“No, no, no, you are my wife,” Shuai Chang gasped under the pressure, quickly correcting himself.
The movie wrapped, and Song Tang did not continue to take roles for Fan Luojia, instead signing him up for a competitive reality show. Fan Luojia had a bright and cheerful public image, characterized by his dazzling smile and small tiger teeth, and participating in the show would help him garner more popularity.
There was a month of preparation time before the show, and Fan Luojia began working out. Every time Shuai Chang returned home from work, he found Fan Luojia drenched in sweat from exercising. After half a month of training, results were starting to show; when he lifted his shirt, faint outlines of eight-pack abs were visible. Shuai Chang felt the urge to reach out and touch them multiple times, but thought it strange for an older brother to touch his younger brother’s abs, so he reined in his curiosity.
Another half-month passed, and Fan Luojia not only became stronger but also grew significantly taller. He used to be half a head shorter than Shuai Chang, but now he was at Shuai Chang’s ear level.
Fan Luojia insisted on arm wrestling with Shuai Chang. Unable to refuse him, they sat opposite each other and clasped hands. Although Shuai Chang didn’t train as intensely as Fan Luojia did, he did maintain a regular one-hour gym session every day, so he was confident in his strength. To avoid discouraging Fan Luojia, he even considered going easy on him.
However, that thought quickly vanished once he experienced Fan Luojia’s explosive power. It wouldn’t be fun to let him win on purpose and then lose passively. In the end, Shuai Chang had a slight advantage, and Fan Luojia shook his fist and declared, “Brother Haidong, I’ll definitely beat you when I finish filming.”
At the time, Shuai Chang didn’t respond but silently increased his workout regimen after Fan Luojia joined the filming crew.
The reality show Fan Luojia was participating in was called “Summit of Competition,” where each episode presented challenges that ranged from easy to difficult. The production team invited the comedic artist Lin Haojie to ensure the show’s entertainment value. Comedic artists generally don’t pay much attention to maintaining their weight, and Lin Haojie was no exception; he had a round figure and provided endless laughter during the challenges, attracting a large number of fans.
Other cast members included an actor (Fan Luojia), a singer (Meng Ru), a dancer (Cen Yueyan), and a scriptwriter (Shi Yulan). There were three men and two women, with Fan Luojia being the youngest and Cen Yueyan the oldest. Despite their age difference, they both had excellent stamina; Fan Luojia relied purely on physical strength, while Cen Yueyan largely depended on skill.
Since the two often collaborated to complete challenges, they gradually garnered a CP fanbase online. Fans created various suggestive compilations and wrote many fanfiction stories, causing a stir among the LGBTQ+ community. Their support helped the “Jia Ran” CP group grow larger.
Shuai Chang discovered this when Fan Luojia had completed shooting all ten episodes. After becoming popular, he was inundated with filming offers, and the movie he starred in was nominated for Best Actor at an international film festival. This nomination affirmed his acting skills and was also the reason domestic directors were choosing him—young, well-known, and talented.
It had been a long time since Shuai Chang had seen Fan Luojia at home. One afternoon, he felt a sudden emptiness in his heart. He opened his computer and, upon seeing Fan Luojia’s news online, realized he missed him.
He searched for Fan Luojia on Weibo, clicking through posts, eventually finding a video compilation of the “Jia Ran” CP.
In the video, Fan Luojia and Cen Yueyan were either cuddling or embracing. They were of similar height, with Fan Luojia showcasing strong muscles and Cen Yueyan possessing a slender figure. Together, they surprisingly seemed quite fitting.
However, Shuai Chang was not pleased. He coldly searched for information about Cen Yueyan.
The Baidu Encyclopedia introduced Cen Yueyan as follows:
“Cen Yueyan, male, born in 1983 in Shuangqing City, Wuchuan Province, graduated from the Central Dance Academy, later studied abroad, and has won numerous awards in international competitions. He is now an internationally renowned dancer.”
Hah, an old man.
Shuai Chang had thought Cen Yueyan was only a year or two older than Fan Luojia, but it turned out he was already in his thirties—over ten years older than Fan Luojia.
Shuai Chang stared at the video, feeling a jumble of emotions. Fan Luojia was definitely being fooled by this Cen Yueyan. No, he had to stop them; Fan Luojia deserved better.
In a fit of impulse, Shuai Chang dialed Fan Luojia’s phone number. After two rings, someone picked up, but it wasn’t Fan Luojia or either of the two assistants.
“Hello, I’m looking for Luojia,” Shuai Chang said.
“Luojia went to fix his makeup. I’ll hand the phone to him. Please wait,” came a cold male voice.
Soon, Shuai Chang heard Fan Luojia’s voice. He asked softly, “Brother Yueyan, how did you get here?”
The person replied, “Someone called you, and I accidentally answered. I’m bringing it to you.”
Then the phone reached Fan Luojia’s hands, and he softly said, “Brother Haidong, are you looking for me?”
Shuai Chang felt a twinge of discomfort; why did Luojia call everyone “Brother”?
“Uh, I’ve been missing you a bit,” he replied calmly.
Now that Cen Yueyan was next to Fan Luojia, Shuai Chang didn’t inquire further but stated, “The person earlier mentioned you were fixing your makeup, and it’s not convenient to chat now. Please call me back when you have time tonight.”
“Okay, Brother Haidong, take care of yourself.”
After hanging up, Shuai Chang let out a tired sigh. He felt a headache coming on as he thought about how to stop Fan Luojia from falling too quickly for someone, especially an older man who could not be trusted.
Spirit Group: Handsome, are you feeling jealous?
Shuai Chang: Stop it. I don’t have time to chat with you right now.
Spirit Group: Oh~~~~
After finishing work, Shuai Chang returned home feeling restless and frequently glanced at his phone.
Fan Luojia had said he would call back after work, but he didn’t know when he would finish.
Worried about missing the call, Shuai Chang wrapped his phone in plastic wrap and took it into the shower with him. When he finished bathing, it was already midnight, and there were still no calls or messages.
Fan Luojia was currently filming a romantic comedy in the city. Shuai Chang had read the script; there weren’t many night shoots. He was uncertain if they were filming a night scene today or if Fan Luojia simply forgot to call him back.
The more Shuai Chang thought about Fan Luojia being with Cen Yueyan, the more restless he became. He walked downstairs, and the empty living room had no one to greet him with a cute expression.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He quickly looked and saw it was Fan Luojia calling, promptly picking it up.