HOYSE CHAPTER 65

Chapter 65 — The Kiss

“Xiao Rong, come here,” Liu Yu beckoned to Rong Jing.

When Rong Jing walked over, he saw several Omega stand-ins lined up beside the director. And to be fair, from certain angles, one of them really did look a bit like Gu Xi.

For long shots, forced perspective, or back-of-the-head angles, the audience might not be able to tell the difference.

Some stand-ins had literally modeled themselves on Gu Xi’s look. They kept their bodies at a strict standard year-round to match the original’s build, and sometimes even tweaked their features to increase their chances of getting screen time.

Most of them worked with crews regularly and treated imitation as a profession.

Word had it that this was Rong Jing’s first intimate scene. Looking at his own presence on camera, handsome, with an understated allure, even a plain gray eunuch robe looked distinguished on him, giving him the air of a crane among chickens, elegant and otherworldly.

One stand-in smiled shyly. “I actually study kissing technique. If you aren’t used to it, we can practice in advance.”

Liu Yu coughed a few times to quiet the stand-ins. “Enough. Don’t get carried away.”

He pulled Rong Jing off to the side.

He knew what had startled Rong Jing. “Looks a lot like him, right? Some of them did cosmetic work to match Gu Xi’s features. A few even altered their builds.”

Rong Jing reined in his surprise and made his stance clear, if politely. “Compared with the real person, the difference is obvious.” Worlds apart. After you have seen the genuine article, the man-made version stops looking good.

Gu Xi carried a built-in distance, like snow that drifts down by chance, lands on the tip of your heart, melts into your bones, and can never be forgotten.

“Of course you cannot compare them with the real one.” Liu Yu waved a hand. No Omega could measure up to Gu Xi. “So, what do you think? There are five in total. The two on the left are supposed to be excellent at love scenes. They find their own rhythm and are quite professional.”

There are talents in every trade. Rong Jing nodded. “Got it. Director, let me steep in the emotion a bit. I will tell you my pick in a moment.”

Liu Yu patted his shoulder, guessing the kid was a little out of sorts because it was his first time with a scene like this.

He had barely turned when he saw Gu Xi not far away, signaling that he wanted a word.

He slapped his own head. He had been so busy finding stand-ins he had forgotten to speak to their precious golden idol about it.

A tide of feeling surged under Gu Xi’s calm. His expression grew colder.

Even so, he kept himself in check with Liu Yu.

“Director Liu, Scene 37 is a confrontation between me and Rong Jing,” Gu Xi said.

“That’s right. And listen, do not force yourself.” Liu Yu sighed. “I realized it was too much to push you to do the intimate bit yourself. Your assistant told me after Venice that your allergy flared up. With Rong Jing as your scene partner this time, I am afraid a slip could make you gag, which would waste time. It is better to put the stand-in in from the start.”

Look at me, being so considerate. Moved yet?

Gu Xi was Liu Yu’s patron in all but name. The director had never forgotten it. After graduating from directing, he had thrown himself into art films, sold several apartments, and just like the rumors said, racked up debt for the sake of movies.

His wife moved with him into a basement room. He had planned to shoot one last film and then go back to their hometown to make a living.

By then Gu Xi had been missing from the public eye for years. On Weibo there was even a super-topic called “Has Gu Xi Returned Today,” proof enough of his popularity.

In pure name recognition, even faded, Gu Xi still outpaced Liu Yu by many streets.

Then one day Gu Xi happened to see his work and proposed a collaboration. Liu Yu felt like he had hit the jackpot. Before that, he had never imagined he would go to a film festival and stand on a stage like that.

Gu Xi pressed his fingers to his brow and forced himself to level out.

Do not swing. He is an old friend. Stay calm.

“No stand-in. I meant what I said before. I will do it myself.”

“Huh?”

“I am a professional actor. If an emotional scene makes sense, I will shoot it. No need for a stand-in,” Gu Xi said, face set.

“My Xi, you mean it?” Liu Yu almost hopped three times in delight.

He felt a surge of respect at Gu Xi’s professionalism.

Gu Xi: “…”

Get lost. Whose Xi.

You cut my kiss scene on your own and I have not even settled the score.

Liu Yu, thrilled, started tapping his fingers, already planning how to shoot it.

He immediately pressed the team to dress the set faster. This scene had to capture the push and pull between the leads.

Rong Jing closed his eyes then, immersing himself in the plot.

He wanted to enter so deeply into character that he could kiss anyone without batting an eye.

In this scene, the Seventh Prince, Shao Hua, has been gaining the Emperor’s favor and was appointed proctor for the imperial exams.

But cheating emerged at the testing site. The Emperor punished Shao Hua with a period of reflection, nearly cutting off his path upward.

Later, Shao Hua learned from his own confidants that none of this was coincidence. It was a scheme by his former friend, Liu Yusheng.

Liu Yusheng knew Shao Hua’s weaknesses and knew he had been hiding his claws. Once Shao Hua started vying for the heir’s seat, he would be the Third Prince’s strongest rival.

To crush him completely, Liu Yusheng orchestrated a cheating case. The ones caught cheating were the “promising” candidates he had recently recommended to Shao Hua himself.

Betrayed once by an old friend, Shao Hua had still clung to old ties. He had not imagined those ties would be used against him, nearly nailing him to the pillar of shame, despised among all the exam records.

After learning the truth, Shao Hua fell under a double blow, spurned by the Emperor and betrayed again by the one he trusted most. He collapsed.

When he noticed Consort De’s growing interest in Fu Qianming, a mere servant, bitterness seeped into his heart like poison. He realized he had no leverage over Fu Qianming. Would Fu switch sides in the course of serving Consort De?

How could he trust a scheming eunuch.

The unease grew. Drunk, Shao Hua ran into Fu Qianming, who had come to report, and thus the scene began.

While Rong Jing mapped the blocking, he did not notice that the kissing doubles had already been dismissed.

When he came back to himself, Gu Xi was walking toward him.

They maintained their public aloofness and gave each other a single glance.

Rong Jing assumed Gu Xi was only here for the lead-in beats and thought nothing of it.

Gu Xi’s gaze fell on Rong Jing’s pale lips and something flickered in his mind.

He left in a hurry and went to the restroom with a cold face. He checked his makeup in the mirror, then looked over his figure. However he measured it, he outclassed the stand-ins. That soothed him a little.

He took out a cooling mint he had prepared weeks ago, bit one, and rolled it around his mouth.

He breathed into his palm a few times. Fresh enough. Satisfied.

He drew a breath, steadied himself, and went back.

Gu Xi returned to his spot and let the makeup artist touch him up.

Five minutes later, the two leads were set. Liu Yu raised the bullhorn. “Action!”

As always, the image was meticulously crafted. The art team had designed the courtyard.

Pale ambient lights were placed at intervals. Bamboo rustled in the breeze in the distance.

A thin mist drifted through, the palette shading from deep blue to light, moonlight on the pond, white flowers trembling in the wind.

The Seventh Prince, Shao Hua, wore only a thin robe, lounging on the carved railing. One knee bent, one leg hanging, he looked both listless and careless.

He lifted a wine flask and drank. His Adam’s apple rolled. A trickle slipped from his lips, reckless and mad.

In this painterly frame, a long hand flashed in and snatched the flask away. Shao Hua’s eyes slit open. Seeing who it was, he snorted. “I thought you were already fainting in some gentle fragrance. Surprised you remember your master.”

Fu Qianming had never seen the proud peacock so broken. He kept the flask and said quietly, “Your Highness, you have had enough.”

Shao Hua huffed, wagging a finger. “No, I am perfectly clear. So, is Consort De gentle with you? Say what you will of the old woman, her ‘skills’ are something.”

Fu Qianming was stunned by the licentiousness and took a step back.

They had decided in secret for him to serve Consort De. Who knew who might be listening? He was always careful.

He had not expected Shao Hua to throw caution to the wind.

Even coming here to report was a risk.

“Mind your words, Your Highness.”

Red lanterns swayed under the eaves.

Shao Hua laughed, brash and dazzling. The peach-blossom eyes that could enchant at will seemed to hold countless tiny hooks as he suddenly leaned in on Fu Qianming.

Before the other could react, he pinched Fu Qianming’s jaw and examined him from side to side.

“Looking like this, no wonder. I suppose you flirt plenty.” The contempt in his voice iced Fu Qianming’s face.

Shao Hua was not a man who spoke that way. Fu Qianming was one of the few strategists he could boast of. He had always shown him respect.

But after the double blow, he had gone half-mad. His anxiety magnified the malice, exposing the thoughts that sometimes slipped through his heart.

“At first you balked and balked when I sent you to Consort De.”

“And now you have learned the pleasures of a female Omega. How do you do it usually? With your mouth. Hahaha, oh right, you do not have that thing.”

From the start, Fu Qianming had never truly submitted. Circumstances had forced him to bow temporarily and handle matters for Shao Hua.

He had never seen himself as a slave. His pride was no less than Shao Hua’s.

The camera pushed in for a tight close-up.

In the soft, limned light, Fu Qianming raised his head. His gaze deepened, dangerous.

Like a predator hunting in the dark. Shao Hua’s words had loosed the beast inside.

Shao Hua released him and swayed toward the courtyard. From the back he looked like a poet, rakish and free.

His scorn still hung in the air. “Born filthy, coarse to the marrow.”

In the next instant a hard hand yanked him back.

Silver silk swept a clean arc in the air. Fu Qianming slammed Shao Hua into the wall and pinned his wrists above him, pressing his whole body forward.

Heat and stickiness pressed in. Something in the heart wanted to destroy, baring its fangs to seize the high ground, howling to pin this arrogant prince beneath him.

In that moment their hierarchy inverted. The servant took the lead.

Fu Qianming radiated a domineering need to control. Breath rough with pressure, he looked down at the man he had trapped. This man always stared down at the world. Only now did a hint of fragility show. It was precisely that fragile edge that made Fu Qianming want to crush, to shatter, to drag this exquisite beast down into the dust.

A faint laugh spilled from him. “Some words I did not quite catch. Would Your Highness repeat them?”

From the rough handling, the already thin robe had been pulled askew.

A white shoulder bared. In the warm, dim light, the long, fine neck lay exposed. Fu Qianming’s eyes darkened.

“Get out, you dog slave. Who let you touch me!” Shao Hua struggled wildly, only getting messier.

The prince who always embodied restraint now looked as if he had been broken.

Anger flared in Fu Qianming’s eyes like a sheet of fire, licking everything in its path.

He bore down and, with a trace of malice, leaned in. “If this dog slave does touch you, will Your Highness prove your innocence with death?”

For the first time, fear flashed in Shao Hua’s eyes. His pale body trembled with rage.

The worst part was the strength. Why was the other man so strong? He could not break free at all.

Bluster over a hollow core. “You would not dare.”

“This slave. Dares not.”

As he spoke, Fu Qianming suddenly lowered his head.

And then the shot cut.

Rong Jing held the pose, the fierce energy draining.

Maybe the scene had been too intense. Both he and Gu Xi were breathing unevenly. He could smell a clean, sweet mint on Gu Xi’s breath.

It was lovely. And intoxicating.

They did not move, letting the storm settle.

Rong Jing wondered why Liu Yu had not called cut. Did he really want him to kiss.

Unbeknownst to them, the other actors had drifted over. The two had not even kissed yet, but tempers were already up.

Why stop? Do not stop!

Tear that arrogant mask off and wreck him thoroughly.

Since the director was not cutting, Rong Jing eased his hold on the lightly gasping Gu Xi.

He glanced at the monitors. Liu Yu’s voice cracked like a whip. “No stand-ins. Keep rolling.”

You little punk. I did not cut because you were on a roll. Strike while the iron is hot and do not break the mood. Who told you to stop?

Rong Jing’s self-control was something else.

Stand-ins. What stand-ins?

I am not reminding you because I want you to lose control. That is what makes it real.

If I warn you, it loses some flavor.

Between Shao Hua and Fu Qianming it should be like this, enemies who cannot help but be drawn together, friends and foes both, a tug-of-war of pheromones and hormones.

Unlike the calculated flirtation with Consort De, only with Shao Hua was Fu Qianming truly matched.

The feeling just now had been perfect. Liu Yu replayed the take, more and more satisfied.

“Continue?” Rong Jing echoed, unsure.

He glanced around the set. The kissing doubles from before were nowhere in sight.

Since when? Director, a heads-up would have been nice.

Gu Xi was still half in the scene. At Rong Jing’s question he answered coolly, “I canceled them. I want this as faithful as possible.”

Had this man forgotten they had confirmed the kiss beat at the start?

Rong Jing pressed his lips together and, unusually, fell silent.

The air between them shifted in something delicate.

Liu Yu checked once more if they were ready. While the mood was right, he wanted to take it in one go.

By now a small crowd had gathered. Minutes earlier it had been empty. The moment word spread that Gu Xi would do it himself, everyone rushed over.

Gu Xi was famous for being allergic to romance on screen. A once-in-a-century chance. Who did not want the first look?

Liu Yu was the most excited of all. No one wanted this drama to succeed more than he did. None of the cast were dropping the ball. This newcomer, Rong Jing, was a revelation. He could not help raising the bar.

He stared at the monitor without blinking as the two drew close again.

This kiss hinged on the reversal of control. In that charged air, the spark would set everyone’s emotions ablaze.

Everyone, including the director, assumed the kiss would be easy. On camera, Gu Xi was too beautiful. Standing this close, Rong Jing had to see him more clearly than anyone.

But three times in a row, Rong Jing stopped short.

He halted at the exact instant before their lips would meet.

Once, twice, three times.

Color drained from Gu Xi’s face. What had started as nervous anticipation tightened into a single knotted rope.

Fluttery joy and hope were slowly replaced by disappointment.

So it is. You really cannot kiss a male Omega.

Rong Jing had thought he could. It was just acting, not real life.

He thought that, sunk into the role, he could break through the mental wall. But once it became Gu Xi, it felt different.

Gu Xi’s lips were beautiful, petal-soft and tinted, the kind that made people want to kiss them.

But perhaps because he knew too clearly that no matter how beautiful, Gu Xi was a man. Thus, the reality separate from the drama hit too fast.

The light in Gu Xi’s eyes, fixed on the Alpha above him, dimmed bit by bit.

He did not show his true emotion. He tugged a wisp of a reassuring smile and said, “It is fine. For a first role you have already done— mmm!”

In that instant, the man whose coldness had felt like flat rejection finally moved.

He framed Gu Xi’s slightly startled face, leaned down, and claimed the lips that countless people had only dared to imagine.

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