HOYSE CHAPTER 84

Chapter 84 — Confession

The sunset dyed the strands at Gu Xi’s ear a deep gold as they brushed his skin, ticklish, like a pebble dropped onto a still lake, sending ring after ring across his heart.

Just one simple sentence from Rong Jing had stirred a whole pool of spring water.

“You obviously heard it,” Gu Xi said. He did not mean to sound so lacking in momentum, but Rong Jing’s lips were hovering by his cheek and ear, close and not quite touching, and Gu Xi’s composure scattered.

He really could not tell if this straight-laced, oblivious Alpha truly had not heard or was teasing him on purpose.

Gu Xi lowered his eyes, cheeks warm. Maybe he had been too obvious. Should he have waited until he was surer to say it?

Rong Jing must have understood it… right?

But there had been a few times when Gu Xi thought he was being obvious, and Rong Jing had shown no reaction at all. Gu Xi had grown used to waiting.

The sweetest fruit deserved patience and careful tending.

In Rong Jing’s face, so often mild and even, there was a thread of tenderness now. Gu Xi could not hold himself steady at the sight. His hands slid down and braced against Rong Jing’s solid chest. He knew how broad and firm that chest was, how safe it felt when he leaned there.

Rong Jing’s lips were almost touching the warm shell of Gu Xi’s ear. His magnetic voice played a soft, lingering tune. “Mm. Say it again.”

Gu Xi shot him a half-resentful glare, though there was no bite in it. “You… why did you ask me that the other day?”

He dreaded that Rong Jing would simply say he had been curious whether Gu Xi would date an Alpha. That would be reasonable. He should not hope too much.

“There is something…” Rong Jing began.

“What are you two whispering about? Ready or not?” Liu Yu called over. Gu Xi had just indicated he needed a short rest, so the director and his assistant had been discussing the last lighting angle. They looked over and saw the two leads standing very close. Knowing them, they were probably talking through the scene.

If he did not know their relationship had been strained lately, Liu Yu would almost think something was going on.

The assistant director glanced at the crew nearby, all of them staring fixedly at the leads, breathing harder than the actors themselves, clearly swept up in the heat between them.

“Do you think they might, in private…” the assistant murmured. That atmosphere was too intense.

“Impossible. Absolutely impossible,” Liu Yu said without hesitation. “You mean they would dare do that under my nose? And stop projecting your divorce onto everyone else.”

“…” The assistant director swallowed. Thanks for picking at that scab. Also, that is not a great analogy.

Interrupted, Gu Xi was a little vexed. He had a feeling Rong Jing had been about to say something important.

Rong Jing, for his part, thought this set was not the right place to confess. He should find a better moment.

It was his first time in his life to say such words to someone who moved his heart. Doing it in the middle of filming was not ideal.

Maybe it was the warmth of the setting sun, but both their faces were tinted red.

“Tonight… are you free?”

“Yes!” The new brand collaboration could be pushed back, reschedule the outing that Xiao Hong had suggested after re-adding him on WeChat, and going shopping could wait too.

“Could I ask you out to talk about something?” Rong Jing felt his face heat as soon as the words left his mouth. Phew, first time asking someone out.

“Okay…”

Gu Xi’s heart kicked hard. What do you want to talk about?

Rong Jing was so serious when he spoke to him, and in that scrupulously proper way of his. It felt important. If it was important to Rong Jing, it was usually business, right?

His full expectation was poked to pieces by his own thoughts. Still, there was a thin thread of hope. Maybe he had understood what Gu Xi said, and tonight would be his reply?

Gu Xi wished he could skip time and leap straight to evening, just to know what Rong Jing would say.

“Are you finished yet?!” Liu Yu bellowed.

“Ready!” they answered in unison.

Filming resumed.

Their eyes tethered together. Rong Jing leaned in again. As soon as the heat of lips brushed him, Gu Xi’s lashes trembled and he let his eyes drift shut.

A few seconds in, Liu Yu’s brows pinched tight. “No, no. Gu Xi, your Prince Shao Hua should be startled by Fu Qianming’s appearance. Startled, yet with a prince’s native arrogance, and furious that his efforts have gone to waste. He resents Fu Qianming’s ingratitude yes, but more than anything he wants to protect him. So at first the kiss is forced. He will not cooperate. Only after he is completely overpowered does he yield, and even then there is a thread of longing from deep in his bones for this eunuch. You must bring out the character’s nature and that complicated psychology.”

He could have stopped there. They would just do it again. But Liu Yu had to add, “Right now you do not look forced at all. You look like someone finally kissed the secret crush you have pined after for ages, and you are thrilled. That is completely wrong!”

Gu Xi shot him a mortified glare.

What are you saying. I did not. How could I be that blatant.

No one asked you to narrate!

He glanced at Rong Jing. The man seemed not to take it to heart. Gu Xi did not know whether to be relieved or let down.

Rong Jing was like an iron wall, and that wall was very thick. He probably would not let his mind wander.

So, what exactly would he say tonight? What couldn't be said over WeChat or phone call that had to be said in person?

Gu Xi felt anxious and uncertain, but remembering he was still on set, he forced himself to focus.

Rong Jing had been in the clouds. When he finally heard “action,” his body moved on instinct. Their mouths had barely met when Liu Yu called cut again.

Gu Xi flushed with secondhand embarrassment. Me again?

But this time, the mistake was not Gu Xi’s. It was Rong Jing’s, who almost never missed a beat.

“Rong Jing, what was that face? ‘Cherishing’ belongs in the back half of the kiss. In the first half you are furious. You want this prince to pay. It is coercion, do you understand? How many times have I said it. Coercion. Coercion. Do you not understand Chinese? What is with you two today? Neither of you are in state. Again. If it still does not work, we rest ten minutes!”

Liu Yu was usually even-tempered, especially with two committed, capable leads he praised freely. Today, repeated misfires had gotten to him.

The two of them looked at each other and flinched back like they had been shocked, both a little guilty.

He probably did not notice how nervous I am, right?

Third take.

Fu Qianming swooped down on those pale lips.  Shao Hua's eyes widened as he struggled desperately, but like a fish on a chopping board, it was futile. Every movement was locked down by the man. Every pore smothered by the other’s breath.

A broad hand squeezed his waist. Shao Hua startled and parted his lips.

The instant their tongues met, the damp heat made Gu Xi tremble. Another warmth surged in and swept him up.

Fierce, heady heat. Soft, humid breath. He had never gone this far before.

His resistance faded under the man’s uncompromising control. In the tide that swarmed his city, he surrendered and began a faint, unwilling capitulation.

A capitulation like sacrifice, laying himself at the man’s feet.

A savage kiss like liquor burning down the throat. The characters’ violent emotions burst free.

The air on set began to burn. Several Omegas watching nearby went scarlet. As the sounds of their kissing grew more heated, the room grew more awkward. At last Liu Yu called cut.

It was as if two magnets had been wrenched apart by that word. They drew a breath. Gu Xi was a cold spring now, cool and fierce, half leaned against Rong Jing. Under his palm, he felt muscles jumping. So he was not as calm as he looked.

Gu Xi’s mouth quirked.

A few thick strands of pheromones exploded at once. The Alphas present caught the scent and reddened, hunting for Omegas. A few had already reached toward the ones at their sides.

The omegas on set screamed and dodged. This was Liu Yu's first time encountering a situation where people's pheromones erupted from watching others kiss.

Their kissing power was terrifying.

“Emergency dispersal!” Liu Yu shouted, shoving his shock down. “Now, Separate the Alphas and Omegas!”

“Who has inhibitors? Get them out, now!”

Chaos. The Betas clamped down on the Alphas who were about to lose it and hauled the prematurely triggered Omegas on their backs to the nearby dressing rooms.

Rong Jing caught the mixed scents in the air and his face changed. He grabbed the still-stunned Gu Xi and sprinted with him to the RV on the side path. “Stay here,” he told him, “and do not go out.”

Gu Xi nodded obediently. Rong Jing’s heart softened. He ruffled Gu Xi’s hair.

Only after the door sealed behind Rong Jing did Gu Xi touch his lips. The warmth lingered.

He covered his face and laid his burning cheeks on the table, rolling to cool them down.

Once he calmed a bit, he looked around and blinked. The cups in the RV had chibi images of him. The corners of the cabinet doors were carved with tiny wooden chibis of him. The faucet in the washstand had little angel wings. The big bed in back had cushions from the bedding set he endorsed… More and more details told him this RV had been set up for him. Many pieces were clearly custom, like that very particular faucet.

Gu Xi’s heart would not slow down. No Alpha had ever treated him like this, as an equal to be respected, considering his needs and thoughts, preparing things in the background even if he never used them, doing everything possible to be good to him.

He already liked Rong Jing very, very much. Yet every day, this Alpha found some new way to make him feel it was still not enough. Not nearly enough.

Outside set, several fan support groups had chartered a bus. The crew would be moving on to another city tomorrow, so they had brought food and soups to treat the staff and ask them to look after their favorites.

They had barely arrived when the scent of suppression spray in the air told them to turn back. Staff were misting the place to block pheromones. What on earth?

Through the sparkling fog walked a tall, handsome Alpha in orange-gold light. He and a Beta handed each fan a bottle of barrier spray.

Only when he moved on and they listened to snippets of talk did they realize there had been a small incident on set: several A and O had been too excited by the leads’ kiss and triggered.

What kind of kiss did that??

“Must be the Sovereignty, right?”

“Sorry to be nosy, but I want an early screening. Our Xixi’s first on-screen kiss, and it caused a commotion? How intense is it?!”

“When is it opening?! I am buying out a showtime. Only a buyout can express my love!”

“Was that Rong Jing who just left?”

“Yes. Men that handsome are rare. He looks even sharper off-screen, those features. He has not had work done, has he?”

“Look at his profile. He is mixed-race. Born with it.”

“Keep calm, sisters. He is Rong Jing. Do not forget our past battles.”

“No matter how handsome, we Xi-fan must hold the line. No sugar-coated shells will breach us!”

Ahhh, but why is he this handsome?

Jing-fans might be annoying, but their idol was too thoughtful, too gentle. That poison-tongued side had a cute contrast that was addictive. I can hardly hold back the flood inside me. Why can he not just be paired with our Xixi.

They are the most impossible CP in showbiz?

I didn’t hear that.

Many Xi-fans on site had grown up with Gu Xi and were past the age of “no dating.” They still resisted anyone tying Gu Xi to a ship. Years of ship-baiting had exhausted them. Publicly supporting Rong Jing could get them booted from the fandom.

But aside from a few die-hard solo stans, many quietly searched the supertopic and followed “JingXi” CP accounts on burners.

They were too cold as a CP. I just want to contribute a little power. It is not because I fell for both of them. Absolutely not, some fans thought.

Gu Xi scrolled the group’s live updates. Once the situation was under control, he opened the RV door.

Fans were getting ready to leave. He waved from afar.

“Gege, please both of you work hard!” someone squealed.

Gu Xi didn’t notice that it used to be “you work hard.” Today it was “both of you.”

Set looked desolate. The A and O whose pheromones had surged were resting in the dressing rooms. Luckily the crew had inhibitor stock on hand, and Rong Jing had arranged for several boxes from the medical team. Crisis solved. His thoughtfulness was obvious.

Liu Yu and the assistant were reviewing the footage, nodding in satisfaction from time to time.

Gu Xi went over to apologize. “Rong Jing already said the same,” Liu Yu waved him off. “You were not trying to cause trouble. If anyone triggered, that is on their lack of control.”

The assistant added, “Good thing you rarely take romance scenes. If it was like this every time, how would we shoot?”

After a while, when everyone had stabilized, Liu Yu clapped. “You have all worked hard. We leave this location tomorrow. Today had a hiccup, but the work wrapped well. Tonight let’s relax. ‘Lota’s 365 Days’ is back in theaters. We eat, then a movie. I am buying!”

A cheer rose from the crowd. With the investment skyrocketing, even the notoriously stingy Liu Yu had become more willing to splurge once in a while.

Rong Jing had just finished handing out sprays when he froze. “Director, I cannot make it tonight.”

Gu Xi also refused. “I have plans. Could I…”

They both deliberately avoided each other’s eyes.

The hotter their hearts, the colder their faces.

When distance had become habit, even if they wanted to change, it would have to be step by tiny step. How else to fill the pit they had dug.

Liu Yu’s face chilled. He had guessed they would both refuse.

He asked Gu Xi first. “Is it urgent?”

Gu Xi nodded. “A bit.”

He looked at Rong Jing. “You too?”

Rong Jing nodded. “Yes.”

“You two are very coordinated, both suddenly so ‘urgent.’ There were a few times before you both skipped too. All coincidences? Are you so big now you cannot give me face? Especially you, Rong Jing. You are a great seed. Seize your chances. I want to see you shine.”

He had wanted to use this outing to help reconcile his two former schoolmates. Their falling out had been partly his fault. The timing was perfect to make up.

Their protests were crushed. They were sent on their way.

As he passed Gu Xi, Rong Jing murmured, “See you tonight.”

Gu Xi pressed a hand to his pounding chest, keeping his face taut. “S-see you tonight.”

On the way to the dinner, Rong Jing got a call from Xie Zhanhong. The message was brief: check your WeChat for a blind date’s photo, time, and place. Show up on time.

“Do not be like your brother, nine out of ten times ‘working late.’ Is his one true love his job? A-Jing, you would not be so cruel to your dad, would you?” Ever since their near brush with death, “uncle” had become “dad.”

“I might be seeing someone.”

“What?! A or O?”

Rong Jing paused. Do not think he did not know that AA meant “gay” in this world and drew looks. To Rong Jing they were both men anyway. What was the difference?

“Why would it be an A?”

“…” Almost let it slip. It's because your older brother was so worried he couldn't sleep and started buying hair loss prevention products. Of course, he still has a thick head of black hair. “Not important. Who is he? Wedding banquet when? Need my help?”

“I have not won him over yet.”

“What, he turned you down? What is he unhappy about?”

“Turning me down is normal. I am average.”

“You call yourself average? What are you thinking? Forget it, that’s just your personality. You are too slow. If not for your pace, I would have several grandkids already. Want me to teach you a few tricks?”

Rong Jing felt like he was being looked down on. He thought he was moving fast already.

But he did not mind Zhanhong’s nagging. It reminded him of modern parents who turned into chatterboxes at home no matter how they were outside. It was a care that needed no explanation.

He answered here and there, which only fueled Zhanhong’s enthusiasm. Xie Jisheng had never been close to him and only associated with the Ji family. Xie Ling had been raised under the old man’s strict eye, molded to be perfect, warned from childhood not to be close to him.

Xie Zhanhong had actually never been listened to so attentively by a younger generation before, so he couldn't help talking for a long time When he finally hung up, he looked at Han Lianmei, Rong Jing’s mother, who had been standing aside listening and never spoke.

“You've been married into the family for over ten years. Why are you still like this? Will I beat you or kick you out? That tin wedding anniversary banquet was held for you. Was I unclear?”

Lianmei lowered her head. “I am sorry, sir.”

He sighed. “When will you, as his mother, care about your son?”

“I feel… he does not need me.”

Zhanhong snorted. “If you never care, how could he ever need you?”

Han Lianmei was rarely scolded by Xie Zhanhong to her face. Xie Zhanhong was very promiscuous, despised by high society, but he was unfailingly gentle to Omegas.

This time Xie Zhanhong wasn't really scolding, but it made Han Lianmei feel particularly humiliated. She hadn't forgotten her son. She was just too afraid of losing everything she had now.

She had spent more than ten years trying to fit in, to make the Xies look up to her. In the past, her son had been excluded from the family. Why could Rong Jing now so naturally integrate into the Xie family and gain everyone’s affection?

It was not even that he needed the Xies anymore. The Xies needed him.

---

Rong Jing arrived early. The private room was not full yet. Liu Yu waved him over. “I will seat Gu Xi next to you. You don't mind, right?”

“No problem.”

“Good. An Alpha should be magnanimous. You know what to do later.”

More people trickled in. Three tables filled. Only Gu Xi was missing.

Gu Xi saw the director’s texts asking if he was coming. He had spent too long choosing an outfit. By the time he noticed, it was late.

He could only grab something random from the closet and rush out. By the time he reached the private room, all seats were taken. The only empty seat was between Liu Yu and the assistant director on the left, and Rong Jing on the right.

Liu Yu beckoned him over. Several tables turned to look. Rong Jing, for his part, stood and pulled out the chair for Gu Xi with easy courtesy.

“Thank you,” Gu Xi murmured, head down.

Dishes came and chatter swelled. Only the corner where Rong Jing and Gu Xi sat stayed quiet.

The assistant nudged Liu Yu with his elbow. Liu Yu smacked his own head, remembering. He personally filled their cups. “I do not care what you had before. Drink this today and call it even, how about it?”

“We do not have a problem,” Gu Xi said.

“Fine, fine. No problem,” Liu Yu grinned. “But drink anyway. Let me be your witness.”

They stood, instantly drawing the room’s focus.

Everyone wanted to see if they would bury the hatchet. Their gazes met midair without a spark, like silent magma flowing in the dark.

Clink.

Gu Xi lifted his cup, but Rong Jing had already downed his own and smoothly took Gu Xi’s, fingertips skimming.

He finished them both without a flicker of change in his face.

“Omegas should drink less,” he said as he put the glass down. He was thinking of that recent drunken night.

“Wooooo—”

“Jing-ge is such an Alpha!”

“Jing-ge, more, more!”

“A thousand cups and never fall!”

From her seat at the main table, Xia Manni watched them. Was no one going to mention they had just shared a kiss through a glass? Was the halo that blinding?

Egged on, the dinner rose to a new high. Photos went up on Weibo, and the hottest posts, as always, were Rong Jing, newly exploded in fame, and top-tier Gu Xi. Cast, crew, and even the film’s official account reposted. “Crew dinner” hit the hot search in no time.

“My god, Xixi is bare-faced? He looks good even from this death angle.”

“Jingjing is shining today. That sweatshirt is perfect.”

“Manni looks so fresh. Can’t wait to see her play a concubine a whole cycle older than she is!”

“Is it only me, or do Jing and Xi not have a single photo in the same frame? [crying laughing]”

“Some public account did a ‘cold CP’ ranking and congrats to ‘JingXi’ for taking first. Hahaha. This CP is so cold that the super-topic has had only one fan clocking in forever. Truly heartbreaking and tear-inducing [covering face][covering face][covering face]”

“I seem to have caught a disease. The more impossible they are, the more I want to shove them together.”

Gu Xi trembled slightly but quickly reacted, seizing every opportunity to flirt. His finger subtly hooked Rong Jing's palm. He immediately withdrew his hand, maintaining his usual cold demeanor as he chatted with an approaching crew actor.

It looked unintentional.

But it completely disrupted Rong Jing's heart.

At the cinema, Liu Yu had booked a full-screening and handed out tickets at random.

A group of people entered Theater 6 in twos and threes. Rong Jing had already taken his seat according to his ticket. Gu Xi, carrying the popcorn and cola the director had specially distributed to each omega, followed the others into the screening room.

Seeing Rong Jing in row 13, he took out his movie ticket. Also row 13.

Gu Xi silently followed the other omegas past seat after seat. When he reached Rong Jing, Gu Xi naturally twisted his ankle.

Quick-eyed and deft-handed, Rong Jing steadied his cola with one hand and supported his waist with the other.

Gu Xi's breath swept across Rong Jing's skin.

From this angle, he could see the legs beneath the clothes. Rong Jing noticed that today Gu Xi was wearing pencil pants. Those legs were straight and long. He suddenly recalled certain restricted images, too vivid.

“You okay?”

“Mm~”

Xia Manni sucked in a breath. That voice was too alluring.

“I thought you were about to…” she whispered later when Gu Xi had walked on.

“About to what?” Rong Jing asked, distracted. He had been looking for alone time all night.

“No, I can’t say it out loud...”

“?”

She'd almost thought Rong Jing was going to have Gu Xi sit on his lap. Too suggestive. Put the two of them together and her brain turned into a projection screen.

Manni, you are ruined.

The movie started. Lights went down. Focus drifted to the screen.

Rong Jing had seen this one many times. He knew every beat. But many had not, and Manni at his side watched rapt.

A buzz.

His phone in his pocket. Something made him glance across several people toward Gu Xi.

Across a line of bodies, their eyes connected again.

Rong Jing clenched his fist and silently recited the speech he had rehearsed on the way. Then he rose.

“Bathroom?” Manni pulled her knees in to let him by.

“Mm.”

Rong Jing left the screening room and came to the small alley behind the cinema's back door. Outside the alley was a bustling district with many food stalls not far away.

Rong Jing had drunk quite a bit earlier, and now the alcohol was hitting him. Feeling a bit dizzy, he closed his eyes.

Then he remembered the anti-hangover candy he had brought and he was about to unwrap one when a soft, cool snowdrop touched his lips, placing a sobering candy in his mouth.

He snapped his eyes open. Gu Xi’s eyes curved like crescents as he smiled.

Gu Xi drew back naturally, not at all bothered that he had just touched Rong Jing’s mouth.

“When did you get here?”

“Seconds ago. You drank too much. That is what you get for slamming it earlier.” A hint of scold in his voice.

“It will not happen next time.” Rong Jing fumbled for an opening. Maybe he needed a lead-in. The internet said being too direct could scare an Omega. “Do you want to… walk a bit?”

Gu Xi took in that grave expression and his stomach sank. Was it business after all?

The two walked at a close yet distant pace, looking near yet maintaining space. Neither looked at the other the whole way.

Since this area was a commercial district, there were many people coming and going.

A laughing couple almost collided with them. Rong Jing snagged Gu Xi by instinct. Gu Xi bumped into his chest.

Thump, thump.

His heart was racing. Could Rong Jing hear it?

Past the commercial area was a natural lake. Every tree by the lake was hung with fairy lights, distant mountains shrouded in mist, cool breezes blowing across the lake surface.

The two came to a bridge and saw lotus lanterns floating from who knows where.

Soft lighting, gentle moonlight.

Everything seemed just right.

Rong Jing quietly checked the scene. He had planned the route. He did not want this confession to leave Gu Xi with a poor memory.

Certain words had been simmering all evening. They were at his throat.

“You—” he began.

Gu Xi had also reached his limit. He suddenly turned around, his fingers covering Rong Jing’s mouth. Seeing Rong Jing didn’t struggle, he felt both joyful and pained. This person was always so gentlemanly.

“Do not talk yet. Let me.”

If I do not say it, I may never get the chance.

Shrinking or stretching, it is still a knife.

What he had said on set had been obvious. Gu Xi believed Rong Jing had understood.

If the outcome was terrible, before that, he should at least try. To say he had no regrets would be impossible. He felt he should have endured longer, savored the forbidden fruit a few more times, waited until he was more confident before speaking.

Gu Xi removed his mask, stood on tiptoes, and kissed Rong Jing's cheek as light as a dragonfly touching water.

His eyes glistened and squeezed shut, as if too afraid to hear. “If it is a rejection, then do not say it.”

He looked so gentle and vulnerable, a lamb lost in the dark, afraid of being turned away.

Rong Jing’s gaze darkened. That is against the rules.

All the little moments piled up to now. His feeling, his heartbeat. At last, it broke free.

The pot of calm water finally boiled.

“I am Rong Jing. Six foot two, seventy-two kilos, currently trying to cut. Hobbies include zoning out. Strength: acting. Looks above average. Personality wooden, dull, sometimes the killer of conversation. Investment black hole. Modest assets, unstable, risk of losing everything. Homeowner, no car.” 

Rong Jing recited the confession he had carved into his head word by word. He had pondered it all day. He took this seriously, so every line was the plain truth. 

“Gu Xi, would you be willing to date this man who barely makes the grade?”

---

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