Zhou Ziheng stood still, holding the small handwritten letter in his fingers, with his head lowered. The black brim of his hat covered his deep eyes and his mind, and he remained silent for a long time.
Xia Xiqing didn't know what was wrong with him. His heart was restless, and an emotion between panic and shame was rising. This was unlike him. Both of these emotions were very unlike Xia Xiqing.
"That..." Xia Xiqing's lips moved. The self-esteem that had occupied this body for too many years made him reach out and take the letter back from Zhou Ziheng's hand. "This is a passage I copied. I like this song very much..."
The words he had said with all his strength ended with Zhou Ziheng stepping forward and kissing him. He held Xia Xiqing's cheek with his hands, but Xia Xiqing felt that he was holding his own anxious and dying heart. The soft kiss was a good medicine, bringing him back to life from the great loss.
Xia Xiqing reached out and hugged Zhou Ziheng's back, their two bodies pressed tightly together, chest against chest, heart against heart.
When he wrote those words with his own hands, he really felt like a sacrifice.
For Zhou Ziheng's handful of shining stars, he gave up everything he had: his timidity, his old illness, the dark side of his body, and his ardent desire.
On the top floor of this gorgeous and secretive art gallery, one hundred works belonging to one person surround them. The world outside the door talks about this outstanding young artist, but he doesn't care. Even if the perfect plan is disrupted, his muse still comes.
Perfection in regret is even more perfect.
Zhou Ziheng gently stroked the back of Xia Xiqing's neck and kissed the top of his head again and again. His mood was extremely complicated, from the initial panic and restlessness, to the loss of thinking he was forgotten, to anger, to worry. He was relieved to finally meet outside the gate of the art museum, and was surprised and moved to reach the top floor.
All the indescribable emotions, at this moment, turned into a crazy love for the person in my arms.
"Do you like these gifts?" Xia Xiqing looked up at him, with warm spring water flowing in his eyes.
"I like it." Zhou Ziheng kissed the tip of his nose, "I like these, and I like you even more."
The straightforward love words are seared into my heart and burn my ears.
Xia Xiqing turned her back to him, took his hand and led him to the sculpture. Zhou Ziheng was amazed. The feeling was indescribable. He saw himself transformed into a snow-white work of art with his own eyes. He looked at its lines that were smooth and almost real, and its facial bones that were as deep and three-dimensional as mountains. There was only one thing that Zhou Ziheng felt was not like himself.
"It's so gentle." Zhou Ziheng stood half a meter away, facing his little artist, smiling a little embarrassedly, "Don't you think so? How could I be so..."
"Who said that?" Xia Xiqing walked towards him, looked up into Zhou Ziheng's eyes, his voice as soft as a spring breeze.
"You don't know how gentle you are to me."
A tenderness that cannot be reproduced by earth and love.
After saying that, Xia Xiqing turned around again and asked, "Don't you find that the posture of this sculpture is very familiar?"
Zhou Ziheng was still emotional, and was a little tipsy after being touched by the rare expression of his true feelings. He stretched out his arms, hugged the slender waist wrapped in an exquisite suit from behind, rested his chin on his shoulder, and stared at the sculpture with his head tilted.
It is not standing, but sitting, with its upper body exposed, its muscles full and well-defined, and a piece of soft cloth covering its waist and thighs. The softness of the cloth is almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and the lines and semi-fluid state are so real that it seems that you can just grab a corner and tear it off. It tilts its head slightly, looking forward, and holds a blooming rose in its right hand. The rose petals are soft and delicate, and the control of light and shadow makes it seem like the moonlight sneaking in from the front has come specially to illuminate it.
There is a golden plaque under the table with a word engraved on it - Thief.
Zhou Ziheng suddenly felt familiar, "It was... the day you sneaked into my house when I was in solitary confinement?"
Xia Xiqing turned his head and kissed him on the face as if rewarding him, smiling very sweetly, "Yes."
He could not forget the little prince holding the red rose under the moonlight that he saw when he turned back before leaving. The picture frozen in his pupils remained in the heart of this failed Romeo for a long time, so he had to use his own hands and talent to keep the moonlight of that night forever.
Interpret Zhou Ziheng in a form that best interprets the essence of Xia Xiqing.
"Thank you." Zhou Ziheng gently rubbed Xia Xiqing's cheek with the side of his face. Xia Xiqing turned her head, and a childish smile appeared on that pure and beautiful face. "You're welcome."
"I should thank you." The next second he turned around again, his voice very low and soft.
“You are my Renaissance.”
Zhou Ziheng didn't hear this sentence clearly, so he hugged him and asked again, but Xia Xiqing refused to say anything. His heart was beating very fast, and he thought he might be crazy to say such words.
No matter how much he pestered her, Xia Xiqing refused to say anything. Instead, she broke free from his embrace and walked to the sculpture, pretending to observe the work and stroking the sculpture's cheek. Somehow, this action made Zhou Ziheng feel threatened. He stepped forward and pulled Xia Xiqing back to his side, "Don't touch me."
Xia Xiqing was puzzled, "What are you doing?"
"You're touching me, I'm standing here alive." He grabbed Xia Xiqing's hand and put it on his face. Seeing Zhou Ziheng like this, Xia Xiqing was angry and amused, "You are really getting more and more promising, you are jealous of a sculpture."
Zhou Ziheng was so used to being jealous that he didn't bother to explain. "Yes, I am jealous." He frowned and suddenly remembered something. He whispered, "Who knows if you will regard this sculpture as your Galatea."
Xia Xiqing was stunned. It was okay for him to be jealous, but this guy actually quoted an allusion from Greek mythology.
He stretched out his hand and pulled Zhou Ziheng's face, "How can you be so awesome? How can this be the same thing? Pygmalion carved a sculpture and then fell in love with his sculpture. He didn't have a prototype, but I have you."
Although the tone was not very gentle, the last few words fell into Zhou Ziheng's heart like stars, illuminating his entire chest. He immediately hugged Xia Xiqing and kissed him on the face again and again, and was so happy that he forgot about being jealous.
"Hey let me go, childish."
"No, you're mine."
"Do you want to put it down or not? If not, I will lock it up and never let you see it again. I won't give you any of these."
"You're not going to stop trying to scare me. These are all mine, and you're mine too."
The two stayed in this small art gallery for a long time, looking at all the paintings Xia Xiqing had drawn for him one by one. Many of them were painted by Xia Xiqing before they met, and were carefully framed and placed here. Zhou Ziheng couldn't help feeling a little guilty. When he saw the truck passing by the apartment building before, he thought Xia Xiqing was going to leave quietly.
It turned out that all the paintings were to be transferred here.
At three o'clock in the morning, Xia Xiqing, who had been leaning on Zhou Ziheng's arms for a long time, finally woke up from the sweetness. His heart tried to avoid the disturbing fact, but it did happen, and the impact was immeasurable. Xia Xiqing just entered the entertainment industry with the intention of playing tickets. This was not his job. He had to return to his real career after all, but Zhou Ziheng was different from him. His profession was an actor, and his ideals and ambitions were all achieved through performance.
But the art circle is different from the entertainment circle, and he doesn't want Zhou Ziheng to be dragged into the abyss of public opinion by him.
"You should go." Xia Xiqing lowered his eyes, "You shouldn't have come."
Zhou Ziheng didn't want to hear him say such things, "I should come, I should come more than anyone else."
"Yes." Xia Xiqing looked up and sighed again, "What I mean is that I must be watched by many people now. You should stay away from me during this period of time."
"It's okay. Even if we are far apart now, there will be people who suspect our relationship. It doesn't matter." Zhou Ziheng smiled, "Let reporters take pictures. If you don't want to make it public now, I will deal with it. I have been in the industry for so long, and no reporter dares to post the pictures they took of me online, unless they don't want to be in the industry anymore."
Xia Xiqing felt a little relieved. Now was a good time to leave the art gallery. He led Zhou Ziheng to the back garden of the art gallery and opened a locked wooden door. The two of them left quietly and got into Xia Xiqing's car parked outside the back door.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Xia Xiqing's mind kept turning. His sexual orientation was not a secret, especially in the Italian social circle, but it was suddenly exposed in China, forcing him to come out publicly, which really caught him off guard. Thinking about it carefully, there were too many suspicious points, and the timing alone was surprisingly coincidental. "It's very strange. It's okay to expose me, but just choosing to expose it on your birthday is like a deliberate revenge."
"It's revenge on purpose." Zhou Ziheng licked the dry corner of his mouth impatiently, "It was Wei Min who did it."
Xia Xiqing was a little surprised. He thought he had offended someone else, but he didn't expect it to be that coward. "Wei Min? Does he want to die?" He untied his tie with one hand and put it on his wrist. "I should have made him childless last time."
"Maybe it's because I have too much revenge."
Xia Xiqing suddenly understood Wei Min's intention. Wei Min knew his wealth but still dared to do these things. He was simply relying on the fact that he really liked men and was really with Zhou Ziheng. He just wanted to stir up public opinion and expose himself to criticism.
But he still didn't know Xia Xiqing well enough.
"Does he really think he can get revenge on me this way?"
Xia Xiqing never cared about public opinion, and he never lived on the evaluation of others.
"Since he revealed your sexual orientation, the next step, if I'm not mistaken, should be to make a fuss about your past private life." Zhou Ziheng analyzed calmly and comforted Xia Xiqing, "Sister-in-law said she will handle this and she will handle the public relations."
"PR is useful, but not the most useful." Xia Xiqing tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, smiling casually as he spoke. "If you like to play this game, let's see who will be ruined first."
By the next day, the heated discussion about Xia Xiqing's sexual orientation on Weibo had not subsided and was still on the hot search headlines.
Jiang Yin contacted some big Weibo influencers and posted some blog posts, some of which made a fuss about homosexuality and deliberately expressed homophobia. As soon as these posts came out, they immediately aroused disgust and criticism from some netizens, and they naturally sympathized with Xia Xiqing.
[sc□□r: The comments of some big Vs on Weibo are really disgusting. Although I am not gay, I can’t stand it. What does it have to do with you if someone likes men or women? I died early in the morning! ]
[Little Angel Amelie: I thought that the times have progressed and public opinion on homosexuality would be more tolerant, but I didn’t expect it to be still like this. It’s really chilling.]
[Where do you like to go: I am a boy, and I like boys. These days, I really feel the malice in this society.]
However, there are also many netizens who engage in online violence and attack Xia Xiqing's sexual orientation. A large number of them are Zhou Ziheng's toxic fans. They use Xia Xiqing's sexual orientation to write long essays, arguing about Xia Xiqing's various crimes such as paying for love, sucking blood, and seeking attention. They even exaggerate the issue and accuse her of sexual harassment in the workplace, which really gives Jiang Yin a headache.
After all, at this time, even if Xia Xiqing and Zhou Ziheng had no relationship, the fans should have kept silent and distanced themselves from the matter instead of blaming others. But there are always some fans in the fan circle who can't figure it out, and when they quarrel, they are so eager to kill their idols.
[Only love Zhou Ziheng: Mr. Xia is a homosexual, and he repeatedly uses Zhou Ziheng's name to enter the entertainment industry and cooperate with him many times. His heart is despicable.]
[I’m going to say something I shouldn’t say. Although I’m not a fan of Zhou Ziheng, I also find it disgusting if I put myself in his shoes. If my idol was forced to have a CP with a gay guy, I’d probably be pissed to death.]
[User 23345290: Am I the only one who disliked Xia Xiqing the first time I saw him? He looks gay. What's the point of having good looks?]
As soon as these remarks came out, he was immediately bombarded by netizens and fans who supported him, and neither side gave in.
Fortunately, the fan circle is a small one after all, and the toxic fans are a minority, so they can’t cause any waves.
As the public opinion on the Internet began to lean towards the discussion of sexual orientation, Jiang Yin immediately arranged for new writers to publish opinions from another standpoint. Articles such as [Is homosexuality really a sin?], [I have the right to choose to come out or stay in the closet, and I also have the right to refuse to be outed!], and [It’s not about sexual orientation, it’s about freedom] frequently appeared on the Internet. Many well-known gay bloggers wrote and published them spontaneously, which soon set off a wave of netizens’ discussion on sexual orientation. The issue of Xia Xiqing being outed was elevated to the category of freedom, accurately hitting the soft spots and demands of many netizens.
[Transparent Heart: I think the root of this matter lies with the whistleblower. Others’ liking for men or women is their own private matter, and they haven’t done anything harmful to the world. Doesn’t this violate other people’s privacy?]
[Marshmallows are sweet: Is the world so worthless that we can’t even have the freedom to like whomever we want?]
Xia Xiqing did not listen to Jiang Yin. He kept his Weibo online, always watching the direction of public opinion online and waiting for the most appropriate opportunity.
According to Wei Min's mind, the next plan must be to expose his private life. Although Xia Xiqing's private life was messy before, he was definitely not promiscuous. He just pursued a considerable number of people, but only one at a time. Moreover, he never left any photos or images because he never trusted anyone. Wei Min wanted to get him from this point, but he could only write some gossip articles, and the chance of finding solid evidence was very low.
His phone suddenly rang. It was Zhao Ke.
"Hello." Xia Xiqing's tone was too calm.
Zhao Ke was still a little hesitant on the other end of the phone, "Are...are you okay?"
"Very good. Very good." Xia Xiqing rummaged around on the workbench, found a lollipop, tore off the candy wrapper and put it in his mouth. "What's the matter?"
"I know about Wei Min. A friend of mine sat at the same table with him in a big game. Someone mentioned his hospitalization at the time. Others didn't know the inside story, but my friend said that Wei Min almost threw the table and looked very upset. On the way home, he kept cursing and saying that he must kill so-and-so and let him taste the shame of being disgraced." Zhao Ke paused, "I only now know that he wanted to get you, but it seems that he just wanted to expose your private life and let you suffer online bullying."
"Heh." Xia Xiqing snorted coldly, "He thinks I'm made of paper. Just relying on a few comments from irrelevant people, he thinks I can't hold my head up high?"
"My neck is very stiff. I have never lowered my head since I was born."
Zhao Ke sighed, thinking that it was not easy for his childhood friend to have a relationship, with so many troubles. "Wei Min is a scoundrel, very shameless. My friend said that he started talking about sex at the dinner party, and didn't give his reserved partners any face at all. What he said was very unpleasant. It is said that..."
Hearing Zhao Ke's hesitation, Xia Xiqing asked, "What?"
Zhao Ke and Zhou Ziheng were the same kind of people, good kids from institutionalized families. Zhao Ke's throat choked when he talked about it. "My friend said that he even used his phone to play a video he recorded for them at the dinner table. It was of a third-tier female star." He sighed, his tone full of disdain, and he was a little worried about Xia Xiqing. "If Ziheng hadn't arrived in time, maybe you would have..."
Xia Xiqing bit the candy ball in his mouth hard, making a crisp sound.
"I see."
After hanging up the phone with Zhao Ke, Xia Xiqing sat in front of his workbench, just sitting there quietly until the candy pieces in his mouth melted.
What Zhao Ke said before was left in his mind, echoing over and over again. Something flashed through his mind, and Xia Xiqing suddenly raised his lips, took out his cell phone and made a call.
"Hello?"
The other person's voice was not as deliberate as usual, but rather mixed with some concern, "Hey, are you okay?"
"Come on, don't you know who I am?" He laughed and got straight to the point.
"Xia Zhixu, please help me do something."
The author has something to say: Two love talk kings~
Note: About Galatea mentioned by Heng Heng.
Greek mythology records: Pygmalion was a Cypriot king and sculptor. He had always disliked worldly women, and he dreamed of a beautiful woman. Later, he was carving ivory. He wanted to carve a strong male figure, but somehow, he ended up carving a beautiful woman, who was exactly the one in his dream. He fell hopelessly in love with her and named her Galatea.
The goddess of love Aphrodite was moved by his deep and sincere love and gave Galatea life.
Girls who study, please rest assured that Xia Xiqing will not give up because of public opinion. After all, he said in high school that it is none of your business who he likes. I just like a dog, and it is my business with that dog! People who say this kind of thing hhh