wasn’t the one making people feel it was too noisy. It was the short, fat, middle-aged man who was following him. He talked loudly and endlessly, causing everyone else to reveal their impatience, but the little brother continued to listen politely with his long, dark eyelashes drooping. Even though the other person looked like a fraud, he didn’t show the slightest impatience.

En…..

This little brother looked a bit easy to deceive.

The man had no idea that he was being targeted by several enthusiastic aunts who were ready to rescue the handsome boy and crack down on MLM crimes, and spoke confidently with his belly puffed out.

“Our company, ah, its full name is Xingtu Culture and Art Development Co. Ltd. It is a professional cultural institution that integrates artist training, artist management, personal art training, and corporate image and culture planning…..” He wiped the sweat from his head and handed the business card in his hand to the young man in front of him. “Look at you, your appearance is so good, don’t you want to give yourself a chance? You can rest assured that our company has a mature operating model. As long as you join our company, we will make you a tailor-made…..”

“But…..” Lu Qi said in a low voice, “Your company has only produced one online drama, and in May, it was removed from the shelves. This month, another artist was arrested for soliciting prostitution…..”

The man received this slap to the face and choked. He paused and said, “Listen to my explanation, those are all…..”

“I just searched the company name and found out.” Lu Qi blinked his clear eyes, saying earnestly, “Brother, I won’t jump into such a fire pit.”

The man: …….

While they were talking, the bus had arrived.

After being nagged at for so long, the boy was still good tempered and waved his hand to the deceitful elder brother. He was holding a flat rectangular box in his arms, wrapped in waterproof paper. It was unclear if it was a decorative painting or a photo. To prevent people on the bus from squeezing it in his arms, he stood at the back of the line and waited.

The man sighed in disappointment and sat on the bus stop bench to make a call.

“I met a boy today, and he definitely meets the standards you mentioned. He’s clean, tall, and seems to be well-behaved…..but he’s not stupid, so he refused to come.”

“Lao Li, do you think this is possible? Our small company still wants to find someone Lin Yuan will like? Mr. Xiao Lin has never seen anyone like this. If you ask me, it’s impossible to find five or six of them, they’re all like little ducks.[1] The kid I met today is quite handsome, but at first glance he looks like a serious kid…..”

As he frowned slightly, the sunlight in front of him suddenly dimmed. He looked up and saw that the boy who left had returned again. He was holding the thing in his arms cutely with both hands, but the look on his face was strange. 

“Excuse me, did you just say…..Lin Yuan?”

. . . . . . .

Two days later, an outrageous post appeared on an anonymous forum:

[What should I do if I accidentally walked onto the scene of my boyfriend’s concubine selection?]

Lu Qi held his chin and waited for somebody to answer.

[L1: What? The Legend of Zhen Huan?[2] Are you concubine Nian Shilan? Is he that big fat orange Yongzheng?]

It was likely that well-informed netizens had never had such an experience. They all lived in the 21st century, rather than a feudal society, and everyone would think he was joking. 

Lu Qi also felt that it was absurd. He held his chin and looked around, not knowing how he ended up sitting at this audition.

He hadn’t expected to meet a “talent scout” at the bus stop, nor had he expected that when he asked casually, the Lin Yuan in question was really his boyfriend of two months.

But after today, he may want to get freshly acquainted with his ex-boyfriend.

Looking around, there were five or six young people in their twenties sitting in the hotel conference room. Other than Lu Qi, everyone was wearing white shirts, jeans, and white canvas shoes, as neatly dressed as a cheerleading team.

Lu Qi felt that he should be under the car, not in the car, seeing with his own eyes how many good little brothers Lin Yuan had.

He sat among them wearing a lemon yellow short-sleeved shirt, like a bee that had strayed into a little white flower bush.

However, the little white flowers were all listening carefully to Xingtu’s Mr. Li, and nobody noticed him.

Mr. Li was the current person in charge of Xingtu Media. This company was so powerful that it even had to rent out a hotel conference room for a meeting, but this did not stop Mr. Li from drawing a pretty picture of the future.

In other words, he was a pimp.

“I might as well tell you some things directly. We are all adults and can understand.” Mr. Li indicated the man on the powerpoint. “Lin Yuan, the president of Hengjin Group, a young talent worth hundreds of millions. If you catch his eye, you will have inexhaustible resources in the future, so be clever during the auditions. The role isn’t important, what matters is that you look like the person he likes.”

Lu Qi lowered his head and looked at the information in his hands.

It was a very blurry silhouette. The boy was sitting on a bench, his long legs crossed, reading the book on his knees with his head lowered. Even though the photo quality was poor, one could vaguely see the clear outline of the young man’s face.

Just sitting there, it was enough to conjure up the best times of youth in one’s imagination.

Mr. Li was introducing this young man.

“In order for someone from our company to be selected, I have spent a lot of effort to find this information for you. This is the boy that Mr. Lin liked when he was in school. In the past few years, he has kept this type of boy by his side…..” He received a call and picked it up, walking out. “Take a good look at the information and think about it, ah…..aiyo, I told you that we were saved. As long as we get on Lin Yuan’s boat…..Oh, right, hurry up and buy me a white shirt on the way, that kid didn’t dress as required…..”

After Mr. Li opened the door and walked out, the small conference room became quiet.

Lu Qi flipped through the information. There were only a few pages, and the boy’s name wasn’t even there.

“Just providing a photo, how can this be done…..” the boy next to him muttered. He glanced casually at the people sitting around the table and finally tilted his head to look at Lu Qi. “Brother, you look good. Which school did you graduate from? Shenying or Shenxing? Are you gay?”

Lu Qi had been a little angry these past two days. Like a wilted bee, he ignored the little white flower that came to his door. His voice was a little hoarse when he said, “Shenmei.”

Having said this, he picked up the thermos he had brought with him and took a sip. The brewed fruit tea swirled in the cup.

Things had come to this point, and he wanted to laugh. Looking at the various white shirts in the room, he suddenly understood why Lin Yuan always suggested that he wear white.

How nauseating.

“No wonder. You look cultured, and you have the demeanor of someone who has read a lot.” The boy said with a laugh, “I’m a bad student. I didn’t go to a serious university, so I can’t compare to you.”

He looked left and right, and changed the subject. “Why did an intellectual like you come to find this kind of job? But that’s right, if you were making money, you wouldn’t mix with the poor.”

Lu Qi could hear the mocking satisfaction in his tone. He did not refute, lowering his eyes to flip through the information again.

The few thin sheets of paper were soon turned to the end. There was very little text, and all the photos were blurry. Occasionally, there were photos of two teenagers together. Even the high blur quality could not conceal the corner of Lin Yuan’s mouth with sunlight on his lips.

Ha. Look at how low-value he was.

The phone vibrated. Lu Qi lowered his head as a message popped up on the screen.

[Lin Yuan: Xiao Qi, I’ve returned to Shanghai. I have work to do in the afternoon, and I’ll go back in the evening. I’m looking forward to your birthday gift.]

An emoji was posted afterward, which showed a cartoon character sitting on the bed and patting the mattress next to him, full of implications.

Lu Qi thought for a while and then typed a reply:

[Ok, looking forward to seeing you~ (Drinking tea.jpg)]

Probably because he rarely replied in such a coquettish tone, Lin Yuan sent several messages one after another without noticing the strange emoji.

The boy next to him added: “But it’s useless to have a degree. You’re just a substitute. The important thing is the ability to lower yourself…..whatever Mr. Lin wants, I can do it. As for you…..”

He said jokingly: “You didn’t even want to prepare a white shirt. You have too much individuality. He may not like you like this.”

Lu Qi nodded obediently, gave the little white flower an earnest look, and made a suggestion: “You can let your hair down in the front a little bit, and mess it up a little so that you’ll look more energetic? But you also look good right now.”

The other party was stifled for a long moment. His face slowly turned red, and he let out an unnatural cough. “T-thank you.”

The staff entered and informed them to go out to get their numbers and prepare for the audition. Lu Qi, a little bee, followed the line of little white flowers. His number was at the front, and his waiting position was also at the front.

The door of the audition conference room was open. Someone had accidentally dropped a piece of mousse cake, and an attendant was cleaning the carpet.

Because the door was open, the voices of the two people sitting there talking could be faintly heard.

Everyone was holding resumes in their hands. Lu Qi’s resume was thin, and he rolled it up absent-mindedly. The person in front of him went in, and he moved forward again.

The voices he heard this time were much clearer. The conversation between the two was sandwiched between the overacted lines of the audition performer. Lu Qi was very familiar with one of them.

It was his boyfriend, Lin Yuan.

An unfamiliar male voice said: “Lin-ge, that clean and well-behaved child you keep by your side recently, isn’t it true that you haven’t gotten to eat him yet? Brother, what are you thinking? Are you nurturing a mistress or providing targeted poverty alleviation? If it doesn’t work, then use some medicine…..”

“You don’t understand. His earnestness is very similar to Qiaoqiao’s, and it’s quite enjoyable. Not to mention…..” Lin Yuan paused, and smiled meaningfully. “I’m not wronging myself either. I don’t touch him, but there are still others.”

The transparent packaging of the resume made a slight sound when Lu Qi’s slender fingers clenched it.

The conversation inside continued.

“Tsk, you know how to play.” Lin Yuan’s friend clapped his hands and said, “Did you notice? Those in front are here to audition. The further back I look, the more something seems wrong. They’re all wearing white shirts…..”

He hit Lin Yuan with his elbow: “You have someone on your mind, Lin-ge, ah. But I did see two good-looking ones. They look more like Mu Nanqiao than the one you have now. What do you think?”

Lin Yuan: “Let’s see, then we’ll talk.”

Their conversation was not too private. The boys in front of and behind Lu Qi lowered their heads as if they hadn’t heard anything. 

Also, as the young master of the Lin family who dominated the domestic entertainment industry, he was not afraid of any scandal. After all, if this got out, it would quickly disappear.

Lu Qi pursed his lips, took out the alcohol wipes from the little bag hanging in front of his chest, and began to wipe his hands over and over again. 

Xingtu’s Mr. Li squeezed in from behind and howled when he saw Lu Qi: “Ancestor, why are you still carrying a thermos cup, ah? Come on, give me the cup and go put on this shirt.”

“No. 12, please come in and prepare—”

Mr. Li: “Aiyo, Xiao Lu, switch with No. 13 first…..”

“No need.” Lu Qi waved his hand and returned the shirt to Mr. Li, and said politely before going inside, “Thank you, you keep it for yourself.”

Mr. Li patted his belly regretfully, feeling that he really couldn’t use it.

Seeing that Lu Qi was still holding the transparent thermos, he quickly reminded, “Xiao Lu, give me the cup.”

“I’ll just take it in.” Lu Qi tilted the cup and said thoughtfully, “It should be very easy to swing. Had I known, I wouldn’t have drank those two sips of water, and it would be heavier.”

Mr. Li: ? ? ?

[1] In this context, little ducks (小鸭子) are male prostitutes. This is going to come up……a lot. ⮐

[2] The Legend of Zhen Huan is a popular Chinese TV show adapted from a novel about a woman in an Imperial harem. All of these are characters from it. ⮐