Would Yinnian hate him? Would he find it disgusting?
If he really had foolishly kissed Yinnian, should he give a sincere apology? But Yinnian hadn’t mentioned this at all.
What did he mean? Was he not bothered, treating it as a drunk’s rambling, or avoiding embarrassment by not bringing it up?
Since he didn’t mention it, Mo Xun couldn’t bring it up either.
Mo Xun stood there in conflict until Fang Yinnian took the initiative to break the silence: “Eat quickly, the porridge is getting cold.”
Mo Xun hummed and walked over to sit at the table, drinking the porridge in large gulps.
After finishing the bowl of porridge, his stomach indeed warmed up. He looked at Fang Yinnian and said: “This porridge is really delicious.”
Fang Yinnian stared down at the carpet: “Good as long as it tastes good. Fill your stomach first, we’ll have lunch later.”
Mo Xun was silent for a moment, then got up and walked over, reaching out to gently ruffle Fang Yinnian’s hair.
The young man’s voice was very gentle: “I really drank too much last night and wasn’t clear-headed. Did I do something to make you unhappy? If so, I apologize.”
Fang Yinnian’s ears turned red: “I’m not unhappy.”
Mo Xun asked quietly: “Really nothing’s wrong? You’re not angry?”
“Mm.” Fang Yinnian’s mind was a mess. With red ears, he stood up and turned to leave directly: “I have something to discuss with Tang Che. Come down for lunch at 12:30.”
With that, he quickly ran away.
Mo Xun: “…”
Was he avoiding him?
Yinnian was probably scared, considering how beastly he’d been last night—holding Fang Yinnian and kissing him non-stop, and it was passionate tongue kissing too.
For Fang Yinnian, a straight man, being scared was very normal.
Mo Xun could imagine Fang Yinnian’s current mood. If it were him being suddenly forcibly kissed by a good buddy, Mo Xun would definitely beat the person up badly, making them crawl around apologizing and begging for mercy.
Yinnian had a gentle personality and didn’t directly turn against him, probably considering team interests and their previous friendship.
What should he do?
If he told the truth now and said “I like you” to Fang Yinnian, would Yinnian be even more terrified and run away scared?
Mo Xun hit his head hard—his headache was killing him.
***
Next door, Tang Che was sitting on his bed scrolling through his phone when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, he was surprised to see Fang Yinnian.
Tang Che asked puzzledly: “Yinnian, you’re looking for me?”
Fang Yinnian peered into the room: “Brother Xu isn’t here?”
Tang Che said: “No, he went out to eat with CEO Zhao.”
Fang Yinnian walked into the room relieved, hesitating for a moment before saying: “Tang Che, I want to discuss something with you.”
Tang Che brought him to sit on the bed: “Go ahead, what is it?”
Fang Yinnian said: “When we travel for scheduled events, I always room with Mo Xun. Could I room with you from now on?”
Tang Che was stunned: “What? Did you and Mo Xun have a fight?”
“No.” Fang Yinnian made up an excuse randomly: “He talks in his sleep at night. I’m a light sleeper and get kept awake.”
Tang Che stared seriously into Fang Yinnian’s eyes. After a long moment, he raised his eyebrows: “Are you trying to fool a three-year-old?”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Tang Che’s gaze was sharp: “You’ve been sharing a bedroom with Mo Xun for a year and a half, right? Now you tell me he keeps you awake, so you’ve been enduring this for a year and a half? Are you a Ninja Turtle?”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Tang Che: “What really happened? Tell the truth.”
Tang Che really was perceptive in seeing through problems, and quite sharp-tongued too. Being caught making excuses to his face was embarrassing.
Fang Yinnian wasn’t good at lying. After a moment of silence, he honestly said: “Actually, I don’t want to do CP marketing with him anymore. I checked this morning—the MoFang super topic CP fans have over 2 million daily check-ins, almost catching up to FTM’s super topic.”
He looked at Tang Che: “If Mo Xun and I live together in dorms, travel together for events, and even sit together on planes, this forced pairing isn’t good for either of us.”
“Mo Xun wants to be an actor. When his drama airs, if he does CP marketing with other characters, our MoFang CP will become his obstacle.”
Tang Che understood: “Oh, I get it. Drama crews do like marketing character CPs nowadays.”
This reason was reasonable. Previously for CP marketing, they’d always traveled together—seats, hotels—everything. Fang Yinnian didn’t want to continue, so he was asking Tang Che to room with him.
Tang Che thought for a moment: “Alright, I’ll mention it to Brother Xu.”
Just then the door opened and Xu Baichuan walked in, somewhat surprised to see Fang Yinnian: “Yinnian? What are you doing here?”
Tang Che said directly: “It’s like this, Brother Xu. When we travel for events from now on, let me and Yinnian room together. He doesn’t want to be too deeply bound with Mo Xun—the MoFang CP is always together, the marketing is too much.”
Fang Yinnian nodded: “Since we’re taking the music route and won awards like Song of the Year, if we continue CP marketing, music industry seniors will think we’re low-class.”
He looked seriously at Xu Baichuan: “I don’t want to keep marketing with Mo Xun indefinitely—it’ll be hard to unbind later.”
Xu Baichuan smiled: “You’re quite forward-thinking.”
The Song of the Year award was indeed tremendous recognition for FTM—they were domestic entertainment’s first boy group to break into the music track.
If they continued marketing CP like traditional idol boy groups, as Fang Yinnian said, it would indeed be somewhat low-class. Knowing when to stop and focusing on professional abilities—doing well in singing and dancing—could also make them popular.
Xu Baichuan asked: “Does Mo Xun feel the same way?”
Fang Yinnian’s heart jumped. When Mo Xun released his Valentine’s Day single “Listening to Snow,” he had said he didn’t want CP marketing to bind them too deeply.
So Mo Xun should understand, right?
Fang Yinnian smiled: “He thinks so too.”
Xu Baichuan nodded decisively: “Alright, I’ll have the assistant pay attention when booking tickets and separate you two. From now on, if you don’t want CP marketing in public, then we won’t do it.”
Fang Yinnian breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, a message suddenly appeared in the group chat.
Fu Fei: “@Everyone, are we going down for lunch? Junwen-ge and I are ready—see you at the third floor buffet!”
Mo Xun replied: “Coming down now.”
Tang Che also responded: “Yinnian and I will come down together.”
At 12:30 noon, all five gathered in the hotel buffet restaurant for lunch. Xu Baichuan had just eaten with the leadership so didn’t come downstairs.
For convenience in chatting, the five found a private room to sit in.
Tan Junwen had messy hair like weeds, a pale face, and dark circles under his eyes—looking absolutely miserable.
Fu Fei said: “Junwen-ge threw up several times last night.”
Tan Junwen said with a bitter expression: “That was my first time getting so drunk. Fuck, I almost threw up my entire stomach.”
Mo Xun laughed: “I blacked out last night too. My head was about to explode when I woke up this morning.”
Tang Che said: “At least you two behaved while drunk—no shouting, running around, or going crazy. Otherwise it would have been very embarrassing.”
Tan Junwen imagined himself running around drunk and crazy, shuddering: “Let’s drink less in the future. It’s too awful.”
Today was January 4th, the end of New Year’s holidays.
They had an 8 PM flight to Jiangzhou.
Fang Yinnian kept his head down eating the entire time, not looking at Mo Xun once. Mo Xun knew Yinnian was avoiding him and didn’t make things difficult for him in front of their teammates.
While the five were eating, their phones suddenly rang in unison.
Fu Fei picked up his phone and immediately widened his eyes: “Holy crap, brothers, our salaries came in!”
Everyone hurriedly grabbed their phones—indeed, bank messages.
Fang Yinnian’s message read: “Your account ending in 7463 received a transfer of 3,650,000.00 yuan on January 4th at 12:30. Note: Sheng Yao Media Co., Ltd. year-end settlement.”
Fang Yinnian opened his mobile banking app and looked at the string of zeros in his balance, feeling incredibly happy.
They debuted in August of their first year, only four months until year-end. They couldn’t make money initially, so the company didn’t give them settlements.
In their second year after debut, with the new album release, three endorsements, and numerous variety shows and gala performances, they finally had income to settle.
3.65 million yuan.
This income wasn’t high in the entertainment industry, but for someone like Fang Yinnian from an ordinary background, it was already a fortune.
This money could buy a large flat in a small city like Binzhou. His parents’ monthly salaries were just a few thousand yuan each—the house they bought after over twenty years of hard work was only worth over a million.
He had actually earned this much money in his second year after debut.
Fu Fei beamed with joy, excitedly saying: “I have 3.65 million! How much do you guys have?”
Tang Che said flatly: “We four should have the same amount. Mo Xun probably has a bit more since he filmed a drama and got acting fees.”
Mo Xun smiled and generously showed his phone to everyone: “I played a supporting role so the fee wasn’t high. After the company’s cut, I only got 500,000 more than you guys.”
Everyone wouldn’t be jealous of Mo Xun getting more—he filmed for two and a half months, staying up late every day working very hard, and only got this little extra. Fang Yinnian even felt it was too little.
Newcomer acting fees were already low, and after the company’s cut there really wasn’t much left. As long as Mo Xun enjoyed filming with the crew, that was fine—it was good experience.
Tan Junwen squinted at his phone and suddenly said: “Actually, our income is quite low in the entertainment industry.”
Everyone looked at him.
Tan Junwen mysteriously leaned in and lowered his voice: “I heard that A-list celebrities in entertainment earn in the hundreds of millions annually, and even B and C-listers make tens of millions. The contracts you signed with the company—is it an 80-20 split?”
Tang Che nodded: “Yeah, I signed the standard newcomer contract, which is 80-20.”
“Me too.” Fu Fei scratched his head: “All newcomers in the industry have this split ratio, right? Companies need to invest many resources to promote newcomers, so they take the 80% majority. I knew some idols who debuted with smaller companies before, and their contracts were similar.”
Tan Junwen said: “Our album sales ultimately reached nearly 30 million, plus last year’s variety show appearance fees and three brand endorsement fees—we probably earned at least 100 million for Sheng Yao.”
Yet they each got just over 3 million, totaling less than 20 million for all five—the company took the lion’s share.
Tan Junwen added: “Of course, Sheng Yao did provide many resources to make us popular. As newcomers, this split ratio is quite common in domestic entertainment.”
This was standard newcomer treatment. Many idol groups even operated at losses—being able to make money in their second year after debut was already impressive.
Without Sheng Yao they couldn’t have debuted smoothly. Major entertainment companies now all took high percentages, but signing with big companies had advantages—though less money, they got famous faster.
Mo Xun raised his hot tea: “We’ve only been out for a year and a half. The road ahead is long, and income will rise with the tide. Everyone cheer up—let’s toast to celebrate our first fortune.”
Hearing this, everyone’s mood improved considerably.
They were still college students who’d earned their first pot of gold at age 20—they were already amazing and couldn’t demand too much.
Everyone clinked glasses. Fang Yinnian still didn’t dare look at Mo Xun, keeping his head down silently drinking tea.
Tan Junwen smiled and asked: “How does everyone plan to handle this money? Any investment channels? I want to try stocks.”
Mo Xun asked: “Do you understand stocks?”
Tan Junwen said: “A little bit.”
Mo Xun advised: “Junwen, so many people have lost everything and jumped off buildings from stock trading. You shouldn’t mess around with stocks.”
Tang Che agreed: “Exactly. I don’t want to see ‘#Tan Junwen Loses Everything Stock Trading and Jumps to Death#’ trending as headline news.”
Tan Junwen was speechless: “Crow’s mouth—are you all hoping I lose money?”
Mo Xun said: “We just hope you’ll be more stable. Playing stocks is gambling mentality—no need for that. If you want to invest, you could buy low-risk funds, government bonds, or large deposits for interest.”
Tan Junwen scratched his head: “Alright, I’ll listen to you guys. I’ll put the bulk in deposits and only use 100,000 as pocket money to test the waters. Can I buy Sheng Yao stock? Our company’s development momentum seems pretty good recently, right?”
Fu Fei said enthusiastically: “Junwen-ge, if you make money stock trading, remember to help me out. If you lose money, I’ll sing ‘Don’t Cry’ to comfort you.”
Tan Junwen kicked him: “You’re really something.”
After a year of hard work, getting paid was the happiest time. Fang Yinnian’s mood also improved considerably, planning to send his parents money when he went home for New Year.
After eating, they returned to the hotel. Since the manager was in the room, Fang Yinnian couldn’t go find Tang Che and silently followed Mo Xun back.
The moment the door closed, Fang Yinnian suddenly felt nervous. He gently clenched his fingers, turned to sit at the table, and opened his laptop to distract himself.
Mo Xun’s voice came from behind: “Yinnian.”
Fang Yinnian: “…Mm.”
Mo Xun: “Are you avoiding me?”
Fang Yinnian panicked and nearly knocked over the cup on the table.
How could he ask so directly?!
Mo Xun walked beside him and said quietly: “Last night I…”
Fang Yinnian hurriedly interrupted, speaking rapidly: “Last night you were blackout drunk, not clear-headed. After coming back you just fell asleep, sleeping like a dead pig.”
Mo Xun: “…”
Really? But how to explain those fragmented memories in his head?
Mo Xun used a joking tone, saying frankly: “But I seem to remember holding someone and kissing them randomly.”
Fang Yinnian: “…………”
He actually remembered!
Fang Yinnian’s heart nearly stopped beating. He nervously gripped his fingers, his voice slightly trembling: “You, you were drunk and confused. Maybe it was hallucinations from being drunk?”
Mo Xun chuckled: “Oh… hallucinations? Then why are you avoiding me? I thought I acted like a hooligan while drunk and made you angry.”
Fang Yinnian lowered his head: “I’m not, not avoiding you. I just don’t want to continue CP marketing with you. Aren’t you going to be an actor? Being too deeply bound with teammate CPs isn’t good for your development.”
Mo Xun: “…”
—Avoiding suspicion is the beginning of attraction.
Fang Yinnian, have you heard this saying?
When our manager first had us do CP marketing, didn’t you also say two straight guys could openly market without concern, and that we’d only be in trouble if we started avoiding each other one day?
If you only considered me a good buddy and hated being kissed by a buddy, your reaction shouldn’t be avoiding me, but directly scolding or hitting me to vent, then getting over it.
But now…
Why are you avoiding me?
Mo Xun took a deep breath, looking at Fang Yinnian’s stiff back, and said gently: “I respect your thoughts. If you don’t want to market, then we won’t.”
Fang Yinnian feigned composure: “When we travel from now on, I’ll room with Tang Che.”
Mo Xun nodded: “Okay.”
Fang Yinnian: “We shouldn’t always sit together on planes either.”
Mo Xun: “Okay.”
Fang Yinnian: “The dorm…”
Mo Xun interrupted: “Let’s not change dorms. Moving stuff is troublesome, and Tang Che is used to living alone. Besides, the dorm is our private space—no one comes in to take photos.”
Fang Yinnian hesitated—wouldn’t changing dorms be too obvious? After living together for a year and a half, suddenly switching rooms would confuse Junwen and Xiao Fei, right?
Fang Yinnian reluctantly said: “Fine then, dorms stay the same.”
Mo Xun looked at Fang Yinnian’s back, his heart pounding—Yinnian had feelings beyond brotherhood for him too, right?
He was just suddenly forcibly kissed and couldn’t accept it temporarily, so he chose to avoid him to calm down.
He didn’t hit him, didn’t scold him, didn’t even dare mention last night’s kiss.
Wasn’t this guilty behavior?
Regardless, as long as Fang Yinnian didn’t hate or feel disgusted by him, there was hope. There was no rush to be together anyway—they could take it slowly.
Boiling a frog in warm water would eventually cook Fang Yinnian through.
**
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
