CH 215
Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day
Chapter 215: Teenage Dream Comes True [Extra: Bai Yueguang (24)]

As it was September, Nancheng had entered its rainy season. When they returned to Nancheng, it coincided with the autumn rain. While it wasnât heavy, it still drizzled and had been raining nonstop, cooling down the temperature. Bai Qingquan first went to meet with Shen Jintai.

The movie had been delayed for too long that it missed the Cannes Film Festival. Everyone thought that this movie would be released in the summer but as summer passed, the film hadnât even been officially announced. Then, in a very sudden way, it was shortlisted at the Venice Film Festival.

Shen Jintai and the crew of was about to go to Venice tomorrow. As the boss of Sunshine Media, Yan Qiuchi would also attend with them.

âHave you watched the finished film?â Bai Qingquan asked Shen Jintai.

Shen Jintai nodded: âI just watched it a few days ago.â

âHow is it?â he asked.

Shen Jintai said: âI like it very much, but I donât know what the audience will think.â

âIf you like it then the quality will not be bad.â

âThe duration is two and a half hours, and the pace is relatively slow,â Shen Jintai said.

Itâs a literary and artistic film. With such a long run time, when itâs officially released in theaters, it could affect the film scheduling and thus people were not optimistic about its box office performance.

A majority depends on the quality but thereâs also a portion that depends on luck. This is something that can be met but not required. The people in Shen Jintaiâs studio were actually more worried about the box office performance.

For male actors, the box office is more important than awards, because winning them is just icing on the cake. Thereâs no harm if you donât get them, but the box office is different. If you get good results, youâll be praised to the heavens, but once you fall on your face, youâll be ridiculed very badly.

Everyone hopes that this movie will have a box office performance of more than 100 million.

âWill the Ming Palace also hold a launch ceremony the day after tomorrow?â Shen Jintai asked.

Bai Qingquan nodded.

âI have already recorded my portion and Siqi seems to have recorded his as well.â

Zheng Siqi was now making a new movie in Thailand.

Seeing that he was about to go to Venice, Shen Jintai was under a bit of pressure, but Bai Qingquanâs pressure was actually no less than his.

has released an official trailer online and the response was extremely enthusiastic. Many people thought this drama will be the second . Relying on its reputation and popularity, was sold at sky-high prices both to TV stations and online broadcasting platforms, attracting loads of investments. If this highly anticipated didnât live up to expectations, it will cause him to be ridicule badly.

The biggest possibility is that heâll be compared to Shen Jintai. Although he was the male lead in , all eyes were on Shen Jintai. Now, he was truly alone.

After his visit with Shen Jintai, he returned to his hotel. Xiao Feng had brought the hanfu that was tailored for him. This hanfu was more exquisite than he expected. The material was also softer than the material he wanted. Xiao Feng said the pattern on the top was hand-embroidered by an old master.

After Xiao Feng left, Bai Qingquan took a shower before trying on the hanfu. He first didnât wear anything underneath as he tried it on naked, but then put on his underwear and tried it on again.

Both had their own advantages. When he didnât wear anything underneath, and only wore the robe and no boots with his shoulder exposed, it created an enchanting and romantic look. If he wore his boots and buttoned up all the buttons, itâll look clean and abstemious.

Bai Qingquan thought for a while, but still planned wear it all. With such complicated clothes, itâll be interesting for Shi Lei to unbutton them one by one as he removed them layer by layer.

After making up his mind, he called Shi Lei.

Shi Lei didnât know that he had returned to Nancheng. He had told him that he was still filming with the crew today. When picked up the call, Shi Lei asked: âAre you not filming today? Resting?â

âResting. What are you doing now?â

âIâm still at the office. Iâm about to get off in half an hour.â

Bai Qingquan said âNnâ, then chatted with him for a bit before hanging up. After hanging up, he immediately put the hanfu in his bag, carried it out, and went straight to Shi Leiâs office.

It was still raining outside, and the sky was darker than before. The main store of Livable Decoration was just in the city center of the New District, opposite the shopping plaza. On the big screen in the plaza, the trailer for was being played. This wasnât an advertisement done by the TV station or producer but was bought by the moonlight powders for Bai Qingquan.

It could be seen that this drama will explode so they were very fierce about it.

Because of the rain and the time was close to when people get off work, there werenât any customers at the office. Xiao Fang and a few colleagues sat in the lobby on the first floor drinking coffee and through the floor-to-ceiling window, they saw the advertisement in the square opposite of the building. Amidst the rain curtains, Bai Qingquanâs beautiful face, coupled with his costume, looked dazzling.  

This was the first time that Bai Qingquan had worn red. People always thought that Shen Jintaiâs bright and flamboyant personality was suitable to wear red, but unexpectedly, Bai Qingquan, with his fairy persona, also looked good in red, which was a stark contrast to his fair complexion and delicate eyes and nose.

âDo you believe what Sister Wang said?â One of the girls said: âShe said that Bai Qingquan has a long relationship with our boss.â

âBai Qingquan is our bossâ idol⦠although I really canât understand how a straight man like the boss can chase stars.â

âThereâs still a bit of relationship there. The two of them came from the same town. Donât you think that they know each other before? Otherwise, how could the boss landed this job to remodel his home? However, Sister Wang was implying that their relationship is more like love. Isnât that a bit of a stretch?â

Xiao Fang had doubted it before, as she felt it also seems ridiculous. Itâs not that their boss wasnât good enough, but how improbable was it for a big star like Bai Qingquan to fall for him? Itâs not like this is some kind of TV drama.

A colleague next to her suddenly straightened up and looked at the door. Xiao Fang followed her gaze and saw a young man wearing a mask come in.

As she was the receptionist, upon seeing this, she immediately got up and returned to the front desk, then bowed and smile at the person and said: âWelcome to Livable Decoration.â

The young man smiled and asked: âIâm here to find your boss Shi. Is he there?â

âYes, you areâ¦â

The young man took off his mask and looked at her with a smile.

Xiao Fang was stunned, and when she recovered, her face flushed: âOur boss is in his office!â

Bai Qingquan smiled and nodded at her. Xiao Fang felt she was getting dizzy.

Oh my god! She just saw Bai Qingquan! It was the first time in her life that she was able to see a big star so close. Heâs so beautiful!

It was too shocking.

As Bai Qingquan head to the office, all her colleagues swarmed her: âIs that Bai Qingquan? Is it? Is it him?â

âItâs him,â Xiao Fang said blankly: âItâs Bai Qingquan!â

Everyone was so excited that they lost their mind.

Bai Qingquan knocked on the door of the office and heard Shi Leiâs voice from inside: âCome in.â

He smiled and pushed the door in: âBoom, boom, boom, surprise!â

As a result, he was dumbfounded when he opened the door, because there was another man in the office. The man was sitting opposite of Shi Lei had almost spilled the teacup in his hand when he saw him.

Shi Lei immediately stood up: âWhy are you here?!â

Bai Qingquan was felt embarrassed and smiled: âI didnât know you had guestsâ¦â

âThis is my friend, Liu Chuan.â

Liu Chuan also stood up: âBai Qingquan, you are Bai Qingquan, right?â

Bai Qingquan recovered, immediately stretched out his hand and walked over, shaking Liu Chuanâs hand.

Several employees sneaked up to the door to peek. Shi Lei went over and said: âYou should have told me. I wouldâve gotten off work earlier.â After speaking, he smiled and closed the door of the room.

Everyone looked at each other, as they returned back to the hall and couldnât sit still.

âWasnât his house renovated a while ago. Why is he here again?â

âIt seems that he is really familiar with Mr. Shi.â

âThen isnât what Sister Wang said true?â

Everyone looked at each other but still held doubts. Itâs possible to believe that they are friends, but highly improbably that Bai Qingquan would fall in love with their boss. That was too unreal.

As everyone was gossiping, they saw Shi Lei and the others come out of his office. Bai Qingquan had put on his mask again and while whispering with Liu Chuan, he waved his hand at Xiao Fang and the others.

Liu Chuan stopped when they got to the door and watched as Shi Lei and Bai Qingquan got into the car.

On the big screen outside, the trailer for looped again. This time it was accompanied by a mix of Bai Qingquanâs past roles. Liu Chuan looked at the big screen because he had just met the person himself. Looking at the advertisement now, it felt like it was a dream.

Bai Qingquan got into Shi Leiâs car. As soon as he got in the car, Shi Lei asked: âWhy did you suddenly come back?â

Bai Qingquan smiled and asked: âAre you surprise?â

âSurprise.â Shi Lei said as he looked outside. It was still raining, and no one was around. He stretched out his arm and Bai Qingquan threw himself into his arms and said: âI missed you and I wanted to see you.â

There was hint of coquettishness in his tone which made Shi Leiâs heart quivered as the sound reached his ears. He touched Bai Qingquanâs earlobe and said: âHow many days are you back for?â

â is about to start its broadcast. Iâm here to participate in the opening ceremony for the TV station, but I also have a two-day break. I can stay in Nancheng for three and half days!â

âI didnât sleep well when I thought about you yesterday,â Shi Lei said.

This was the truth. He dreamed of Bai Qingquan last night. He woke up halfway through the dream and couldnât think about anything else. He sent a message to Bai Qingquan in the early morning, but Bai Qingquan had lied to him saying that he was still with the crew.

Xiao Fang and the other secretly looked at Shi Leiâs Audi through the glass window. The car hasnât moved.

Shit. What are the two doing in the car? Chatting?

It felt⦠really ambiguous.

As it was almost dinner time, Shi Lei started the car and said: âLetâs eat dinner first.â

He was going to take Bai Qingquan to a restaurant for dinner. Bai Qingquan said: âLetâs order takeout today. I donât want to eat out. Letâs go to your house. I havenât been to your place yet.â

Shi Lei knew that Bai Qingquan wanted more time alone. This made him happy, so he drove Bai Qingquan to his place.

It was still raining lightly outside bringing in a misty layer of fog. Bai Qingquan felt nervous so he turned up the music.

The song was was playing.

[At this time, the warbler flies and the grass grow
The one I love is on the way.
I know that heâs been through highs and lows,
His journey not rewarded with day.
Crossing the sea of people, just to give you hugs.]

The very rhythmic song made Bai Qingquan gently shook his head to the music as one hand rested on the cold car window. His fair fingers stretched out slightly.

The car entered the community and stopped in front of a white villa. When Bai Qingquan got out, he looked around the community and said: âYouâre so young yet you can buy such a good home.â

Shi Lei was a little nervous. He didnât expect Bai Qingquan to come visit him so suddenly, so he wasnât prepared at all. As soon as they entered the house, he immediately bent over and started cleaning up. Bai Qingquan stood at the door, staring blankly at the messy living room.

There were a few cans of beer on the table, and half a cup of instant noodles left over. Pants, jackets, and even a piece of black underwear was scattered on the sofa. The shoe rack at the entrance was also a bit messy.

Shi Lei hurriedly cleaned up. He quickly piled all the clothes together and cleaned up all the food and drinks and other things on the table and said embarrassingly: âItâs a bit messy.â

While everything looked chaotic, there was also a breath of life. As a standard bachelor, this is what Shi Lei looks like.

Bai Qingquan put down his bag and helped him clean up. Shi Lei hurriedly said: âYou sit down. Iâll do it.â

Bai Qingquan didnât listen but smiled and helped him clean up: âYou live such a life.â

âIâve been used it all these years.â

Fortunately, the floors were fairly cleaned. Shi Lei said: âI donât know how to clean very well so I have a cleaner do a deep clean every week.â

Bai Qingquan put his hand behind his back and asked with a smile: âCan I go inside? Do I need to give you time so you can hide the things that should be hidden and also the people that should be hidden as well?â

Shi Lei said: âThe bedroom may also be messy.â

When Bai Qingquan heard this, he walked directly to the bedroom. The bedroom door wasnât closed. When he entered, he saw that the bed wasnât made and there was a few clothes on the chair. It was a bit messy but was similar to the living room. However, he didnât pay much attention to these things because all his focus was directly attracted to the posters in the bedroom.

One was a poster that was him during the draft of . Looking at the uniform he was wearing made him sentimental. At that time, he couldnât keep the costume. Havenât seeing it for a long time, he felt a bit rustic.

The other post was nearly two years older, probably after he had filmed the East Palace.

He glanced back, and saw Shi Lei standing behind him, with a faint smile and a little shyness, and said: âI had put it up before we met.â

Bai Qingquan looked at the posters one by one and finally saw a photo frame at the head of the bed. The photos in it seemed to be a class photo of Shi Leiâs when they were still in school. He immediately picked it up curiously, and smiled as he looked at it, trying to find Shi Lei. After a while of looking at it, he found that there were many familiar faces and he also saw his class teacher.

He was taken aback for a moment and his smile gradually solidified as he saw himself in his school uniform among the group of young junior high students.

Standing on the right side of the row before last, he was looking at the camera very quietly.

He felt a slight heat in his heart but his nose inexplicably sour as he looked back at Shi Lei. This situation was really emotional.

Even Shi Lei felt a little damp in his heart. He thought about that year where he dropped out of school and embarked on his journey to work and all he had for comfort was this group photo. He was had a rough and somewhat angular personality and was new to real world. He was suffering, felt tired and hopeless, but the one thing that supported him along the way was his fantasies of Bai Qingquan.

At that time, the fantasy was like drawing cakes to satisfy oneâs hunger. He had never expected that one day he would have a moment like this. God had truly treated him well.

The author has something to sayï¼ï»¿

The hard days are all over, and the future will be sweet.

Kinky Thoughts: Yes, give me all the sweetness because they deserve it! Now let the cosplay play commence!