"Qingxuan, I think I hear someone crying outside," Xie Lian said, while twisting around his chair to get a better view of the studio entrance. He was so sure that he had caught a glimpse of someone clad in clothes as red as maple, and a figure so tall and imposing that he couldn't help but want to catch a second look.
Shi Qingxuan was busy setting up the set for the photoshoot. Without even raising her head to acknowledge him, she said, "hm? what are you talking about?"
"Ah, never mind."
It was not long before they heard some more commotion outside, and He Xuan peeked inside their room.
"Shi Qingxuan, Xie Lian. The model cancelled the shoot at the last minute."
"WHAT?" both Shi Qingxuan and Xie Lian screeched in unison. He Xuan winced.
"Rest assured, it has been taken care of," He Xuan paused, his gaze lingered on Xie Lian for a second, before hastily moving away. "Hua Cheng has agreed to act as his substitute."
"And he needs me to get his makeup done?" Shi Qingxuan asked.
"Yes and... he is very picky."
"I am aware," Shi Qingxuan sighed and collected her makeup products. "He is in the other dressing room? Oh okay. Lian I promise I'll get everything done quickly. Please don't get mad."
Once she hurried out of the room, Xie Lian and He Xuan were left staring awkwardly at each other.
"So, um ahem," He Xuan cleared his throat awkwardly. He hesitated as if searching for the correct words, then grimaced. "What... what is the relationship between you and Shi Qingxuan?"
Xie Lian was stunned. Did this man seriously take him as his competition?
"She is like my sister, plus she's my roommate and best friend," Xie Lian answered truthfully, and to his amusement, He Xuan sighed in relief. However, He Xuan's thought process was much different from what Xie Lian was assuming.
Then she is safe from that madman Hua Cheng, He Xuan grumbled to himself, before turning stiffly away and marching out of the room.
Minutes ticked by, and they still didn't seem to be done yet.
In Xie Lian's own humble opinion, he believed that his patience was infinite and his temper was mild and agreeable. These virtues were what made him so well loved and popular at the day care where he worked part time. At present though, he had exhausted the last of his patience.
It had been more than an hour since he had finished dressing up in his, ahem, costume. The gauzy fabric of the wedding robes was hot and uncomfortable, his tight bun was pulling painfully at his roots, and his face was itching from the makeup. To top it off, he had been an unwilling participant in this whole project. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel as if he had been wronged. He was all dressed up and pretty, yet his bridegroom, Hua Cheng, (it was impossible for him to say this with a straight face) wasn't even ready yet.
Just when Xie Lian was going to fall into a fit of rage and vandalize their shooting equipment, Shi Qingxuan walked out into the room, looking as irritated as he felt.
"I have never met anyone more terrifying than that man!" she grumbled and began readying the cameras.
"Is he done yet?" Xie Lian couldn't mask the annoyance in his question.
Shi Qingxuan barked out a laugh, "Yes his outfit and makeup is done, but they shooed me off saying that he wanted to practice his lines."
"Lines?! What lines?! Don't tell me that we are going to shoot a video!"
"Don't worry we are not," she hastily assured him. "I have no idea what lines they were talking about! That man, Hua Cheng, is even more unreasonable than the rumours make him out to be. He is so picky about the outfit and makeup, does he take this as his actual wedding or something?!"
Alas, there was nothing they could do except to curse his entire bloodline (Shi Qingxuan's courtesy, Xia Lian would never!) They decided to shoot a few solo pictures of Xie Lian in the meantime. It was obviously a feeble attempt by Shi Qingxuan to placate him, but Xie Lian was satisfied with the arrangement. It would at least give him some time to adjust and get comfortable in front of the camera.
"Man, you're ripped! Let's take a few shots of you flexing those muscles!"
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"...Qingxuan, I'm afraid that these robes will end up tearing—"
"Shut up, you've got a hot body! If you don't flex it, then who will?!"
Of course he couldn't win an argument against his beast of a friend. Feeling slightly miffed, Xie Lian flexed like he'd never flexed in his life before. What a ridiculous day, he thought to himself.
For one particular picture, he had to turn around to face the green screen, displaying his back and shoulders in all their broad-and-toned-martial-artist glory. He heard a slight jingling of bells and a sudden sharp intake of breath, but he was too preoccupied to turn around and find the source of it.
"YES YES YES! PERFECT! Now slightly turn your head around— no! Not that much! Yes okay, that's better! Lower your lashes— no no not like that, more delicately! Try to look shy!"
Xie Lian followed the instructions to the best of his ability, and if he were to be honest, it was actually kind of fun. Kind of.
As soon as he heard that the shutter of the camera, he turned back around to stand normally, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. He startled when he realised that they had company.
Standing behind Shi Qingxuan, was a very tall figure. Robes as red as maple, skin as smooth and clear as snow, it was none other than that infamous Hua Cheng who he had caught a glimpse of before!
That fleeting glance he had managed earlier had not been enough to convey this man's beauty, Xie Lian realised belatedly. His tall figure was evenly matched with a well built body, one that might even rival that of Xie Lian's! The clothes that this bridegroom seemed to be wearing were nowhere near the traditional ones that Xie Lian was used to.
He wore a sleeveless black crop top, that left little of the man's taut abdominal muscles to the imagination. A long, red robe was worn over it, which covered the length of his arms and added a flowy silhouette to the outfit in general.
Xie Lian hummed appreciatively at the rock-hard contours of his abs, before his eyes inched upwards. His breathing hitched. The little black top was a little too form-fitting. The fabric seemed to be fighting for its life, the poor thing was stretched to its limit and could barely cover the man's massive chest. Xie Lian gulped as he eyed his well built pectoral muscles.
A light cough shook him out of his ogling. Hua Cheng was looking sheepishly at him.
"Excuse my appearance, we had no time to prepare for my outfit. The robes of the hired model were too small for me, so we had to improvise with what we had."
So Hua Cheng had noticed Xie checking him out! Xie Lian wanted to strangle himself with his robes and perish on the spot.
"N-no it looks good, very good," Xie Lian stammered vaguely.
Was it his imagination, or did Hua Cheng's eye seem to tear up a little?
"Nonsense... This Gege is the one who looks very good."
Gege? A vague, foggy memory resurfaced within Xie Lian's mind. But he was caught too off guard to reminisce about the past.
Despite just having been called out for his shameless ogling, Xie Lian couldn't help but stare transfixed at the man's handsome face. He had sharp and angular features, and a thick set of brows that carried hints of youthful arrogance. His thin lips were curved into a hesitant smile, and his jawline was sharper than the swords that Xie Lian liked to collect.
But the most compelling sight was his eyes—or rather— his eye. The right one was covered with a simple black eye-patch, which somehow added a mysterious appeal to his already incredibly captivating looks. Even though he was just as good as a stranger to him, Xie Lian couldn't help but feel worried about the missing eye.
Why does he cover it, is he okay?
The other eye was currently wide open, not unlike Xie Lian's. The playful red eyeliner further emphasized his carefree and youthful air, while adding an intimidating aura at the same time. But the thing which truly caught Xie Lian off-guard was the depth in his eye, betraying hints of intense emotions.
"Ah, Hua Cheng. Finished practicing your lines?" Shi Qingxuan said, the mocking in her tone obvious.
Hua Cheng ignored her, and continued gazing at Xie Lian.
"I... will be back in a moment," he said breaking the heated eye contact. "I need to discuss something with He Xuan."
Before anyone could protest, he all but ran back to his dressing room.
He Xuan had just finished cleaning the mess they had created in the room when Hua Cheng barged in, looking more excited than he had previously, if that was even possible.
"You got rejected so soon?" He Xuan asked tonelessly.
"Fuck! Pass me a tissue! I don't wanna ruin the make-up!"
He Xuan passed the damn tissue, and watched silently as Hua Cheng continued his sniffling. The Hua Cheng he knew, and hated (read: loved) was always confident and playful. He Xuan had a pretty bad reputation himself, but Hua Cheng honestly scared him out at times. That damned man was always too perfect and rarely lost his composure. Now having to deal with such a vulnerable version of him all of a sudden was... unsettling. He looked so pitiful, that He Xuan couldn't even think about taking advantage of him.
"Gege was checking me out," Hua Cheng finally confessed.
"..."
"He even said that I look very good."
"Is... that a bad thing?" He Xuan couldn't rule out the possibility that the infamous Crimson Rain was actually some sort of sick masochist who enjoyed being treated like shit by his crush.
Hua Cheng wasn't speaking anymore, but the unshed tears sparkling in his eye spoke more than any words could. His emotions felt especially magnified today, along with his feelings of intense love, many of his past insecurities had resurfaced. Hua Cheng was known to be somewhat vain about his appearance, and he had no shortage of people who lusted after him. But no one really knew that deep inside, Hua Cheng really loathed his looks. His well built body, impeccable outfits, stylish piercings and hairstyles were all but armours that he had adorned to shield his actual ugly appearance from the harsh scrutinizing gazes of the world.
In his childhood, he had been the out-cast, rejected loner. He was always told that he was a hideous monster and an abomination. Maybe it was because of his red eye, or maybe he was just hideous all over. Due to the trauma of being bullied relentlessly about his appearance, he had a deep "I am ugly" impression of himself.
The passage of time had somewhat healed this particular wound in his heart. He started dressing well, and maintaining his appearance. He suddenly became immensely popular and desirable, the total opposite of what life had once been like for him. Later he even started suspecting that, hm, maybe I am kinda good looking...
But standing before the person he liked the most in this world, he instinctively reverted back to his old self-deprecating habits. His emotions had already been raw from seeing Xie Lian clearly after years (not to forget the bridal robes), but realising that Xie Lian was also seemingly affected to some degree by Hua Cheng... was too much to bear.
Is there a chance... of me and Gege...?
Hua Cheng decided that he would not follow that train of thought. He owed his life to Xie Lian, but Xie Lian had no obligations towards him... But at the same time, he did not want to let this opportunity go. If he missed his chance and ended up having lost Xie Lian again, and this time forever, he might just as well die. Dabbing the last bit of moisture from his eye, Hua Cheng tossed the tissue away and stood up. He was going to give it a shot. He knew that he could never deserve someone like Xie Lian, but he also knew that no one would love and respect him the way Hua Cheng does.
"I am going to treat Gege like the god he is," Hua Cheng declared.
"Uh, okay?" He Xuan scanned the room for a thermometer-- the situation was not looking good!
"I will romantically pursue him, and make him fall for me!"
Hua Cheng promptly strolled out, and He Xuan wondered sadly if he could at all exact his revenge on that Shi girl today.
"He Xuan, is everything finally ready?" Shi Qingxuan's lips were twitching from her fake smile. He Xuan hastily joined her behind the cameras and offered his help.
Xie Lian watched nervously as Hua Cheng approached him, then felt stupid for being nervous.
"I inconvenienced Gege a lot today," Hua Cheng smiled apologetically. "Pray that Gege isn't too mad?"
Xie Lian blinked. The jingling of Hua Cheng's boots, and the way his lips moved when he spoke was too damn distracting! In truth he had been mad, but all of it seemed pretty irrelevant now.
"No, it is alright Hua Cheng. I'm glad you agreed to help us out within such a short notice."
"Alright, hold hands you two!" Shi Qingxuan yelled from her place. "Xie Lian, hold your veil with one hand, and Hua Cheng look towards him and act as if you are madly in love!"
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Before he could even get a chance to get flustered, Hua Cheng extended his hand towards him, smiling softly. His fingers were long and slender, a vivid red affinity knot was tied prettily around his third digit. Xie Lian accepted his hand, and the two walked in front of the greenscreen together. Xie Lian found himself relaxing into Hua Cheng's gentle and reassuring touch, and the photoshoot went on smoothly after that.
Shi Qingxuan, as playful as she was, knew how to get things done when in charge. She didn't seem as conscious around He Xuan as she had earlier. Whereas the latter just stood quietly besides her and clicked the pictures.
They clicked the pictures in a multitude of different poses. Though they swapped by pose after pose, one thing remained constant-- Hua Cheng's gentle and reverent touches. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel wronged in behalf of Hua Cheng, for everyone had made him seem like a spoilt master of some lawless city, but the man in question turned out to be such a polite and respectful gentleman! But then again, Xie Lian suspected that this behaviour was reserved just for him, seeing how indifferent he was acting towards the other two.
"Can you hold his chin please?" Shi Qingxuan looked at Hua Cheng. "You both have a pretty good chemistry, I think the theme of wholesome intimacy in this project will be enough to win the hearts of our professors!"
"Gege, is that alright with you?" Hua Cheng asked, as he had before initiating all of the touches so far.
"Yes, yes, that is alright!"
Xie Lian's little laughter died out when Hua Cheng's icy cool thumb brushed over his chin, the pressure as light and gentle as the brush of velvet against marble. Xie Lian tilted his head upward to meet Hua Cheng's eye, and he was surprised yet again at the intensity of his gaze. How could he look as if he was burning, but completely at peace at the same time? His eye shone with millions of unspoken pleas and vows, and the sheer transparency in them shook Xie Lian.
Xie Lian could barely registered the shutter and flashes of the camera, his eyes never leaving Hua Cheng's. He could feel the taller man's fingers trembling ever so slightly under his chin, perhaps from the strain of having to stand still and maintain the pose for so long. What other reason could there be?
"Annnnnnd, alright it is a wrap!" Shi Qingxuan cheered. "Good job guys!"
Hua Cheng did not immediately pull away. He brushed a few stray strands of hair away from Xie Lian's face, before stepping behind and giving him some space.
He vaguely registered Shi Qingxuan attempting to pull He Xuan in for a hug, and getting promptly rejected. Hua Cheng's low chuckle shook him out of his daze.
"That friend of yours is a little too excited, isn't she?" His dark eye watched the pair in front of them with a sly and knowing look. It seemed like He Xuan was the only one who was oblivious to her advances. "That makes things... interesting."
"Your friend is a little too cold to her," Xie Lian said disapprovingly.
"He isn't my friend," Hua Cheng responded automatically. "But Gege is right, that is not how gentlemen should behave. Xuanxuan should learn a thing or two from me." He passed a mischievous grin, looking more like the arrogant and youthful menace that Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan had warned him about. Xie Lian found this version of the youngster endearing.
"Gege should pursue modelling full time," he continued lazily. "All of the veteran models will soon find themselves unemployed if Gege decides to debut."
All the Gege this and Gege that was making Xie Lian's head swim. A strange vague suspicion was starting to form in his mind. Ever since the moment when he first saw him, Xie Lian could not help but find him slightly familiar and nostalgic. With a jolt he realised why. It was the address 'Gege'.
Hua Cheng reminded him of another boy who he had met years ago. Xie Lian still remembered fondly how the boy used to tag behind him and call out "Gege! Gege!" relentlessly.
"You flatter me! You are the one who seems to be the type to be in that industry," Xie Lian laughed and nodded towards his piercings and jewelry. Hua Cheng merely smiled in response.
"Alright let's pack up," He Xuan grumbled. His former business like air had disappeared completely, something which seemed to be a side effect of Hua Cheng's presence. Shi Qingxuan still shadowed him with a bright smile on her face.
"Yes, time to leave!"
Feeling infinitely grateful that the whole ordeal was over, Xie Lian rushed back to his dressing room and stripped off the offending robes in record time. He could finally relax now that he was back in his comfortable white pullover and jeans. After hours of being tied up, Xie Lian decided to let his elbow length hair fall loose around his shoulders, while tying half of it up in a neat bun. He had just scrubbed off the last of his makeup when Shi Qingxuan barged into the room and hugged him.
"Lian, I am really grateful for your help today. I know this was so much out of your comfort zone, I swear I'll never ask you to do anything like this ever again!"
"I'm glad I could be of help! Besides," Xie Lian's mind travelled back to the image of Hua Cheng's pale and slender hands intertwined with his, "it was not that bad."
"I owe you! Come let's grab dinner and drinks, it will be my treat!"
The car ride to the the restaurant was pleasant. Despite it being He Xuan's car, Hua Cheng was the one driving. Naturally, Xie Lian sat next to him-- but only because he wanted to give Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan some quality time at the back.
"So you both are roommates? You two seem to be good friends," Xie Lian smiled at the two men who seemed to have a complicated relationship with each other
"No, we are not."
"Nah, never."
Unsurprisingly, both of them replied in perfect harmony.
"He Xuan told me that you take care of his fishes when he is not at home!" Shi Qingxuan piped in.
"Yeah, the fish care is added to the debt." Hua Cheng replied lazily as he turned the wheel with just the heel of his palm. Xie Lian could not help but admire how effortless and graceful each of Hua Cheng's movements were.
"Wait, what?" the terror in He Xuan's voice felt extremely real. It seemed that Hua Cheng was good at getting reactions out of the usually stoic and expressionless He Xuan. Shi Qingxuan did not know how to feel about that. "You are kidding me! How come you never mentioned this before?"
"You never asked, idiot."
"Crimson Rain, you truly are a despicable man."
"Crimson Rain?" Xie Lian repeated, curious.
"Haha it is just a nickname, Gege does not need to think much about it."
"Is it because of your red aesthetic?" Xie Lian pressed.
Hua Cheng caught He Xuan's eyes from the rearview mirror. Both of them could still vividly recall how exactly Hua Cheng had gotten that moniker, and Hua Cheng's red aesthetic had nothing to do with it. It was a story that involved a gang of people rounding up on Hua Cheng, and later scampering off while holding their bloody noses. All those who were present that day could never quite forget the gruesome image of fountains of blood spurting out of the offending people's broken noses.
"En. That must be it." Hua Cheng lied with a straight face.
He Xuan snorted and just to be a dick, Hua Cheng added, "He Xuan has a more interesting title, Gege."
"Oh oh what is it?" Shi Qingxuan turned expectantly towards the man in question, her blue eyes lighting up like a puppy's. Now it was He Xuan's turn to glare daggers at Hua Cheng.
"Won't you tell her, Black Water? There is a rather funny backstory behind it too."
Yes the story was very funny. As funny as stories about attempting to drown one's school bullies went... In retrospect, both of them had participated in many questionable activities that they now were not very proud of. The most unspeakable one being when they had almost hooked up with each other. Almost. Even when they were high enough to hallucinate other worldly beings, that did not actually exist (hopefully), and horny and lonely enough to seek each other out in drunken throws of passion, their mutual disgust of each other was too hard to set aside. Plus Hua Cheng wasn't sure if He Xuan was even into men. Whatever. Hua Cheng and He Xuan came to a silent agreement to not disclose their past scandals in front of their current company.
"Black Water?" Shi Qingxuan repeated. "You are too good looking for a title like that."
"..."
"..."
"???"
Xie Lian found his best friend's courage admirable, but Shi Qingxuan wanted to jump out of the running car and perish. He Xuan's blank countenance did not even so much as twitch at the compliment. After Xie Lian successfully redirected the topic of the conversation, the rest of the ride went smoothly.
The sky had already darkened by the time they reached the restaurant. They quickly settled in and ordered the food. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian squeezed into one side of the table together, while He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan sat opposite to them. Shi Qingxuan had declared that it was her treat. General propriety did not stop He Xuan from ordering ungodly amount of food. Xie Lian turned towards Hua Cheng to comment on the matter, but he found that the man was already gazing at his direction. When their eyes met, Hua Cheng startled slightly and averted his gaze, before slowly turning towards Xie Lian to face him again. Xie Lian was amused at this sudden display of shyness, but he also found it adorable.
Dinner was a noisy affair. Shi Qingxuan kept the conversations going, and when she had run out of topics to babble about, she decided that it was good time to stealthily collect some useful information.
"The way you two fight reminds me of some old married couple!" Shi Qingxuan forced herself to laugh. He Xuan gulped his food down to pass a disgusted look at Hua Cheng.
"You have a very creative imagination," Hua Cheng's smile was faker than Shi Qingxuan's, and lacked all of her winning charms.
"So I have been told, haha!" then she bit her lips and forced herself to continue. "So like, what, both of you don't have any girlfriends?"
"Xuanxuan here doesn't have one, if that's what you are asking," Hua Cheng arched his eyebrow at her.
He Xuan, who still had not gotten a hint, pointed his fork at Hua Cheng and asked sourly. "Why are you bringing me in middle? She was asking about you too, so won't you tell us?"
Xie Lian tilted his head to one side, humming curiously.
"You look like a playboy to me," Shi Qingxuan declared, her lack of filter made things awkward. "The type who jumps from one girl to the other." He Xuan grumbled something that was too low to make out.
Xie Lian sipped some water to avoid Hua Cheng's eye.
Hua Cheng stayed quiet for a moment. He played with his fork and pushed the vegetables in his pasta to align together to form a small smiley face.
"That is not true," he said softly after a while. He Xuan scoffed in the background. "My affections aren't that fleeting, once my heart is given to someone, there is no taking it back."
"Oh," Xie Lian smiled, "I did not realise that Hua Cheng was such a sentimental man."
"It is true Gege. In all matters, not necessarily romantic," Hua Cheng hesitated for a moment, before deciding to be a little bolder. "If I like something, then my heart will not have room for any other. Nothing can replace it then. No matter how many years pass, my feelings will not wane."
He finally looked up to meet Xie Lian's eyes. Xie Lian did not doubt his words at all. Something told him that this playful and capricious man was more sincere than he let on.
"Wow, that was kinda romantic," Shi Qingxuan grumbled. "So you are saying that there is a girl you are in love with? Wow, she must be quite something to be the object of such intense affection."
"Hm? Oh yes, that person is," Hua Cheng smiled widely. "They are my noble, gracious, special someone. They saved me when I was little, and I always looked up to them ever since."
The vague use of pronouns was enough to let everyone know that there was something lgbt going on. Shi Qingxuan satisfied with his answers, dropped the line of questioning. Xie Lian on the other hand appeared to be thoughtful, as if he was thinking hard about something.
"What about you two?" he suddenly asked.
Shi Qingxuan smiled in satisfaction, she had been waiting for this question all along! She whole heartedly believed that He Xuan was under the assumption that she was taken, and that was why he was distancing himself from her. The thought was not unbelievable, there were all sorts of rumours about her love life at college, each more ridiculous than the last. Besides, she was simply too hot to not be in a relationship!
"Haha, actually, I really have not been active in the whole dating scene for a while," she passed He Xuan a pointed look. "But I think I should start going on dates and stuff, you know what I mean?" He Xuan was too busy drinking his wine to notice any hidden implications.
Noticing Hua Cheng's inquisitive gaze, Xie Lian cleared his throat slightly. "Same."
"Gege, really? I cannot imagine how many hearts you have broken so far by remaining single!" not mine for sure, he thought smugly.
"You are such a tease!"
Hua Cheng smiled and shifted in his seat, shuffling a little closer to Xie Lian. Under the table, their fingers brushed, whether accidentally or intentionally, Xie Lian wasn't sure. After panicking a little internally, he figured that not moving his hand away wouldn't hurt. Neither of them made any effort to move after that.
Some more gossips were spilled, and all of the plates were cleared. Xie Lian excused himself and walked towards the restroom. While washing his hands, he noticed that his little bun was coming undone. He groaned when he realised that the elastic had snapped in two. Having ridiculously thick hair had its disadvantages.
"Need help with that?" Hua Cheng's deep voice slightly echoed in the washroom. He was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed together. He had replaced the red wedding robes with a red shirt instead. The buttons were all but open, and the crop top underneath it did not really make him look more decent. But Xie Lian did not mind the view. If anything, the exposed biceps were even more appreciated.
"How long have you been standing there?" Xie Lian chuckled.
Hua Cheng languidly walked over. "Gege looked so good, I did not want to ruin such a scenery." Despite his teasing words, his gaze was soft and gentle. He fished out a rubber band from his pocket and asked to help him tie his hair. Xie Lian laughed and nodded. Hua Cheng placed the rubber band between his lips, and combed through Xie Lian's silken tresses with his fingers. He carefully worked through the few knots that had managed to form and secured the bun in place.
"All done," his hands were still still on his hair, but his movements were not confident anymore. He seemed hesitant.
People often underestimated Xie Lian and took him for a naïve and oblivious fool. That might have once been an accurate description of him, but he had grown up and survived all alone in this ruthless world after all. He merely indulged people, tricking them into believing that he was foolish and harmless. He was in fact, quite perceptive and sharp. And his sharp instincts were telling him that this man, Hua Cheng, was... ahem, courting him.
And if his earlier instincts were correct, then this Hua Cheng was the same kid he had met years ago. The one who had introduced himself as San Lang.
๋࣭ ⭑