After just one appearance brought fame, Lu Ning had barely brushed against the edges of the entertainment industry when a sudden accident occurred. He was thrown into a nationwide scandal, smeared so badly that everyone across the country knew about it. Then, in a dramatic twist, he was completely cleared of all accusations. At eighteen years old, when most people were still struggling to cross a narrow single-plank bridge, Lu Ning’s life, in the eyes of outsiders, was already going full steam ahead.
Even now, whenever people talk about Lu Ning, they can’t help but bring up that overwhelming wave of scandal from back then. Then, like seasoned veterans, they would one after another talk about how young Lu Ning had been at the time, yet had to bear such harsh public criticism. They’d say that if it hadn’t been for the strength and experience of his long-established agency, and if the public relations hadn’t been handled so well, perhaps there wouldn’t even be such a figure in today’s entertainment industry.
But maybe it was precisely because of everything that happened back then that, before Lu Ning even turned twenty, he won the Best Newcomer Award. And at twenty-five, he took home his first Best Actor Award. People say it’s because he rose from the ashes of those overwhelming rumors and gossip that he understands better than anyone else: good work is more important than anything. Instead of relying on fans who might turn on you the moment the wind shifts, it’s better to let your work speak for you—let your character speak for you.
Perhaps that’s also why each of Lu Ning’s fans could be called die-hard fans—super rational and unwavering. Just like how the type of fans mirrors the type of celebrity they support, Lu Ning quietly films his dramas. Aside from releasing a new series every year and occasionally posting a Weibo update about his life, he’s practically a ghost. As for his fans, they never flood social media with chatter about him. But when the time comes where their support is needed, their full-force mobilization makes it clear just how massive Lu Ning’s fanbase really is.
Every time some so-called influencer or editor in the circle writes news about him—exaggerating how amazing he is, how outstanding, as if he had suffered so many grievances back then and has since become indifferent to everything, focusing solely on his work—the most over-the-top ones even flatter him as someone who stands apart from the current industry’s flashy young idols, calling him a true actor—Zuo Ning always shoves these articles in front of Lu Chenghe, then collapses into his arms laughing uncontrollably.
“I used to read those gossip stories. Even though they were clearly baseless, people could still twist someone’s posts and updates to misinterpret what they meant at the time, and then force on some so-called interpretation. And just like that, a so-called ‘past’ would be fabricated. I never thought one day I’d be made up into something like that, too. Even though everything they’re saying now is all compliments… It’s still so embarrassing to read!”
Lu Chenghe shot him a glance. “You get embarrassed?”
Zuo Ning immediately knocked his forehead twice against Lu Chenghe’s stomach. This guy just couldn’t say anything nice. He flipped to a gossip post about Chu Hang and hurriedly shoved the phone in front of Lu Chenghe. “Look! Sister-in-law took a selfie under the Eiffel Tower’s night view, and all he did was sigh a little about the artistic atmosphere of the romantic capital, and someone twisted it into him having a connection with that guy, even saying they toured Paris together. It was obviously big brother and sister-in-law who went together.”
When he won Best Actor, Chu Hang had, that same year, also received the award he’d been striving toward—becoming the youngest Film Emperor in the country. Zuo Ning had attended the awards ceremony that night, too. When he saw his Sister-in-law go on stage to receive his trophy, he couldn’t help but message Lu Chenghe. He said: “The day I stand up there and receive that award, too, my acceptance speech will definitely be—‘The person I’m most grateful for is my lover. His name is Lu Chenghe’.”
Zuo Ning originally thought that once Chu Hang had gotten his wish, he would come out of the closet right away. But maybe it’s because, even after all these years, although the surface-level acceptance of homosexuality in the country had improved a lot, the underlying prejudice was still deeply ingrained in people’s bones. Perhaps it would take several more generations before things could truly open up. So Chu Hang didn’t come out publicly. Instead, he cut back on a lot of work, and just like Zuo Ning, began living a low-key life in Qingniao City as an ordinary office worker who just happened to act in dramas.
Lu Chenghe gently stroked Little Pudding’s head. Little Pudding had now completely grown up. He was at the most radiant and beautiful age of his life. His handsome features, possibly due to his race, carried a trace of enchanting charm, yet still held a refined nobility to them, like a jade-like gentleman who had stepped across millennia from the ancient past. Sometimes, when Lu Chenghe caught a glimpse of him by accident, the beauty was so startling it made his heart skip a beat. But when he looked more carefully, that overwhelming feeling would vanish again.
Lu Chenghe rubbed the top of Little Pudding’s head, letting him sprawl across his body without the slightest decorum, scrolling through Weibo. Over the past two years, Little Pudding has matured a lot. He was more measured and composed when interacting with others. But in front of Lu Chenghe, he was still just his Little Pudding—still noisy, still always finding new ways to mess with him. That part hadn’t changed at all.
Just as he was thinking that, Little Pudding flipped over and straddled his waist, both his paws pressing mischievously against Lu Chenghe’s chest. Looking down from above, he said, “Look, big brother and sister-in-law went on a trip. How long has it been since you took me out to have fun?”
Lu Chenghe directly poked the ticklish spot at his waist, catching the suddenly limp and giggling Little Pudding in his arms and gently stroking his back. “So the one who went with you to Tongcheng to eat fish last month was a ghost?”
Zuo Ning let out a humph and grabbed both of his hands, lying in his arms as he retorted, “That’s not the same. Tongcheng is so close—just an hour away by high-speed rail. I’m talking about going abroad. We could hold hands openly on the street, kiss each other casually, and enjoy that romantic foreign atmosphere. And also, France is one of the world’s top three cuisines! I’ve never even been there. All the French I learned was wasted!”
Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that. “Your French? You mean bonjour? You watched two French films and the only word you learned was bonjour. Honestly, if that’s wasted, it’s no real loss.”
Zuo Ning bit Lu Chenghe on the shoulder. Lu Chenghe was getting worse and worse. He used to be so cold and aloof, such a male god. Now he only knew how to tear him down. “Do you even know there’s something called encouragement in love? If you encouraged me more, maybe I’d get excited and really go sign up for classes!”
Lu Chenghe patted his head comfortingly. “It’s fine. Back then, you couldn’t even speak like a person, and I still raised you this big. Not being able to speak French isn’t a big deal.”
Zuo Ning gritted his teeth and shouted toward the side, “Feifei, go! Bite him to death!”
Feifei, who was basking in the sunlight by the window, slowly opened one eye and gave them a look, calmly flicked its tail, then closed its eyes again to continue napping. Daddy and Papa always liked to play this kind of game. When it was younger and naive, whenever Daddy called it like this, it would pounce eagerly to bite, only to get swatted away by Daddy before even landing the bite. The cost of youthful ignorance was getting hit many times. Now that it was all grown up, and they were still doing this childish stuff? No way it was going to play along with Daddy and Papa’s immaturity.
Seeing Feifei completely unmoved, Zuo Ning growled in frustration, “Raising you to this size was a complete waste! Truly, you raise a kid and still can’t guard against getting old!”
Feifei let out a small snort, shifted slightly, and turned the part of its fur that hadn’t been sun-warmed over into the light. Truly, the perfect match for sunlight was a good afternoon nap.
Seeing that their “son” was no help, Zuo Ning snuggled up into Lu Chenghe’s arms and clung to him. “Let’s go, please? I’ve never been there. When are you going to take me on a trip? It’s been… sixteen months since we last went abroad. If you round it off, that’s two years without a vacation! You used to say you’d take me on one trip every year.”
Lu Chenghe sighed. “This year might really not be possible.”
Zuo Ning nudged his chest with his chin. “Why?”
“In another two months, the film and television city will officially be completed and open. It was originally planned as a ten-year construction project, but now it’s finished a full three years ahead of schedule. The manpower and resources that went into this can no longer be summed up with a simple number. So during this period, I’ll be very busy.”
Zuo Ning patted the book he had just snatched out of Lu Chenghe’s hands and set it aside. On its cover was a string of scrawled symbols—completely unreadable text. He didn’t even know which country’s language it was, but it was definitely not any sort of project plan. “This is what you call being busy?”
Lu Chenghe let out a small cough, glanced at Little Pudding, then reached out to pat his head. “Be good.”
Zuo Ning pressed his head against Lu Chenghe’s chest and rubbed hard, but didn’t say anything more about wanting to be taken on a trip. Recently, Lu Chenghe has truly been quite busy—attending all kinds of meetings, dealing with countless social engagements. There had even been news reports lately, all about the upcoming completion of the country’s largest film and television city. With attention coming from all sides, it made perfect sense for Lu Chenghe to be swamped.
Seeing that he really had quieted down, Lu Chenghe was instead a little surprised. He lowered his head and looked at him several times, which made Zuo Ning finally raise his head and look up. “What are you doing?”
Lu Chenghe raised an eyebrow. “So obedient?”
Zuo Ning let out a snort, then went back to lying on top of him, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. Lu Chenghe could never handle him like this—he’d rather Zuo Ning argue with him so he could coax him a little. So he offered, “Once I’m done with everything, I’ll take you on a trip. I promise.”
Zuo Ning pouted. “Oh.” Then went right back to picking at buttons.
Lu Chenghe twirled a few strands of his hair between his fingers, thought for a second, then asked, “Do you want a kiss?”
Zuo Ning’s eyes lit up in an instant. His face nearly cracked from holding back a smile. He let out a few quiet hums, neither saying yes nor no.
With that look, just wagging his tail would be enough to give away what mischief he was up to. How could Lu Chenghe not understand? He immediately pulled Little Pudding up higher, cupped his chin with one hand, and kissed him.
On the other side, Feifei had just opened its mouth wide in a yawn when it saw the two people on the sofa. Halfway through the yawn, it abruptly stopped, turned around, grabbed its own cushion in its mouth, and with a flick of its tail, trotted off toward the balcony. Daddy had told it before—when scenes aren’t suitable for kids, it should learn to avoid watching them. It had taken quite some time to figure out exactly which kinds of scenes Daddy meant by “not suitable for children”. And that just now? That was one of them!
Zuo Ning received a phone call from Chu Hang. He was a bit tempted, yet also a little conflicted. Before he could even bring it up to discuss with Lu Chenghe, Lu Chenghe took the initiative and said, “If you want to go, then go. You’ve grown up now. You’re no longer the clingy little puppy you used to be.”
Zuo Ning lay on Lu Chenghe’s back, grinning as he said, “Why does that sound a little like what an empty-nest parent would say?”
Lu Chenghe turned his head to glance at him. “So, do you want to go or not?”
Zuo Ning clicked his tongue twice. “I’ve never been on a reality show before, especially not this kind that lets you go travel.”
“Then go. The time you’ll be away filming just happens to coincide with the run-up to the film city’s grand opening. There’ll be a lot of things to handle during that period. It’s going to be the busiest time. I wouldn’t have time to keep you company anyway. You might as well take the chance to go have some fun.”
Already a little tempted to begin with, Zuo Ning was now even more eager. “Then, what about my transformation? Are you going to come by every once in a while like you did during military training?”
“There are no cameras in the shower. You can already maintain your human form for a day or two with just a half-hour transformation. So, just turn into a dog during your daily showers. This way, you won’t be exposed.”
Seeing that Lu Chenghe truly didn’t object, Zuo Ning asked, “Then I’m really going to accept it, okay?”
Lu Chenghe nodded. Before he could say anything else, Little Pudding cheered, jumped off him, and shouted that he was going to call Chu Hang back.
Lu Chenghe chuckled helplessly. What a restless little thing. When he has a role to film and something to do, he doesn’t get bored so easily. But lately, there hadn’t been any good scripts, so Little Pudding had been cooped up at home for over half a month. According to Lu Chenghe’s arrangements, there was a great script currently in the works, but it was still in the early planning stage. If Little Pudding wanted to take that role, he’d have to clear his schedule for at least the next six months. Letting him go on this trip before filming wasn’t a bad idea at all.
Inside a small apartment of just over ninety square meters, a man opened the door to one of the rooms. The walls of the room were completely covered with photos of Zuo Ning—there were stills from dramas, selfies from his Weibo updates, and quite a few pictures that were clearly taken in secret.
The man stood in front of those photos for a while, then picked up a dart from the desk nearby and, without hesitation, threw it straight at a photo of Zuo Ning facing the camera with a bright, sunny smile.
