PTBC chapter 22

Xu Cong covered Xia Yan with a blanket and went outside to get some air.

The “Relaxing Vacation” production team did a good job with their confidentiality. Besides the crew, there weren’t any paparazzi on the island, and the small family inn they were staying in was surrounded by towering trees, almost like a small forest, keeping the place secluded.

Xu Cong sat behind a rock garden in the courtyard, flipping a lighter in his fingers. Sparks occasionally flew out, flickering in the darkness, much like his restless mood at that moment.

It had been getting harder and harder for him to stay in the same room with Xia Yan.

Especially when Xia Yan would take off the suppressive patches.

The scent of rose pheromones would spread, and each time it felt like a flame was burning his rational nerves.

But as he sat there for a while, he realized he wasn’t the only one in the courtyard.

Lost in his own thoughts, Xu Cong hadn’t heard the soft footsteps behind him until a lowered voice came from around the rock garden.

The night was eerily quiet, and any small sound seemed to be amplified in the stillness.

“…I’ll be back soon… It’s not too tiring, the recording is actually pretty interesting, and the people I’ve met are nice.”

“…I’m in a group with an omega girl, she’s pretty cute… Compared to you? Xu Linzhou, I advise you to have some self-respect.”

This was obviously a man’s voice, smooth and gentle, speaking slowly and evenly.

Even in the dark, his voice wouldn’t irritate anyone; in fact, it was quite pleasant.

Xu Cong froze for a moment, an odd expression crossing his face.

After spending a few days together, he immediately recognized Ling Du’s voice, but the conversation content, the affectionate tone, and Ling Du’s low laugh…

Everything indicated that the person on the other side was very close to him.

But what surprised Xu Cong wasn’t this, but the name that Ling Du had mentioned—“Xu Linzhou.”

Had he heard it wrong?

Xu Cong wondered, how could it be exactly the same as his cousin’s name? Could it be a homophone?

But as he took his first step forward, he heard Ling Du’s voice again.

“Xu Cong? I think he’s okay. He’s always sticking to his teammate Xia Yan, like they’re twins. Xia Yan’s an interesting guy, really fun, often comes to talk to me… Xu Cong, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to like me. Every time I talk to Xia Yan, he looks at me with a bit of hostility.”

Ling Du chuckled.

“Xu Linzhou, shouldn’t you apologize on behalf of your cousin?”
Xu Cong stopped in his tracks.
He decided not to abide by the “don’t eavesdrop” rule this time and quietly walked around the rock garden.

The only light in the courtyard was near the rock garden.

Almost immediately after he came over, Ling Du noticed him. Instinctively, he pressed his phone against his chest, looking up to see Xu Cong, clearly startled.

Meanwhile, the person on the other end of the call remained unaware, still speaking in a lazy, joking tone, much gentler than usual.

“Xu Cong, that kid… He’s clinging to his captain like a baby that hasn’t been weaned. He probably thinks you’re interested in his captain, which is why he guards against you like you’re a thief. When New Year comes, I’ll let him meet his ‘cousin-in-law’ properly.”

The voice wasn’t loud, but in the silence of the night, it was extraordinarily clear.

Ling Du: “…”
Xu Cong: “…”

At this moment, Xu Cong confirmed it—the person on the other end of the phone was indeed his unreliable cousin, Xu Linzhou, someone he rarely saw more than a few times a year.

Xu Cong’s gaze shifted subtly to Ling Du, and he repeated the word his cousin had said, “Cousin-in-law?”

Xu Linzhou, finally sensing something amiss, asked through the call, “What’s going on? Why’s it so quiet on your end? Is it frozen?”

Ling Du pressed his lips together, gave a helpless smile, and decided not to hide the phone anymore.

He turned the screen toward Xu Cong, directly facing him.

“Say hi to your cousin.”

Xu Linzhou: “…”

It took Xu Cong a moment to process this absurd fact: the famous, award-winning actor Ling Du was actually his cousin Xu Linzhou’s boyfriend.

They had been together for quite some time, just without broadcasting it to the public.

Xu Linzhou was currently in the U.S., with a time zone difference. On camera, he was still in a deep red robe that contrasted with his fair skin and revealed toned chest lines. Based on Xu Cong’s knowledge of his cousin, this look was deliberately designed to subtly tease the person on the other end of the video call.

But now that Xu Cong’s face unexpectedly appeared in the frame, Linzhou, clearly annoyed, silently adjusted his collar.

With a meeting to attend shortly, Xu Linzhou didn’t have much time. After exchanging only a few sentences—including a scolding for Xu Cong to show proper respect to his “Cousin-in-law”—he ended the call.

This left Ling Du and Xu Cong standing there, awkwardly staring at each other.

Both were a little embarrassed.

Xu Cong finally pieced together why Ling Du had occasionally given him strange looks during the program’s filming or had even secretly gone easy on him during tasks.

“Sorry,” Xu Cong was the first to speak, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just behind the rock garden earlier. I was going to leave when I heard you talking, but then I heard my name…”

Ling Du understood.

He couldn’t entirely blame Xu Cong, either. It was partly his own fault for letting his guard down. Earlier, he’d even taken a casual stroll around the courtyard to check if anyone else was there but hadn’t noticed Xu Cong.

Now, seeing him looking slightly flustered, Ling Du smiled faintly and said, “We should move elsewhere. Standing here, we risk someone else coming out and complicating things.”

A few minutes later, Ling Du and Xu Cong were sitting under the veranda on bamboo chairs. Beside them were snacks and bottled water prepared for guests.

Xu Cong was still processing everything.

He hadn’t yet wrapped his mind around the fact that Ling Du was now his “cousin-in-law.” Grabbing a bottle of water, he unscrewed it and drank half in one go, trying to calm himself down.

Finally, he looked at Ling Du hesitantly and asked, “How did you and my cousin get involved with each other?”

Although Xu Linzhou wasn’t his biological brother but a cousin, they had often played together as kids and had a good relationship. As adults, they had gone their separate ways with their careers but still kept in touch.

Xu Linzhou was a complete workaholic. Despite his charming looks and peacock-like flamboyance, he had been single for years, showing no interest in any beauty and being sharp-tongued, often abrasive.

Meanwhile, Ling Du had risen from humble beginnings, accidentally entering showbiz and maintaining an impeccable reputation since his debut.

The idea of these two coming together…

It was like a peacock and a border collie falling in love.

Completely absurd, as if they weren’t even the same species.

Ling Du seemed to know what Xu Cong was thinking and smiled faintly. “Are you wondering if your cousin and I are mismatched?”

Xu Cong didn’t know whether to nod or shake his head.

Ling Du held a bottle of water, unscrewed it but didn’t drink.

He looked at the faint light in the courtyard and calmly dropped a bombshell: “I think it’s strange, too. How could I have known your cousin for ten years?”

Xu Cong: “…”

Startled, he accidentally crushed the bottle in his hand.

Ling Du chuckled. “Why are you so surprised? I mentioned my first love during dinner, didn’t I? The one who worked at the same shop as me, took me to see a movie, and gave me a scarf. That person was your cousin.”

Oh…

Xu Cong narrowed his eyes slightly.

In that split second, he finally realized why Ling Du’s story had sounded familiar.

It was because he’d heard Xu Linzhou drunkenly recount it before: back when Xu Linzhou had a falling out with his family, he’d gone out to work and study on his own, meeting a scumbag. They watched a midnight movie together in the snow, swearing to stay together forever. But in the end, he was betrayed, both emotionally and physically, and it took him years to recover.

But despite that…

Xu Cong had seen that Xu Linzhou still kept a photo of the “scumbag” on his bedside table—a picture of a sunny, radiant young person from when they were under twenty.

This was also why Ling Du had always felt oddly familiar to Xu Cong.

Not because he had watched Ling Du’s movies or interviews.

It was because Ling Du still carried traces of his twenty-year-old self.

The impression was so strong that Xu Cong couldn’t help but frown slightly and blurt out, “Are you the scumbag who dumped my cousin back then?”

When the words left his mouth, Xu Cong immediately regretted it.

The image of Xu Linzhou’s despondent state back then lingered in his mind, leaving a negative impression of his cousin’s first love.

But now, Xu Linzhou had made his own choice, deciding to continue being with this person. How could it be Xu Cong’s place to judge?

He quickly apologized, “Sorry, I spoke out of turn.”

Ling Du, however, didn’t seem upset. He maintained his calm demeanor and asked good-naturedly, “Did he say I dumped him? Did he mention that he pretended to be a Beta to deceive me?”

“…No.”

“I figured as much,” Ling Du said softly.

But those old grievances didn’t matter anymore. For him and Xu Linzhou to reconcile, they had already laid bare all the secrets and pain to each other.

Ling Du didn’t elaborate to Xu Cong, merely saying, “When your cousin and I first met ten years ago, neither of us was very mature, and there were a lot of lies. That’s why we broke up. But later, when I entered the entertainment industry, he secretly helped me. Then, after I won my first award, we ran into each other at a banquet. Somehow, we got entangled again, breaking up and reconciling for four or five years. It’s only now that we’ve officially established our relationship. That’s why we haven’t gone public, and he hasn’t told your family.”

Ling Du looked at Xu Cong. “Sorry, I wasn’t deliberately keeping it from you. I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”

Xu Cong raised an eyebrow slightly.

He could read between the lines.

To put it bluntly, Xu Linzhou’s position as Ling Du’s partner wasn’t stable enough. Ling Du, being half a peer in the entertainment industry, couldn’t take the risk of announcing the relationship prematurely. If anything went wrong in the future, running into each other would just be awkward.

Xu Cong also picked up on how Ling Du had omitted many details. Ten years of entanglement couldn’t have been as straightforward as Ling Du made it sound.

But Xu Cong wasn’t a naturally curious person and didn’t feel the need to dig deeper.

The two of them sat in silence for a while.

After three days of recording the program, their relationship had grown somewhat cordial. But now, things had become a little awkward.

It wasn’t the right moment to leave, but staying there felt equally uneasy.

Until Xu Cong’s phone chimed. He glanced at it and saw that Xia Yan had woken up and messaged him, asking where he had gone.

Xu Cong replied with a voice message: “I’m out in the courtyard getting some air. I’ll be back soon.”

After sending it, he looked apologetically at Ling Du. “Xia Yan is looking for me. I’ll head back first. Let’s plan a get-together sometime—me, you, and Xu Linzhou. My treat.”

Ling Du smiled. “Sure.”

But as he watched Xu Cong, his expression turned somewhat strange.

Especially when Xu Cong stood up and continued messaging Xia Yan about bringing back caramel pudding from the late-night dining area. Ling Du couldn’t help but ask, “Actually, there’s something I’ve always been curious about.”

Xu Cong didn’t think much of it. He put his phone down and turned to Ling Du. “What is it?”

Ling Du squinted slightly, pondering for a moment before finally asking, “Do you like Xia Yan?”