“Luo Jia, why are you coming back from work so late?” he frowned and asked.
“Haidong Ge, today is the last night shoot, and the crew will finish filming tomorrow.”
“What time will you be back tomorrow? What do you want to eat? I’ll have Assistant Yu book a table in advance.” Shuai Chang unconsciously smiled.
“I want to eat you, Haidong Ge, will you let me?” Fan Luo Jia’s voice was hoarse.
Shuai Chang was momentarily speechless, and they both fell into silence for a while.
“Aren’t you craving hot pot? Let’s have it at home tomorrow.”
“Hmm. That sounds good.” Fan Luo Jia said, “Haidong Ge, I have to get up early tomorrow, so I need to sleep now. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” Shuai Chang wanted to hear a few more words from Fan Luo Jia; if it weren’t for that sudden comment about “eating him,” he wouldn’t have felt so awkward.
After putting down the phone, Shuai Chang realized he forgot to ask about Cen Yueren, which bothered him. He wanted to call back but hesitated, worried about disturbing Fan Luo Jia’s rest. He tossed and turned in bed all night, and the next day he woke up with two dark circles under his eyes.
Fan Luo Jia finished filming in the morning and flew back in the afternoon. Shuai Chang took care of his matters in the morning and left a meeting halfway through to pick him up at the airport.
At the pick-up area, a circle of girls held signs saying “We love Fan Luo Jia.”
Shuai Chang knew Fan Luo Jia wouldn’t come out from here, so he decided to wait at the VIP exit.
Dressed in a T-shirt, shorts, sneakers, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask, Fan Luo Jia was fully armed and walked quickly with his head down, followed by two assistants carrying luggage.
In contrast, Shuai Chang stood out in a chic gray suit, which made him quite eye-catching.
When Fan Luo Jia spotted him, he happily bounced over and hugged his arm, exclaiming, “Haidong Ge, you specially came to pick me up!”
Shuai Chang touched his now more toned arm, “Who else would I pick up? Aren’t you playing a lawyer this time? How have you gained so much muscle?”
As they spoke while walking out, they didn’t attract the attention of the fans behind them.
“I exercise every day; it took me a lot of effort to build this physique; I can’t let it go to waste.”
Fan Luo Jia’s eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, but Shuai Chang knew his brows must be raised, with his eyes wide open and shining with excitement.
Once they were home, Fan Luo Jia eagerly wanted to arm wrestle with Shuai Chang. Shuai Chang’s smile froze, “Let’s wait until you’re well rested. Behave, otherwise I won’t hold back.”
Fan Luo Jia pouted, “Fine.” He had been looking forward to this for a long time.
After they showered and changed, they headed out to the supermarket. Since they had a hot pot at home but no other ingredients, they had to go buy some themselves.
Fan Luo Jia picked out several plates of beef. Although he ate meat in the crew, it didn’t taste good, so he preferred vegetables. Thus, he wanted to feast on meat for his first meal back.
They selected broth and seasonings and grabbed a few kinds of vegetables along with meat that Shuai Chang liked, returning home with plenty of bags.
Fan Luo Jia opened a bottle of red wine and poured it into high-stemmed glasses for both of them.
Shuai Chang laughed, “Red wine with hot pot? That’s a fresh way to enjoy it.”
Fan Luo Jia tossed some tender beef into the spicy broth, “This is a perfect blend of elegance and simplicity.”
Eating hot pot in the air-conditioned house during the summer was the happiest moment. Fan Luo Jia and Shuai Chang clinked glasses and downed their red wine.
Shuai Chang hurriedly cautioned, “Slow down, or you’ll have a headache tomorrow!”
Fan Luo Jia cheerfully poured more wine for himself, “Haidong Ge, you should drink too; we said we’d toast!”
The red wine packed a punch, and at first, it didn’t feel like much.
Shuai Chang couldn’t refuse Fan Luo Jia’s insistence and ended up having a few drinks with him.
Luckily, the hot pot helped, and they didn’t get too drunk too quickly.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Shuai Chang turned off the stove, and the table was a mess. However, feeling somewhat tipsy, he thought he could clean up tomorrow.
He walked over to help the drunken Fan Luo Jia who had slumped over. Fan Luo Jia’s muscles felt sturdy, elastic, but he still hadn’t gained weight; he was light as a feather, as if a gust of wind could lift him.
Shuai Chang picked him up effortlessly and headed for a shower before bed. Both of them smelled of hot pot and alcohol, a not-so-pleasant combination.
Fan Luo Jia was compliant when drunk, following Shuai Chang’s instructions to raise his arms and legs.
Successfully stripped down and placed in the bathtub, Shuai Chang was still worried when Fan Luo Jia slowly slid down the edge, nearly submerging his entire head.
Shuai Chang was startled, sobering up significantly, and quickly pulled him out, helplessly bathing him himself.
By the time he finished looking after Fan Luo Jia, it was already past eleven. Shuai Chang quickly took a shower and went to bed.
Waking up in the morning, his head ached, feeling as if someone was tugging on it. Shuai Chang rubbed his forehead for a long while to recover.
“Haidong Ge,” Fan Luo Jia called out softly from the side, his tone almost like a spoiled child, “My head hurts so much.”
Shuai Chang extended his hand and gently massaged his forehead. Fan Luo Jia felt better and rolled over, cuddling up to him under the quilt.
Shuai Chang made himself a pot of honey water, drank it all, and poured some in a cup for Fan Luo Jia, bringing it to the bedside.
As he walked to the bed, he found Fan Luo Jia’s half-covered face hiding under the air-conditioning blanket, his eyes avoiding contact with him.
“Luo Jia, come drink your honey water.”
Fan Luo Jia hesitantly revealed the rest of his face, red blush on his cheeks, stammering, “Haidong Ge, did we… last night…?”
Shuai Chang’s face flushed for some reason, “No, we didn’t. You got drunk, and I helped you wash up. That’s all.”
Why would I feel guilty and blush?