When Rong Xu filmed Black Cloud, he portrayed the legendary singer Ling Xiao.

In the context of the Chinese music industry, Ling Xiao was an iconic figure—an exceptionally talented original singer, a milestone in the industry, representing an era. However, this doesn’t mean the Chinese music scene lacked outstanding figures after Ling Xiao’s passing.

Today’s Chinese music industry, while not producing a titan like Ling Xiao, is flourishing with diversity. The renowned rock diva Li Xinran has consecutively won several Best Female Singer awards in the Chinese music scene, while veteran artist Teacher Liu Sen represents China in global singing performances every year.

Lin Xuan is one of the standout stars among them.

This prince of love ballads debuted with his first single at nineteen, and several of his songs became nationwide hits, now timeless classics. Contrasting his soulful voice, his image leans rebellious and mischievous. When he flashes a grin, revealing two small tiger teeth, he resembles the cheeky boy from high school who teased the girls sitting in front of him—the one every girl secretly crushed on.

Moreover, Lin Xuan has a baby face. At twenty-six, he still looks sixteen or seventeen, far outshining a certain twenty-seven-year-old actor surnamed Qin, who claims he can’t play students anymore.

As the saying goes, women love a bad boy.

When Lin Xuan arrived at the Silent film crew, his roguish smile sent a group of auntie-level fans into a frenzy, clutching their hearts. The scene felt oddly familiar. Watching from afar, Rosie muttered discontentedly to Rong Xu, “Xiao Xu, I remember they were like this when you joined the crew. Now they’re chasing Lin Xuan for autographs, hmph.”

Rong Xu wasn’t fazed. After all, only money could win everyone’s love, and he wasn’t a stack of cash. He couldn’t expect the whole world to be his fans. Besides…

“Sister Xiaoqian, aren’t you a fan of both me and Qin Cheng?”

Rosie’s eyes widened, retorting as if it were obvious, “That’s totally different!”

Rong Xu smiled faintly, saying no more. It’s exactly the same.

The theme song for Silent, also titled “Silent,” had long been slated for Lin Xuan to sing. Having him act in the film was a promotional gimmick, sure to boost publicity later.

What Rosie didn’t know was that, during a chat with Qin Cheng the previous night, Rong Xu learned Lin Xuan initially had no plans to act. It was only after Qin Cheng’s provocation—er, suggestion—that Lin Xuan took on the supporting male role in Silent.

As a non-professional actor, Director Xu had zero expectations for Lin Xuan’s acting, slashing the second male lead’s scenes to the bare minimum. Lin Xuan, with his minimal role, didn’t mind, but Director Xu was stunned to find, during filming, that Lin Xuan’s acting was no worse than Lu Xiangbo’s!

Lu Xiangbo, a trained actor with two years of experience and several films under his belt, was outdone by Lin Xuan?

Director Xu shared this with Rong Xu, musing before concluding, “Looks like Lu Xiangbo’s acting is just that bad.”

Rong Xu: “…” Why not consider that Lin Xuan might have some acting talent?

On his first day, Lin Xuan went for styling and new promotional photos, filming only one scene in the morning.

At lunch, Rosie handed Rong Xu his meal box, solemnly stating, “Xiao Xu, I personally saw the crew take this from the catering cart. It only passed through my hands—absolutely safe.”

Rong Xu chuckled. “I recall… Lu Xiangbo already left the crew. Wasn’t he taken away by a few police officers?”

Rosie nodded firmly but, before she could speak, a cheeky laugh came from behind. “That Lu Xiangbo? He’s been in the spotlight lately, quite the star. Saw him in the headlines this morning. What kind of guy is he, Rong Xu? Spill the tea.”

Without hesitation, the speaker plopped onto a plastic stool beside Rong Xu, grinning widely and flashing those famous tiger teeth.

Rong Xu raised an eyebrow, staying silent.

Rosie’s eyes widened, baffled that the guy she’d grumbled about that morning was now so casually cozying up to her Xiao Xu?!

What stunned Rosie more was Lin Xuan pulling out a meal box from nowhere, setting it on Rong Xu’s small table, and opening it. He snapped apart disposable chopsticks, took a bite, and asked, “Why so quiet? Come on, Rong Xu, tell me, I’m curious.”

Rosie: “…”

Rong Xu, torn between laughter and exasperation: “…”

He’d met bold people, but none this bold.

Since Lin Xuan was being so friendly, Rong Xu casually recounted Lu Xiangbo’s antics on set, keeping it brief and factual. To his surprise, Lin Xuan listened intently, even forgetting to eat.

By the time Rong Xu finished his meal, Lin Xuan had barely touched his food.

Rosie, sulking, took Rong Xu’s empty box to toss it, leaving just the two at the table.

They locked eyes for a moment before Rong Xu propped his chin on his hand, smiling faintly. “What else do you want to know?”

Though Rong Xu was only nineteen and Lin Xuan twenty-six, sitting together, Rong Xu seemed the more mature one, while baby-faced Lin Xuan felt like he hadn’t grown up.

But surviving in the entertainment industry wasn’t that simple.

Lin Xuan’s lips curled into a sly grin. “I also want to know… how you tamed Qin Cheng.”

Rong Xu: “…”

Caught off guard by the question, Rong Xu’s heart skipped, but his smile grew brighter. His gentle gaze met Lin Xuan’s, his clear, gem-like eyes sparkling. Slowly, Lin Xuan swallowed hard, his lips twitching. “…I knew I picked the right guy. You’re just like that Qin Cheng!”

Rong Xu raised an eyebrow. “Picked the right guy?”

Lin Xuan nodded, spilling the whole story.

Before joining the Silent crew, Lin Xuan’s club held a brief online meeting, unanimously deciding to send him to connect with Rong Xu.

The club had seven members: Wen Xuan, Chu Qi, James Trant, Xia Muyan, Jennifer Akaren, Hugh Leslie, and Lin Xuan. Small but tight-knit, they were united by a shared goal—

To take down Qin Cheng!

Indeed, the club’s full name was the “How to Gain the Upper Hand Against Qin Cheng, Crush Him Mercilessly, and Make Him So Ashamed He Wants to Crawl Into a Crack in the Ground” Group, abbreviated as the “Qin Fengfeng” Group—or, in Lin Xuan’s words, the “Qin Fengfeng Group.”

Speechless, Rong Xu: “…”

Sensing his exasperation, Lin Xuan said earnestly, “Qin Fengfeng is our affectionate nickname for him.”

Rong Xu, even more speechless: “…”

Lin Xuan spoke with righteous fervor, relaying the group’s purpose through each member’s perspective.

The club began as a private chat between Wen Xuan and Chu Qi, both close to Qin Cheng but always outdone by him. No matter the topic, they couldn’t outtalk or outmatch him, always left defenseless.

Later, they found others shared their frustration, and the group was born.

Listening to Lin Xuan’s complaints, Rong Xu couldn’t reconcile this Qin Cheng with the one he knew. That Qin Cheng… well, was a bit different. With Rong Xu, Qin Cheng was fairly easygoing. At their first meeting, he’d given Rong Xu his apartment key and promised Mama Qin to take good care of him.

No—he was nothing like how Lin Xuan had described him!

Somehow, Rong Xu felt as if he had sensed something beneath the surface, but outwardly, he maintained a gentle smile. When Lin Xuan finished talking and excitedly asked, “So how did you deal with that lunatic Qin?” Rong Xu replied calmly and composedly:

“Let him be strong—mountain winds brush the hill; let him be wild—the bright moon shines over the river.”

Lin Xuan was stunned for a moment, then solemnly nodded. “Makes sense! I’ll go report this to the others right now!”

Watching Lin Xuan lower his head and begin texting furiously, Rong Xu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The truth was, he had no idea what Qin Cheng would be like when he got sarcastic—he’d just said that line casually. After all, that man had never treated him that way before.

So perhaps… from the very first time they met, that man already had feelings for him?

Or maybe… even…

[Did you fall in love with me at first sight?]

“Pfft—cough cough cough cough cough…”

Just having arrived in Milan, Qin Cheng took out his phone and saw that message from Rong Xu. He choked on his coffee so hard it went down the wrong pipe. He coughed for a long time, while his assistant, Xiao Lin, looked at him in total confusion. It was only after Xiao Lin handed him a glass of water that he finally recovered.

After a while, Qin Cheng lowered his eyes and expressionlessly replied:

[Why are you asking this all of a sudden?]

Back at the hotel and about to go to sleep, Rong Xu received his reply. Lying on the soft bed and pillow, he replied with a confident tone:

[So you did fall for me at first sight.]

Qin Cheng: “…”

He had just typed “I didn’t,” but quickly deleted it. If he lied about this now and the boy found out later, it would probably cause trouble. But if he admitted it, that was just too…

The handsome, aloof man kept a straight face—but the tips of his ears were tinged red.

In the VIP lounge at the airport, Qin Cheng sat beside his assistant Xiao Lin, waiting for the Milan event staff to come pick them up. Suddenly, Xiao Lin noticed Qin Cheng oddly tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table.

After a few minutes, Qin Cheng suddenly stopped.

A minute later, Rong Xu received a message:

[Did Lin Xuan join the crew today?]

[Yeah, why?] Rong Xu replied, a little surprised.

Qin Cheng stared at the reply, thoughtful. Then he asked:

[How’s he treating you? Did he bully you?]

Rong Xu, not thinking much of it, briefly told Qin Cheng about Lin Xuan. He mentioned that Lin Xuan’s acting was surprisingly good—almost like a professionally trained actor, even better than someone like Lu Xiangbo. Director Xu had even privately told Rong Xu:

“Standard conservatory-level acting. That kid is classically trained? How come I’ve never heard of him before?”

That was all Rong Xu said. He didn’t mention anything about the “Qin Fengfeng” group chat, nor that he had been invited and had joined.

But as Qin Cheng read the message, he calmly raised an eyebrow—he’d already figured things out.

Not long after, just as Lin Xuan was getting ready to sleep, he suddenly got a message:

[Did you talk trash about me to Rong Xu?]

Lin Xuan jolted awake, instantly alert:

[Nonsense!!! I didn’t!!!]

[So you did,] came Qin Cheng’s reply.

Lin Xuan: “……”
Rong Xu! How could you betray our revolutionary brotherhood! QAQ

Meanwhile, Rong Xu had no idea that, even though he hadn’t said anything specific, that man had already started picking up the scent. The “Qin Fengfeng” group chat that had been hiding for seven or eight years had finally begun to show its tail, just waiting to be discovered by its subject of study.

Rong Xu, however, shifted the topic back to the “love at first sight” question. But Qin Cheng replied calmly:

[Does your back still hurt?]

Rong Xu’s face instantly flushed, and he quickly sent:
[Good night.]
Then pulled the blanket over his head and went to sleep.

Looking at the “Good night” on his screen, the cold and elegant man smiled faintly. Through the cold phone screen, he could almost see the delicate and beautiful boy, his cheeks red, probably burying himself under the blanket and pretending he hadn’t seen the message at all.

His Rong Rong was sometimes incredibly bold—especially in bed, bold enough that even he couldn’t handle it—but at other times, he was adorably shy. That contrast was irresistible. The more he got to know the boy, the more he couldn’t help falling for every bit of him.

Thinking of this, Qin Cheng picked up his phone and posted two Weibo updates:

@LotusPasteOrangeFilling: My little lotus paste is the cutest, the cutest in the world. No objections accepted (? ? ?)?

Then he reposted an old Weibo:

@LotusPasteOrangeFilling:
#SleepWithRongRongEveryday# //@LotusPasteOrangeFilling: #JustWantOneNightWithWanqiYao# Baby also wants to sleep with Yaoyao. Baby wants to sleep with Rong Rong. Sleep sleep sleep!!!

Fans flocked to the comments:[So her boyfriend’s called Lotus Paste? Well… yeah, that is kind of cute, lol.]
[Ugh, more PDA! Fine, I’ll eat this dog food!]
[I followed this rich goddess for glam and flexing! Instead, she’s posting dumb stuff or showing off her boyfriend every day! Where’s the luxury?! All I get is dog food slapped on me like wet towels.jpg!!!]