Cāi Cāi

Chapter 77: Act X: Singing in the Rain (2

In the middle of the night, the pop star Chen Ziran had fallen asleep for less than half an hour when he was awakened by a frantic call from his friend.

"Xiang — Cai!!!" Chen Ziran yelled. Before he opened his eyes, he was already spreading curses. "Did you know that I've only slept three hours each day this week? Did you know that I am only 23 years old, but I already have crow's feet near my eyes? Did you know that I ran to over 50 shows today?? Do you know what time it is now???"

"..." Soft words came from his friend on the other end of the phone, "That...I was kissed by someone."

Chen Ziran was so sleepy that he mumbled: "Kiss, embrace; when you're acting on stage, how can you not be kissed or hugged by someone?"

"Not a co-actor... it was my landlord."

Chen Ziran immediately sobered up and sat up in bed: "Your landlord??? Your landlord sexually harassed you???"

"No, no, it wasn't sexual harassment," Xiang Cai quickly denied it on the other end of the phone. "We were watching a movie at home tonight, and then I was confused... and kissed him."

Chen Ziran relievedly laid down on his bed again, feeling sad: "Oh, you were confused and delirious, half pushing him away and half pulling him closer. One can only blame the moonlight for being so beautiful, you are not to blame."

Xiang Cai whispered, "But after the kiss, he didn't say anything, and just went to sleep in his own room."

Chen Ziran sat up again and said, "F*ck, that scumbag!! Only responsible for flirting, not for extinguishing the fire after kissing - is he even human?"

"No, no, I'm completely to blame." Xiang Cai turned off the light and buried himself in his quilt to prevent the moon from exposing his flushed cheeks. "The atmosphere was pretty good at the time. I was so dazed by him that when I felt his hand dig into the hem of my clothes, my whole body went stiff in shock. His expression at the time was honestly...I couldn't even tell. His eyes were very complicated when he looked at me. Then, he whispered sorry, rearranged my clothes, and left."

Chen Ziran let out a long sigh and laid down again: "No, what the hell am I doing? Why am I listening to a gay guy telling me the story of him and his landlord getting gay at two o'clock in the morning?"

Chen Ziran asked again: "By the way, before you moved in, did you know that your landlord was gay? I remember you''ve said that your house was very cheap. Was it because he was plotting after your beauty that he let your rent be so low at that time?"

"He's not that kind of person!" Xiang Cai immediately clarified. He acknowledged his own shortcomings, but couldn't listen to him say bad things about others. "I met him a long time ago, but I never knew that he also liked men. We lived together for so long and he took special care of me, so I noticed that he might like me. However, I couldn't believe it before, and I thought I was thinking too much, but now..."

However, yesterday, they had kissed.

It was a kiss that the 17-year-old Xiang Cai had longed for, but when it did happen, the 23-year-old Xiang Cai didn't know how to face it.

Shyness, tension, resistance, longing, attachment, yearning... These countless different feelings caused the little swan to lose his way.

Chen Ziran was very curious: "You said you met a long time ago. How long is this 'long'?"

"Five years." Xiang Cai replied, "I was in a bad mood when I had just switched to the song and dance major. He accompanied me through my lowest points.... Actually, you know my landlord. Remember when I came to your show? He is Tan Yiming who did the PK with you."