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This was not a kiss that stopped after a single touch, Duan Xiubo was amazingly enthusiastic. The tip of his tongue penetrated into Luo Ding’s mouth, in turn, sucking and sweeping through every accessible corner.

The closer they became, the closer Luo Ding was to suffocating.

His pores exploded. Luo Ding only felt that he could no longer touch the ground. Every part of his body was floating in the air and his entire figure felt as if it had been immersed in water and moving farther and farther away from his soul.

At the start, Duan Xiubo’s hands were propped up on both sides of Luo Ding’s head, but halfway through their kiss it slowly slid down till he was holding Luo Ding’s face.

Their exhaled breaths were intertwined, taking on each other’s unique and already familiar taste. For the first time, Luo Ding found that Duan Xiubo’s smell had left such deep marks in his heart.

“Hmm …” He was unable to breathe, dizzy, legs trembling, he was locked tightly in Duan Xiubo’s arms. All of Luo Ding’s strength was used to prop his body up so as to not slip to the ground.

Feeling Luo Ding struggle, Duan Xiubo left his lips and showered dense kisses all the way from the side of his face to his cheekbones. He lingered over Luo Ding’s ears, then moved to his neck where he nipped a patch of skin to suck. His hand also slowly slipped towards Luo Ding’s waist, trying to reach in from the hem of the latter’s suit.

Luo Ding’s breath was shallow, and his reasoning gradually returned.

After losing control for a few seconds, the situation had reached an uncontrollable level. He could feel the hot and wet kiss on the back of his neck. He could hear Duan Xiubo’s rapid breathing and could sense a pair of hands eagerly kneading the back of his waist, but he had no idea what to do.

Was this an impulse or was this his true response?

Raising his hands slowly he held down the pair of arms that had found a gap in his shirt and were about to burrow deeper. Luo Ding squinted and said wearily, “Duan ge … Enough. Enough!” This was outdoors, a place with many eyes and unknown persons. Although their location was remote, in the event they were spied on, this could inevitably become a weakness that threatened them both.  

Duan Xiubo’s hand trembled. He stopped the hand that was about to touch Luo Ding’s waist. After the initial bout of dizziness, he had realized that something was wrong and while he kissing, he had regained his rationality. But Luo Ding had tasted too good, and their status quo could not be restored, so even if there was another chance to do things over, he would still want to get closer to the person in his arms.

Further, it had felt so wonderful that even if it was a swamp, he would still rather drown in it. The thin body that could be embraced fully with a stretch of his arms was three times stronger than one could tell with just a visual inspection. His mouth had a very seductive taste of lemon flavored mouthwash and tobacco. His hair carried the fragrance of his shampoo and from his face, to his neck, to his skin, you could not taste any saltiness of sweat.  The delicate touch remaining after his tongue passed by was so sweet, it had caused him to sink into it.

Duan Xiubo really wanted to press the other side onto the ground despite how mad such an act would be. He had fantasized about this day for too long. Every night in his dreams he was tossed by the waves with the other party. He had lived for nearly thirty years and for the first time, he was so desperate for something, but there was nothing he could do.

However, the other party’s light words immediately disintegrated the little craziness left in his heart.

Silence spread in this corner of the woods.

Luo Ding was almost about to collapse, but he still reached out and slowly pushed away the other side. He sat on the ground against the tree trunk. He held his knees up to bury his head and in the process, he sorted out his messy thoughts.

Duan Xiubo stood opposite Luo Ding, held onto the tree trunk and stared down at Luo Ding’s hair and the collar of his neck.  After a long time, he successfully calmed down his breathing.

“The cigarettes?” The voice sounded numb, as if it was coming from another person.

“Yes.” Luo Ding kept his head down and nodded slightly.

No matter how clear Duan Xiubo’s thoughts were, it was covered by anger at this moment.

Although the control of these contraband items was not strict in foreign countries, anyone who was clean would not try such things easily. When he was in school, there had been many classmates who had followed wrong rebellious role-models and had stretched their hands towards drugs. Their bodies and spirits were gradually hollowed out and they were repeatedly sent to rehab, only to painfully quit, and then relapse, without exception.

Drugs were a restricted area. As long as you touched it, you could lose everything if you were not careful.

The pack of cigarettes were brand new and had a seal. Duan Xiubo also did not notice anything wrong when he had opened it. This was not Luo Ding’s fault.

However, the person who handed this pack of well-disguised cigarettes to Luo Ding never had good intentions.

For various reasons his anger grew stronger and stronger, and his disappearing strength returned to the fore. Duan Xiubo clenched his fists, and there was no smile on his face: “Who was it?”

****

Tommy Lee lost interest after Luo Ding left. The tin foil bag was thrown back onto the table. He did not pick up the lighter and he was sullen.

The others, who had gathered and had quietly shot a round[1], were limp and twitching like dead dogs on the sofa.

The young man who had been very enthusiastic in inviting Luo Ding into the water sat beside Tommy Lee. On seeing that their wildest player didn’t move, he chuckled: “Let me guess what you are thinking. Are you thinking about the good boy just now? “

“Shut the f*ck up.”

“Huh ~ You really were thinking about him?” The other side was in high spirits. He moved his body, leaned his head on Tommy Lee’s shoulder, and smiled as if afraid: “But he was scared away.”

The youths who had fallen beside him laughed in agreement, “Yes, the goody-two-shoes was scared by us into crying. How can we not worry?”

Tommy Lee frowned: “Stop making fun of him, there’s nothing good about this kind of thing.”

The other young man lying on the side laughing and smiling was the youngest son of the Moore family. Mr. Moore was “generous”[2] and his older brothers were so numerous they couldn’t be counted on one hand. His eldest brother was already following his father to the office and was preparing to inherit the enterprise. Little Moore simply broke out and began to enjoy the world. Anyway, the inheritance that his father had left to him could not be spent in this lifetime.

He stretch his hand towards the sky and babbled, “… he will be back.”

“What?” Tommy Lee who was being teased by this group of people was a little angry.

Little Moore’s eyes were a little smug. Those cigarettes were not easy to get. He struggled to sit up and retell his great achievements. His neck was suddenly grasped tightly, and he was pulled up by his collar.

Duan Xiubo’s expression was very gloomy and scary. He didn’t speak. He simply caught the person and dragged him towards the small woodland grove.

Little Moore didn’t react for a while. His face was blank, and his reactions were relatively dull after ingesting the drug. After taking a few steps backwards he asked in panic: “Hey! Who are you?!” Someone come help me!”

It’s was a pity that the spot they chose to sit was really located too far in a corner. The guests in the backyard could not hear his weak cries for help at all. Instead, he only startled a few of the couples who were cavorting among the trees. Those people all laid back down again, they did not want to worry about the affairs of others.

This addict was as weak as a chicken. Duan Xiubo threw a punch with less than 90% of his usual strength and the other party had already slumped to the ground as if dead.

Duan Xiubo did not let him go.

“Moore. You have really shamed this last name.” Duan Xiubo grabbed his collar and punched him again fiercely. He sneered and poked at the most secretive weakness in the other party’s self-esteem. ” Why does the excellent Moore family have a runt of the litter such as you. Your father and brothers must be so ashamed of you.”

“No! Why do you say that!” Little Moore’s eyes widened. No one except his family dared to speak to him like this[3]. He was indeed not good enough, and his relationship with his father and brothers was relatively cold. But he had always been committed to ignoring his failures in various ways. Now Duan Xiubo’s taunting made him feel like he was really trash.

Little Moore burst into tears: “I’m not garbage!”

His band of brothers, who were supporting each other, staggered to catch up. Tommy Lee shouted, “What are you doing, Duan Xiubo?”

“Trying to trick someone into doing drugs. Tommy Lee, you brought Luo Ding here from the studio just to turn him into someone like you ?!”

Tommy Lee heard the comment as if in a cloud of fog: “Speak clearly!” Duan Xiubo’s words made him feel humiliated again, “What do you mean a person like me? “

Duan Xiubo ignored him, took his cell phone out of his pocket, called the mansion, and asked the servant to notify the Stenis couple and to bring bodyguards over.

Everyone began to panic. These young people were originally only using the drugs to be cool and interesting. If they were really confident, they would not have to find corners like sneaky mice to exchange their collections. The Stenis couple arrived quickly with a bodyguard who had been temporarily hired for this dinner party. Seeing this scene, they immediately covered their mouths and exclaimed: “Oh my god, has Moore been attacked ?!”

“I hit him.” Duan Xiubo stepped forward without guilt and handed the sealed cigarette to Mr. Stenis, “They brought in drugs and tried to use such a despicable method to trick my friend into using. Even I was almost caught in this mess. It’s such nonsense.”

The Stenis couple looked at each other. The bodyguard took out a cigarette and lit it. “It’s marijuana.”

Marijuana was nothing, but the couple’s expressions immediately became serious.

Some people had used such a method to bring drugs into their dinner party. This was already such a great disrespect to them as hosts of the banquet. In upper class societies, self-discipline was also one of the rules that must be followed.[4] No one would look up to a loser who is afflicted with a drug addiction, not to mention Little Moore’s behavior. Not only smoking himself but also trying to drag their guests into the water as well

“Go to the hall and invite Mr. Moore to come out.” As soon as Stenis spoke, little Moore, who lay on the ground, screamed like a pig: “No! No! You can’t do this!!!”

No one paid attention to him at all.

“And you guys …” Stenis asked the bodyguard to hold back the group of young people who had wanted to leave secretly. After seeing their dilated pupils, he frowned fiercely. “After this banquet, please don’t be present at any of my parties again in the future. “

Everyone, including Tommy Lee, was shocked.

Although they showed great disrespect for the banquet and privately called it the “supermodel party”, as long as anyone was living in the Don Manca Hills, they knew that their admission to this party thrown by the Stenis couple was undoubtedly an affirmation of their identity.

Otherwise, on such a good night, why will they not go out clubbing and hunting? Why would they be with their elders in this place?

The bankrupt rich, infamous people, and the unfilial sons expelled from their homes, who were missing from the annual banquet was always a topic of discussion among the guests present. Losing your value or your qualification to enter the venue was tantamount to becoming a laughingstock. This was quite a horrible thing for those who believed their pride was greater than the sky and their honor was more important than their character.

Immediately, someone tried to defend himself. Tommy Lee was silent at first. After a while, he went to the bodyguard and sniffed the lighted cigarette.

“Was that what you gave him?” His face was somber and scary, as he stared at Moore from a distance.  

Little Moore was still crying. Someone had notified his father. Should his father see such a shameful scene, he really didn’t need to live.

“Was it?!!!” Tommy Lee threw the cigarette on the ground, strode over, pulled the young man’s collar and directly lifted the young man’s upper body into the air, “Why did you do this?”

“I just …” Little Moore was out of breath, “I just thought you would be pleased[5] …”

Tommy Lee gave him a hard punch and looked down at him, “You are such trash.”

Then he asked Duan Xiubo: “Where’s Luo Ding?”

“You don’t need to know where he is.”

“Whether you believe it or not.” Tommy Lee unconsciously felt a little guilty and clenched his fist in embarrassment. “This was not my intention. I actually like him very much.”

“He doesn’t need your affection.” Duan Xiubo was even more upset.

Tommy Lee stared at him: “Why do you say that?”

“You are of no use. Because at my side, … this kind of thing that tries to hurt friends will never occur.”

Tommy Lee was struck dumb.

His throat bobbed up and down for a moment as he swallowed. He bowed his head stiffly: “Help me apologize to him.”

The elders had hurriedly arrived under the notice of the bodyguards. Tommy Lee’s father brought his older brother and approached with a look of anger in his face. Just as he was about to ask something, he was pushed away by Tommy Lee, who then walked out of the woods with a firm expression on his face.

Mr. Moore was almost unable to stand after hearing the cause and effect of the incident. This man who always pursued dignity stood upright with his last strength, stared at his son with a disgusted expression, and forced himself calmly say: ” Where is Mr.Luo now? I must apologize to him face to face and beg his forgiveness. “Is he still struggling with it?” What if this was a false charge?

Luo Ding’s body’s rejection of the drug was quite fierce. Probably because his body was too weak[6], and the short-lived high had depleted his vitality. He did not even have the strength to stand up, and his entire body was in a state of semi-consciousness.  

Duan Xiubo carried him out of the woods. His appearance made Mrs. Stenis, who had a good impression of him, look very distressed. No one at the scene could go against their conscience to excuse their younger generation.

Little Moore was taken away by several bodyguards on all fours. His father did not give him a look until he left. Clearly, he hated this son who had made him lose face. Before leaving, he left his business card. After apologizing to Luo Ding, he promised that if he needed any help in the future, he could call and speak directly to him.

A good banquet had turned into a farce, and the Stenis couple were very apologetic. They helped Duan Xiubo place Luo Ding in the back seat of the car.

“I’m sorry. This was the result of our oversight.”

“No need to apologize. He would not hold this against you. Duan Xiubo held his forehead. “Actually, I am also suffering a bit of the aftereffects. Can you arrange a driver for me? I don’t think I can drive in this state.”

The couple was so startled that they quickly offered a driver.

While on the road, Luo Ding vomited, and his entire person broke out in cold sweat cold. Uncomfortable, he curled into a ball.

Though this was physical rejection, it was not to the point of requiring a visit to the hospital, but it was really uncomfortable.

Duan Xiubo was so anxious that he could not stay in his seat. He squatted beside Luo Ding to lift his damp hair and wipe his sweat with a tissue: “Are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?”

Luo Ding shook his head firmly. If he went to the hospital for this kind of thing, there would be no way to whitewash anything in the future.

Duan Xiubo did not dare to disobey his intentions. After arriving at the hotel, he personally cleaned and changed Luo Ding’s clothes, and then stuffed him into the soft bed.

The young man’s pale face and bloodless lips made him look as if he would break with just a touch.

“I’m sorry.” Duan Xiubo held Luo Ding’s hand and apologized.

Luo Ding sighed: “It’s obviously my fault.”

“If only I had not talked Xia Rui.” Duan Xiubo still reproached himself, “or I should not have let you go with Tommy Lee from the start …”

“Duan ge, Duan ge! Duan Xiubo!” Luo Ding interrupted his chattering and said tiredly, “Your condition is no better than mine. You should go and rest. It’s really not your fault, don’t do this.”

Duan Xiubo was silent.

In fact, he did not know what attitude he should use to face Luo Ding, so he kept apologizing. Especially after that kiss, the atmosphere between the two had obviously become more ambiguous than before, but unfortunately there were still a lot of words that could not be said.

Luo Ding had responded to his kiss at the beginning, but finally pushed him away again. This may have been for safety reasons, but it also made Duan Xiuno suffer gains and losses.

Just now, he had wanted to ask what the other person thought of the kiss.

But Luo Ding had closed his eyes and looked exhausted and weak, making it such that he could not bear to disturb the other party’s hard-won peace.

“Okay.” He stood up, whispered good night and touched Luo Ding’s forehead. After a pause, he gently kissed the other party’s cheek.

Turn off the lights. Leave. A long silence.

Luo Ding, who had showed no movement in the room just now, slowly buried himself into the quilt and curled into a ball. In the darkness, he opened his eyes and stared, without any focus, at an unknown place for a long time. His fingers stayed on his lips for a moment, and slowly slid to the spot on his cheeks where the kiss had just fallen.

Itchy and numb.  It had felt like this too, many years ago, but it was not quite the same.  

His mind was unclear, and he dared not make a rash decision at this time, but there was no doubt that he was not ready to accept new feelings just now.[7]

******

In the following period, the relationship between the two gradually became a lot more subtle.

Luo Ding lay down for two days before he recovered his hollowed-out strength, and now he paid even more attention to keep a distance from the drugs he had only heard about in his last life. The next day when he returned to the hotel, he was shocked to see himself in the mirror. A pale complexion, dark under eye circles, and cloudy eyes. Depression was seeping from every pore.

No wonder those addicts all look like ghosts. After doing this, over time, even his face would be no more.

Where did they go? What banquet did they attend? Clovis and the other actors in the crew did not ask. Westerners may not have invented the term, but there was the practice of “avoiding suspicion[8]“.

Their training was mainly to repeatedly practice the fighting movements that may appear in the film. Holding weapons and protective gear in the mirror of the dance studio over and over again to see if their actions were standard. Of course, the old actors who had participated in the second sequel did better. Among them, Duan Xiubo performed best. His swordsmanship showed the strength of western warriors and blended the delicacy and flexibility of eastern sword arts. Many of his movements were conceived by himself and caused the instructor to always applaud after seeing it.

Luo Ding’s shortcoming was his physical strength. His expression and movement when he pulled the bow were impeccable. He was one of the few newcomer actors who did not need much practice.

A towel was hanging around his neck, and every step was as heavy. yet despite the lead blocks on his legs feeling heavier and heavier, Luo Ding still insisted on running.

As he ran, he recited his lines silently.

“Wow.” Emma glanced at his treadmill with a look of admiration. “You’ve run six miles; don’t you want take a break?”

Luo Ding just shook his head and didn’t speak.

“You should stop.” Duan Xiubo’s voice sounded behind him. “It’s lunchtime.”

Luo Ding slowly changed from running to walking and evened out his breathing. In the past, he overdrew his strength after five minutes of running, but now he could run he with a lead block for six miles. To be able to do this in a month or so. He was satisfied.

Duan Xiubo did not leave, but watched him from behind, until Luo Ding stopped completely and stepped off the treadmill, and then actively followed him by the side.

Luo Ding took a sip of the sports drink the other party had passed to him.

“Do you want me to take you to the airport this afternoon?”

Luo Ding didn’t look at him and stared at the drink bottle: “No need to bother, I’ll just take a ride with Fangyuan. You still have training, don’t delay it on my account.”

Duan Xiubo would have liked to say that there was no delay, but Luo Ding had made his attitude very clear. Pressing too hard every step of the way would only cause things to backfire.

He had no choice but to follow Luo Ding to the rest area in silence, Wu Fangyuan had opened the soup pot he brought, and the aroma of oxtail and tomatoes was strong.

The cast of actors had consciously started bringing their own bowls. Ever since they first tasted Wu Fangyuan’s craft with disposable cups, these guys had been completely conquered. Apart from Emma who emphasized on her diet, no one else paid much attention to their weight. So, in order to drink this soup every day, poor Emma had increased her daily exercise routine by almost one-third.

Wu Fangyuan’s special craftsmanship had also allowed Luo Ding and the crew to quickly get closer to each other. As soon as Luo Ding arrived at the scene, everyone who had been buried in the meal greeted him.

They all knew he was flying back to China to attend an awards ceremony in the afternoon.

The audience for Chinese songs in Europe and America was not very wide, but thanks to Duan Xiubo, the members of the crew had basically all heard Luo Ding’s songs. Although no one knew what the lyrics meant, but music had borders, and his work had been praised consistently.

Filming will begin soon, and Clovis was a bit worried about whether he could return within in a short time.

After this period of experience on his own, Wu Fangyuan had matured a lot. Although his spoken English was not smooth, and was embarrassing, he still successfully helped Clovis let go of his concerns. While communicating with Clovis, Wu Fangyuan was still paying attention to Luo Ding’s movements. Seeing that the latter just took a sip of soup and slowly chewed a bite of beef without drinking more. he immediately attacked: “Hurry up and drink the soup!”

Luo Ding frowned and thought it was really amazing how Wu Fangyuan and Gu Yaxing were now becoming more and more alike. Each one was unreasonable.

Duan Xiubo, who sat on Luo Ding’s left, had also unconsciously began to pay attention to Luo Ding’s movements.

After that dinner party, the throbbing in Luo Ding’s heart was often frightening. He could see Duan Xiubo’s faint intention of pursuit, but he was not ready to start falling in love again after the hasty ending of his past relationship. He and Xu Zhen went from youths to middle-aged men. Yet after decades of years together, they lost to outside temptations in the end. This had made him deeply question the existence of feelings.

Even the most intimate and loyal person who had run beside him for so long had betrayed him. How long had he known Duan Xiubo for? Had it even been half a year?

Luo Ding has thoroughly tasted the hardships of being gay in his last life.

Never in the light, a little open ambiguity was enough to cause surprise and panic. Despite being in love they had to pretend to just be ordinary friends and avoid all occasions that could expose their relationship. Even when returning to their own home, they needed to be sneaky to avoid people discovering their residence.

They did not dare hold hands, hug, kiss or even look at each other openly.

A small news report could cause their hearts to palpitate. When appearing together in a photo, they always had to look out for any omissions. Questions involving the other person’s name had to be carefully answered …

Because once the love affair behind their relationship was exposed, they were likely to be doomed eternally. 

The fans’ lack of understanding, the rejection of the public and the resistance of friends around them will each become the straw that crushes the camel, not to mention, that when these straws are tied together their weight was even more overwhelming.

He could no longer be regarded as a simple individual. His every move was now being watched by everyone. If he was to make the same choice as in the past, he needed to take more time to make a careful decision.

Duan Xiubo had no plans to pursue him, and this made Luo Ding relieved.

He would wait for a moment when they are both not so tired then the two will talk frankly and openly. After that discussion, whether they would be friends or lovers is not yet determined.

As his bowl sank, Luo Ding recovered his senses and noticed Duan Xiubo’s chopsticks just as it was being taken away. Duan Xiubo had picked up a piece of ox bone and had placed it in Luo Ding’s soup bowl.

Luo Ding’s first reaction was to quickly glance around at the members of the crew, seeing that no one was paying too much attention to Duan Xiubo, he was relieved.

Just like this, this seemingly minor ambiguity had already left him feeling a little overwhelmed.

*******

The news of his return to China was released a few days ago. This was the first awards show attended by Luo Ding after his rise to popularity. The nominated song was the song from his E.P that had made him popular.

From the start, the company had no plans to keep a low profile.

Although he had gone abroad for a month, his popularity in the country had not diminished. Luo Ding’s films were being broadcast in an orderly manner on a weekly basis. Whether it was intentional or unintentional almost every single one of Luo Ding’s appearances was amazing. A number of interviews that had been recorded by Luo Ding before leaving had also began to be broadcast one after another. Almost every day, different resources come to people’s attention. Additionally, the popularity of his album had also not subsided, and the album photos Luo Ding’s fans were using to lick the screen were even more popular. Under such a concentrated and rapid offensive, it would have been strange to be forgotten!

What’s more, not long ago, the stills and make-up photos from the film “Wolong” had been made public.

This was Luo Ding’s first movie. Although it had been announced that Luo Ding was to star in a Hollywood blockbuster, “Wolong” was still definitely an absolute classic in the eyes of many domestic audiences.

Huo Xie was a master rendering gorgeous scenery, watching his movies was akin to visual enjoyment. Good-looking men and women, luxurious sets, a collision of colors and just the right music, not too sensational but uplifting and positive. He had already built his reputation on this style. Luo Ding’s fans were all proud that their idol was starring in this big production, so naturally they were very concerned about the dynamics of the film.

From time to time, Huo Xie, while on some TV programs, will reveal some of the films plot, but not a lot. The audience was already aware that the film was a historical costume drama, thus there were palaces and rivers, actual fights, as well as palace intrigue, beautiful imperial concubines and heroes, As for the role Luo Ding playing?

He was the villain.

With such a nice name, Guangling Wang was actually a villain!

Luo Ding’s fans were initially worried, but afterwards they thought it through. What’s wrong with playing a villain? Anyway, the Fu Zhu that Luo Ding portrayed in the TV series could also be regarded as an alternative villain, not so? It’s not so distressing, is it? In this world that only paid attention to visuals, as long as they look good enough, villains can also be washed white, and it will be no big deal to play a hero in the future.  

After the stills were released, their thoughts could be regarded as the truth!

Huo Xie had definitely done this on purpose!

The heroine, as a down-and-out imperial concubine was dressed in plain green clothes with dirt on her face. The rebellious and untamed hero had his hair scattered and was dressed in tattered clothing. Among the three main actors, Luo Ding was the only one that was gorgeously attired.

His sword was inlaid with gems. His robes were black and red and embroidered with a golden border pattern, even his crown was made of transparent red jade. In the photos, Luo Ding’s face itself was like a jade, and he held his sword as he looked sternly into the camera. His eyes that had been deliberately outlined were long and warped and his expression was haughty.

Ahhhhhhhhhh! !! How arrogant! Arrogant is good!

This world that appreciated only visuals was indeed unreasonable. As soon as the photos were released, this set of stills, which was intended to convey the sense of “the handsome rich oppressing the poor,” got a great but sharply contrasting response. Among the degenerate masses, nothing was said about crusading about how “this tall, rich and handsome man must be really undesirable”, they instead  said but “Ah, ah, ah, how did a villain grow so well like this …”

Huo Xie was great at catching people’s attention. When the first batch of stills won numerous eyeballs, in the second and third batches he started release beautiful photos without any burden. As the hero, Duan Xiubo’s dignified and upright demeanor was shown incisively and vividly after he was dressed up. Yuan Bing’s charming and soft look after she was dressed as the imperial concubine was totally different from when she was suffering in desolation. With more photos of Luo Ding dressed in the beautiful and unique style of the villain, the three people when they appeared together in the publicity columns of major websites were often so shiny that it was difficult for commenters to find words  other than “ah ah ah ah”.

This time the well-prepared Yaxing Studio would no longer be overwhelmed.

Including Luo Ding’s fans, everyone was slowly growing up.

After the news of Luo Ding’s flight was revealed, preparations for pickup were started three days in advance. The leader of the fan base had exchanged information with the company in time, and the official team cooperated and discussed with the fan circle in order to make this pick up even more orderly than the last

Because Gu Yaxing had agreed that if fans were orderly, Luo Ding could communicate with them while walking, all the fans present suppressed their excitement and stood neatly. The front wall of people held hands and added an additional layer of protection to the security line

When Luo Ding came out of the terminal, an impeccable smile hung on his face. Gu Yaxing and the bodyguards greeted him and protected him. Luo Ding who had been informed of the arrangements, deliberately walked outwards in order to get closer to fans and communicate from a safe distance.

The crowd of people outside the terminal was so dense that the passengers who came out at the same time were scared. Inside the airport, Luo Ding had been wearing a mask and was low-key. No one had expected that a star was sitting beside them.

“Luo Ding are you tired from filming!”

“So tired.”

“Ah, did Luo Ding have a good rest?”

“I try to sleep early as possible every day.”

“Luo Ding I like you so much!”

“Thank you.”

While trying to answer the questions he could hear, the noisy voices and the lively scenes woke him from his daze. During this month abroad, he had almost forgotten how it felt to be popular.  

Suddenly, an extremely sharp question passed through the various noisy voices and into his ears.

“Why didn’t you and Duan Xiubo come back together !!!?”

“Ah?” Luo Ding looked at him blankly. “Duan ge still has to practice so he did not come back with me.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh …” the fan base suddenly became so excited, and the subsequent questions started to be related to this.

“You actually called him Duan ge! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

“Are you really together abroad? Is he good to you !?”

“What does Duan Xiubo call you? Maybe Luo di[9]? Or Luo Luo? Ding ding? Xiao ding[10]?”

“…” Luo Ding was at a loss for a while, Gu Yaxing pulled on his arm, pulled up his mask in embarrassment and walked a little faster.

---

Translator Notes:

I peppered the foot notes with many comments today. Translators prerogative.

This was quite a ride. But aaah progress. Happy to see Luo Ding won’t play ostrich and intends to talk it out after thinking it through. Happy also that Duan ge is not pushy. Our protags are quite mature. Refreshing.

Also 6000 plus words today. Cries

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[1] Of heroin

[2] Generous with his seed

[3] Sympathizing a little. Families truly are the ones that can say the most hurtful things. Lol. Cries in pain

[4] The reverse is probably more true. If you ask me where you are most likely to find people using coke etc its likely to be among those whose blood runs blue.

[5] Why do I feel sorry for little moore. He’s a lost lamb.

[6] So the author here tries to explain why despite weed being “nothing” Luo Ding reacted so strongly. I think its believable. Plus I like to think the cigarettes, as processed as they were, were laced with something more.

[7] Understandable really. Its only been a few months since his lover and the man he considered a brother pushed him off a cliff. I’d be more surprised if he could immediately fall in love.

[8] The term referred to here is “bìxián (避嫌)” meaning “to avoid doing anything that may arouse suspicion”

[9] little brother Luo

[10] Little ding

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9 Comments on Recapture The Entertainment Industry – CHAPTER 53Tagged BL, Chinese Novel, novel updates, RTEI, translations