Chapter 52: CH 39.1

“Bai…. Bai Song? That seems to be the case… I was hoping that he would help me go to Victoria… but he just left and ran away…. really unreliable.”

Lu Li continued to stare at him from top to bottom without saying anything.

Xie Jianwei talked unrelentingly: “Bai Song is unreliable, but Senior isn’t, since you arrived here so fast.” He tried standing up again, wanting to kiss Lu Li.

Even though Lu Li stood still, Xie Jianwei’s legs were wobbling so he couldn’t kiss him. Instead, his whole person fell into the former’s arms.

Lu Li pressed the young man’s fumbling hands, while saying, “Bai Song went to Victoria.”

Utter confusion could be seen on Xie Jianwei eyes, seemingly unable to register what the man meant: “No… I am at home, here…not Victoria… Bai Song, that little jerk didn’t send me to Victoria at all…”

Lu Li gazed at him for a while. In the end, he could only sigh, and wrapped an arm around the other party’s waist as he changed the subject: “So, you wanted to see me?”

“Of course,” Xie Jianwei chuckled, “I wanted to see him,” and his dishonest hand grasped ‘Big’ Li, which slowly became stiff.

Lu Li didn’t stop Xie Jianwei’s actions, but his voice became lower and softer: “Xie Jianwei …”

Xie Jianwei was busy removing his clothes when he felt like he heard something, but the voice was too low, as if it came deep within the throat. Because the voice was indistinct, if the listener wasn’t paying full attention, the latter wouldn’t be able to hear it.

After removing all of his clothes his whole person clung onto the person in front of him.

Lu Li felt as if his lungs were filled with water, He wanted to say something more, but stopped himself in the end and just became satisfied with their posture.

While cuddling within Lu Li’s arms,  Xie Jianwei, in his intoxicated state, said:  “You’re indeed my noble sir1.”

Those words made Lu Li’s brain instantly awake. He opened his eyes, look at the person in his arms and held him tight.

He doesn’t want to be his “noble sir”. He wants to be his lifetime partner. 2

But Xie Jianwei just wanted him to be as such.

Despite this, he wasn’t sad. He had known this fact since long ago. What Xie Jianwei just said was nothing more than a repeated confirmation.

Therefore, there was no need for him to be sad.

He gave the person in his arms a very light kiss on the forehead while thinking to himself: I’ll let Xie Jianwei get whatever he wants while I can still endure… because if he ever decides to leave me…

When that time comes, I can only lock him up…

Whatever happens, I won’t let him go.

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Xie Jianwei had a terrible headache the next day. When he thought of going around for an entire day for the film’s promotion, he didn’t want to move at all.

Lu Li boiled him a sobering soup: “Get up and drink.”

Xie Jianwei remained on the bed: “My head hurts.”

“Don’t drink so much alcohol in the future.” said Lu Li as he massaged the young man’s forehead for a while.

Xie Jianwei murmured: “I don’t want to, but as I have said previously, I can’t really refuse.”

Lu Li said: “If you don’t go to those gatherings, then you don’t have to drink, don’t you?”

Xie Jianwei sat up and took a sip of the sobering soup: “You think I am you? You can choose not to, but for my case,  I have to socialize with the others. It’s not good for my career if I don’t participate on any occasions.” He sighed and whispered, “I don’t have a distinguished family background nor power of my own. How could I survive without working hard in this circle?”

What he said was how other people think of Lu Li.

Only a few knew Lu Li’s identity as an illegitimate child, and all the others view him as one of the young masters of the Lu family. He only entered the entertainment circle because he loves acting, and he already had a high starting point since the beginning. Over the years, he developed his acting skills to an astounding level and been crowned as the Film Emperor for six times, firmly establishing himself as a legend amongst the current generation of actors and actresses.

Presently, he’s now in control of Soaring Pictures, 3 which dominated almost half of the entertainment industry.

Film Emperor Lu is nothing, It’s the Mr. Lu Li that drives countless people crazy.

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Lu Li didn’t have any intention on explaining too much to him, so he only said: “Don’t you have me?” He would give Xie Jianwei anything he wanted, so there was no need for him to go through so much trouble.

Xie Jianwei put down the sobering soup and sighed: “My dear Gold Master, please don’t forget that you have a ‘sweetheart’.  You’re treating me so well now, but once things work out between you and that beloved person of yours, I’ll be left alone in some dark, unknown corner. “

Lu Li’s heart felt heavy. There are words stuck in his mouth, but he could only swallow it back. Why explain? After all, Xie Jianwei didn’t care at all. He could say such words in such a relaxed tone, indicating that he really only regarded him as nothing but a “gold master”.

Xie Jianwei saw that Lu Li’s expression was turning ugly, so he quickly said: “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Have you eaten breakfast? I’ll prepare it for you.”

He got up from the bed but after walking for two steps, he stopped and held his head, “My head feels really uncomfortable.”

“Don’t push yourself.” Lu Li held him back.

“It’s not easy for you to come here and take care of me given your schedule. I should at least show some gratitude.”

“I have already asked my assistant to order some food. It will be delivered in a while.”

“Is that so…” Xie Jianwei let out a sigh of relief, and he sat back on the bed again. “Is my house too small?”

Lu Li paused and said: “I have a set of duplexes in S City. In a few days, I’ll have someone do the transfer procedures for you.”

S City is widely known for its expensive land. Calculating how much is a set of duplexes … would only hurt one’s brain.

Xie Jianwei, The Poor,  didn’t really know how much it was, but it’s a known fact that his old Gong is definitely extraordinary.

So in regards to Lu Li’s offer, he showed a face full of delight: “Really?”

Film Emperor Lu said: “Yes.”

Xie Jianwei jumped up to give Lu Li a hug and a kiss: “Thank you!”

His smile was sincere, but as the one on the receiving end, Lu Li was a little unhappy. The smile that Xie Jianwei was showing him was like a poisoned candy— it tasted sweet upon contact on his tongue but after swallowing it desperately, it corroded his insides.

Xie Jianwei was really happy. While eating breakfast, he continued his talk with Lu Li: “I’ll take a look at that house in two days, and if it’s okay…” He then winked and smiled, “Let’s just meet there in the future!”

Lu Li’s hands that were holding a knife and a fork, paused.

Xie Jianwei blabbered on: “Although Victoria is a good place, but in the end it’s still a hotel, we …”

“No.”

He wasn’t able to finish his words since Lu Li abruptly cut him off.

Xie Jianwei looked at him: “What?”

Lu Li took a towel and wiped his hands: “Let’s just change to another hotel. In the future, let’s go to Wenlier.”

“No, that’s not what I meant… I’m saying that we don’t have to throw money at the hotel all the time. Since I’m going to move, and that house is very big, we can…”

“I am used to staying in hotels.” Lu Li answered in a firm manner.

“Could it be that Xie Zhiwei also lives in a hotel?”

Lu Li didn’t answer.

Xie Jianwei was silent for a moment and then he exclaimed as if only realizing something: “Oh, silly me! Hmm…That’s right… A home is a place where you feel at ease and relax, so a person ought to meet his secret lover in a hotel.”

After hearing such swords, Lu Li stared at Xie Jianwei’s face, trying to observe the latter’s expression,  but to no avail.

“I really don’t understand the world of rich people. I wanted to save you money, but since you don’t need me to do so, then forget it!” Xie Jianwei said humorously.

Lu Li lowered his eyes and suddenly felt that the meal he was eating broke down into small knives, stabbed him inside his stomach bit by bit.

How could he tell Xie Jianwei the truth?

How could he say that he only dared to stay in the hotel because its rigid decoration and environment, the service staffs going to and fro, and the exquisite but impersonal meals were the things that could keep him awake and stop him from having further delusions in their relationship?

He couldn’t him that he dare not live with him under the same roof, because once he entered and close that door from the inside, he would never be able to take a step away from it.

Nothing could be said. Not a single word.

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After breakfast, the two went to their respective work.

While in the car, Xie Jianwei kept on dozing off as Yán Kè  briefed him about the latest itinerary.

Xie Jianwei said to Yan Ke in his head: [I really want to be locked up soon.]

Yan Ke: […] Pay attention to your character design, Sir Military Advisor!

Xie Jianwei: [Running around every day is really tiring. Why would anyone want to become an actor?]

Yan Ke paused and said: [My Lord, not everyone wants to be what you want to be.]

Xie Jianwei: [… I just want to stay inside the Marshal’s Mansion.]

Although Yan Ke had long known that Military Advisor Xie, who is “ambitious” in other people’s eyes, actually has the potential of being a shut-in, 4 but upon listening to those words, he still felt a sense of his three views collapsing: “Pull yourself together, My Lord!”

And Xie Jianwei really ‘pulled himself together’: [After curing Lu Li’s illness, I’ll quit my work and enjoy my life in retirement.] (t/n: XJW used the term for old-age retirement pfft)

Yan Ke: [….]

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The film《Uncontrollable Love》became a big hit as Xie Jianwei expected, and it became a worthy dark horse during the spring season’s box office.

And sure enough Chen Li, who was played by Xie Jianwei, became the cinnabar mole in the hearts 5of thousands of girls, the kind that would make feel hurt whenever they think of the said character, and Xie Jianwei himself also became popular. The downside from all of these was that the male and female leads that should have been blessed and loved by the masses, were in turn got heavily criticized.

“The male lead was such a high-maintenance person”, “The female lead was a slag”, and the supposedly beautiful love between the two was dissected and analyzed beyond recognition by the audience.

The most awful thing was that the reserved female protagonist who was well-versed in literature and arts was actually called a green tea bitch  6by the internet because she chose the male lead in the end.

Hearing about this … Xu Fei, who played as the female protagonist, was left speechless.

She has a good relationship with Xie Jianwei in private. Although the character she played was harshly criticized, she didn’t get angry and instead posted on Weibo: 

Before Xie Jianwei could respond, the person who acted as the male lead responded to Xu Fei’s post with crying emojis.

The interaction between the two became an interesting topic within the fans, and they realized: “The actors are innocent. All of them only acted their roles according to the script. There wasn’t any need to scold them.”

And so, the wind blew into another direction and the fans turned their pointed fingers at Li Dongxing and began bombarding him. Some people made excuses for Director Li, saying that he was only a director so they should scold the scriptwriter instead, but then another group of people spread the news that Li Dongxing both wrote and directed the film himself!

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Translator’s note(s):

This, and the next several chapters have 6k+ words so I had to cut it into 3 parts.

Tip: You can hover (or click) on the number beside the orange-colored texts to see the notes