Chapter 42 – Astray Actor (14 – End)
The next day, when Chen Luosong woke up, sunlight filtered through the window sheers into the room. Before his vision cleared, he heard the sound of breathing coming from beside him.
As he moved slightly, he noticed a warm sensation behind his head and around his waist.
Some people, even when asleep, liked to hold on and not let go.
He had barely moved when the person who seemed to be in a deep sleep instantly tightened their grip and murmured, “Brother Chen, don’t go.”
Unable to tell if this was sleep talk or if the person was awake, Chen Luosong stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds before closing his eyes again.
“Okay, I won’t go.”
The window sheers fluttered with the breeze, and birds chirped faintly from outside. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he kept his eyes closed.
By the time he finally got out of bed, it was already late morning.
The person who had been holding him finally let go and got up to make breakfast.
Chen Luosong held onto the wall as he got out of bed.
He had never experienced this before, and it turned out to be quite physically exhausting.
He slowly walked towards the bathroom in his slippers. As he brushed his teeth, he glanced at the mirror.
The mirror was very clean, making it easy to see the marks on his skin.
From the front, things looked fairly normal, with only faint red marks around the collar. However, as soon as he turned his head, he could see the dense marks on the back of his neck in the mirror.
Chen Luosong slightly turned his head, holding the toothbrush in one hand while pulling down his collar with the other, looking down.
The front was the same. The skin beneath the collar was markedly different, covered with various marks.
The request not to bite randomly last night had gone completely unheeded by the other party.
Or perhaps, selectively ignored the first word.
After washing up, he returned to the dressing room, found a high-neck undershirt to wear, and noticed that there were marks on his wrists too while changing clothes.
“……”
The person who had been making breakfast heard his footsteps approaching the kitchen. Before he could turn around, he received a light slap on the head.
It was a well-deserved slap. Last night, he hadn’t held back, and the person behind him didn’t even have the usual strength to hit him harder.
Holding a large spoon stirring the health porridge, he sincerely apologized to avoid another slap on the head.
Even while apologizing, his face still carried a smile.
Or rather, since the morning began, the smile hadn’t left his face.
He seemed to be in a very good mood.
While making porridge, he also prepared a few small breakfast items. In a short time, Chef Zhou managed to present a surprisingly substantial breakfast.
During the meal, as if suddenly remembering something, Chef Zhou looked at the person sitting opposite him and asked, “Brother Chen, do you remember what you promised last night?”
Chen Luosong replied, “Hmm?”
As expected, he didn’t remember. Zhou Ji thought so too; given the situation last night, it would indeed be difficult to recall what had been said or agreed upon.
The person across from him asked, “What did I promise?”
“Brother Chen promised me,” Zhou Ji said, looking directly at him with a smile, “that you won’t leave.”
Chen Luosong was taken aback and then smiled, “That’s a bit of a headache.”
Zhou Ji also smiled, saying, “Brother Chen, you must remember.”
*
After a few days of rest, Zhou Ji returned to work.
It wasn’t an illusion; others noticed that Zhou Ji was beaming with joy at work, as if something wonderful had happened. He also made calls regularly every day.
Curious, someone directly asked him. They hadn’t expected a response, but surprisingly, Zhou Ji didn’t hide anything. He said that his romantic relationship had finally reached a conclusion.
The others were puzzled: “?”
This person had casually dropped a bombshell.
Usually, celebrity relationships were exposed by paparazzi, especially for those in the rising phase of their careers. Surprisingly, before the paparazzi could get any decisive information, Zhou Ji himself revealed this major news.
People in the industry had heard rumors about Zhou Ji’s unusual relationship with a powerful boss. Seeing Zhou Ji’s current demeanor, it seemed less about climbing the ranks and more about successfully winning over someone.
Gossip spreads faster than anything else. Within a day, news of a certain well-known actor’s relationship spread from within the industry to the public, quickly topping the trending charts.
Zhou Ji always considered himself just an actor, not a superstar or anything else. His management company had long anticipated such a day, having prepared several contingency plans and feeling quite confident.
People in the industry could guess who Zhou Ji’s partner was, but outsiders didn’t know. Those who did know didn’t dare say, leaving others’ curiosity to grow unchecked.
The turning point came during an interview. What should have been an ordinary backstage interview took an unexpected turn when Zhou Ji’s phone, sitting on the table, received a new message, lighting up the screen.
The phone was close to the camera, close enough to see the screen content.
They saw the phone’s wallpaper, a scene of ginkgo leaves falling, and in the center of the screen, they saw a person.
The feeling of being stunned by a glance was realized.
Those who doubted Zhou Ji, those who understood him, and those who aspired to be him finally understood why he was always beaming.
If it were them, they might smile even more freely.
That day, Chen Luosong gained numerous new “brothers and sisters.” Probably learning from someone, at some point, he began hearing people call him “Brother Chen” at the company. Eventually, it evolved into a mix of “Boss Chen” and “Brother Chen.” Over time, aside from senior employees and the steadfast Assistant Bai, younger employees generally called him “Brother Chen,” doing so with increasing familiarity.
Years passed like this.
As his health declined, Chen Luosong spent less time at the company, delegating more responsibilities to Assistant Bai. Even the previously unused consolation prize was given as a year-end bonus.
Winning the grand prize essentially solidified Zhou Ji’s position in the industry. After a period of rapid development, he became known as Teacher Zhou, and his work schedule became less packed.
He spent more time in A City, either at home experimenting with new health recipes or taking walks nearby with Brother Chen.
According to the agent, they had already started living a retired life earlier than expected, living more like elderly people than the elderly themselves.
This was a life he had never imagined before.
A long, long time ago, when he was taken to a private club, he probably couldn’t believe that he could be with someone who seemed so unattainable.
The leaves in the courtyard greened and fell again. The other party kept his promise, staying by his side year after year, until the house was filled with their presence.
Spring came again, the trees in the courtyard blossomed, and sunlight streamed through the windows into the room. The person sitting on the sofa had a book on his lap, his light-colored pupils reflecting the light.
The person holding a plate of cut fruit walked over, casually handed over the fruit, and after watching him eat, immediately moved closer:
“Brother Chen, let me taste it.”
The person sitting on the sofa was already used to having his breath taken away, his half-open eyes calm and unperturbed.
Outside the window, the flowers bloomed fervently.
——
A mission had taken much longer than usual. When Chen Luosong woke up again, he could feel an extraordinary dizziness as he stood up from his position.
Supporting himself on a cabinet, he stood still for a while. He heard a vibrating sound in his ears. After his vision cleared, Chen Luosong groped his way to the desk.
By the time he reached the desk, the originally vibrating phone had gone silent, and a message popped up.
It was a message from the hospital. After glancing at the content, he took his phone and left the office immediately.
Having stayed in the mission world for too long, the once familiar scenes had become somewhat strange. He got into the car and drove directly to the hospital. After taking a couple of glances at the view outside the car window, he withdrew his gaze.
He found some places unfamiliar, but at least he still remembered the location of the ward. After arriving at the hospital, he went straight to the building where the ward was located, registered, and then went upstairs.
When he reached the outside of the ward, the doctor was there too.
This was the same doctor who had sent him the message earlier. Upon seeing him, the doctor gave a slight nod, a gesture of greeting.
Looking through the glass at the person lying quietly in the ward and the various instruments beside them showing fluctuating readings, Chen Luosong heard the doctor next to him say, “Half an hour ago, there was a significant fluctuation that lasted for one minute and thirty-six seconds.”
This level of fluctuation wasn’t enough to wake someone up, but it did prove that the person inside was indeed regaining consciousness.
For someone who had been declared unlikely to ever wake up, this was already considered a miracle.
“Myriad Creations’ treatment plan is effective,” the doctor said. “If there’s further stimulation, there’s a chance he might wake up.”
Chen Luosong responded with a hum, then smiled and thanked the doctor, lowering his gaze to look at the person on the bed.
The same face, the same person, who had recently been tasting fruit, now lay quietly in the hospital bed.
The doctor had other matters to attend to and didn’t stay long. After completing the routine records, the doctor left.
After the doctor left, the corridor fell into a brief silence before footsteps echoed again.
Chen Luosong turned his head and saw a man in a suit, as always. The gold-rimmed glasses on the man’s nose glinted coldly under the hospital lights.
The man walked over, stopping at a measured distance, and said, “I knew you’d be here.”
Chen Luosong smiled and nodded in greeting.
The man glanced at him and said, “I heard from the bureau that you stayed quite a while on this mission.”
Chen Luosong didn’t elaborate, simply saying, “I had some commitments I couldn’t leave.”
He then asked, “What brings you here this time?”
The man replied, “Just checking on things.”
He didn’t specify what or whose situation he was checking on, and the smile on his face wasn’t relaxed.
“Want to grab a drink?” he suggested. “You’ve been working too long; you need a break. It’s been a while since we last talked. Let’s catch up.”
