Lin Jianlu was still trying hard to suppress his frustration, when Xie Wang beside him suddenly began to giggle foolishly for some reason.
Puzzled, Lin Jianlu turned to glance at the alpha man and frowned.
What could be making him so happy?
However, just a few seconds later, Xie Wang met his gaze, and a hint of sadness and longing seemed to flicker in his eyes.
Lin Jianlu: "?"
I really don't understand you actors. What exactly do you have in your heads to switch emotions so quickly?
Oh well, it's not important.
As long as Xie Wang was willing to give him a temporary mark, that was all that mattered.
This was an alpha he had finally gotten — strong enough and satisfactory enough for him.
Xie Wang was indeed happy at first.
Lin Jianlu liked him, wanted him, and that was an incredibly good thing.
He seemed to have finally gotten what he wanted. He restrained himself for a long time, barely managing to suppress the urge to rush over and hug Lin Jianlu tightly and crush him into his arms.
But if Lin Jianlu really liked him—
The smile on Xie Wang's lips faded down.
Because before his rebirth, he didn't like Lin Jianlu.
Or perhaps... it was an emotion that grew unknowingly, and he liked Lin Jianlu without realizing it.
He never even knew Lin Jianlu's feelings for him.
He openly complained about the sudden marriage that had restricted his freedom.
Lin Jianlu wasn't much of a talker either.
There was almost no communication between them, just repeated entanglements and touches that lasted deep into the night.
Marrying him, Lin Jianlu might not have been happy at all.
Thinking about this, Xie Wang couldn't feel happy anymore.
He had just been tossed back and forth between exultation and deep sorrow, leaving his mind somewhat dazed.
Lin Jianlu, being stared at so intensely, felt a bit puzzled. It was rare for him to show a trace of confusion and bewilderment.
There was a knock on the door of the guest lounge, and a staff member asked in a hushed voice, "Excuse me, could you two do an interview? It's for the company's official livestream."
"Come on in, no problem," Xie Wang replied.
Livestream?
Lin Jianlu's fingers paused over the keypad.
He had only just debuted recently and had hardly ever been interviewed, let alone a livestream.
Saying he wasn't nervous would be impossible.
Would they ask about his creative process?
But all of his songs were written based on momentary inspiration and he couldn't really explain them.
The back of the alpha's hand gently brushed against his, the slightly raised knuckles rubbing softly against his wrist.
"It's really simple," Xie Wang said. "Don't be nervous."
Lin Jianlu: "I'm not nervous."
The timely reassurance eased his mood.
Perhaps it was due to his profession, but Xie Wang had many small tricks to quickly adjust his state.
"Hello, teachers!" The interviewer came in with the crew. "I heard the two of you have been working together on a film recently."
"Yes, Hidden Blade," Xie Wang replied. "I play his husband."
The alpha's voice was deep and pleasant, and when Lin Jianlu heard that word, he froze momentarily.
Until Xie Wang lightly patted the back of his hand.
Just like during filming, Xie Wang, being an experienced senior, was subtly reminding him to respond.
"Yes, I play... his spouse," Lin Jianlu followed suit.
So they were asking about the filming process.
Lin Jianlu gradually calmed down, though his mind began racing again.
"Did you two encounter anything interesting during your collaboration?" the host asked.
"I…" Lin Jianlu began, "It was my first time acting, and I didn't know anything. Teacher Xie made me cry to teach me, and then we shot the crying scene."
His amber eyes were clear, and as he coldly mentioned the other party making him cry, the host noticed a kind of raw allurement in his expression.
The host didn't even need to look to know that the barrage must have exploded.
[Lin Jianlu lil bro, please give deets on how you were made to cry.]
[I'm declaring Lin Jianlu No.1 in the cold and aloof beauty category. It's too sexy to say this with a frosty look. There's no way Xie Wang's unmoved.]
[Xie Wang, come tell us how you made the omega cry.]
Lin Jianlu looked at Xie Wang.
"Exclusive acting technique," Xie Wang raised his chin slightly, wearing his usual arrogant look, the corner of his mouth curling into a casual smile. "Do you think it's something that can be taught just like that?"
[Exclusive, but you taught Lin Jianlu. Are you two a family?]
Catching a glimpse of the host's assistant's phone screen, Lin Jianlu felt a slight warmth creeping up behind his ears.
Family. That's an interesting way to put it.
"Yeah, I taught him," Xie Wang continued. "He learns faster than any of you."
[Are you strutting your stuff? Da Wang, why are you so chipper today?]
[Ignore them. Anyway, once the movie is out, we'll definitely see this part in the bloopers. The director of "Hidden Blade" loves recording NG footage.]
[Lin Jianlu! I'm your dog! Do you still remember me, my dear wife!]
Xie Wang: "?"
Today's netizens are so bold. His wife is sitting right next to him.
He mentally rolled his eyes in disdain.
LOL, why are there still people rushing to be dogs?
"No confessions," Lin Jianlu quipped. "We're in an interview. Right now, I belong to Xie Wang."
Xie Wang's heart skipped a beat.
His wife is really something else.
Those seemingly casual words are all hints.
No wonder his heart shook over and over again both times they met.
"Have you learned more about each other during filming?" the host asked, moving on to the next question.
Xie Wang: "Yes."
More than enough.
He had almost peeled off Jianlu's deerskin.
"Could you elaborate a bit?" the host asked.
"I discovered he's not quite like I imagined," Xie Wang replied.
Lin Jianlu seemed to tense up slightly, turning his head to look at him abruptly.
"I thought his acting would be terrible," Xie Wang said with a grin, though inwardly he was gritting his teeth. "But it turns out he's much better than I expected. I was the one who kept NGing during our scenes together. I felt like all my years of acting were for nothing."
He had been fooled by Lin Jianlu for years.
His omega was black-hearted beneath the surface.
"And what about Lin Jianlu?" the host asked, working hard to hype up the film "Hidden Blade" in advance. "Did you get to know Xie Wang in a new way during filming?"
Lin Jianlu: "An amazing actor."
Host: "?"
That's it?
I'll show you just how amazing I am. You just wait, Xie Wang said inwardly.
The movie was still in production, so the plot couldn't be revealed too much. This interview was regarded as a benefit from Xie Wang to his own company. After a few brief questions, the interview ended.
[Lin Jianlu, I really want to be your husband!]
[Lin Jianlu, look at me! I want to marry you and take you home.]
The barrage showed no signs of stopping.
How so many?
It was the first time Xie Wang realized he had so many hidden rivals.
"Don't even think about it." He added, "I'll be the one to marry him and take him home in the movie first!"
The host was stupefied.
Mr. Xie is working so hard to promote a movie CP? No wonder he's the company's top star and a major cash cow.
"Let's go, it's getting late," Xie Wang said, standing up. "We need to head back to the crew."
"Yeah." Lin Jianlu closed his laptop and packed it into his backpack.
Xie Wang could have guessed with his toes that Lin Jianlu would be leaving his coat behind.
The ice-cold fishhook slapped wildly on his head.
So he picked up the coat from the sofa and caught up with Lin Jianlu: "It's cold outside, don't forget to wear this."
Lin Jianlu put on the coat, and Xie Wang reached out to zip it all the way up.
Perhaps because he thought it didn't look good, Lin Jianlu pouted slightly and tugged the zipper down a bit himself.
There were many fans and reporters waiting outside the Yanxing Media building.
It was the first time Xie Wang realized Lin Jianlu had so many alpha fans.
"Lin Jianlu, look at me!" an alpha screamed.
"Lin Jianlu, you must sing more! I'll buy every album you release in the future."
"I started following you before you even debuted!"
"I've been a fan for a long time too! I've liked you for ages!" An alpha fan handed over a puppy plushie.
Lin Jianlu will never accept your puppy plushie.
Xie Wang crowed in his heart.
Then Lin Jianlu accepted it, even thanking the fan in a slightly cold voice.
Xie Wang: "?"
"Can you sign an autograph too?" Another pair of hands reached out, about to touch the corner of Lin Jianlus's coat.
Xie Wang intervened, pushing the alpha's hands away.
"Sorry, he needs to go back to the set to shoot tonight, so he doesn't have time for autographs right now." Xie Wang quickly ushered Lin Jianlu to his car.
Why are there so many As?!
Now it seemed like hundreds of alphas were shouting "Lin Jianlu" in his ear simultaneously.
His pheromones were about to explode.
Lin Jianlu, whom he once sniffed at, turned out to be one that so many people wanted but could not get.
No way. He had to keep Lin Jianlu firmly in his grasp, and not give anyone else a chance.
Just thinking about it made him both happy and a bit distressed.
If Lin Jianlu likes him, he should just go along with it.
Fortunately, Lin Jianlu did like him.
Xie Wang stuffed Lin Jianlu into his car.
"Back to the crew's hotel, Xie ge?" his assistant asked.
"To my place," Xie Wang replied.
Lin Jianlu glanced at him.
"It's too late," Xie Wang explained to him. "The crew's hotel is too far, and we have scenes to shoot tomorrow. I'm worried you won't get enough rest. How about staying at my place?"
Xie Wang added, "Anyway, you've been there before when we filmed that day, so it won't feel unfamiliar."
Lin Jianlu: "Mn."
Xie Wang: "!!!"
Great, Lin Jianlu really likes him.
Lin Jianlu had no intention of rejecting his suggestion.
Instead, he was delighted to be taken back to Xie Wang's den.
As the car headlights blurred into the distance, Lin Jianlu responded to messages with one hand while his other hand casually rubbed the puppy plushie he had just received.
[YoYo]: The battle progress is quite good.
[Lan]: What happened?
[Yo Yo]: He invited me home!
[Lan]: I knew it. How many alpha actually have A morals? They're all animals who think with their lower halves.
[YoYo]: I want to know how far his lower body is thinking.
[YoYo]: Pushes up glasses.jpg
[YoYo]: Do temporary marks hurt?
[Lan]: I don't know. The books say it hurts, but I haven't tried it. You go ahead and test it first.
"Busy studying?" Xie Wang asked.
Lin Jianlu looked up: "Huh?"
Xie Wang pointed at Lin Jianlu's phone: "Have you been chatting with your classmates?"
"Oh." Lin Jianlu thought for a moment and said, "More or less. He has a lot of questions and keeps asking me."
That Wei Lan really is so annoying, Xie Wang thought.
It had always been like this—Wei Lan and Lin Jianlu always hanging around together, discussing God knows what.
"This dog..." Xie Wang gestured at the puppy plushie. "My assistant didn't check it over. It might not be clean or hygienic, so you'd better not hold it."
Lin Jianlu's fingers were pinching the puppy's ear. Hearing this, he paused, hooked his finger around the string tied to the toy's neck, and lifted it in front of Xie Wang's face. He seemed reluctant to let go, but after a moment of hesitation, he finally did.
The cuddly toy fell between Xie Wang's legs.
Isn't it just a dog? I'll get you another one.
Xie Wang said inwardly.
The car pulled up in front of Xie Wang's private residence.
Lin Jianlu followed Xie Wang upstairs, moving slowly, seemingly in no rush at all.
"Do you need to let your manager know?" Xie Wang reminded him.
"My manager doesn't care about this," Lin Jianlu replied.
Xie Wang: "..."
Yeah right!
Both before and after his rebirth, Lin Jianlus's manager seemed to have a strong dislike for him, shooting him a dirty look at every turn.
Xie Wang was extra attentive now that he had invited Lin Jianlu to his home.
As soon as they entered, he found a pair of slippers for Lin Jianlu.
This time, he wouldn't forget—not like before when Lin Jianlu ended up walking barefoot on the carpet.
He had already bought slippers in Lin Jianlu's size, a popular omega style.
Lin Jianlu stared at the freshly unpacked slippers on his feet for a moment, then averted his gaze as if he didn't care.
"Please sit down," Xie Wang said.
He started rummaging through cabinets, looking for something that Lin Jianlu liked to eat.
Since his rebirth, he had been continuously buying all sorts of things, filling the house, yet unable to fill the emptiness inside him.
But today, with Lin Jianlu sitting on his sofa, he instantly felt like that missing part had been filled.
He got Lin Jianlu back.
Strawberry milk and mung bean cakes—he had bought so many, time and again, whenever he missed Lin Jianlu, as if getting the things Lin Jianlu loved was akin to having him around again.
As Xie Wang continued searching through the house and making a mess, Lin Jianlu sat on the sofa and waited.
[YoYo]: I'm already at his place.
[Lan]: And you still have time to message me?
[Lan]: Xie Wang must be incapable.
[YoYo]: He seems to be looking for something.
[Lan]: Wow, I get it now!
[YoYo]: Pushes up glasses.jpg
[YoYo]: It's been a while. My, how many is he getting? Looks capable. Pushes up glasses.jpg
Ten minutes later, Xie Wang came back.
"YoYo." Xie Wang wiped the sweat off his forehead and pushed a bunch of snacks—strawberry milk, strawberry daifuku, and more—to Lin Jianlu.
Lin Jianlu: "…"
Even with the naked eye, it was clear Lin Jianlu was mad.
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