Screen Partner

After getting his makeup done, Xu Zheyi went out to the unoccupied balcony, and read through the script again. Today’s announced itinerary only included a glimpse of his and Ruka’s so called daily life. In order to avoid a mistake like during the audition, Xu Zheyi wanted to commit every single detail of the script in his hand to his memory.

The balcony door was opened roughly at this time. Xu Zheyi looked back out of the corner of his eye, and his muscles reflexively tensed up. It was Ruka.

“Hey,” Xu Zheyi called out with a stiff smile.

Ruka looked at him, nodded indifferently, and then went off to the side to smoke. Xu Zheyi tried to force his attention back onto the script, but his eyes could not be controlled, and drifted towards Ruka. He wanted to be ‘normal’, but his mind kept flashing back to a naked Ruka, and he began to regret watching the film.

“Do you want to smoke?” Feeling Xu Zheyi’s wandering eyes, Ruka cocked his eyebrow, misunderstanding that he was also a smoker. Xu Zheyi failed to admit that he was not one, and accepted the offer with a thank you.

The two men stood very close, and Ruka bowed near Xu Zheyi in order for him to light up his cigarette. In such close proximity, Ruka’s breath managed to tickle Xu Zheyi, and caused his hair to stand up on end. He was therefore a little relieved, see, I’m freaked out, I’m definitely still straight.

“It may be a little late to introduce myself, but I want to anyways,” Xu Zheyi said as he adopted the most friendly smile that he could muster, “Hello, I am Zheyi.” Ruka, however, was ungrateful and responded coldly, “I know, it’s written in the script.”

Xu Zheyi unconsciously revealed a few facial convulsions, “Usually at this time you should also introduce yourself.”

“Why?”

Because that’s the basic etiquette, right? Xu Zheyi, in silence, resolutely skipped this topic, “I wanted to apologize for the last performance,” Xu Zheyi said, “I’m not used to men touching me, so if possible, I hope we don’t have to have physical contact other than the script’s requirements.”

“Oh,” was the only answer he got. Xu Zheyi could not help looking up at Ruka through one eye, he had the feeling that his reply was not that simple, but the latter was still so impassive he could not get a read. So, two people stood in earnest, smoking in silence.

Just as Xu Zheyi was about to find an excuse to leave, the executive producer came to ask them to sit down on the sofa. The scene was ready to film and the director had finished the last lighting adjustment. Once they were seated, he signalled for the start of the take with a slap of clap-board.

In front of the camera, Xu Zheyi had to keep a smile pasted on, and endured the urge to frown. He felt that the man next to him kept leaning on him, to the point that he had put all his weight on him. He had to move his right elbow naturally between him and Ruka, trying to put a little distance between them.

“How long have you known each other?” The director asked the first question.

“We’ve known each other for almost a year, and we met at a friend’s party…” Xu Zheyi began to recite his lines, but suddenly he could feel something was wrong. A hand slowly traced up his back, all the way, gently following his spine. Goosebumps erupted over his entire body, but he somehow managed to keep up a strong smile.

Oh, man! Xu Zheyi could not help but give Ruka a giant middle finger from the bottom of his heart, “Ruka, what’s your ideal in a relationship?” The director asked, and the camera was directed at the Ruka.

Xu Zheyi grasped at the opportunity and immediately pretended to turn towards Ruka, seemingly to listen to his answer, but he actually just trying to get rid of the hand on his back.

However, the movement actually made things more convenient for Ruka. His lips revealed a small smile, and then his large hand pressed into Xu Zheyi’s back, causing him to envelop the whole person into his bosom. Despite his move, the way it looked from the lens was more like Xu Zheyi had nestled in for a hug. “He likes to be spoiled,” Ruka explained in a lazy way that left no room for denial.

Xu Zheyi felt wronged to death.

Sitting there, wrapped up in Ruka’s arms, he really wanted to punch him to show his innocence. Ruka then asked, “As long as I want to spoil him, can I?” The director joked back, “There are many men and women who like you and would like to be in this very position.”

“The feeling is different,” Ruka smiled and answered. Xu Zheyi snuck a glimpse at the lens, and guessed that now the screen should be a close-up of Ruka’s upper body. He took the opportunity to reach out, looking as if he would rest his hand on Ruka’s leg, and actually gave a vindictive pinch on the inside of Ruka thigh.

“I also like Zheyi’s enthusiasm.” Ruka quickly and accurately grasped Xu Zheyi’s vulnerable hand, quickly trapped it between his legs, and then somewhat shyly looked at the camera. The videographer took heed and pulled the camera down to follow the path of his eyes.

Oh—the people behind the scenes immediately understood the so-called enthusiasm behind the implication when Xu Zheyi’s ambiguous pose was revealed. “But sometimes I have to cope with him going overboard,” Ruka admitted with an embarrassed expression, revealing a bit of worry, “I hope he will not dislike me for this?”

The people watching felt like they had seen Ruka’s true feelings; he is so gentle and soft hearted. Then they immediately turned their stares onto Xu Zheyi. With so many people watching, the veins on Xu Zheyi’s forehead sprang up. He tried, fruitlessly, to reclaim his hand that was pressed on someone’s vital organ, his mouth twitching, and after a while he said, with a blank expression, “Of course not.”

****

“What happened today?” Asked Ruka’s makeup artist, while touching up between scenes.

“….What do you mean?”

“You seem to be in a good mood,” answered the makeup artist, pointing to the lifted corners of his mouth. Ruka looked into the mirror, immediately forcing his lips back into a frown, “You saw wrong,” he replied indifferently.

Accustomed to Ruka’s famous temper, and despite thinking that his subconscious smile was cute, the makeup artist was also very smart and opted to finish that conversation right there.

Finished with his makeup, Ruka slowly swept out, sweeping his eyes around the room left to right, until he found the corner that housed a figure exuding low pressure. “Ruka, the director asked you to take your next place,” the executive producer came over to give him the notice.

Ruka stopped in his tracks and looked at the figure in the corner that was still unwilling to come. The corners of his lips could not help but go up again, “Yes,” he answered. The next scene mainly captured Ruka and Zheyi’s day-to-day relationship as a couple. Zheyi was to wash his hands and then make soup, and Ruka was to thoughtfully take the initiative to help wash and cut vegetables, and that sort of thing.

The two of them were to lovingly feed each other after cooking, as if they could not bear leave each other for a moment. It was a bit scalp tingling. “Ruka, wait a minute. You walk in here and then hold Zheyi’s waist, the camera will be here,” the director explained as he gestured to the camera’s position. Ruka nodded to show he understood.

Xu Zheyi thought, you’re dead boy, wait a moment and see if I don’t kill you. Allowing himself to have those thoughts led him to feel a little more comfortable in his heart; he was even able to throw a smirk back at Ruka when he looked his direction. This caused Ruka’s eyebrows to shoot up.

The neat and small kitchen was steaming as they started to shoot the scene there, and a man in an apron was busy working at the counter.

Ruka stood at the door for a while, then slowly walked in and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. Feeling the man’s whole body instantly go stiff, he could not help feeling good. Pressed against Zheyi, he asked, “Need help?” Despite the early psychological preparation, the moment he was hugged Xu Zheyi was so shocked he almost cut his hand.

He restrained himself, despite having the urge to push the man away, and tried to make a smile in front of the camera, “Then please cut the tofu.”

Ruka hummed in agreement, and then dropped a light kiss on Xu Zheyi’s cheek, before he obediently stood in front of the cutting board. Xu Zheyi, in the act of wiping off sweat, forcibly wiped off his cheek that Ruka had just kissed. After that, he fired up the stove.

Although the script indicated Xu Zheyi would cook, in order to save time and avoid the possibility that Xu Zheyi could produce a culinary failure, the producer had long been ready with a table of good take-away dishes. Xu Zheyi and Ruka were only responsible for frying a plate of vegetables, and adding chopped tofu into the miso soup, along with any necessary seasonings.

After the pan had warmed up, Xu Zheyi poured in the appropriate amount of sunflower oil, but was distracted by Ruka out of one eye. He was completely indifferent to his surroundings, holding a kitchen knife, cutting the white tofu with extremely slow and precise motions. However, no matter how meticulous his actions were, as soon as he sliced through, the tofu immediately dispersed into a heap of residue.

Xu Zheyi could not help but smile at the sight, and then began to throw his chopped up cabbage into the pot.

“Is that OK?” Ruka’s face remained expressionless when he turned to ask Xu Zheyi.

Looking at the cutting board full of tofu residue, even the crew and camera assistants could not help laughing.

This was the first time that Xu Zheyi had felt any sort of superiority in front of Ruka and he could not help feeling a bit complacent. Even so, his mouth still moved according to the lines, and he gave him encouragement as if he was a puppy with his tail drooping, “Well done, then can you help me put tofu in the soup?” Ruka seemed to be waiting for this sentence, because he immediately opened the lid, and all of the residue of the destroyed tofu was swept into the soup.

Xu Zheyi quickly glanced at the videographer. While he was busy filming Ruka, he immediately snuck most of the salt into the frying pan, and then gave it a few professional looking stirs. After it was well stirred, he picked up a piece of cabbage that had been covered in salt. “Do you mind giving it a quick taste for me?”

Xu Zheyi held the food up to Ruka’s chin with a smile, and then without warning he stuffed the cabbage into his mouth. At first Ruka’s expression did not change, but after a few seconds, there was a faint distortion in his features. “Is it too bland?” Xu Zheyi asked worriedly, “Maybe I should add a little more salt.”

“No, it’s fine,” Ruka said, and instantly seized Xu Zheyi’s hand when he made an attempt to grab the salt again. Then he spoke his next lines very insincerely, “It’s fine as it is, very delicious.”

“Yes?” Xu Zheyi asked, his eyes crinkled into a smile. He picked up a few more slices of vegetables, “Would you like to eat a little more?”

Ruka silently watched on as Xu Zheyi picked up another chunk and held it up to him; all he could do was gape at his shamelessness.

Just when Xu Zheyi thought that he had succeeded again, his chin was forcefully caught and he was left unable to resist, only to see Ruka’s face quickly coming nearer. In the next moment, his lips were pried open, and he felt something get tucked in. After a few seconds, his mouth was immediately filled with a salty, bitter flavour. “Is it delicious?” Ruka whispered on his lips with malice.

Xu Zheyi felt that he really had to suffer too much. Then, after such an embarrassing moment, he heard the director slam the clap-board closed, and then exclaim in a loud voice, a big smile pasted on his face, “Ruka, that kiss was too beautiful.”

……Beautiful, your mother.

Xu Zheyi only knew that he really did not wish to speak any more.

This chapter caught me off guard. It was waaaay longer than the last one. And fear not, the goodies are coming soon!!