Why Is the Male Lead Looking at Me Like That [Entertainment Circle] (BL) - Chapter 9

Xia Xu rubbed his eyes, still reeling from the anxiety and rush.

Since seeing Nan Qingyan, his heart rate hadn’t slowed down.

It wasn’t a “fluttering heart.”

It was a “stampede of ten thousand horses.”

“Actually, I should let Qingyan give this part of the lecture,” the professor from Jing University on stage suddenly said with a smile. “He audited my course before, and his final paper was on this very topic. He’s more professional than I am.”

At this, Professor Zhou and the others all looked at Nan Qingyan.

“I forgot, he’s a Jing University alumnus too,” Director Zhang said with a smile.

“I’m just showing off in front of a master. I only suddenly became interested in this area at the time. It was a short, intense burst of study, and I can’t compare to the professor at all,” Nan Qingyan said.

These were clearly humble words, yet they drew countless admiring gazes.

Who says the entertainment industry doesn’t value education? Celebrities who graduate from top universities not only make their fans proud but also earn high regard from industry insiders.

Xia Xu: The look of adoration from a poor student.

Academic excellence really got to him. He felt a large part of the reason he used to see Nan Qingyan as a Fairy was because Nan Qingyan was so good at studying.

Back then, several wealthy, newly established high schools in the Southern City New District were suddenly rising, and No. 1 High School, the old prestigious school in the old district, saw its top-tier university enrollment rate drop from over ninety to fifty or sixty percent. Its reputation was dwindling, and it relied entirely on Nan Qingyan to maintain appearances. At the time, their old principal loved to talk to Nan Qingyan on weekends, and he would wait for him under the big camphor tree outside the administration building.

In the end, Nan Qingyan lived up to expectations and ranked first in the science stream for the entire province. The huge red banner hung high over the No. 1 High School gate, truly bringing honor to the school.

Since the class started quite late today, it was mealtime after one session. Director Zhang led them to the cafeteria.

The entire Mo City compound now belonged to their film crew, which spoke volumes about their wealth. Their so-called cafeteria was a whole street of gourmet restaurants.

“We have restaurants with flavors from the East, South, West, and North. Everyone, just choose what you like and eat; it’s all free,” Director Zhang said lavishly.

Liu Fen pulled Xia Xu: “Let’s go for Cantonese cuisine. It’s light. We’ll have more soups and liquids, so we’ll look better on camera.”

No sooner had he spoken than he heard Wei Qiang say: “Do you mind an extra person?”

Liu Fen turned to Wei Qiang: “Yes, I do.”

Wei Qiang was greatly embarrassed in front of Lin Heng and the others.

He probably hadn’t expected Liu Fen to humiliate him in public.

Fortunately, Lin Heng spoke up to smooth things over: “I also want Cantonese food. Let’s go together.”

“I’ll join too,” Hu Hai said flatly.

Xia Xu glanced at Liu Fen.

Cherish your life, and stay away from Liu Fen. He might survive a little longer in this crew.

However, ten Hu Hais combined wouldn’t be as destructive as one Nan Qingyan.

He should be content!

Xia Xu was about to follow the group inside when he heard Director Zhang call out to him: “Xia Xu.”

Xia Xu turned around and heard Director Zhang say: “Eat with me. I want to talk to you.”

Great.

He secretly glanced at Hu Hai, then walked towards Director Zhang with an utterly composed expression.

“Qingyan, you come too.”

Xia Xu: “…”

Being able to join this crew might really have used up all his luck.

The three of them entered the nearby Huaiyang cuisine restaurant.

Xia Xu silently followed behind, turning to look at Nan Qingyan beside him, only to find Nan Qingyan was also looking at him.

Their eyes met. Xia Xu quickly walked up the stairs.

The four of them sat down in the private room. Director Zhang said, “I notice you two aren’t talking much.”

Xia Xu gave a slight smile, then heard Nan Qingyan say: “It’s the first day, we’re still adjusting. We’ll be fine once we adjust.”

“I don’t know how you worked in previous projects, but it’s my habit to hope that the couple, before filming, can eat and live together to get familiar quickly and build chemistry,” Director Zhang said.

“So, should we eat and live together?” Nan Qingyan asked, looking at Xia Xu.

“Ah?” Xia Xu looked at Director Zhang: “Do we have to live together?”

Director Zhang said: “I’m not making it a rigid requirement; you can decide yourselves.”

Xia Xu was choked up for a moment.

He felt he wasn’t in a position to decide whether or not to live together.

Nan Qingyan said: “I have a bit of a cleanliness complex and prefer to live alone.”

Xia Xu turned to look at Nan Qingyan.

Director Zhang also glanced at Nan Qingyan and laughed: “I heard from your manager.”

The waiter handed the menu to Director Zhang, who passed it directly to Nan Qingyan. Nan Qingyan took it and looked over the dishes.

“About the cleanliness complex…” Director Zhang asked, “You’re not averse to intimate scenes, are you? You two have quite a few kissing scenes.”

Xia Xu was drinking water and almost choked it out.

He frantically looked for a napkin, his face scarlet. Nan Qingyan placed a box of tissues in front of him.

“Thank you,” he said, coughing as he pulled out a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth.

“I’m not averse,” he heard Nan Qingyan say.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough.” Xia Xu coughed even harder.

Director Zhang looked at Xia Xu and said with a smile: “Since you don’t want to live together, then you two need to interact more often. Filming together, you still need chemistry, especially you, Xia Xu. Your character is supposed to be very wild. Why have you become so shy? I thought you were quite lively before.”

Xia Xu had changed a lot.

His appearance was still as sunny and bright as ever—the kind that makes your heart skip a beat the more you look.

But Director Zhang felt Xia Xu seemed much quieter, missing the spirit of the ‘Number One Flirt’ from No. 1 High School back then.

Maybe he just grew up.

This was the first time he had seen Xia Xu up close in years.

Xia Xu’s jawline was more defined than in high school. His hair was a bit longer, and his features had fully matured, reaching the age of full bloom. The boyish awkwardness was gone, and he looked more beautiful, but he lacked the spirited, ambitious drive of before, which made Director Zhang slightly uneasy.

Seeing him look at the director obediently, respectfully, and shyly, Nan Qingyan felt a strange, inexplicable blockage in his chest.

Nan Qingyan had already checked off a few dishes, then handed the menu to Xia Xu.

Xia Xu took the menu and looked at it.

Stewed Lion’s Head with Crab Roe, Pingqiao Tofu, Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish. The dishes Nan Qingyan selected were all his favorites.

He didn’t flatter himself, though; he and Nan Qingyan had always had surprisingly consistent tastes.

He simply added a vegetable salad and handed the menu to Director Zhang.

Director Zhang was quite serious—a man in his sixties, still full of vigor. At the table, they were all discussing the drama.

“The script is still being polished and may be changed or added to at any time. We’ll probably give you the latest finalized version tomorrow…” Director Zhang said, looking at Nan Qingyan. “While you can’t shave your head, you need to cut your hair shorter. You have too much hair, and the bald-cap effect might not look great.”

Nan Qingyan nodded: “No problem.”

Director Zhang looked at Nan Qingyan and Xia Xu—two gorgeous young men, 23 years old, with boundless youth, one cold and one warm, shining brightly. They looked like a pair of natural-born soulmates. He had never been so satisfied with a pairing in all the roles he had cast.

These two naturally possessed CP chemistry; they didn’t even need kissing scenes. Just standing in the same frame was enough for people to ship them to death.

“With the two of you, I think this drama is half a success. Let’s all work hard together to make this a great production.” Director Zhang raised his wine glass: “Cheers, let’s toast.”

Xia Xu glanced at Nan Qingyan and saw that Nan Qingyan was holding a wine glass.

He used to be a teetotaler.

Thinking this, he finished the wine in his glass in one go.

Director Zhang laughed: “Impressive! Xia Xu clearly knows how to drink.”

Xia Xu smiled: “My tolerance is decent.”

Compared to him, Nan Qingyan’s tolerance was not good. After one glass, his face and neck instantly flushed. The alcohol diluted his icy demeanor; it was as if his whole person suddenly warmed up, his eyes and brows flushed, instantly falling into the mundane world.

Director Zhang was overjoyed to see this.

This is Chen Liuqing in the flesh!

And looking at Xia Xu, who drank wine like plain water—the Tyrant himself!

After lunch, they continued their class.

The afternoon was for etiquette, and Nan Qingyan wasn’t there.

He was playing a monk, so his etiquette lessons were separate.

With Nan Qingyan gone, Xia Xu immediately felt much more relaxed.

After the etiquette class and dinner, Liu Fen invited him to go for a stroll.

Both of them were visiting Mo City for the first time. The ancient city was huge. The scenery in May was at its best, and even the sunset glow was exceptionally brilliant. Red light bathed the pavilions and towers. Outside the city was the Green Mist Mountain, as if they had instantly stepped into a richly colored, ancient-style painting.

Xiu Zilou and Hu Hai came out of the dorm building in basketball jerseys: “Playing ball?”

Liu Fen smiled: “We’re going out for a walk.”

As he spoke, he saw Wei Qiang. Fearing Wei Qiang would cling to them, he grabbed Xia Xu and ran.

Nan Qingyan stood by the railing on the second floor, watching Liu Fen pull Xia Xu across the plaza below.

A shuttle bus drove past Liu Fen and Xia Xu. Brother Cai immediately recognized Xia Xu, removed his sunglasses, and looked at him and Liu Fen.

The car stopped below the dorm building. Brother Cai got off and saw Nan Qingyan on the second floor.

He waved at Nan Qingyan.

When Nan Qingyan told him he was going to take the role in Tyrant, he was accompanying the company’s new artist filming in Northern City.

Although they had talked on the phone several times, he still intended to speak with Nan Qingyan in person.

“Have you thought it through?” he asked.

“I’ve thought it through clearly these past few days.” Nan Qingyan frowned, looking uncomfortable. “It’s giving me a headache.”

“Who was that guy with Xia Xu just now? He looks familiar. Isn’t that the ‘Liu’ guy he’s been heavily rumored with lately?” Brother Cai asked.

Seeing Nan Qingyan’s frown deepen, Brother Cai opened a box of cigarettes, offered one, and smiled: “You really couldn’t hold back.”

Nan Qingyan fiddled with the cigarette and said, “Actually, I didn’t sleep at all the night I came back from the ceremony.”

It turned out Xia Xu didn’t need to do anything. He just needed to appear in front of him, and this dormant volcano, covered in perennial snow, would have magma gurgling within.

When Xia Xu went around with his harem, this volcano would erupt.

Brother Cai found Nan Qingyan like this quite endearing.

“Since you’ve thought it through and you’re here, I definitely support you. So, what are you planning to do next? I actually looked into it for you. A few of those guys aren’t just rumors; I heard they’re really pursuing him.”

Nan Qingyan didn’t speak.

Brother Cai said, “In my opinion, if you’ve broken up and want to get back together, you need to resolve the previous issues first. When you two broke up, did he give any specific reasons? Or, what do you feel was the main point he complained about to you?”

Nan Qingyan’s fair, long fingers rubbed the cigarette in his hand. His eyes were ascetic, and his thin lips were rosy: “He often complained that I was too horny, saying he couldn’t handle it.”

Brother Cai inhaled his smoke and immediately coughed it out.

Brother Cai coughed twice: “Seriously? He complained about you?”

Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

He’d never met anyone more abstinent than Nan Qingyan!

He was so self-respecting he didn’t seem like a 23-year-old young man.

Nan Qingyan didn’t say anything.

What could he say? He thought it was the truth.

Brother Cai said, “Do you want to hear some of my personal opinions?”

Nan Qingyan looked at him.

“Actually, whether in a relationship or marriage, men and women have to act!” Brother Cai said. “Of course, I don’t mean you should lie. But at least at the beginning of a relationship, you have to act a bit, be a gentleman, be restrained. Just like how everyone consciously or unconsciously hides their flaws when dating. You have to take it slow, revealing yourself to the other person gradually. If you drop your pants as soon as you start dating, you’re definitely going to scare people away.”

“He was the one who dropped my pants first.”

Brother Cai tried hard to control his expression: “Then why did he complain about you?”

“He… is just submissive but flirty,” Nan Qingyan said.

As soon as his pants were off, Xia Xu backed down.

Very delicate.

After backing down, he’d be flirty again, and after being flirty, he’d back down again. This cycle completely captured him.

He was so captivated that after all these years of breaking up, Nan Qingyan still couldn’t forget him, his heart both aching and burning.

Brother Cai finally understood.

So, our Brother Nan likes the “submissive but flirty” type.

Submissive but still flirty—that’s true flirting!

Their Nan Qingyan looks so pure and immaculate, yet he likes this type.

He was truly impressed.

Xia Xu and Liu Fen rode bikes and circled the ancient city.

“Do you think I should keep some distance from you?” Liu Fen suddenly asked.

Xia Xu turned to look at him.

“I don’t want Nan Qingyan to actually think we’re dating,” Liu Fen said.

“You’re overthinking it,” Xia Xu said.

“Am I really overthinking it? He knew you were playing Zhao Xuanmei and still came to play Chen Liuqing!” Liu Fen said.

Xia Xu pedaled faster, panting, facing the evening breeze.

What exactly did Nan Qingyan want?

To take revenge on him? Or to…

Xia Xu’s heart pounded faster. He shook his head. His hair, chestnut brown in the sunset, was thick, like fluffed-up seaweed.

Since seeing Nan Qingyan, his body had this strange feeling, tense and unable to relax.

Mo City was different from the last time he was here, especially near Green Mist Mountain. The scenery was already built. May was colder this year than in previous years, but the crabapple blossoms were already in full bloom, and petals covered the paths. The large Buddha statue in front of the Buddhist temple held a pair of twin red lotuses in its palm, their pink buds gently swaying in the evening breeze.

Liu Fen sat on the bike, looking up and sighing: “It’s exactly like it was described in the novel.”

This was the “Buddha’s Hand Bearing Flowers” mentioned in the novel.

In the sunset, the temple buildings were ancient and solemn. Incense was burning in the courtyard censer, the smoke lingering. White crabapple blossoms lay scattered against the mottled red wall.

Just across the wall, people were bustling. Crew members were testing the optimal light density for the palace lanterns. The sun slowly set, and the night deepened. The two of them looked at each other.

“Come on,” Liu Fen said.

Xia Xu’s heart was surging: “Come on!”

Both of them seemed to realize that roles like these might not come their way again in their lifetime. This was an opportunity given to them by fate, and they had to seize it.

He and Liu Fen returned from their stroll after sunset. The streetlights in the ancient city had not yet come on. The thud of a basketball echoed from the field. Hu Hai and his friends’ shouts carried far across the plaza.

Wen Yu was coming out of the dorm building, carrying a crate of bottled water.

“Captain.”

Xia Xu asked, “Why are you carrying water?”

“Brother Wei and the others are playing basketball. I’m taking them some water.”

“Wei Qiang asked you to send it?” Liu Fen took a bottle. “He just bullies the younger ones.”

“No, no, I offered to take it,” Wen Yu said shyly.

“You’ve got good foresight, kid. I’m watching you.”

Liu Fen drank his water and entered the dorm building. Xia Xu took the crate of water directly. Wen Yu happily helped him carry it from the other side, smiling.

He was a little shy alone and couldn’t quite bond with Xiu Zilou and the others. He felt safer staying with his captain.

The two of them carried the water toward the basketball court. Before they even reached the hoop, they heard a loud “bang,” which made Wen Yu jump back a step in surprise.

It turned out someone was dunking.

The lights on the field suddenly turned on. Xia Xu finally saw that the person who dunked was Hu Hai.

They must have been playing for a while, all drenched in sweat. Hu Hai saw him, lifted the hem of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, revealing his glistening abs.

“I’m dying of thirst,” Xiu Zilou said, walking towards them. Xia Xu patted Wen Yu’s shoulder, and Wen Yu quickly offered the water.

Hu Hai and the others all came over.

Xia Xu turned and walked back towards the dorm building. After only two steps, he sensed someone catching up to him.

It was Hu Hai.

“Where did you go with Liu Fen just now?” Hu Hai asked, panting.

He was radiating warm, humid sweat, which was overwhelming. Hu Hai’s cheeks were flushed, and beads of sweat hung from his chin. He unscrewed his bottle of water, drinking as he walked with Xia Xu.

“We rode bikes and wandered around the ancient city.”

Hu Hai smiled but said nothing more.

On the second-floor balcony, a few young actors were leaning over the railing, enjoying the breeze.

Under the streetlights, they watched Hu Hai and Xia Xu walk toward the dorm building together.

Hu Hai’s complexion was slightly dark, while Xia Xu was glowing white. They were similar in height and age, a clear Top and Bottom!

“Are the rumors about Brother Hu and Xia Xu true?”

“What rumors?”

“Their scandal.”

“Isn’t Xia Xu with Liu Fen?”

“He was also rumored with Hu Hai. The Pepper Fans even harassed him a few times…”

The young actors huddled together, quietly discussing the gossip.

There were cliques among actors, and as unknown newcomers who hadn’t made it into the circle, they could only guess at such gossip.

Just as they were discussing, they saw a tall man step out of the room at the very end.

“Brother Nan,” they immediately straightened up.

Nan Qingyan gave a simple “Mhm” and walked down the stairs. A cool breeze carried his faint scent.

Xia Xu and Hu Hai had just reached the stairwell corner when they saw Nan Qingyan descending from upstairs.

“Xia Xu,” Nan Qingyan suddenly called out to him.

“Ah?” Hearing his name suddenly from Nan Qingyan was shocking enough, especially now, with Nan Qingyan standing above, looking down at him and Hu Hai. Xia Xu’s hair immediately stood on end.

“The director wants us to go to the studio,” Nan Qingyan said.

Hu Hai glanced at them both, greeted Nan Qingyan, and went upstairs on his own.

Nan Qingyan must have caught the scent of Hu Hai’s sweat, as he slightly furrowed his brow.

Xia Xu stood on the stairs for a moment. When Nan Qingyan passed him, he finally snapped out of it and hurried to follow.

This was the first time the two of them were alone together since their reunion. He and Nan Qingyan maintained a distance of about two meters.

Why did the director call them to the studio? Was filming starting so soon?

It was a good thing he and Nan Qingyan didn’t have any intimate scenes in the early stages.

When they arrived at the studio, they learned that Director Zhang wanted to shoot the promotional poster.

“Didn’t you say we were shooting it tomorrow?” Xia Xu had looked at the crew’s schedule.

The schedule for a drama that is filmed and broadcast simultaneously is planned in advance for every day.

“Tomorrow we’ll shoot the ancient version. The director wants to add a modern version, so we have one ancient and one modern for promotion,” the assistant director said.

Xia Xu sat down to get his makeup done. Director Zhang and the photographer came over to tell him about the content to be filmed.

Director Zhang’s posters were always designed and produced by his close friend, Huang Xuan. Huang Xuan was very creative with poster design, and the posters she shot for Director Zhang were always industry benchmarks. This was Xia Xu’s first time working with her, and he was quite excited.

Four years into his career, this was the first time he had worked with true industry heavyweights.

He looked at Huang Xuan’s poster draft.

“A throat kiss?”

He looked up.

Nan Qingyan, who was getting his makeup done next to him, took the draft from his hand and glanced at it.

The draft had two images, one modern and one ancient, both with the same pose.

To be fair, the design had great artistic expressiveness, especially the ancient version, where the long-haired emperor kissed the high monk’s throat—the tension was maximized.

For Director Zhang, this poster clearly wasn’t even considered “racy.”

After his hairstyle was done, the shoot was about to begin.

The white light made Xia Xu even dizzier. Nan Qingyan in front of him was as handsome as a deity, which further clouded his mind. Everything felt like a dream. Behind the light board, crew members hurried back and forth.

He heard the set photographer, Teacher Qi, say: “Ready to shoot. Xia Xu, lean forward a bit.”

Xia Xu looked up at Nan Qingyan. The height difference between them was quite noticeable. His gaze landed directly on Nan Qingyan’s thin lips.

Acting in a romance scene with his ex—who would believe this!

As he got closer, he realized Nan Qingyan wasn’t much taller than he was at eighteen, but the sense of pressure he exuded was far greater than before.

His shoulders were much wider, and his frame seemed more solid than it was back then. Wide shoulders, narrow waist, and a face with sharper angles.

“Your upper body should lean on him,” he heard Director Zhang say. “Your body is too stiff, relax a little.”

Xia Xu pressed his lips together. He could feel how red his face was right now.

Then, in the next moment, he felt Nan Qingyan’s hand wrap around his waist.

Nan Qingyan’s hand seemed larger, covering half of his waist through the thin clothing.

“Nervous?” Nan Qingyan asked him.

His voice was so low that only Xia Xu could hear it. The warm breath from his lips misted Xia Xu’s cheek. Xia Xu, who had been restrained and flustered in front of Nan Qingyan, suddenly felt cowardly for acting this way. He decided to just get it over with, so he tilted his head back and directly kissed Nan Qingyan’s throat.

The moment his lips touched, Nan Qingyan’s Adam’s apple suddenly bobbed, and the hand gripping his waist tightened sharply.

I’m dead.

Xia Xu thought.

Memories rushed in, swirling in his dizzy mind. The familiar scent of Nan Qingyan’s skin invaded his nostrils. Xia Xu was intoxicated by that ethereal fragrance. He turned to look at the photographer next to him but only saw a dazzling white light.