Chapter 31: Name

Sheng Shaoyan first went to the restaurant with the courtyard, ordered all of Shen Xici’s favorite dishes for takeout, and also got a large mango smoothie.

The owner poked his head out from behind the counter. He had a strong impression of him and Shen Xici. “There are two of you, so two spoons?”

Sheng Shaoyan was about to say yes, but the words changed as they left his lips, “One is enough.”

Two people can also use one spoon.

It was just after ten in the morning. This small town bordering the country line was quiet. The red tiles of the roofs and the beige tiles of the walls were coated in a layer of bright light. The few-story-high small buildings blocked the sun, casting large shadows. Occasionally, a gap between buildings would let the sun assert its presence.

Sheng Shaoyan wore a black shirt and carried a plastic bag with several takeout boxes. He walked slowly through these lights and shadows, exuding a sense of detachment that was completely out of tune with the decaying and dilapidated county town.

He walked unhurriedly, like most idle people with nothing urgent to do.

His long, slanted shadow moved with his footsteps.

Sheng Shaoyan realized that he needed some time to think about the matter of getting married.

Before his amnesia, he certainly had no such thoughts. He had a little bit of affection, but not much. He just wanted to be a kept man, spend Shen Xici’s money, and had no intention of taking responsibility.

Shen Xici indeed understood the pre-amnesia him very well. He couldn’t cross that line, couldn’t show the slightest trace of wanting to be together forever, of wanting to get married.

So what about now? Did he have the desire to be responsible for this relationship?

Did he want to marry Shen Xici, to be together day and night from now on?

“Handsome boy, all by yourself? What kind of fruit do you want today?”

Sheng Shaoyan turned his head. The old woman at the fruit stall was wearing an indigo-dyed cloth shirt. Her hair was coiled in a bun, and she had applied floral oil to her temples, not a single strand out of place. She was sitting on a bamboo chair, smiling at him.

This was the same old woman who had taught Shen Xici how to play a tune on a leaf, bit by bit. Sheng Shaoyan stopped and nodded politely. “Good morning, granny.”

The smile on the old woman’s face deepened, and she chided him, “Such a big matter, why didn’t I hear you mention it to me? Sworn brothers wanting to get married, that’s a huge, wonderful thing!”

Sheng Shaoyan thought that he had indeed underestimated the speed of information exchange between his landlady and the granny downstairs.

He found an excuse. “I was still thinking about it, so I didn’t tell you.”

The old woman looked gratified. “Good, good. You’re a few years older than the lad. As the older Qixiong, it’s a good thing to have a sense of responsibility! Such a big matter, you really should think it through properly, but don’t think for too long.”

Sheng Shaoyan agreed, “Okay.”

The old woman then asked with concern, “What is the attitude of his family’s elders?”

Sheng Shaoyan thought of Shen Xici’s right ear and the past events he had mentioned in a flat tone. “His family is not very good to him.”

“Sigh, the lad is such a good child. His parents must not be good people,” the old woman said with heartache, then sighed. “Fortunately, you look like someone who can take charge and make decisions. The lad will certainly not be wronged with you.”

Sheng Shaoyan lowered his head, picked a few fruits, and put them in a plastic bag without speaking.

“The sister who rents you the apartment said you’re not renewing the lease and are going to buy a new house.”

Sheng Shaoyan was about to say they hadn’t bought one yet when he heard the old woman praise, “See, I told you you’re a reliable one! When we get married in our village, we have to go to the mountains to cut trees and saw wood to build a house. For marriage, you still need a house to live in. Otherwise, why would someone follow you?”

The words he was about to say were swallowed back. Sheng Shaoyan nodded, “That’s right.”

“The lad has an outstanding appearance and personality, and he’s so young. A good girl is sought by a hundred families; the same principle applies to the lad.” The old woman pointed at Sheng Shaoyan’s palm and then praised him with a broad smile, “You’re the impressive one, making the first move. A precious pearl is only secure and safe when held in your hand!”

Thinking of the comments he received on the video montage he made, and the gasps and praise from the crew members when Shen Xici stood under the camera.

Sheng Shaoyan deeply agreed.

When he got home, he put the smoothie in the refrigerator to keep it cold and then put away the takeout lunch and fruits. Sheng Shaoyan picked up his phone, opened the house-viewing app he had used before, and switched the page to “buy a house.”

After more than half an hour, Sheng Shaoyan finally found a house that was barely acceptable. It was a 160-square-meter single-level apartment. The floor plan design was lacking, and the location was slightly poor, but the master bedroom was large, especially the en-suite bathroom. After putting in a large round bathtub, the space was still very spacious.

Looking at the displayed price, it was over twenty-three million.

If his pre-amnesia self had been a little more frugal with money—

The gears of his mind made a light clicking sound. Sheng Shaoyan’s finger, which had been sliding across the page, stopped at the top of the screen.

On the way back from the restaurant, he had been asking himself, did he have the desire to be responsible for this relationship?

Looking at the floor plan in front of him, and all the other options that had been eliminated before due to reasons like the floor plan, location, neighborhood, and so on, Sheng Shaoyan clearly realized that there was no need to analyze or weigh anything.

His actions had already given the answer.

From now on, together day and night.

He wanted it.

First time’s a stranger, second time’s a friend. In the mountain wind just after four in the morning, Shen Xici tightly gripped Sheng Shaoyan’s clothes from behind, expertly clinging to his back, and dozed off the whole way. Sheng Shaoyan even led him to the makeup room. It wasn’t until he was standing under the ancient tree on the cliff’s edge that he finally roused himself.

He nimbly climbed the tree and stood firm on a branch. The lighting team began to adjust the lights. Director Wan, wearing a baseball cap, stood on the side with his arms crossed, watching anxiously. “No, that doesn’t look good. Let’s try the second plan we discussed yesterday…”

Shen Xici stood straight, holding onto the tree trunk. His clothes swayed in the mountain wind. Recalling Wen Yage’s description from yesterday, he felt that he really did look a bit like a monkey, just short of mastering the skill of swinging on vines.

There was nothing for him to do for the time being. Shen Xici was bored. His gaze habitually swept around and settled on Sheng Shaoyan, who was waiting on the periphery wearing a black mask. Coincidentally, Sheng Shaoyan was also looking at him.

Such a coincidence?

Shen Xici faced him and gave a brilliant smile.

This scene was captured by the on-set publicity photographer, who immediately posted it on Weibo: “Faced with such a smile, who could still have morning grumpiness? I love my job! [Video]”

“—Sis, that hits right in the feels. If my workplace had such a top-tier beauty, do you think I’d still have morning grumpiness? [Smiling.jpg]”

“—He’s on the tree again. Quick, see if there are any bird-watching grandpas within a few kilometers! Banging my bowl waiting for the bird-watching grandpa to produce another divine shot!“

“—Who is he smiling at so beautifully! It’s like there are stars twinkling in his eyes! So sweet! My heart is melting!”

Noticing the publicity photographer’s action, Sheng Shaoyan refreshed and saw the update, immediately saving the video.

The sun appeared on the eastern horizon. Shen Xici, standing on a thick branch, leaped off towards the bottom of the cliff. After getting off the safety air cushion, the voice of Director Wan Shan came through a crew member’s walkie-talkie: “Hurry up, everyone, time is tight, let’s do it again!”

It was another morning with no harvest.

Sheng Shaoyan draped his own jacket over Shen Xici’s shoulders. “You jumped seven times today, all the same action.”

If it were him, he might not have such patience.

As if hearing his unspoken words, Shen Xici warmed his hands. “Filming is like this. It’s never the strength of a single actor. It’s just that the actor is the one the camera is aimed at. Behind the scenes, it requires everyone to rack their brains to conceive ideas and to cooperate in an orderly manner. I jumped seven times, and the others also filmed seven times. Even if you have no patience, even if you’re frustrated, you have to persist in filming until you get the best shot.”

“Are your hands very cold?”

The topic jumped too quickly. Shen Xici said “ah” before reacting, “They are a bit cold. The wind on the tree and at the bottom of the cliff is a bit strong.”

His hand was grasped by Sheng Shaoyan and pulled over.

Shen Xici joked, “What, are you going to warm them for me?”

Before he could finish, his hand touched a warm body temperature.

The hem of the hoodie was lifted up a bit, revealing a striking skin tone. His hand was led by Sheng Shaoyan, slipping inside and pressing against his abs. Under his palm, he could clearly feel the rise and fall that was in sync with his breathing.

“Is it warm?”

Shen Xici’s fingertips unconsciously curled, but Sheng Shaoyan’s actions were too fast and natural, and the tone of his question was so calm that it made him feel it was just about warming his hands. It seemed there was really no need to make a fuss.

Moreover, the heat of the body temperature was just right, spreading from his palm and dispelling the coldness in his hands.

He really couldn’t bear to pull his hand back, but he didn’t dare to move it around much either, even though the muscular texture transmitted through his fingertips and palm was excellent.

Shen Xici found a topic to try to divert his increasingly scattered attention. “The head of the lighting team looks like he’s aged a year in the last two days. Director Wan’s requirements are pushing the limits of what’s possible, like a client asking for ‘colorful black.’ He wants my face to have a glossy feel from all reflection angles, yet also have a hazy, divine quality, and my eyes must be clean and bright.”

Sheng Shaoyan: “The reason for failing for two mornings?”

“The crew is full of pros. The lighting director achieved all three requirements. During close-ups, didn’t they place large lights, LED lights, small light strips, and low-intensity lights next to me? Several kinds, right?” Shen Xici explained in detail. “But the problem is, as soon as the sun comes out, the surrounding light is immediately disrupted. What effect it will have on camera is completely uncertain and uncontrollable, because you can’t manipulate the sun’s light.”

In Sheng Shaoyan’s mind, he didn’t think this was a problem. “But you can manipulate the machine’s light.”

Shen Xici’s eyes, which appeared cool and thin when he wasn’t smiling, widened slightly, gradually turning into an expression of pleasant surprise. “An electronic dimming console! Manually adjust the brightness and light effects as the sun rises! A’Shao, you’re really amazing!”

As expected of a ruthless capitalist. How could it be the environment’s problem? It could only be that people aren’t working hard enough, or the methods they’ve thought of aren’t good enough or comprehensive enough!

But it was actually possible to solve the problem!

Pulling his hand out from under the clothes, Shen Xici grabbed Sheng Shaoyan’s wrist and dragged him quickly towards the place where the director was having a meeting. “Let’s go, let’s go! This subject must present a memorial to the emperor! If this plan works, maybe I can jump off the cliff a few less times!”

Waking up at four in the morning was just too anti-human!

The hand gripping his wrist was no longer as cold as before. Sheng Shaoyan let him pull, cooperating without any resistance as he walked forward. His other hand was in his pocket. He asked, seemingly casually, “Do you want to get a pet?”

“A pet? Why the sudden question?” Shen Xici quickly answered, “No. When I’m filming, I’m on set for months at a time. It’s not realistic to bring a pet along.”

Sheng Shaoyan pressed, “It doesn’t have to be a cat or a dog. It could be something else.”

Something else?

A memory surfaced. Shen Xici said, “When I was very young, I had the thought of getting a pet. I knew they would never allow it, so I secretly went to the river and caught a small fish. I kept it in a small enamel basin by my bed. Whenever I had free time, I would go and talk to that fish.”

Sheng Shaoyan looked at the person walking in front of him, anticipating something, but still continued to ask, “And then?”

“And then the enamel basin was smashed on the ground. Water splashed everywhere, and that fish was trampled to death.” Shen Xici’s tone was very light and faint, mixed with the morning mist of the mountain forest, carrying a bit of chill. “I understood then. Until I can protect what is mine, I cannot own any other living thing.”

“Let’s get one in the future.”

Shen Xici’s forward steps slowed. He turned his head. “What?”

“Get a little fish named ‘Mengmeng.’ Whoever has free time can feed it. It should be easy to raise, doesn’t eat much, and only needs a small fish tank.”

Listening to Sheng Shaoyan’s description, Shen Xici felt as if a certain part of his heart had become a little lighter. He smiled. “A’Shao, you’re so fast. You’ve already thought of a name for the little fish?”

Sheng Shaoyan had thought of the name on the way here.

A house, a pet.

Whether it was a cat, a dog, a parrot, or a fish, it could have this name.

He thought again, actually, it would be best not to get one.

Because whenever you have free time, you can come and talk to me.