Exclusive Model for the Top Painter Chapter 31

Soul and Dream

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Returning to the set hungry, Liang Jin sent a text message to Ji Xiuyuan, lying that the crew was having a get-together and he would not be joining him for lunch.

He sat bored in the lounge and opened the script, his mind filled with Ji Xiuyuan.

The scene he was shooting this afternoon was a scene in which Quan Cheng was worried that Xia Qing was being cheated and secretly followed her, and when he saw Luo Zhou on a date with Xia Qing, he was both jealous and desperate, which coincided with his current state.

He performed this scene very well. During the filming, Liang Jin completely put himself in Quan Cheng's shoes, while Xia Qing and Luo Zhou were like Ji Xiuyuan and Zoe in his imagination.

After the filming ended, Yao Yin called on him to introduce him to a friend of hers: "A'Liang, this is Yu Shan, Emperor Yu. He and I have been friends for many years, and this time I specially asked him to be the theatre director for the film. You guys get to know each other first."

Liang Jin looked to his side. Yu Shan was wearing sunglasses, holding the pose of a superstar, with a cynical smile on the corner of his mouth, "Liang Jin, is it? I watched your performance just now, it was okay. Not an empty vase with a pretty appearance, although it's still a lot worse than I was back then."

Liang Jin returned to his senses and realised that the person he was talking to was Yu Shan, one of the top actors in the domestic entertainment industry who had won the Best Actor Award for three consecutive years! If it was in normal times, he would have burst into tears of excitement. But unfortunately, he was not in a good mood right now. So, he forced a smile and said, "Hello, Emperor Yu, nice to meet you!"

Yu Shan took off his sunglasses, revealing a high-class film-quality face with delicate features. He was tall and straight, and his body exuded the magnificent aura of being the focus of the spotlight. What was even more amazing was that such a person also had a pair of flirtatious peach blossom eyes. At the moment, those eyes were staring slyly at Liang Jin: "Smiling so ugly, you have a problem with me?"

These words implied a bit of anger, which startled Liang Jin: "You misunderstood, I'm just in a bad state..."

Yu Shan was dissatisfied, "As a newcomer, your attitude towards your seniors should be humble, cautious, enthusiastic, sincere and full of admiration. Unfortunately, you don't satisfy any of them."

Liang Jin was helpless: "You really misunderstand, I respect you very much."

Yao Yin knew Yu Shan's temperament. Relying on his good looks and good acting skills, he spoke without a care in the world and always did what he wanted. He was inexplicably bad-tempered and liked to act like a big shot. Presumably, Liang Jin was not as enthusiastic as he thought he would be, so this ancestor resorted to playing the character. You should know that under normal circumstances, as long as one met Yu Shan in person for the first time, there were very few people who did not lose their composure.

Yao Yin helped to explain, "This kid is probably still immersed in the scene and hasn't come out of it for a while, you're a big movie star, what's the point of arguing with him?"

"I don't care," Yu Shan said, "unless he smiles again, or apologises to me."

Liang Jin was already in a depressed mood, and when he was targeted again and again for such a trivial matter, a wave of anger surged up, "Are you out of your mind?"

Yu Shan looked at him in shock, and didn't recover from these words for a long time.

Yao Yin stood awkwardly in place and was contemplating how to reconcile the situation.

It took a while before Yu Shan grumbled, "Can you be polite?"

Liang Jin said perfunctorily, "I'm sorry, respected Emperor Yu. I'm a newcomer with no manners, no acting skills and an ugly smile, so I'm grateful that you're willing to guide me."

Yu Shan frowned thoughtfully for a while before he said with relief, "If you're trying to get my attention in this way..."

"Director Yao, you guys talk, I have to leave first."

After Liang Jin left, Yu Shan was so angry that he almost crushed his sunglasses, "I'll make him regret it."

Yao Yin comforted him, "Didn't he apologise to you?"

"There was no sincerity at all!" Yu Shan's precious glass heart felt very aggrieved. But soon, he replaced it with a charming smile full of confidence: "I'll make a bet with you, within a month, I'll make him, with his heart and eyes, be all over me."

After all, playing with people's emotions is one of the few pleasures Emperor Yu has.

———

It was Friday, and there was a rare two-day weekend with no work schedule.

As soon as Liang Jin thought that Ji Xiuyuan was going to be with someone else, he simply wasn't in the mood to go back to the villa where the two of them lived. So he decided to go home for a break.

Once he got off the high-speed train and dropped his luggage at home, he went straight to the bar.

During that time, he received five text messages and three phone calls from Ji Xiuyuan. He neither replied nor answered, and even put his phone on do-not-disturb mode.

He was afraid that Ji Xiuyuan would tell him that he had someone he liked.

He couldn't accept it.

After getting drunk alone until the early hours of the morning, Liang Jin sent a message to his mother, saying that he was staying at a friend's house tonight, as he didn't want his parents to see him in such a depressed state.

Scrolling down to see Ji Xiuyuan's text messages, ten of which had already accumulated, he couldn't resist clicking on them to read them.

Ji Xiuyuan: Are you off work yet?

Ji Xiuyuan: When will you be back?

Ji Xiuyuan: Xiao Jin, where are you?

Ji Xiuyuan: Xiao Jin, reply when you see this

Ji Xiuyuan: I'm worried about you.

Ji Xiuyuan: Where have you been?

Ji Xiuyuan: Xiao Jin, be good, answer my messages, okay?

Ji Xiuyuan: Xiao Jin.

Ji Xiuyuan: Xiao Jin.

Ji Xiuyuan: Xiao Jin.

Liang Jin stared at the screen, the hand holding the phone trembling slightly.

Why on earth, why give me this illusion, as if, he also likes me.

Liang Jin looked up at the night sky, where several stars shone, and he thought of what was once written in 'The Little Prince', "Look, my star, which is exactly above me, is so far away!"

As he looked at the starry sky, Liang Jin suddenly bumped into someone.

He raised his eyes to look at him, "Ji Shen...?"

Was this a hallucination after drinking?

Ji Xiuyuan embraced him gently.

This hallucination was so real!

Liang Jin hugged him tightly, "I miss you so much."

Ji Xiuyuan smoothed the hair around his ears: "Why did you drink so much?"

"Because, I like you, and you like someone else, it's so hard for me."

Ji Xiuyuan paused for a moment, then leaned down and nuzzled his ear, "Who do I like?"

"You like Zoe."

"I don't like her." As if coaxing a child, Ji Xiuyuan gently stroked his back, "Didn't I tell you? I like you."

Liang Jin buried his head in Ji Xiuyuan's arms, "This dream, it's so real, I don't want to wake up..."

Ji Xiuyuan tenderly kissed the corner of his forehead, "It's not a dream, when you wake up tomorrow, don't deny it again."

Liang Jin was so immersed in his embrace that he didn't listen to him at all.

Ji Xiuyuan brought him to the hotel and Liang Jin said, "I want to take a shower, but I'm afraid you'll be gone afterwards."

"I'm here."

"No, you can't leave my sight."

"So, what do you want?"

"I'm going to shower, you're going to be at the door, and I'm going to watch you."

"Okay."

"But you can't watch me shower."

"... Okay."

"You'll shower after I do, and I'll watch you, so you don't disappear."

"Mhmm, I won't disappear."

"Can I watch you take a shower?"

Ji Xiuyuan laughed, "If you want, I don't care."

"No, if you don't watch me, I can't watch you either."

The bathing session took nearly an hour. Liang Jin moved a stool to sit on, forcing himself to stay awake and watch over Ji Xiuyuan in the bathroom.

When Ji Xiuyuan came out of the bathroom in his bathrobe, Liang Jin immediately clung to him like an octopus: "Ji Shen, you really haven't disappeared, that's great!"

Ji Xiuyuan kissed him gently on the lips, "Mmm."

Liang Jin looked at him with anticipation, "Ji Shen, let's do it!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: May 26, 2023