Jiang Ruotang felt his heart pounding, as if it wanted to break free and boil in the air. He suddenly lunged forward and hugged the other person.

“Hmm?” Lu Guifan’s voice rumbled from his throat, and Jiang Ruotang’s chest seemed to vibrate in response.

“It’s okay, I was just kidding.”

Lu Guifan turned his face, carefully observing Jiang Ruotang’s expression: “Are you… embarrassed?”

“Yes… I chickened out.” Jiang Ruotang revealed his usual carefree smile. “You’re a prodigy. In my mind, you’re synonymous with calm and logic. You have a unique aura, you don’t need… to display your physical beauty so directly.”

Actually, it’s because I’m afraid if my emotions are too openly displayed in the painting, it might make you, who is naturally open, uncomfortable.

Lu Guifan lowered the hand that was pulling at his shirt hem, leaned forward on the sofa to face Jiang Ruotang, and his expression became even softer.

“When you paint me, you seem particularly concerned about my opinion of the painting. It’s been that way since the first time… since that award-winning piece.”

Jiang Ruotang realized he was overthinking things; it was just a lingering shadow from his previous life. The more he cared about Lu Guifan, the more he didn’t want him to discover the blatant affection in the painting and dislike it.

“Ruotang, you can paint me in any way you want.”

Lu Guifan’s voice was too gentle, especially in such a quiet studio, as if it softly tapped on the door of Jiang Ruotang’s heart.

“Hmm?” Jiang Ruotang looked up.

“Whether I’m wearing clothes or not, it doesn’t matter.”

His voice carried a hint of teasing. Jiang Ruotang looked into the other person’s eyes and felt as if he was about to drown.

“So… what pose should I strike now?” Lu Guifan’s fingertip lightly tapped Jiang Ruotang’s brow.

Jiang Ruotang instantly felt happy.

“Hmm, read a book. Do you have any books you like to read? I’ll paint you reading. That way, your pose will be more comfortable.”

“Okay, I’m quite interested in that copy of The Free ‘Savage’ on your bookshelf.”

“That’s Gauguin’s biography. You want to read that?”

“Yes,” Lu Guifan nodded.

“Okay, wait for me!”

Jiang Ruotang turned and left the studio, pattering down the stairs.

“Slow down!” Lu Guifan wanted to grab him but only managed to touch the hem of Jiang Ruotang’s clothes.

When Lu Guifan was the only one left in the studio, his gaze deepened.

He no longer wanted to be the detached, desireless idol in Jiang Ruotang’s heart. He didn’t want to be enshrined in Jiang Ruotang’s spiritual sanctuary. He wanted to carve out a permanent place for himself in Jiang Ruotang’s heart, a place where he, and only he, existed.

How could he make him understand and accept this?

For the first time, Lu Guifan felt he should pursue further education—in the ten thousand effective ways to seduce Jiang Ruotang.

Not long after, Jiang Ruotang came back with the book. “Hardcover books are heavy, you know. Be careful not to drop it and hit your nose.”

“Got it.” Lu Guifan ruffled Jiang Ruotang’s head.

He naturally leaned back, resting against the soft, fluffy side of the sofa. Jiang Ruotang was right; this sofa was truly comfortable. The only regret was that Jiang Ruotang was too far away from him.

The next second, Jiang Ruotang moved his easel closer to him and sat cross-legged by the sofa. Lu Guifan only needed to shift his gaze from the hardcover book to see him.

Jiang Ruotang tilted his face, just right to lean against Lu Guifan’s knee, his eyes shining as if saying, “Surprise, surprise!”

“If you sit this close, you can only paint my face.”

“My angle is quite unique.”

“How is it unique?”

Jiang Ruotang suppressed his heartbeat and, with a seemingly professional and objective tone, said, “It’s the lover’s angle.”

“Hmm?” Lu Guifan’s heart suddenly sank. He lifted his eyelids and looked at Jiang Ruotang.

Jiang Ruotang raised a hand, a mischievous expression on his face, and slid his wrist between the pages of Lu Guifan’s book, his fingertip lightly touching his chin.

“Imagine, your beloved is sitting on the sofa, and just when you’re most focused, he slips between you and your book, hugs you, rubs his nose against your chin, your lips, bites your nose tip. He wants to disrupt your concentration, become the center of your world, control your reason, ignite your desires.”

Jiang Ruotang forcefully controlled his speaking speed and heart rate, trying to appear as if he was teasing the other person with bad intentions, cautiously observing Lu Guifan’s reaction. If he showed any sign of discomfort, he would immediately retreat and then laugh at him, pretending he was just joking.

But Lu Guifan’s eyes were too deep; Jiang Ruotang couldn’t read them.

The entire studio suddenly fell silent. Lu Guifan’s lips curved subtly, just for a moment. As Jiang Ruotang leaned closer to get a better look, Lu Guifan suddenly raised his hand and pressed the book against the back of Jiang Ruotang’s head. Unprepared, Jiang Ruotang tilted forward, his chin first hitting Lu Guifan’s chest. Then, the other boy put the book aside, directly interlocking his fingers behind Jiang Ruotang’s head, pressing him firmly into his embrace.

“Didn’t you want to cause trouble? Now show me some trouble.”

“Mmm…”

His nostrils filled with Lu Guifan’s scent. His cheek, separated only by a thin T-shirt, was overwhelmed by Lu Guifan’s warmth. Jiang Ruotang felt as if his body had been electrified, a tingling sensation surging wildly through his blood vessels and nerves, converging somewhere.

One stone stirring a thousand waves, Jiang Ruotang felt like he was burning from the back of his neck to his ears, his head buzzing.

Damn, he just wanted to tease Lu Guifan, but he was instantly counter-attacked by him?

What to do? How to hide it?

As soon as Lu Guifan let go, he would find out!

Just then, Lu Guifan’s phone vibrated. He calmly kept holding Jiang Ruotang’s head, his eyes lowered, looking at the tips of Jiang Ruotang’s pink ears. He felt sick, as if he was one of those sociopathic maniacs from TV dramas, because he wanted to press Jiang Ruotang into his chest so badly, the air Jiang Ruotang exhaled in his embrace felt like it could dry up his flesh and blood.

Lu Guifan knew he liked Jiang Ruotang too much, which was why he, who was always decisive, lacked a hint of do-or-die courage.

They remained in that僵持 for a while, until Jiang Ruotang forcefully patted Lu Guifan’s chest, begging, “I’m suffocating… I’m going to suffocate…”

Only then did Lu Guifan slowly loosen his grip, watching Jiang Ruotang, with his messy hair, sprawl on him, breathing heavily. He used a finger to wipe away the moisture from the corner of Jiang Ruotang’s eye, thinking… I should just devour him right here.

However, the phone continued to vibrate stubbornly.

Jiang Ruotang’s arm wrapped around him, as if to press even closer into his embrace. Lu Guifan’s throat felt as if something was burning deep within, stripping away all moisture, leaving only dryness.

But Jiang Ruotang only found his phone in the sofa crevice. The social app showed someone was making a video call to Lu Guifan.

“Who is it? Why aren’t they calling you directly?” Jiang Ruotang asked curiously.

Lu Guifan took a deep breath, propping himself up with one hand while the other still held Jiang Ruotang’s back, as if not wanting to waste even a second more of holding him.

“It should be Professor Yang. International calls don’t go through, so he’s using the internet.”

“Oh, okay.” Jiang Ruotang handed the phone to the other person.

Lu Guifan took the phone, and Jiang Ruotang was instantly relieved.

“Then I’m going to the restroom!”

Otherwise, his unique peony was about to burst into bloom!

As long as he turned quickly enough, Lu Guifan wouldn’t see it.

Jiang Ruotang practically fled in disarray, as if he was about to wet his pants, rushing into the restroom.

Locking the door, he quickly sat on the toilet. Jiang Ruotang’s mind raced wildly through the plains. He fully carried out what he hadn’t been able to do earlier: he bit him, bullied him, and watched as an expression of unbearable discomfort appeared on his pure, desireless face.

Is being strong amazing? Is being smart amazing?

In my world, don’t I still get to do whatever I want?

Jiang Ruotang was immersed in his own world, overjoyed.

After the joy, there was more disappointment.

Because he really wanted to be the only person in this world who could truly bully Lu Guifan.

He lowered his eyes, exhaled deeply, flashed an eight-tooth smile with crinkled eyes at the mirror, then left the restroom and returned to the studio.

Lu Guifan was sitting on the sofa, one hand resting on his knee, the other holding his phone. Hearing Jiang Ruotang enter, he looked up.

“Ruotang…”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen to Professor Yang?”

“It’s about their experiment on solid-state batteries. Professor Yang’s team and another European team are both researching for a large corporation. The European team promised to increase the conversion rate by fifteen percent, but Professor Yang’s team can only achieve twelve percent so far. If Professor Yang’s team can’t do it, all their hard work for the past half-year will be wasted. And there are many Chinese scholars and researchers in Professor Yang’s team, which will make the other party think we’re not capable.”

“How… do you plan to help him?”

“I had an idea before and discussed it with him, but experimental verification is quite complex. I haven’t gotten my passport and visa yet, so I can’t rush over to help them. But Professor Yang said he could contact the Department of Applied Physics at Sheng City University. Their Professor Chen and his team are willing to cooperate with me and use their lab to verify my idea.”

Jiang Ruotang immediately understood that this was not just about verifying a design or an idea.

The new energy competition was a battlefield without smoke. Lu Guifan had already shown extraordinary talent before, and Jiang Ruotang also knew that in his previous life, Lu Guifan was a leader in this field. Jiang Ruotang had a premonition that the heights Lu Guifan would reach in his field in the future were beyond his own reach, even beyond imagination.

“Are you going now?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

“Time is tight,” Lu Guifan pushed up his glasses, concealing the almost uncontrollable possessiveness in his eyes.

“Then Xiao Gao and I will take you to Sheng University. It’s quite far from here! Are you going to stay there?”

“I… don’t know.”

That likely meant he would be staying there.

In his previous life, Lu Guifan also had records of disappearing into the research lab for over ten days at a time.

“I’ll pack your things now.”

“Aren’t you angry? We agreed I’d be your model.”

“Angry? There are thousands of handsome guys in the world. If this one runs off, I’ll just get another!”

Although he knew Jiang Ruotang was just talking big, Lu Guifan’s heart still sank. Staring at the back of Jiang Ruotang’s head, he really wanted to ask him: Who do you want to replace me with?

Jiang Ruotang had already turned towards the bedroom, took out his backpack, and packed Lu Guifan’s change of clothes and toiletries.

Watching him take care of him, Lu Guifan’s temper disappeared again.

…There probably wouldn’t be anyone else coming into his studio, right?

Cai Ji and Zhao Changfeng were already handsome enough for Jiang Ruotang to paint, right?

---

The car drove for a long time, so long that Jiang Ruotang fell asleep leaning against Lu Guifan’s shoulder.

They stopped at the gates of Sheng University. Without a parking permit, they couldn’t drive in. When Lu Guifan opened the car door, Jiang Ruotang rubbed his eyes and sat up. He rolled down the window, leaned half his body out, and watched Lu Guifan’s back.

Actually, to paint Lu Guifan, he didn’t need him to be present in person at all.

Because all of Lu Guifan’s expressions and forms were already etched in Jiang Ruotang’s heart.

Sheng University hadn’t started its summer break yet, and most students were battling for their final exams, so the campus was quieter than usual.

The streetlights cast light on Lu Guifan’s shoulders, giving him a sense of cool solitude.

He walked deeper and deeper, yet couldn’t resist turning back. He saw the car still parked at the school gate, and Jiang Ruotang was still leaning out the window, watching him.

This feeling of being cherished made Lu Guifan’s heart race.

It was as if no matter where he drifted, there was a harbor uniquely his own.

Only when Lu Guifan was out of sight did Jiang Ruotang pull his head back in, patting Xiao Gao’s seat back. “Alright, let’s go back.”

Xiao Gao, while driving, teased, “You know, someone like Xiao Lu, if he becomes a researcher in the future, will he be the type who’s protected and can’t meet outsiders?”

“Ah? No way…”

“He’s so handsome, it’ll be easy to resolve things internally.”

Jiang Ruotang turned his face away. Internally resolved? He can only be resolved by me. If anyone wants to resolve him, I’ll resolve them first.

---

Family Matters and a New Project

When Jiang Ruotang returned home, he found the light on in his father’s study. Zhao Yunshu brought up some cut fruit.

Jiang Ruotang curiously went to Zhao Yunshu’s side and whispered, “How’s Drunken Immortal Stage doing? Didn’t they say filming would start this summer? I don’t see my dad going to the set.”

Zhao Yunshu sighed, “It’s all because of Qin Zhan Chao. Isn’t he doing some variety show called ‘Idols, Please Step Forward’?”

“What does that have to do with Drunken Immortal Stage?” Jiang Ruotang frowned.

“Your father’s male lead defected to young CEO Qin.”

This news was quite explosive.

“Ah? What kind of conditions did he offer?”

“Young CEO Qin wasn’t actually intentional; it was one of his agents who was too eager for performance. He promised the guy the male second lead role in a modern idol drama, so he wouldn’t have to work as hard as filming a xianxia drama. The pay was more generous than your father’s, and they also promised focused training. That guy comes from a good family and wasn’t very keen on period dramas, with all the wire work and no stunt doubles—too much effort. He wanted an easier path, so he preferred to pay the breach of contract fee rather than continue with your dad.”

“My dad is such a famous director, and that so-called male lead pulls a stunt like this… does he even want to stay in the industry? No matter how rich his family is, this probably won’t work!” Jiang Ruotang suspected this guy might not be very smart.

“Your father isn’t a meek little rabbit on set. I even suspect he has a double personality… He’s incredibly demanding, expecting a child who hasn’t even graduated from acting school to perform like a veteran actor. They say after being ‘guided’ by your father on the first day, that guy couldn’t even eat.”

“Ah… so fragile…” Jiang Ruotang’s face darkened. “The problem is… Young CEO Qin just accepted him like that? Could it be that my dad’s collaboration with Hongtian Borui isn’t over yet for young CEO Qin… Is he trying to warn my dad?”

“Not really. Young CEO Qin heard about it and told that agent to personally send the person back to your dad. He also said he wouldn’t want someone who lacks contract ethics and can’t endure hardship. But your dad’s temper… a forced melon isn’t sweet, and this kid brought a bad influence to the crew, so your dad won’t keep him. But your dad was still a little bit affected. On the way home, he even asked Xiao Gao if he was too fierce.”

“…He’s at most a rabbit that bites. So my dad is looking for a new male lead again?”

“Yes, time is tight, the task is heavy, it’s a huge headache.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about the headache earlier?”

“You just finished your college entrance exam, and your father didn’t want to… deprive you of your happiness.”

Jiang Ruotang was speechless. His post-exam happiness had vanished with Lu Guifan entering the lab!

“Did you do a round of auditions and not find anyone suitable?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

“There were some with suitable looks but too raw in acting. Your father doesn’t dare to guide anyone anymore. There were also some with good acting and looks, but they were a bit too old… Anyway, various incompatibilities,” Zhao Yunshu spread his hands.

“Are there audition videos? Can I see them?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

“Sure. I’ll have someone from the company send them over.”