After Transmigrated as the Movie Star's Omega - Chapter 20

Shen Baibi’s smile grew a touch more mysterious. “I’m not telling you.”

“What?” Xia Ran huffed, lifting his chin in dissatisfaction. “Why act so mysterious? If you had a crush on me, just say it. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about; I am universally loved, after all…”

He cut himself off mid-sentence, realization hitting him like a cold bucket of water.

Crap. Because he’d heard Director Xu say Shen Baibi had been following him for a long time, he’d gotten cocky. He only wanted to use the chance to tease Shen Baibi back, but he’d gotten carried away and forgotten about the other two at the table. If they saw him acting this flippant, would it leave a bad impression?

Xia Ran looked over awkwardly.

Contrary to his fears, both were looking at him with smiles. Xia Ran could only offer a dry laugh. “I was just joking with him, don’t take it seriously…”

Song Fangpei laughed instead. “You aren’t wrong. You are indeed quite universally loved.”

Xu Ting sipped his wine and nodded in agreement.

Shen Baibi chuckled. “Don’t praise him anymore. If you keep going, his tail will curl up to the sky.”

Xia Ran shot him a look of deep resentment. Tch. Shen Baibi had clearly been a bit flustered under his earlier offensive, but before Xia Ran could expand on his victory, the man managed to escape. It really was hard to go all out in front of the elders.

Wait!

A thought struck Xia Ran.

He couldn’t throw a tantrum in front of the seniors, but he could act spoiled. If he acted a bit aggrieved and “reported” Shen Baibi to them, based on experience, the Xus would likely help criticize Shen Baibi on his behalf. It was the perfect plan to “kill with a borrowed knife.”

I really am a little genius.

Xia Ran mused secretly. Even if he had to humble himself a bit, any sacrifice was worth it if it meant tripping up Shen Baibi.

Shen Baibi noticed the hint of grievance in Xia Ran’s eyes one second, which vanished the next. He was wondering what kind of scheme the boy was cooking up now when he heard him speak: “Director Xu, Teacher Song, look at how he talks about me! How am I ‘curling my tail’? I’m clearly very humble and low-key!”

There was a trace of dissatisfaction in his voice, but rather than a complaint, it sounded more like acting spoiled. Shen Baibi’s eyebrow twitched.

He knew exactly what Xia Ran was doing—trying to move the Xus to condemn him. Facing these two respected seniors, he couldn’t snap back like he usually did to Xia Ran; he could only swallow the bitterness.

However, while the words were calculated and even a bit theatrical, the resulting feeling wasn’t off-putting. On the contrary, it felt natural, like the typical bickering of a young couple—it was flirtatious and a sign of a healthy relationship, which only made the elders feel more at ease.

Tch. Always doing things that harm others but don’t help himself.

As expected, Director Xu and his wife exchanged a smile, seemingly relieved. They had worried their presence might make Xia Ran uncomfortable, but it seemed he had opened up. It was a good start.

Song Fangpei wore a kind, gentle smile. “Alright, Xia Ran, you’ve been wronged. I’ll speak to him for you.”

She turned to Shen Baibi, putting on a stern face. “Baibi, you need to give in to Xia Ran more. Don’t always bicker with him.”

“Exactly,” Xu Ting chimed in. “Xia Ran is your wife; you need to follow his lead more. Otherwise, with him being so popular, what if someone steals him away?”

Xia Ran had been expecting a harsh critique of Shen Baibi, but as he listened, he became dazed.

This isn’t how I imagined it. He hadn’t known exactly how they would criticize him, but it shouldn’t have been like this. It sounded like they were criticizing him, but the tone was so earnest—it felt like they were teaching him how to dote on his wife?

Shen Baibi nodded with a look of someone receiving a valuable lesson. “Yes, Director Xu, Teacher Song, you’re right. I’ll correct myself.”

He turned and cast a smiling glance at Xia Ran before continuing, “In the future, I’ll definitely dote on him to the sky.”

After dinner, Director Xu and his wife stayed for more conversation. Around 10:00 PM, seeing it was getting late, they rose to take their leave.

Shen Baibi and Xia Ran walked them downstairs.

As the car door closed, Shen Baibi instructed the driver: “Director Xu has been drinking. Drive slowly and steadily so he doesn’t feel unwell.”

“Okay, I understand,” the driver nodded.

Song Fangpei, sitting by the window, said, “Baibi is still the most thoughtful.”

“No, it’s only right,” Shen Baibi said with a smile.

Song Fangpei added, “We’ll be going now. You two should head back and get some rest too.”

“Alright. Safe travels.”

Xia Ran waved at them, smiling. “Director Xu, Teacher Song, bye-bye! Come back and visit when you have time.”

Hearing this, Xu Ting immediately said, “Fine! Next time I come, remember to have the good wine ready!”

Song Fangpei glared at him, making him shift uncomfortably in his seat before she turned back. “That’s all then. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

The window rolled up, and the car slowly pulled away. Shen Baibi and Xia Ran watched the vehicle disappear from sight before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Xia Ran stretched his arms, muttering, “Finally sent them off. I’m exhausted!”

Shen Baibi smiled at his complaints, about to say “good work,” when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He immediately stepped forward.

“What now?” Xia Ran was startled, looking at him warily.

Shen Baibi lowered his voice. “Paparazzi.”

“Huh?” Xia Ran instinctively started looking around.

“Don’t look,” Shen Baibi warned him. He grabbed Xia Ran’s hand and said, “Let’s head back.”

His wrist was easily caught, and the warmth on his skin made Xia Ran uncomfortable. He tried to pull away. “Let go of me first.”

“Finish the act properly,” Shen Baibi countered. His hand slid down.

Ten fingers intertwined.

Xia Ran pursed his lips. He stopped struggling and allowed himself to be led toward home.

The two walked together. Though they hadn’t practiced, they moved with a natural, unified pace. The dim yellow light of the streetlamps cast their overlapping shadows on the ground—intimate and inseparable.

While it wasn’t very late, high-end residential areas like this didn’t have many people, so it was quiet. Aside from the night wind, there was only the sound of their intertwined footsteps.

Xia Ran kept his head down. He could hear his own heartbeat—it was faster than usual.

Finally, they entered the elevator. Once the door shut, Xia Ran immediately tried to pull his hand from Shen Baibi’s, but he couldn’t; the man still held it tight.

Feeling the small movement as he tried to break free, Shen Baibi looked over.

He asked a question with his eyes. Xia Ran was momentarily speechless. What is there even to ask? Let go, obviously! Haven’t you had enough of taking advantage of me!

But in the end, he only lowered his eyes and said softly, “You can let go now.”

Only then did Shen Baibi slowly release his hand. The next second, Xia Ran stepped away to put distance between them.

Seeing this, Shen Baibi didn’t react. He turned his head to stare at the elevator panel with a look of intense concentration, as if a flower had suddenly bloomed there.

The elevator car wasn’t small, so it wasn’t crowded, but perhaps because of the silence, it felt a bit suffocating.

Xia Ran rubbed his wrist where it had been held. The lingering warmth was slowly fading.

But why is my heart beating faster instead?

The sound of the cables rubbing hummed faintly, but in this quiet space, every sound seemed magnified and incredibly clear.

Xia Ran turned sideways, pressing one hand to his chest, hoping to stifle the sound of his heartbeat a little.