Sheng Min did not tell Li Xuan about this, but carefully put away the signature paper. On the way back, he placed an order for the bed he had seen in the morning.
For same-city express delivery, he forgot to select the delivery time, and the merchant defaulted to as soon as possible. When it was delivered the next day, it was still dark.
"Just leave it at the door." Sheng Min had just received a call in the morning and had not yet come to his senses. It took him a long time to understand what the other party was saying.
The deliveryman was a little surprised: "Don't you need help with the installation?"
"No need." Sheng Min thought quickly. His trophies and large promotional photos were still in the study. It would be troublesome if the installers bumped into Li Xuan. "It's fine to put it at the door."
The installer was happy to be idle, and left after reminding Sheng Min to sign online. Sheng Min hung up the phone, and hesitated for a while between bringing the bed in now and continuing to sleep. The person next to him suddenly said, "So who are you going to ask to install it?"
"Are you awake?" Sheng Min turned his head.
Li Xuan came back yesterday and went into the study after dinner. Sheng Min waited for him for a while while reading a book. Halfway through, he remembered that he had nothing to say to Li Xuan, and this waiting behavior was really strange, so he threw away the book and lay down again. However, he slept in the car for most of the afternoon, and it was difficult to fall asleep for a while. He tossed and turned, and forgot when he fell asleep, and he had no idea when Li Xuan returned to the bedroom.
"Was he woken up by me?" Sheng Min glanced at the watch. It was just past seven o'clock. Li Xuan probably didn't sleep for two hours. He was also dazed when he answered the phone. He should have gone out to answer it, Sheng Min thought.
"No." Li Xuan yawned and paused before saying, "Did you really buy it?"
"Didn't I say I would buy it?"
"Yeah." Li Xuan responded, not quite awake, with a nasal tone, and his sleep-messy hair slightly blocking his eyes.
Sheng Min saw that his arm was exposed and the temperature in the bedroom was low, so he took the remote control and turned up the air conditioner by two degrees: "Can you install it?"
Li Xuan glanced at him and said, "You assume I can do it."
Sheng Min did think so. He couldn't explain why. He felt that it was natural for him to know everything: "You can pick locks."
"No matter which dimension you divide it from, these are two different types of work."
Sheng Min wasn't sure what he meant: "Then I'll call Yang Xu later and ask him to find someone to install it?"
Li Xuan didn't say anything. After a while, he sat up, threw off the quilt and got out of bed.
Sheng Min originally thought that he was thirsty and wanted to drink water, but when he saw him walk to the door, he suddenly realized that he was probably going to make the bed.
"No rush, right? You can sleep a little longer." He called Li Xuan.
"It's okay, just go to sleep."
"Then I'll go with you."
"No, it's still early, you continue to sleep. I'll sleep next door after I'm done with the preparation. Just get me another bed and quilt." He said "you go to sleep" twice in a row, his tone was very flat, and one couldn't tell whether he was happy or angry. However, Sheng Min had a feeling that he was a little unhappy, but it didn't seem like he was in a bad mood because he woke up, nor did it seem like he was unhappy about being assigned to work by him so early in the morning.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"What?" Li Xuan asked back, with a puzzled look on his face, as if he was indeed unaware of that tiny bit of anger.
Sheng Min pursed his lips, and thought that he was being too sensitive. But he still stood up and walked to him: "Let's go together, I can also pass you the tools." Seeing that Li Xuan didn't say anything, he asked him softly: "Okay?"
Li Xuan frowned unconsciously, but his previous anger disappeared. After a moment of silence, he said yes and turned around to open the door.
After installing the bed, Li Xuan moved to the study. Sheng Min's study was originally a converted bedroom. It was large enough and did not seem crowded.
He usually spends most of his time in the study during the day, and now he doesn't have to go back to the bedroom at night. It's as if he has taken root in the study - to be more precise, in front of the computer. Every time Sheng Min passes by the study door, he sees him hunched over a chair typing on the keyboard, or writing and drawing on paper. Sometimes he writes while talking on the phone, and when he gets angry he slams his pen and speaks in a tough tone... He seems a little different from the Li Xuan that Sheng Min knows.
During the two days of the weekend, living under the same roof, the two of them didn't say much to each other. On Monday, they had to go record a show, and they finally sat at the table together to have lunch.
You haven't slept in the past few days, have you? Sheng Min looked at the faint blue under his eyes, thought about it, and finally didn't say it out loud.
"What time will Yang Xu arrive?" Li Xuan picked up a shrimp.
"Two o'clock." Sheng Min looked at the watch and it was already past one. "Are you tired? Let's take a nap in the car. This recording studio is a bit far."
"Not bad." Li Xuan said, pressing his neck and tilting his head, with a very light click, "I'm fine, not sleepy either."
Sheng Min frowned and went to the bedroom to get a steam eye mask.
"Really." Li Xuan put down his chopsticks, "I can't sleep in the car either."
"It's good to take a nap."
"I haven't finished reading the interview outline yet."
"I'll read it to you."
"Okay, your assistant has one more piece of evidence that I'm your boyfriend." Li Xuan said casually. As soon as he finished speaking, both of them were stunned.
After a while, Li Xuan coughed to cover up: "I just said this casually, I..."
"I know." Sheng Min interrupted him. Li Xuan didn't say anything else, his lips pressed into a thin line, with a hint of annoyance between his brows.
Sheng Min sighed inwardly, walked back to the dining table and sat down, poured a bowl of soup and pushed it over, smiled, and said cheerfully: "I told you it's okay, let's eat."
This interview was actually to promote Sheng Min's upcoming new drama. Routine interviews are usually nothing new, and the questions asked are all the usual questions in the entertainment industry.
What do you think of the role, how do you get along with your co-stars, and what breakthroughs are there compared to the past...
The interview outline was given early in the morning, and Sheng Min also wrote down the answers in detail in advance. Li Xuan read it twice and basically memorized it.
Compared to shooting commercials where you have to control your posture and expression, interviews seem to be simpler, just read from the script. In addition, many fans were invited to the scene, and Li Xuan was wearing Shengmin's face. No matter what he said, the audience always bought it, and there was constant applause and laughter, and the atmosphere was very warm.
It’s just that Li Xuan is not really used to saying such high-sounding words in front of the camera, and after more than an hour, it is indeed a bit boring.
Seeing that the interview was about to end, he adjusted his sitting position and drank a sip of tea, preparing to complete the task after answering the last two questions. But suddenly he heard the host say: "Sheng Min, our program will be broadcast next month, which happens to be your birthday. I would like to wish you a happy birthday in advance."
There was definitely no such thing in the scheduled process. Li Xuan exchanged glances with Sheng Min in the corner of the first row without being noticed. The latter also looked confused, and it was obvious that he was also unaware of the situation.
Li Xuan withdrew his gaze, still smiling as if nothing had happened and said thank you.
"Our program team has also prepared a mysterious gift for you." The fans cheered in unison. For some reason, Li Xuan felt something was wrong, but the host on the other side was still smiling: "Please look at the big screen."
Li Xuan frowned and turned his head. The first thing that appeared on the screen was a video featuring a woman in her fifties. The host explained attentively: "… Shengmin's mother specially sent him birthday wishes through our program. Let's listen to what the aunt said."
His tone was full of fake surprise and inexplicable excitement, which reminded Li Xuan of the sharp sound of chalk rubbing against a blackboard, making him feel uncomfortable. He tried not to show his impatience and looked up at the screen.
Wang Shuying looked a little reserved, and her lines were obviously polished.
At first it was just normal birthday wishes, but then the topic changed and started talking about Sheng Min's childhood.
"Our Sheng Min has been sensible since he was young, but his fate was miserable. He started acting at the age of five. The director chose him by chance because he was good-looking and talented. But before the filming was finished, his father was diagnosed with cancer... It's also our fault that we are incompetent and drag the child down. In order to treat his father's illness, he stayed at the film and television base every day at such a young age. He would audition wherever there was a shortage of child actors... In the cold winter, sometimes he would wait for a whole day. It was pitiful to see..."
In line with Wang Shuying's words, the screen began to play photos.
It was a photo of Sheng Min and the actors in the crew when he was young. Against the background of the adults with exquisite makeup, he looked even thinner, with thin clothes and a small face red from the cold... Then the picture changed again, a middle-aged man lying on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. Li Xuan soon realized that it was Sheng Min's father who was said to have cancer.
There weren't many photos, but the sick body looked shocking. Wang Shuying was still talking. After she finished talking about the past, she came back to birthday wishes. If it was an essay, it would probably be the beginning and the end.
In fact, it was not that long. From the beginning to the end of the video, it was only five or six minutes. However, when Wang Shuying's voice finally stopped, Li Xuan still felt that his breathing became much smoother.
I don’t know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but in the last photo that the screen stopped on, the skinny man had his eyes closed, and it was hard to tell whether he was asleep or dead.
The photo remained in the bright and tidy studio like an ugly scar on smooth skin.
"It was really not easy for Shengmin in the past." The host picked up the microphone again and looked at him sincerely. Since tears really came out of his eyes, Li Xuan thought that his acting skills were much better than his hosting skills.
"Fortunately, we have so many fans and friends supporting us now. I believe that everyone will continue to like Shengmin, right... ... and give him more support for the new drama... Come, let's ask the staff to bring up the cake..."
A cake with intricate patterns was soon brought to him, and even the candles were lit. A large bouquet of flowers was stuffed into Li Xuan's hands without any explanation.
The host was still stirring up emotions in an exaggerated tone, and a young girl was wiping her eyes while saying, "Shengmin, I will always support you..."
However, both the applause and the sobbing seemed to gradually fade away.
Li Xuan looked at the flickering candlelight coldly. What was he doing? This was not a blessing at all, but a boring carnival with Sheng Min as a sacrifice.
What does the production team think of Shengmin? Traffic? Ratings? A name that can bring profits? And what do fans think of him? A false symbol, using his joys, sorrows, anger and happiness to express their own unnecessary emotions
Li Xuan did not doubt the fans' tears, but he knew better than anyone that Sheng Min did not need or want this sympathy, just as he himself never cared about it.
Indescribable anger swept in from all directions at this moment, unlike any he had ever experienced before. Li Xuan came back to his senses from the brief blankness of his mind, and looked hard and hastily at Sheng Min's seat under the stage, but it was empty, and Sheng Min had long disappeared.