Love Rival Is Getting Prettier Everyday - Chap 148

Chapter 148: Baby
With a ding dong, Xiao Ai came online. “Dear!”

He sounded as if he couldn’t contain his excitement.

Shen Jintai: “It’s been a long time since I saw you.”

“Yes it has! Dear, there hasn’t been much progress recently. The male protagonist’s aversion to you and Bai Yueguang’s love for you have not improved. Xiao Ai is very anxious for you!”

“Are you sure you are anxious for me?” Shen Jintai sneered.

“Hee hee~,” Xiao Ai said. “Well, Xiao Ai is happy for you. You finally figured it out, and you’re only one step away from success!”

“I just wanted to ask you,” Shen Jintai said. “Yan Qiuchi and I have confirmed our relationship. Haven’t we completed the final step yet? Didn’t you say that he was the kind of single-minded man who would only love one person all his life?”

“It stands to reason that you have indeed completed the task, but the instruction given to Xiao Ai by the system is that you must confirm the unity of your spirit and flesh before you can complete the ultimate task. After all, this is the most intuitive.”

Shen Jintai: “…Ha ha ha, is this the requirement of your harmonious system? It doesn’t sound very harmonious.”

“Hee hee~ Dear, if I were you, since you’re already in love, why not just roll in the bedsheets right away? After you finish rolling, you’ll be completely free. Not only will you get a new life, but you will also get the best single-minded gong in the world. You’ll have such a mind-blowing experience that you’ll be addicted! Oh, it seems Xiao Ai said too much.”

“Hurhurhur, at least you have some self-awareness.” Shen Jintai felt skeptical. Is it really such a mind-blowing experience?

“Dear, do you doubt the ability of the male protagonist of a danmei? If you can’t send your partner to heaven, can you even be considered a gong?!”

That’s true.

It’s just that he felt that with Yan Qiuchi’s power, he’d probably be tossed to death.

“No, dear, think about the rewards you received. Which gong in the world can withstand it? Which gong will be able to resist being in the palm of your hands? If Yan Qiuchi is not fascinated by you, you can complain to my manager!”

Hehehehe.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Xiao Ai suddenly screamed like a groundhog. From his screams, you could imagine what vulgar things were running through his imagination.

Shen Jintai: “Stop it! You can go offline!”

“Dear, you may not believe it when I say this, but while Xiao Ai hopes that you will complete the task as soon as possible, I also hope that you can take it slower. Xiao Ai is a bit reluctant to part with you.”

These words finally succeeded in alleviating Shen Jintai’s feelings of sorrow and anger. “When everything is over, we won’t see each other again, will we?”

It was rare for Xiao Ai to be so serious. “Nn. There is no banquet that never ends.”

“I will miss you.”

“So will Xiao Ai.”

Shen Jintai was silent for a while as he didn’t know what to say. He then heard a beep as Xiao Ai went offline. The weather was gloomy, as it had been windy all day. The forecast said that there would be a blizzard coming in on Friday.

With the sudden drop in temperature, Cai Jun fell ill with a high fever at a critical moment. However, he remained dedicated and took his illness into battle, but he still severely coughed during filming. Qiu Hong filmed him in this state and changed the script slightly to add in a sick scene.

During winter, late one night, when Xu Xingchen was sleeping heavily, he suddenly felt a warm hand touching his face in the dark. He was taken aback and sat up at once. He hurriedly touched the lamp at the head of the bed, but because he moved too quickly, he pushed the lamp to the ground. The plug of the lamp was still inserted in the jack, creating a little spark at the moment the lamp fell.

Xu Xingchen hurriedly found his phone and used its faint light to shine it on the person, only to find that it was Xu Dahai.

He let out a long breath. “You scared me to death. What are you doing? It’s the middle of the night.”

Xu Dahai was wearing his pajamas. His eyes were confused, and he seemed to be anxious. He said, “Xiao Chen, get up quickly. Your mother is dying. Go to the hospital with dad.”

Xu Xingchen felt all his hair stand up. “What are you talking about…”

He suddenly recalled that when he was in elementary school, it was also in the middle of the night when he was awakened by Xu Dahai who told him that his mother was about to die.

“Hurry up and get dressed,” Xu Dahai said. “If we’re late it will be too late.”

“Dad, what’s wrong with you?” Xu Xingchen was frightened and confused. He hurriedly got out of bed and turned on the headlight in the bedroom.

Xu Dahai seemed to be taken aback when he saw him. Xu Xingchen was shocked and said, “Are you confused? Are you dreaming?”

Xu Dahai had gray hair, and his face was full of wrinkles. He looked extraordinarily old. His pajamas were a size too small to completely cover his fat stomach. His tone was anxious as he hesitantly said, “Xiao Chen. Your mother is dying. The two of us have to go to the hospital quickly.”

“Mom has been dead for many years. Did you dream of her?” Xu Xingchen put on his slippers and held Xu Dahai’s arm. “Ah, are you dreaming?”

Xu Dahai’s eyes gradually became clearer, but his expression was still confused.

Xu Xingchen said, “It’s okay, it’s okay, you are dreaming.”

He coaxed Xu Dahai and helped him back to the master bedroom. Xu Dahai seemed to have recovered, as he remained silent the entire time. Xu Xingchen covered him with a blanket and rubbed his eyes as he said, “It’s only midnight, so go back to sleep.”

Xu Dahai suddenly said, “Tomorrow, come with me to the Housing Authority. I will transfer ownership of the house to you. I heard that they’re demolishing it in two years.”

“Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” Xu Xingchen said.

Xu Dahai said, “Your Uncle Zhang died last year. The house was supposed to belong to his daughter. However, he heard that there was a problem with the procedures, and his daughter almost couldn’t inherit the house. I want this proof, so it’s better to transfer the house to you now.”

He wasn’t sure if Xu Dahai’s dream just now influenced him to be like this. This was the first time he had said so much to him. Xu Xingchen helped tuck him back in and said, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow. Go to bed first.”

Xu Dahai didn’t speak again. He only opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, coughed a few times, and then slightly covered his mouth with the blanket.

“Cut!” Qiu Hong said. “After that, we’ll shoot another panoramic shot.”

Shen Jintai looked serious, with slightly red eyes, as he looked at the director. What Qiu Hong wanted was the kind of restrained, seamless grief, which gradually penetrated deeply, just like the chill of a winter’s night.

He knew that Qiu Hong was right. Xu Xingchen was emotionally restrained, like his father. He would not easily shed tears. This kind of feeling wasn’t as good as crying, because it built up a backlog inside his heart.

All of Xu Xingchen’s emotions must collapse and be released at the moment when Xu Dahai can no longer recognize him. Qiu Hong knew that he was uncomfortable, so he didn’t give him any close-ups of his face in this scene but only recorded a long shot of his back.

This backshot alone took more than 20 minutes. Body language was an integral part of the performance, and to get the best result, Shen Jintai had to keep trying to uplift his spirits. When Qiu Hong shouted “Cut”, he fell limp, let out a sigh of relief, and turned to look at Cai Jun, who had been lying on the bed.

“Okay. This shot is good. Everyone has worked hard,” Qiu Hong said.

Shen Jintai found that something was wrong with Cai Jun. “Teacher Cai?” He patted Cai Jun only to get a frown in response. Cai Jun had fainted. The crew was so frightened that they hurriedly took Cai Jun to the hospital. Xiao Tang ran over and handed Shen Jintai a down jacket.

The crew’s shooting schedule was already tight, so they couldn’t stop filming due to Cai Jun’s illness. They had to temporarily adjust their shooting plan for tomorrow, intending to shoot a scene between Yu Chenglin and Xu Xingchen.

“The filming in the past two days has been too rushed and always goes overtime,” Xiao Tang said.

“It’s mainly because it’s too cold, even with so many lights turned on,” Shen Jintai said.

Xiao Tang: “If you shoot in a studio, it’ll definitely be much warmer. Director Qiu is too good at grinding actors.”

“I don’t know why, but I’ve been feeling chilly for the past two days. My hands and feet feel like they’re frozen solid.” Shen Jintai was exhausted. He wrapped a blanket around his body and thought about Yan Qiuchi. He missed him and his body, which was filled with hot firepower. He didn’t have skin hunger, but he still likes the feeling of being hugged. It was very satisfying.

But Yan Qiuchi won’t be back until Friday afternoon.

“Can you check the weather for tomorrow,” he said to Xiao Tang.

Xiao Tang checked it on his phone and said, “The forecast says there’s a blizzard coming.”

With the way the wind was whistling, the possibility of a blizzard was high. He wasn’t sure if it would affect Yan Qiuchi’s flight. When he got inside the car, he warmed up and felt even more tired. He closed his eyes and said wearily, “I’m too tired, so I’ll sleep for a while. Call me when we get to the hotel.”

After lying down, Shen Jintai touched his phone, turned it on, and read the message he sent to Yan Qiuchi around noon. It was now late at night, but Yan Qiuchi hadn’t replied to him yet. Influenced by his cold body and the depressing scene he had to film today, at this moment, he felt like he missed Yan Qiuchi very much. After thinking about it, he decided to call him.

The phone rang, but no one answered. He closed his eyes again and fell heavily asleep. The nap was short, and they shortly arrived at the hotel. He was awakened by Xiao Tang. Muddleheaded, cold, and sleepy, they walked to the elevator. Xiao Tang asked while inside, “Brother Jin, do you still have snacks?”

Shen Jintai fought with his eyelids while still wrapped in a blanket and responded, “I don’t want to eat or shower. Just sleep.”

After returning to his room, Xiao Tang put down his things and said, “Then you should rest early.”

Shen Jintai took off his coat and threw himself on the bed. “You have worked hard too.”

He had no more strength to speak and buried his face in the pillow, keeping his eyes closed. He vaguely heard Xiao Tang talking but didn’t bother paying attention. When he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt someone sitting on his bed and said, “So tired?”

Despite being overwhelmed by sleepiness, he immediately sat up when he heard the voice. Turning around, he saw Yan Qiuchi sitting at the head of his bed. He was overcome with joy that he suddenly hugged him. “Why are you back? Didn’t you say that you won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon. I sent you a message but you didn’t reply or answer my call!”

Yan Qiuchi smiled and said, “I wanted to surprise you. Miss me?”

Shen Jintai said, “Stop talking nonsense.”

He was surprised, but all he could feel was the heat returning to his body. He was still cold inside, but the chill had softened. Yan Qiuchi touched his hands and said, “It’s so cold.”

“I’ve been frozen this whole time.” Shen Jintai said. Taking a closer look, he saw that Yan Qiuchi was still dressed in his suit, making it obvious that he had just returned. “You just came back?”

Yan Qiuchi said, “Nn. I originally planned to come back tomorrow, but thinking of you, I bought the earliest flight.”

“Have you had dinner yet?”

“I ate it on the plane,” Yan Qiuchi said. “You go to bed first, and I will go back and change clothes.”

Shen Jintai let go of him and laid back down on the bed. He was tired and gave a gentle smile. Yan Qiuchi went back to his room, took a shower, and changed clothes. When he returned, he found that Shen Jintai was already asleep.

He turned off all the lights and got into bed quietly. When he got in, Shen Jintai moved slightly, and Yan Qiuchi said softly, “Sleep.”

After speaking, he laid down and held Shen Jintai from behind, wrapping his legs around Shen Jintai’s feet. In a daze, Shen Jintai found that he was finally warmed up from head to toe, from the inside to the outside. He vaguely felt Yan Qiuchi’s hand reaching into his clothes and rubbing his skin. The corner of his mouth raised slightly and he instinctively held Yan Qiuchi’s hand.

He then vaguely heard Yan Qiuchi say, as if he was calling to him while he was asleep. “Baby*, be good.”

*Clarity: Yan Qiuchi calls him [Baobao] (宝宝). This is similar to [Baobei] (宝贝). As far as I know, they are used interchangeably, and both mean the same thing (baby/babe/darling/sweetie ect.) when used on someone you like.

Shen Jintai responded drowsily, “Be a good boy.”

The author has something to say:

A handful of dog food in winter.