NOTE:
This translation belongs to the translators and proofreaders of Giraffe Corps.
***
Gino gritted his teeth in pain as Tang Feng forcefully rubbed the places he'd been hit. "Is this how you should treat your savior?"
"Aren't I the one who saved you in the end? Otherwise, you'd be a bloody mess by the time Charles is through with you."
"Why do you know a violent bastard like that? He doesn't suit you at all. Tang, you should keep your distance from people like that. They're all heartless vampires who'll suck you dry and then leave you to rot on the floor." Gino stared at the other actor. Tang Feng's lips were a bit swollen. It didn't take much for Gino to figure out how it'd happened.
Gino felt as if that goddamn Charles had kicked him in the chest along with the stomach, otherwise his chest wouldn't feel so heavy.
"I feel like I have internal injuries. My chest hurts a lot right now. Goddamn it, I'm going to sue him!" Not only did his chest hurt, Gino was having trouble breathing. He felt was if he were on the verge of dying.
"Don't be a child. If you sue him, the two of you will probably end up with the same sentence. Don't forget that you made the first move, Mr. Michael Gino." Tang Feng was surprised by Gino's brashness. The latter had swung a fist at Charles without asking anything beforehand. Charles also liked to hold grudges; Gino's name was probably already on his blacklist. Tang Feng decided that he needs to give Charles a few good kicks after returning home.
Tang Feng glanced at Gino, the other actor was staring at him like a child who'd been reprimanded for something he didn't do. As expected, the good-natured image Gino had projected when they'd first met in China was something that Tang Feng had conjured up himself. The willful and demanding overgrown child that was sitting in front of him right now was the Gino that he once knew.
Gino had been born in a wealthy family and been given a top-class education; a fortunate life indeed. Of course, that meant Gino had the terrible attitude that was the result of all the pampering from his family and his manager.
"Next time, I'm going to beat him into the ground!" Gino promised to himself.
Tang Feng chuckled. Charles didn't get his muscles by training in the gym, that was obvious from the way he had fought with Gino earlier.
Gino's punches had clearly been learned from a coach in a gym, with an emphasis on rules and a good form.
On the other hand, Charles fought like a gangster on the street. There were no rules or patterns in his way of fighting, but one look and Tang Feng knew that Charles had plenty of fighting experience; he was going for the kill with every punch and kick he'd landed on Gino.
As for good sportsmanship?
When it came to a fight with real knives and guns, who had the time to care about sportsmanship? In any case, they weren't competitors fighting a fair match in a competition.
♦
Due to the fight, Gino had a difficult time filming his scenes during the afternoon. He ended up having a long chat with the director about his role and what he should portray. Tang Feng got to leave early as a result.
There was a violent bear named Charles waiting for him at home. Tang Feng had to sign an unfair contract with Charles during lunch in order to make the bear leave "calmly."
While Tang Feng was collecting his things and preparing to leave with his assistant, Lu Tian Chen drove over to pick him up.
"President Lu, aren't you busy?" Tang Feng sat beside Lu Tian Chen in the car. This routine of theirs had been occurring for a few days already. Lu Tian Chen would come pick him up whenever he had time. Though theoretically, Lu Tian Chen shouldn't have so much free time as the CEO of a large company.
"I only need to assign tasks for my employees to do and then wait for the money to roll into my bank account." Lu Tian Chen slowly pulled the car out of the filming location. While turning the steering wheel, he glanced at Tang Feng. "I'm an investor, a businessman. Not a laborer, okay?"
"Right, of course, I'm the laborer." Goddamn capitalists who only know how to exploit the working class.
Lu Tian Chen smiled and said nothing in response. Tang Feng suddenly found that he was getting along more naturally and peacefully with both Lu Tian Chen and Charles. The initial conflicts and wariness that had existed between them were being eroded away by their daily conversations. This should count as a good thing.
Perhaps they could become good friends in the end, emphasis on "good friends."
"Charles came over to visit you today, right? He said he was going to give you a surprise," Lu Tian Chen said.
"Yes, a surprise. Though an unpleasant shock would be more accurate. He'd beaten up Gino, even though Gino did make the first move. But it was all a misunderstanding in the end." Tang Feng sighed as he glanced out the window. The temperature wouldn't go down until the evening. The wind that blew over his face brought the heat along with it. He quickly rolled up the window.
"Charles has a hard fist."
Tang Feng smiled and looked at Lu Tian Chen. "It sounds like you've fought with him before?"
"There are times when men have to compare their fists." Lu Tian Chen smiled and seemed to be recalling a memory.
Tang Feng imagined Lu Tian Chen and Charles beating each other up. Out of curiosity, he asked, "Where did you guys fight? In an arena? Who won?"
"Who do you want to win?"
"Hmm... I bet it was a draw. I've never seen you fight before, but I remember you saying that you're good at beating people up. As for Charles, I just had an opportunity to see him fight. I'm guessing the two of you are around the same level," Tang Feng analyzed with a furrowed brow.
Lu Tian Chen laughed, he seemed quite amused from the sound of his deep chuckle.
"Yup, you're right. You're not far off the mark."
"Tell me more about it?" Lu Tian Chen always stopped in the middle of a story. Tang Feng was curious to know more. As someone who was practicing martial arts at the moment, he was interested in anything having to do with fighting.
Despite being of Chinese descent in his past life, he only counted as half-Chinese at most. He had grown up in America, even though he'd delved into the Chinese language and culture, his education was still solidly rooted in American culture. His friends had also been American. As a result, he didn't have a deep understanding of Chinese culture or martial arts.
Charles was half-Chinese to begin with, so he was practically the same as Tang Feng. But Lu Tian Chen was different. From appearances, Lu Tian Chen was a full easterner.
"Then like Charles, am I supposed to obtain a promise from you in exchange?" Even though Lu Tian Chen had phrased it like a question, his tone of voice showed that he was serious. As a businessman, Lu Tian Chen didn't offer free services.
"You rely on your power too much, you vampire-like capitalist."
"Thank you for the compliment." Lu Tian Chen's skin was getting to be as thick as the Great Wall of China. Tang Feng hated coming across thick-skinned people.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "What do you want in exchange?" He would decide whether to accept or not after hearing the conditions.
"Aren't you free tomorrow morning? Why don't you make me breakfast," Lu Tian Chen stated.
Tang Feng raised an eyebrow. Had he heard him correctly? Had Lu Tian Chen just asked him to make breakfast?
"Are you sure?" Tang Feng remembered mentioning that he couldn't cook, so he didn't how to make breakfast. He was inept at even the simple tasks of frying an egg and making toast.
Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. He had a lot of strengths, but cooking was definitely one of his weaknesses. But he didn't plan on jogging Lu Tian Chen's memory about that. After all, a request like making breakfast was well within his capabilities.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"No, of course not." There wasn't a problem at all. He wouldn't be the one eating the breakfast he made.
"Only for me," Lu Tian Chen added after a long while.
"I know." Tang Feng had no plans of poisoning someone else, though it didn't matter if it were Charles. If they could shove it down their throats, then he could make whatever they wanted to eat.
Staring out the window, Tang Feng chuckled to himself.
♦
When Lu Tian Chen and Tang Feng returned to their apartment, Charles was already sitting on the dark leather couch inside, waiting for them. A cigar was hanging from his mouth, the corner of which was still red, clearly a result of the fight with Gino. Rather than ruining the perverted bear's looks, the wound added a rugged handsomeness to his appearance.
"You're hurting my heart, babe!" Charles started complaining the minute he saw the other two.
"I'm not your babe, Charles." Tang Feng walked in and hung the black bag he'd been carrying on a hook beside the door. The bag held an assortment of vitamins, his phone, and eyedrops; they were all things that came in handy while he was onset.
"You kissed an idiot this morning, then you let that idiot punch me during lunch. And now you're standing in front of me with my best friend and acting like you two are married!" Charles' exaggerated tone made Tang Feng laugh. The perverted bear was letting his imagination run wild again. Like how Lu Tian Chen had developed a penchant for cracking dry jokes here and there, Charles was also getting better at his cringeworthy humor.
Tang Feng felt as if he were living with two lunatics.
"That's right." Going along with Charles' words, Tang Feng smiled and wrapped an arm around Lu Tian Chen's waist. He raised his chin and said, "I have a new favorite. You've been banished to the cold palace*, Charles."
*T/N: 冷宫(lěng gōng). A term typically used to describe the palace to which members of the imperial harem are banished to after losing favor with the emperor. However, there is no actual place designated as the cold palace within the imperial palace complex itself. After losing favor, the concubine is typically confined to her quarters, which are thereafter referred to as the cold palace. Hence, the location of the cold palace can change depending on the place and time.
Lu Tian Chen smiled and made no response. Charles glared at the other two. "You two have hurt me deeply."