Just One Kiss… Before I Leave

The tips of Ning Shixue’s ears were red.

Blood rushed to his head.
He finally couldn’t take it anymore.
He grabbed Xie Yaoyao’s little bear plushie and swung it at Xie Zhaozhou.
Xie Zhaozhou was forced back a few steps into the corridor.

Xie Zhaozhou didn’t dodge.
He just raised his arm slightly to block.
He couldn’t help chuckling softly.
His suit jacket was open.
He leaned lazily against the wall.
Completely shameless and annoying.

Ning Shixue’s peach blossom eyes were moist with anger.

Prepare for what?

Preparing to be beaten to death by him?

He couldn’t even imagine what would happen if he went to bed with Xie Zhaozhou.
He absolutely believed Xie Zhaozhou would still flirt even in bed.

Ning Shixue really didn’t want to be the first person to die of embarrassment.

He didn’t even care about the setting anymore.
He hugged Xie Yaoyao’s little bear and started whacking Xie Zhaozhou with it.

Tang He-an and the director were both in He Lin’s room.
They pushed the door open and were stunned.
They felt like they were seeing something they shouldn’t.

The director had randomly picked a few dads that night to record an interview on the beach near the hotel.
He and the cameraman had just come out when they saw Ning Shixue and Xie Zhaozhou.

Ning Shixue turned his head and froze.

“??????”

“Domestic violence caught in the act.” (just kidding)

“I thought President Xie had already left. Didn’t expect to find them fighting here.” (Puppy pinching nose.jpg)

“Fighting in the corridor??? Take it to the bed! Dare you film it, director?!!!”

“What did I do wrong to open the live stream now? Good thing I’m already blind.” (Crying.jpg)

No one in the bullet comments actually thought Ning Shixue and Xie Zhaozhou were really fighting.
Ning Shixue’s pale cheeks were already red enough to bleed.
Xie Zhaozhou’s eyes hid a deep smile.

As Ning Shixue hit him hard with the bear, Xie Zhaozhou’s arm was half-wrapped around him, as if afraid he might fall.

Even Xie Zhaozhou’s fans had nothing to say.

“Forget it. He’s super in love.”

“I don’t know why wifey is hitting President Xie, but my suggestion is, don’t reward him. Didn’t you notice he actually likes being hit?” (doge)

Ning Shixue’s toes curled.
Right now, he just wanted to move to another planet.
But Xie Zhaozhou’s expression showed no embarrassment at all.

He even picked up the bear, fluffed it up for him, and put it back in his arms.

He Lin was gloating nearby.
His luck was just too good tonight.
He actually got to see this bastard getting hit.
Something he had wanted to do for years but never could.

But he hadn’t expected Xie Zhaozhou to be this worthless when in love.
He couldn’t do that himself.

Tang He-an was also dumbfounded.
He didn’t expect such a big CEO to have no status at home either.
At least he hadn’t been hit yet.

“Teacher Ning,”
the director said, rubbing his hands together cautiously,
“Can we get past?”

[The director is so mean.]

“So cruel, so cruel, all bullying my wife. Why not include me!!!”

Ning Shixue: “…”

Ning Shixue was too embarrassed to lift his head.
He hugged the bear, grabbed Xie Zhaozhou’s suit jacket hard, pulled him into the room, and slammed the door.

After everyone in the corridor was gone, Ning Shixue stared at Xie Zhaozhou, his face red as he shouted angrily,
“Can you not flirt for one second?”

“Sorry,”
Xie Zhaozhou apologized without hesitation.

Ning Shixue: “…”

Ning Shixue was choked up again.
Xie Zhaozhou apologized so quickly every time.
He didn’t know what to say.
Most of his anger dissipated.
He held back and said,
“Don’t you have any dignity?”

How could he apologize just like that?

Xie Zhaozhou half-lowered his eyes.
The depths were as dark and quiet as the deep sea, reflecting Ning Shixue’s figure.
But he paused and suddenly said,
“He Lin never apologizes.”

Ning Shixue: ???

“So his wife would rather keep male models,”
Xie Zhaozhou said slowly.

Although He Lin and Shen Yi did their own things, they used to spend at least three months a year together.
But in recent years, it wasn’t even three months anymore.
Because Shen Yi said just seeing He Lin made her angry.

Ning Shixue was speechless.

At this rate, he would end up keeping male models too.

“Teacher Xiao Ning should think it over carefully,”
Xie Zhaozhou, as if reading his mind, curved his phoenix eyes and said lazily and annoyingly,
“After all, it’s hard to find someone with service as good as mine who also pays you.”

Ning Shixue braced himself and said,
“I could choose both.”

“…So greedy,”
Xie Zhaozhou suddenly laughed.
His dark eyes stared at him intently.
But his voice was very gentle, almost deliberately tempting, half-truth, half-false as he asked,
“Can’t Teacher Xiao Ning just favor me alone?”

“…”
Ning Shixue argued back unwillingly, muttering,
“Does someone in your line of work even care about that?”

Was the competition really that fierce?

Xie Zhaozhou suddenly regretted mentioning male models.
Actually, he was a bit greedy too.
He not only wanted Ning Shixue to like him.
He wanted Ning Shixue to favor him above everyone else.

Just liking wasn’t enough.

He leaned closer to Ning Shixue.
His scorching breath swept across Ning Shixue’s cheeks.
Ning Shixue’s eyelashes fluttered.
His beautiful face flushed crimson.

Xie Zhaozhou couldn’t delay any longer.
He had to get back to Yan City tonight.
He pulled Ning Shixue into his arms.
He lowered his head and kissed him.
His lips and tongue tangled, sucking until they were red and hot before letting go.
He rubbed his cheek and said,
“Message me if anything happens.”

Xie Zhaozhou finally left.

Xie Yaoyao had gone to play with Tang Haohao and the others and wasn’t back yet.
Ning Shixue was alone in the room.
He suddenly remembered the embarrassment from earlier.

He evasively picked up the script He Lin had given him.

The cover was plain, black text on white.

The script was adapted from a true story.

A little boy lost both his parents and lived with his aunt and uncle.

The uncle broke his leg.

Every time the bone healed, he would break it again.

He eventually became completely disabled.

The uncle also picked up several other children.

The clever ones were forced to steal.

The timid ones were also crippled.

When he was about six, the uncle picked up a little girl about five or six years old.

He grabbed her braids and was about to break her leg.

He couldn’t stand it anymore.

He wanted to send her home.

The little girl had gotten separated from her family when she was three or four.

She had somehow wandered to this place.

When the uncle found her, she was scavenging for food in the trash.

Like the other children, she didn’t remember much.

But she vaguely remembered what her parents looked like and roughly where her home was.

Besides this little girl, he also took a few younger children.

It took him three years.

Dragging his crippled leg, he worked odd jobs everywhere to support them and save up for travel expenses.

Finally, three years later, he found the little girl’s parents.

But his own health was never good.

These years had worn him down to the limit.

He had no money for treatment.

He didn’t take the money the little girl’s parents gave him either.

When he was only nine, he died in a shady clinic.

This little girl is now a singer.

When she was six, she wrote a song called “Last Night’s Star.”

The night they escaped, the sky above the mountains was full of stars.

The person who led her away was also like a star.

But he was forever stuck in last night.

He Lin had collaborated with this singer on several films.

She had sung the ending theme for him.

When adapting the script this time, He Lin didn’t deliberately emphasize the suffering.

The whole script had a romantic fairy-tale atmosphere.

Yet it was still extremely tear-jerking.

Ning Shixue didn’t know why He Lin wanted him to act in this movie.

The script felt heavy in his hands.

He was afraid he couldn’t do it justice.

Counting the time spent in the instance worlds, he hadn’t acted in a lead role for many years.

Ning Shixue picked up his phone.

He was still hesitating about how to message He Lin when Xie Yaoyao ran back in his little dinosaur pajamas.

He Lin and He Miao followed him.

“Director He,”
Ning Shixue said, sitting up.

He Lin was also here to talk about the movie.

The female lead of the movie was that little girl.

He Lin decided to let He Miao play the role.

He Miao was the right age and very thin.

The production team couldn’t force a child to lose weight.

He had to find a relatively thin little girl.

And He Miao had acting experience.

She was also very familiar with him.

They wouldn’t need much adjustment.

All in all, it was very suitable.

With the female lead decided, He Lin had been worrying about the male lead for the past six months.

He had originally planned to find a newcomer from a film academy.

But he had made several trips and wasn’t completely satisfied.

It wasn’t until recently that he suddenly thought Ning Shixue could play the role.

Hiring Ning Shixue for I See the Immortal Lord was also for this purpose.

If Ning Shixue’s acting had been too terrible, he wouldn’t have been able to do it.

But Ning Shixue’s acting was very skilled.

It didn’t seem like he was inexperienced.

He was usually so cold, but when acting, he became a completely different person.

Besides, Ning Shixue was very familiar with He Miao.

That saved a lot of trouble.

They could practically start filming immediately.

While He Lin was talking to Ning Shixue about the movie, Xie Yaoyao propped his chubby face in his hands.

He lay on Ning Shixue’s leg, his big, dark eyes blinking as he listened.

What was the baby talking about with Uncle He?

He couldn’t understand at all.

“My dad wants Little Ning Gege to act in a movie,”
He Miao explained to him.

Xie Yaoyao remembered going to the set with Ning Shixue.

The set had many monsters.

He had even turned into a little monster with horns and acted with the baby.

Xie Yaoyao hugged Ning Shixue’s leg, his soft, white face full of excitement.

“I can also go act?”

He Lin paused.

Actually, his production did need a child about three years old.

But the problem was, Xie Yaoyao’s little arms were like lotus roots.

His cheeks were also rosy.

He looked like a very healthy child.

For this movie, that made him a chubby kid.

“Probably not,”
He Lin said, pinching the chubby kid’s little hand, tactfully.
“You’re too soft.”

Xie Yaoyao rubbed his own soft cheeks.

Even though He Lin didn’t directly say he was chubby, he got the message.

He couldn’t help pouting.

This Uncle He actually thought he was chubby.

Anyway, he didn’t really want to act.

He lay on the baby’s leg and continued listening.

He Lin said: “&*￥#@%#……”

What Xie Yaoyao heard: “kid… go home…”

Xie Yaoyao’s little head had been nodding with sleep.
Now it suddenly perked up.
He only understood that He Lin said Ning Shixue would act with a few kids, and then something about going home.

Baby alert!

Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King simply couldn’t accept it.
He couldn’t act with the baby, so the baby would act with other kids and take them home?

Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King was so wronged he could cry.
His little mouth puckered into a trumpet shape.
He pinched the soft flesh on his little belly.
He decided he needed to lose weight!

Ning Shixue had no idea what Xie Yaoyao was thinking.
After He Lin and the others left, he took the chubby kid to shower.

Then he hugged the little chubby kid and went to sleep.

When Ning Shixue opened his eyes again, his head was splitting.
His face was extremely pale.
His back was soaked with cold sweat.
He struggled to sit up, almost fainting from dizziness.

He didn’t know if it was from getting soaked by the balloons yesterday and then chilled by the cold wind.

Ning Shixue was sick.
He could only rest at the hotel.
The director took Xie Yaoyao to continue filming.

He also messaged Xie Zhaozhou, telling him he just had a slight headache.
Otherwise, Xie Zhaozhou would know he hadn’t filmed today and might worry.

Ning Shixue slept all day at the hotel.
He felt a little better in the evening and went to eat with the guests.

Dinner was provided by the production team.
It was also in the hotel restaurant.
They were tired of all the stewed fish.
Tonight, they had drunken crab, spicy crab, steamed crab specially made for the kids, stir-fried dishes, and little fried meatballs.

Xie Yaoyao kicked his little feet.
He clutched his little spoon and sucked on a steamed little crab.
Then he ate a few bites of rice and vegetables.

Then he put down his spoon.

“Why aren’t you eating the little fried meatballs?”
Ning Shixue asked, puzzled.

He remembered those were Xie Yaoyao’s favorite.
No matter what kind of little fried meatballs, he would eat a lot.
But now he had only eaten three or four.
It was very out of character for Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King.

Xie Yaoyao hugged his little belly and nervously waved his hands.
“I not eat oh.”

Ning Shixue didn’t push him.
Anyway, Xie Yaoyao had already eaten a lot.
If he ate more, he would definitely be stuffed.
His little belly was already round.
Not an ounce of fat was wasted.

Xie Yaoyao’s little bun face puffed up as he lowered his head and pinched his own soft arm.
He had eaten one less little fried meatball at night.
The flesh on his arm seemed to have decreased a lot.

The bullet comments didn’t know why Xie Yaoyao hadn’t eaten that poor little fried meatball.
But they all unanimously started talking about losing weight.

[Sniff, I also ate one less piece of fried chicken tonight.]

[I’m going to get so thin.]

That night, Ning Shixue went to shower.

Xie Yaoyao video-called Ji Xiao.
He leaned very close to the tablet.
The screen was filled with his fair, tender face.
He asked anxiously,
“Little Mantou, you think, I thinner?”

Ji Xiao tilted his head.

The camera would naturally make people look wider.
And Xie Yaoyao’s face was still soft and chubby.
So he honestly said,
“No.”

Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King was in tears.
He collapsed onto the bed in disbelief.
His whole little being seemed unable to bear the weight of life.
His tears flowed freely.

Wuwuwu, he had even eaten one less little fried meatball.
How could he still be chubby?

But from the other end of the video, there was also the very quiet sound of munching.

Xie Yaoyao propped himself up on the bed.
He stuck out his little bottom and climbed back up.
He leaned closer and asked,
“Little Mantou, what you eating?”

“Chicken drumsticks mommy made,”
Ji Xiao said, trying hard to hold up his little bowl to share.
His aunt was a good cook.

The little drumsticks were coated with breadcrumbs, looking golden and crispy.

Xie Yaoyao’s tears flowed even more freely.

The aliens’ fried chicken drumsticks hadn’t tempted Little Mantou.

But he was tempted by Little Mantou’s little drumsticks.

Why was it like this?

When Ning Shixue came out of the shower, he found Xie Yaoyao lying in bed, silently crying.

He couldn’t help poking the soft dimple on Xie Yaoyao’s chubby hand and asked, puzzled,

“Xie Xingxing, what are you crying for?”

“Nothing,”
Xie Yaoyao said, lifting his soft little hand for the baby to poke.

But his tears still flowed.

His big chicken drumsticks, little chicken drumsticks, all gone.

Ning Shixue was confused.

But Xie Yaoyao didn’t say anything more.

He wiped his tears, sighed, snuggled his chubby face into Ning Shixue’s arms, and decided to sleep.

A three-and-a-half-year-old little cub had already grasped the philosophy of life.

You can have anything in your dreams.