QT: LAC Chapter 23: Second World (9)

Chapter 23: Second World (9)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Sulo

 

Since then, instead of spending most of his time and energy on the set, Fu Shaohua had begun to spend as much time as he could with Bai Duan, trying to make up for the time he spent away before he met him.

His’ studying hard’ in the studio was just a logical excuse to improve his acting skills. Now that he had laid the groundwork, he did not need to waste time in this respect, as his lover was more important.

Fu Shaohua’s ‘laziness’ seemed to come with no conscience and Bai Duan was quite worried about it. He repeatedly persuaded him not to abandon his ideals and hobbies because he was concerned about him. It was only when Fu Shaohua laughed at him claiming to be a ‘virtuous domestic helper’ that he became angry and did not bother much about it.

Accompanied by Fu Shaohua, Bai Duan’s character was becoming more and more cheerful. Apart from being still somewhat awkward, he was gradually restoring his former playful nature.

As a young master of the Bai family, besides anything illegal, Bai Duan had pretty much touched everything, but he was not interested in anything. But under the leadership of Fu Shaohua, he finally realized the joy of it. Each entertainment place had two people laughing. In the upstream circle, it was also known that Young Master Bai had a ‘new love’ and loved him so much that even Hu Bin, the once a dead party, could not go in front of the little star called Fu Shaohua. If one didn’t retreat, your eyes would be blinded. 

Faced with this kind of small star who clung to his golden Lord, people were disdainful. Fu Shaohua laughed at the cynicism around him. On the contrary, Bai Duan showed an unusual concern. He even went back in public with a direct fury. Since then, they never dared to say anything sarcastic.

Young Master Bai’s shelter of Fu Shaohua was bold and well known, but the Bai family had not done anything about it, it seemed that they were happy to see its success. Even if they occasionally mentioned it in front of them, the Bai family just smiled and calmly commented that ‘Fu Shaohua is a good boy, and he fits with Duan.’ The Bai family was just a familiar friend.

When they learned that Fu Shaohua had passed through the Ming Road in front of the Bai family, people’s attitudes towards him changed a little. Some even went to Fu Shaohua to please the Bai family and handed all kinds of opportunities to him.

For this reason, Bai Duan was quite angry. God knows, he had tidied up his own small account, and for this, he made several extra trips to Taobao (1) and prepared a large amount of money to win over his lover. But he did not think that before he would have the opportunity to show off, he was shoved away by cats and dogs and then have them emerge to take the lead, making Young Master Bai feel that he had hit cotton with a punch and was very angry.

Knowing that his Lord was angry for such a lovely reason, Fu Shaohua felt itchy and sweet. He pressed his Lord on the bed without hesitation and served him several times from beginning to end, with all his heart and soul, to express his heartfelt feelings and sincere ‘thanks.’

The Golden Lord, who had been lying on his bed for several days, “…”

I always feel like I’m losing money!

Of course, while accompanying Bai Duan, Fu Shaohua had not stopped climbing in the Performing Arts circle. He succeeded in killing the General’s role and then took over several supporting roles with shorter periods to accumulate popularity. Since playing the role of General, Fu Shaohua had a switch turned on. In an instant, Fu Shaohua changed from a ‘lump’ to ‘genius actor.’ Whatever role he played, it was very vivid. As long as there were no accidents, all the takes were done in a single turn, and soon he made a name for himself in the director’s circle.

With the advent of several supporting actors, Zheng Mingze also seized the opportunity to speculate a wave, Fu Shaohua’s ‘courage after shame’ and ‘efforts to hone his acting skills,’ made him go from ‘vase actor’ to ‘power faction’ and caused inspirational stories in the hearts of the audience and fans as they were brushed with good feelings.

No one disliked hard-working people, let alone after watching Fu Shaohua’s progress. If the General’s role could be linked to his previous experience to explain why his acting exploded, then the next few supporting actors were actually experimenting with Fu Shaohua’s talent and diligence. Each role was unique and exuded unique personality traits.

At this moment, Fu Shaohua’s passer-by fans, who gathered around him because of sympathy and guilt, turned into fans who really liked him and appreciated him. As the so-called ‘double success comes with good deeds,’ Fu Shaohua not only harvested several fans, but also his acting skills were officially recognized.

In the first year of his reincarnation, Fu Shaohua successfully won the nomination for Best Supporting Actor for TV Dramas with the role of General and won the award without dispute.

Bai Duan did not accompany Fu Shaohua to the award ceremony. After all, there were so many people with lurking eyes and so many journalists and fans. Bai Duan did not want his relationship with Fu Shaohua to be an obstacle to his success and be criticized by others.

Although he regretted not being able to witness his lover win the first trophy in his life in person, Bai Duan did not lose any sleep over this.

That evening, Big Brother Bai came to Bai Duan’s villa and accompanied him to watch the award ceremony. When he heard the award-giver pronounce the name ‘Fu Shaohua,’ Bai Duan was so proud that even Big Brother Bai could not help the shaking of his heart with his smile, and then he smiled too, “Happy?”

“Un!” Instead of looking away from the TV screen, Bai Duan nodded, “Of course!”

Big Brother Bai sighed like he lost his son, raised his hand, and touched his brother’s head.

On TV, Fu Shaohua had already stood on the stage, accepted the trophy, and was delivering a speech about winning the prize. All his clothes were chosen with the help of Bai Duan since he cared very little about his clothes, but Bai Duan cared very much about the image of his lover in public. Although he had never learned about fashion design and matching, he had learned from his childhood, so Bai Duan’s aesthetics were quite good. Fu Shaohua wore a silvery grey suit that was luxurious yet low-key. Every small accessory was just right, which makes Fu Shaohua shine under the magnesia lamp.

Fu Shaohua, who held the trophy, gradually faded from his new actor and astringent timber and became more calm and steady. After routinely spitting out a series of thank-you lists, he took a deep breath, looked more solemn, and showed little nervousness. No matter who saw, they realized his next words would be significant. “Also, I would like to solemnly thank a person. I’m sorry that I can’t mention his name for the time being, and I’m sorry that he didn’t come to the scene today, but he’s the one I want to thank most. He pulled me out of the abyss and gave me a new life when I was most desperate and almost abandoned myself. Without him, there would be no me now.” After a pause, Fu Shaohua’s eyes were slightly moist. “Thousands of words can’t express my gratitude in my heart. I just want to say — Thank you, all the honors I have won belong to you as well!”

The applause was thunderous. Obviously, Fu Shaohua’s remark aroused the audience’s great curiosity. Even the host could not help asking more questions, but Fu Shaohua shyly laughed and avoided them.

Big Brother Bai didn’t expect that Fu Shaohua would mention Bai Duan obscurely at this critical moment. In case someone picked up the relationship between him and Bai Duan, even if the Bai family responded promptly, it would bring considerable damage to his reputation, which was not too stable at present. After all, Fu Shaohua had just changed from ‘a newb” to ‘a recognized actor. If the term ‘gay’ was thrown out only after he climbed out of the deep ditch, if he fell in again, he could not climb back up.

Even Big Brother Bai had to lament that Fu Shaohua, who seemed so shy, had such bold behavior. He was even more shocked by his feelings for his younger brother, which seemed more profound than he had imagined.

But on second thought, that was a logical thing.

Fu Shaohua was a man of infatuation and loyalty. Once he fell in love, he was like a moth fighting against fire. He was injured by his ex-girlfriend, and it was the appearance of Bai Duan that saved him. ‘Heroes save them and make friends with their bodies’ was a common thing from ancient times to the present. Besides, Bai Duan needed to have a good face, money, and stability. They lived under the same roof with all their heart and soul and even had a physical relationship. It was reasonable for Fu Shaohua to empathize with others.

Anyway, towards his brother-in-law, Big Brother Bai felt that his brother was a big fan. No matter who liked him, it was not unusual.

His little brother’s love was smooth, which made Big Brother Bai’s feelings quite complicated. Turning his head to Bai Duan, he was surprised to find that his brother’s expression was rather strange — touching, joyful, but it seemed that…he was still a little silent?

Big Brother Bai was silent for a moment, “… What’s up? Why do you have that expression?” 

“Hm? What expression?” Bai Duan regained consciousness, quickly adjusted his facial muscles, showing an innocent and doubtful look, “I am just very touched ah.”

“… Okay, that’s what you say.” Brother Bai raised his eyebrows and felt that his younger brother was getting more and more difficult after his mood became diversified. Big Brother Bai was sure that there seemed to be a little secret between his brother and Fu Shaohua, which significantly promoted the intimate relationship between them. He was inquisitive about it, but every time he thought genuinely about it, he always ended up rubbing his nose in the dust.

What a brother!

Big Brother Bai was angry in his heart, but still stayed calm and had a gentle smile on his face, “Mother mentioned to me recently that when you see Fu Shaohua next time, take him home as a guest. Speaking of it, you’ve been seeing him for nearly a year, and Mom and Dad haven’t really seen him yet.”

Bai Duan was stunned for a moment. “Mother said she wanted to see Shaohua?”

Bai Duan was very dull in the interpersonal communication, but in the face of people who cared about him, he also has his own unique keenness. He didn’t know much about twists and turns. When his family said that he was allowed to associate with Fu Shaohua, he didn’t hesitate to believe it. But at the same time, he could also implicitly understand that his parents’ acceptance was not ‘real’ acceptance. They didn’t really like Fu Shaohua.

Therefore, Bai Duan never took the initiative to bring Fu Shaohua to his parents and grandpa, fearing that they would be unhappy. Now his mother mentioned the matter on her own initiative. Although he was not sure what it meant, he would not refuse it.

“… Okay.” Bai Duan nodded. “When Shaohua comes back, I’ll talk to him.”

“Un.” Big Brother Bai saw his brother’s nervousness and doubts, raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, since mother spoke on her own initiative, she won’t embarrass Fu Shaohua. After all, we still pay attention to the etiquette of hospitality.”

Hearing this, Bai Duan quickly put down his raised heart, and even a few more stages of expectations – he also very much hoped that his lover and family could live in harmony.

Big Brother Bai stayed at the villa for a while and left before Fu Shaohua rushed back.

Sending off his eldest brother, Bai Duan turned his head and told Fu Shaohua about his mother’s invitation, but he did not seem surprised about it.

Bai Duan was somewhat dissatisfied with his lover’s calm reaction. He followed Fu Shaohua to the bedroom and watched him take off his expensive custom suit. “Are you not surprised at all? As if you knew about it for a long time?”

“You’re right. I did know that, after all, I have my own sources of information.” Fu Shaohua shrugged, “Otherwise, why do you think I said that on stage tonight? To tell your family that I like you and care about you, I hope they can face my relationship with you.”

Bai Duan licked his lips, and for a moment, he wondered whether to be happy or jealous. He snorted softly, turned his head, and stopped looking at Fu Shaohua’s bare and robust body. “So it was for another purpose. I thought you said that to me.”

“What? Are you jealous?” Fu Shaohua turned around and ignored Bai Duan’s rebuke of ‘put on your clothes quickly,’ holding him in his arms and kissing the troublesome Little Golden Lord.

“How could that be?!” Bai Duan nested in Fu Shaohua’s bosom, striving to make the other think more about it, “I don’t know what virtues you really have, so I got goosebumps, such an embarrassing speech should have you committed!”

Fu Shaohua was silent for a moment. “Is that right? Do I think it’s okay?” Bearing the despising eyes of his lover, Fu Shaohua smiled shamelessly and suddenly picked up Bai Duan. “But it’s true, that’s not my style. You shouldn’t be used to it. Well, to compensate for the embarrassing scene I made, I’ll tell you in another way, okay?”

With his head upside down, Bai Duan was dizzy for a moment, “… If you have something to say, let me go first!”

Fu Shaohua gently patted the Golden Lord’s butt with a smile. He was quite comfortable with his pajamas and underpants, and then gently put him on the bed.

He stripped Bai Duan’s lower half of his body in one second, “…”

Every time his arrogance gives the same result, I think, I should probably change my personality…

1. A Chinese version of Amazon.