FQ chapter 56

To maintain the mystique of the photographer, once Luan Ye finished drafting his script concept, all the promo video negotiations were basically handled by Fan Qing.

The staff and officials they met with were quite enthusiastic. To show importance, they even invited Committee Member Dong from the town’s publicity office to spend the whole morning discussing shooting details and required setups. As for Luan Ye’s disclaimer about not guaranteeing views, they said they fully understood.

Free filming—who could complain?

That’s what Fan Qing thought. What they actually said was far more polished: “New methods, new media—whether it succeeds or not, one must dare to try.”

“As long as Teacher Yi needs something, whether from the government or the people, we’ll all do our best to cooperate,” Committee Member Dong said, adjusting his glasses. “We’ll work together to promote Xuehu Village well.”

It took Fan Qing a full five seconds to realize the “Teacher Yi” he referred to was Luan Ye’s alias, Yi Mu.

He glanced at Luan Ye, who curved his lips into a small smile at him.

“Just let us know when Teacher Yi is ready to shoot, and we’ll prepare,” Dong continued.

“Next Tuesday,” Luan Ye finally spoke. “Another photography teacher will arrive on Monday—then we can start.”

Free labor, still on their way here under the guise of vacation.

The thought made Fan Qing grin, and he was still smiling when he went to pick up Xu Song at the airport on Monday.

Their train arrived in the afternoon. As Luan Ye put it, that left just enough time for dinner and a quick discussion of shooting details before work began the next day.

“Slave driver,” Fan Qing said with a laugh.

“So mind your expression later,” Luan Ye replied calmly from the passenger seat, messaging Xu Song to wait outside.

“Don’t let the slave driver’s true face show too clearly.”

Fan Qing stifled a laugh. “Got it.”

By the time they arrived, the group was already waiting at the pickup area. From afar, they could see a tall couple—he broad-shouldered, she with short chestnut hair and a bohemian vacation outfit—flanked by three different-sized suitcases.

Luan Ye rolled down the window and waved. Fan Qing pulled the car up slowly and opened the trunk. Before he could get out, the two had already stuffed their luggage in with lightning speed and jumped into the car.

The short-haired woman spoke rapidly: “Go go go, they just said you can only stop for three minutes.”

“Oh.” Fan Qing blinked, then started driving again.

“Anyone would think you were fleeing Shanghai,” Luan Ye teased, turning to the back seat. “When I moved back, I didn’t even bring this much luggage.”

Well, everything here had been provided by the town, Fan Qing thought.

“Out of three suitcases, only one has our clothes,” Xu Song clicked his tongue. “The other two are drones, cameras, lenses—just in case we’ll need them for the shoot.”

“Do you even have a conscience?”

“…Too professional, Teacher Xu.” Luan Ye laughed, then turned his head to introduce them to Fan Qing one by one.

“This is Xu Song, an old friend of mine for many years. Just call him Old Xu. And this lady here is his girlfriend, Meng Zhao.”

Meng Zhao waved at him. “Hello, handsome boy.”

Fan Qing nodded toward the rearview mirror. “Hello, Xu Ge. Hello, Meng Jie.”

Xu Song responded, then turned to look at Luan Ye. “See? He’s way more polite than you.”

“My boyfriend, Fan Qing,” Luan Ye continued with the introduction.

Fan Qing’s heartbeat suddenly sped up, but since Luan Ye said it so calmly, he also managed to act composed.

Xu Song was also pretty calm. “We’ve met.”

Everyone in the car turned to look at him.

“On the delivery slips,” Xu Song explained. “I’ve seen his name several times.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Luan Ye laughed and cursed at him.

“He hasn’t seen you in forever—he’s just happy and talking nonsense,” Meng Zhao smacked Xu Song on the back. “Don’t mind him.”

Although they hadn’t known each other long, it was easy to feel that Xu Song and Meng Zhao were both good-natured people. From the airport to Xuehu Village, the conversation was light and scattered, but not at all awkward even for a first meeting.

The guesthouse was in the village. After Xu Song and Meng Zhao put down their luggage and rested a little, it was already about time for dinner.

It was drizzling under the snowy mountain that day, the air damp and chilly—perfect weather for a mushroom hotpot. Luan Ye and Xu Song even had some rice wine. The alcohol content was low, and when the wind blew, the fragrance spread in all directions.

Luan Ye and Xu Song ate while discussing the next day’s shoot. The meal lasted nearly two hours, and by then it was already dark.

“Should we find another place to sit and chat?” Xu Song asked. “If we keep sitting here, I’ll start feeling embarrassed.”

Luan Ye chuckled. “Let’s go to my place, I’ve got a tea room.”

“I’ll pass,” Meng Zhao said. “I’m tired—going to head back for a bath.”

Luan Ye turned to look at Fan Qing. Fan Qing spoke up as well: “I’ll head back too.”

He could tell that Luan Ye and Xu Song hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and surely had plenty to talk about.

Xu Song poked his head out from behind the copper pot. “Xiao Qing, you got something to do?”

“Walking the dog,” Fan Qing said. “The vet told me to take him out for exercise—he needs to lose weight.”

Xu Song froze. “…Oh.”

Luan Ye couldn’t stop laughing.

The now-slimmed-down Laifu had somehow been made the scapegoat, so much so that when Fan Qing saw him, he even felt a little guilty and gave him a piece of duck jerky.

He spent two or three days a week at Luan Ye’s place. His own room was left idle more often than not. Even though the sheets looked clean, Fan Qing still changed them before lying down.

Coming back this early all of a sudden, and without Luan Ye at his side, Fan Qing found himself oddly at a loss for what to do.

He picked up his phone and glanced at the time—still early, not even nine. Luan Ye should be in the tea room with Xu Song right about now…

Luan Ye: [Did we finish the rose tea already?]

Huh?

Fan Qing immediately sat up, thought about it for a while, then lowered his head to type.

Fan Qing: [I think so. I’ll buy another pack tomorrow.]

Luan Ye: [Living off the land, aren’t you, Student Fan.]

Fan Qing chuckled for a bit, then replied: [Have white tea instead, won’t affect your sleep.]

Luan Ye: [Got it.]

Fan Qing thought the conversation was over, but a few seconds later another message popped up.

Luan Ye: [Should I leave the window open for you tonight?]

…What the hell kind of question was that?!

Fan Qing: [No need!!!]

Three exclamation marks—looked pretty shocked.

“So happy, huh? Smiling like that,” Xu Song remarked.

Luan Ye put down his phone. “Jealous?”

“Jealous my ass. I’m already engaged, I’m ahead of you by one version,” Xu Song retorted, then added, “But I’m happy for you.”

Luan Ye handed him a cup of tea. “You already said that on the phone.”

“This is different.” Xu Song took a sip and set the cup down.

“Before I met Fan Qing, I was happy for you, sure, but I still thought the gap between you two was too big—career, lifestyle, distance…”

“Age,” Luan Ye added.

“You said it yourself,” Xu Song immediately shot back.

Luan Ye smiled faintly, lowered his head, and sipped his tea.

“My main worry was… eighteen is just too young. I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle things,” Xu Song said. “As your friend, knowing what you’ve been through, I just wanted someone who could shoulder some of that burden for you.”

Because I knew what you’d been like before, I hoped someone could help carry some of it for you.

Luan Ye smiled lightly, didn’t respond, just asked: “So, what do you think now that you’ve seen him?”

“He’s great,” Xu Song said. “Really great.”

“Anyone listening would think he bribed you.” Luan Ye clicked his tongue.

“I wasn’t talking about him.” Xu Song looked at him. “I was talking about you.”

Luan Ye glanced up.

“Relaxed, unburdened. Willing to chat with people, even wander around in a crowd. Not to mention all the things you’ve been doing here that you’d never have done before…”

“Because of him, you’re in a really good state right now,” Xu Song said.

“That’s why I feel this relationship is a good thing, Luan Ye. Truly. I sincerely wish you well.”

Luan Ye looked at him, smiling faintly.

Xu Song continued: “Even if no one knows how long it’ll last, whether you two are really suited, whether you’ll break up…”

The warmth in Luan Ye’s heart dimmed a little. “Hey hey hey, can you not jinx it?”

“Tsk, I said even if—worst-case scenario,” Xu Song chuckled. “What I mean is, just go for it. How wonderful is that, in a place like this, to meet someone worth moving forward for?”

“Don’t go back to the way you were before,” he said.

The way he was before.

“My state before was that bad?” Luan Ye asked.

“At least in the times I saw you, yeah, not so good.” Xu Song hesitated. “But to be fair, I only saw you a handful of times in those years, just by chance. Bai Mingchuan said you’d always been… sick.”

“He said always? Then I guess it was always,” Luan Ye’s tone was surprisingly calm at the mention of that name.

“Anyway, in those years it was always up to him.”

When anxiety and depression relapsed, Bai Mingchuan would show up more often—standing by his bed when he refused to come downstairs to eat, speaking in a calm yet condescending voice: ‘Luan Ye, get up.’

“If Xiao Cheng saw you like this, how would he feel?” he’d say. “Don’t make the people who love you worry.”

When the relapses came, Bai Mingchuan also scheduled appointments with the family doctor, directly discussing treatment with him. Most doctors suggested stabilizing treatment and not leaving California to avoid emotional instability and accidents.

At those times, Bai Mingchuan would turn to Luan Ye: “Focus on treatment. Don’t waste time on meaningless things.”

“You only got into this career because Bai Mingcheng taught you. Because of his death. You don’t really love photography. Better to stay home and rest for now.”

Luan Ye would stare at him, wanting to argue, but Bai Mingchuan never gave him the chance.

“If you don’t want to be alone, you could visit mom and dad,” Bai Mingchuan would add. “Without Xiao Cheng, they’re lonely. Their health isn’t good either.”

He meant the Bai parents.

And at times like that, guilt—magnified a hundredfold by illness—would drown Luan Ye. He’d curl up alone in the California house. Forget visiting the Bai parents—he couldn’t even step outside.

What’s more, aside from words, Bai Mingchuan didn’t seem to use any overtly coercive methods. When the illness stabilized, Luan Ye would still go out on trips.

But since psychiatric medication was dispensed monthly to prevent abuse, once it ran out, Luan Ye had to return to California. The doctor and Bai Mingchuan would then assess face-to-face whether he should continue medication.

The whole cycle was long—spanning half a year, even a year. Like the boiling frog experiment. And given Luan Ye’s unstable condition, it was hard to pinpoint where the problem really lay.

An elder brother who’d lost his own sibling, yet still cared for his brother’s former lover—taking care of everything from daily needs to mental health. On the surface, he looked like the model of benevolence.

Even to Luan Ye, living through it, it took a long time to realize something was wrong.

“…Have you been in touch with Bai Mingchuan?” Since they’d brought him up, Xu Song asked directly. “Does he know about this?”

“No.”

The tea in his cup had gone cold, so Luan Ye poured himself a fresh one.

“In a few days, I’ll go to the States to see him. I’ll tell him then.”

Xu Song was surprised. He stared at him for a long moment. “Alone?”

“Mm.”

“Why don’t you wait a few days for me?” Xu Song frowned, uneasy. “My visa’s still valid—I can take some time off and go with you…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Luan Ye laughed. “I don’t need that.”

But Xu Song was still uneasy. “I’m just worried about you facing him alone. What if something happens…”

“If I don’t even have the courage for this—” Luan Ye paused. “Then I’ll never get past it in this lifetime.”

“At least this once, I have to get past it myself.”

It had been so long since he’d last sat down face-to-face with Bai Mingchuan, it felt like a lifetime ago. But he didn’t need Xu Song with him. He didn’t even need Fan Qing with him.

What Xu Song said earlier—that he hoped someone could shoulder things for him—Luan Ye didn’t need that either.

He liked Fan Qing, but never because he thought Fan Qing could help carry his burdens.

It was because of Fan Qing that he found the courage to face them himself.

Just like Fan Qing had said—whether it was love, the past, or people he needed to confront.

That was what Xu Song meant, when he said he had met someone worth moving forward for.

……

Having not slept in his own room for several nights, Fan Qing woke early the next morning. When he came downstairs, Li Ge hadn’t left for the café yet and was feeding the dog.

When he came downstairs, Li Ge greeted him.

“Came back last night?” Li Ge asked. “Didn’t go to that studio?”

Although Li Ge went out early and returned late, after all they lived upstairs and downstairs from each other. Sometimes when Fan Qing didn’t see him, Li Ge always assumed he was staying at that studio in the neighboring town.

Fan Qing paused, but didn’t explain. “No, I came back earlier yesterday.”

“The studio not too busy these days?” Li Ge asked.

“Hired two newcomers.” That part was true—they had just been recruited the day before yesterday.

“That’s good. You’ll be heading off to school soon, too.”

Li Ge patted the rump of Laifu, who was eating intently, and asked with a smile, “When are you leaving?”

“Probably the first,” Fan Qing hesitated, “or maybe the second.”

Every extra day he could stay was worth it.

Li Ge didn’t understand his feelings, and cruelly started a countdown: “That means only about ten days left.”

“Mm,” Fan Qing replied.

Eleven days.

By then, he’d have to go off to school, while Luan Ye… who knew when he would be leaving for America.

The moment of parting was about to come. And the last thing the two of them were doing together… was filming a local promotional video.

Quite dedicated, really.

When the villagers first heard about the promotional video, they didn’t really understand it and were a bit shy, unwilling to appear on camera.

The village officials persuaded them for a long time, but in the end it was Granny Mu and the others who called out, saying that it was still Xiao Lan—the one who had helped take memorial photos before—who was filming, and asked everyone to cooperate.

With that, a bunch of people suddenly signed up.

It was the first time Luan Ye realized that he was actually quite popular in this village.

“Hearing it’s Xiao Lan, everyone is willing to come,” Fan Qing said during a break in filming. “They all really like you.”

Luan Ye was checking the footage just shot. Hearing that, he turned his head and looked at him for a moment.

“So do I,” Fan Qing added.

“I think you’ve gotten better and better at flirting,” Luan Ye laughed. “You say things so smoothly now—you used to blush.”

Fan Qing laughed too.

He really had gotten better. Especially with their separation so near, there were so many things he wanted to say, so many moments he wanted to spend with Luan Ye.

But daytime wasn’t convenient—they had work, and Xu Song and Meng Zhao were there too.

Xu Song, despite seeming carefree on the surface, was actually quite serious when it came to work. In the promotional video, Luan Ye mainly shot landscapes, while Xu Song handled character close-ups. Over the past few days, Fan Qing had watched footage with them, and it was very professional.

“Let’s do this shot one more time, that should be about it,” Luan Ye called out to the men and women dressed in traditional clothes. “Thanks for your hard work.”

“There’s only seven days of holiday,” Xu Song said, zipping up his equipment bag. “We spent the first two days here working overtime for you.”

“Teacher Xu, you’ve worked hard,” Luan Ye said with a smile.

“Not hard—just unlucky,” Xu Song replied.

Meng Zhao gave him a playful punch, laughing. “I think it’s great. I’ve been really happy here. No wonder you chose this place.”

During these days of filming, she had wandered around, chatting with villagers, visiting the mountains several times, and even forming a deep bond with Qu Jie from the bar.

“Once filming wraps up tomorrow, no rush to edit,” Luan Ye smiled. “I’ll take you into the mountains for a day first.”

“Hiking?” Meng Zhao instantly perked up. “I even brought gear for it.”

“Mm, Fan Qing will take you,” Luan Ye said.