Ch30 - Spring

Xu Jingzhe and Liang Yu sat side by side on the living room sofa. On the other side of the coffee table, there was a row of cameras pointed at their faces. The producer on set did have a list of questions prepared, but he didn’t actually rehearse anything with the guests of the show. The stylist simply did their makeup and stuff, and that was it.

Xu Jingzhe had actually never appeared on a program so casually before. The most frightening part was when he ran into one of the cameramen first thing in the morning. The cameraman had been taking a couple of test shots. However, Xu Jingzhe had yet to even wash his face or brush his teeth. He subconsciously covered his face with his hands and peeked through his fingers. 

“Mr. Xu, here’s the mic.” Xu Jingzhe was handed a small square mic pack which would be pinned to the back of his shirt. His hands were still trembling from his earlier run in with the cameraman.

He confirmed once more with the producer. “Did you guys film me while I was brushing my teeth and stuff? Did it look bad?”

The producer almost died of laughter. “No, not at all. Mr. Xu, you really don’t have a single bad angle.”

Xu Jingzhe obviously didn’t believe him. He knew these guys would say anything to get him to accept the cameras. 

Liang Yu was wearing a white sweatshirt. One of the staff members helped him attach his mic pack. Nowadays, there were all kinds of miniature microphones. Other than the ones on their bodies, there were also microphones hidden nearby in the room. In any case, recording audio wouldn’t be a problem. No matter where they were speaking from, the microphone was sure to be able to pick it up.

Due to Liang Yu’s habit of buying clothes, Xu Jingzhe’s loungewear was all the same brand as his. However, they hadn’t actually discussed what they would be wearing today. Liang Yu wore white, and Xu Jingzhe wore blue. They both wore sweaters, but the details were a little different. The two of them were like blue skies and white clouds, very pleasing to the eye.

The producer asked, “Which one of you will clap us off?”

Xu Jingzhe was once again at a loss. “Clap us off?”

The producer: “Clap your hands and say action.”

Xu Jingzhe finally came to understand. He looked at Liang Yu. Liang Yu carelessly clapped his hands together and called out, somewhat indifferently, “Action.”

“…” Xu Jingzhe kicked him from under the sofa. “Can’t you be a little more serious about this?”

The producers and cameramen all laughed. Xu Jingzhe wasn’t quite sure what was so funny. 

They then began the interview portion of the show. This kind of reality show didn’t really need too many formalities, so the interview was more like a casual conversation. The producer said, “Go ahead and introduce yourselves.”

This time, Liang Yu rushed to answer. “Hello, everyone. I am Liang Yu, Xu Jingzhe’s husband.”

Xu Jingzhe: “…”

He felt that he’d been taken advantage of. Once it was his turn to introduce himself, he had no choice but to force a smile and say, “Hi, everyone. I am Xu Jingzhe, Liang Yu’s … husband.” 

He still wasn’t used to referring to himself as “husband”. He couldn’t help but shoot a glance at Liang Yu. Liang Yu was also staring at him, and their eyes met. Liang Yu actually started to tease him, “Why didn’t you say wife?”

Xu Jingzhe obviously wasn’t going to say that, so he pretended not to hear. He sat ramrod straight, keeping his eyes on the camera.

The producer laughed. “Mr. Xu, you don’t have to be so nervous. No need to keep staring at the camera.”

Xu Jingzhe awkwardly replied, “Okay.” 

The producer: “It won’t be a problem at all. Mr. Xu, you can say anything you want. If you say something that can’t be broadcast, we’ll just edit it out.”

Xu Jingzhe felt relieved. “Oh, that’s good.”

The producer then prompted him, “Do you have anything bad to say about Mr. Liang? Don’t worry. We won’t tell him.” 

Xu Jingzhe blinked. He actually kind of believed the producer when he said that. However, even after thinking it over for a long time, he still couldn’t come up with anything, so he could only say, “I don’t … think so. He’s actually really very cute.”

The producer: “…”

What kind of variety talent did he uncover?! Was this really not an act?! To think that they would be broadcasting this for free!! They were basically doing an act of charity!!

Xu Jingzhe’s individual cut very quickly came to an end, mainly because the producers loved him too much and were reluctant to screw him over. 

Regardless of whether they were a man or a woman, they would all become mom fans in the end. Xu Jingzhe clearly came off as a very serious person. He was earnest about whatever he did. However, that didn’t stop everyone’s gazes and expressions from becoming more and more “affectionate”.

When it came to Liang Yu, the producers weren’t quite so daring. With his temperament and aura, the producers were even willing to call him daddy.

“What do the two of you usually do?” The producer asked cautiously. “When neither of you is working that is.”

Liang Yu seemed to think that there was something wrong with this question. He asked back, “What’s the name of your show?” 

The producer sincerely replied, “Have We Slept Together Today?”

Liang Yu looked at him like he was an idiot. “Why are you asking me then?”

The producer: “…”

Generally, the individual portion of these couples programs would have the couple talk about how they got to know each other, what they like about each other, and other stuff like that. The producers feared that Liang Yu would lose his patience. They asked their questions with fear and trepidation. 

“In your eyes, what kind of person is Mr. Xu?” The producer asked. “What do you like most about him?”

Liang Yu: “Are you saying that you would rank your favorite parts of someone? What comes after most? Second most?”

It took a while for the producer to react. He felt as though he’d been momentarily stunned.

Liang Yu spoke quite casually. “I don’t think you need me to tell you his good parts. It’s already common knowledge.” 

The producer had no choice but to ask, “In that case, what does Mr. Xu mean to you?”

Liang Yu thought about it for a long time. He asked, “Do you know what the solar term Jingzhe means?”

He didn’t care what the producers thought or whether they even understood. He continued, “My family used to be very poor. Since we did farmwork, we had to keep track of the days. Jingzhe’s arrival meant that I’d have to start plowing the fields. I wouldn’t be able to slack off anymore. I would have to work.”

This was the first time that he spoke publicly about his past and his family background. There was actually a lot of gossip about him and his background online, but this was quite literally his very first time addressing it himself. 

“I never liked this solar term before. It meant nothing but suffering and exhaustion to me. I could never get enough sleep or enough food. On top of all that, I’d still get beaten.” Liang Yu paused suddenly when he said this. He looked at the producer and said, “Make sure to cut this part out.”

The producer didn’t even breathe. He could only agree.

Liang Yu seemed to be reminiscing about something. He suddenly laughed. “However, Xu Jingzhe is Jingzhe. He is the first clap of thunder, the first fall of rain of the year.” He looked at the camera in front of him and smiled beautifully. “Once he landed by my side, my whole world became spring.”

Since the individual cuts were filmed separately, Xu Jingzhe didn’t know about what was said at the end. He only knew that the look in the producers’ eyes wasn’t quite right during the second half of the day. He would even go so far to say that their rose colored glasses seemed a little thick. 

The producer was also very considerate and said, “The staff will leave soon, but the equipment will continue recording normally. The two of you can relax and do whatever you like. You don’t need to worry about something getting caught on the cameras. We’ll take care of any issues on our end.”

“?” Xu Jingzhe didn’t understand what he was implying. Was he afraid that they would go to bed right in front of the camera?

The problem is, even if the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak!

Liang Yu, on the other hand, was hoping that they would go away as soon as possible. He and Xu Jingzhe would be able to feel more at ease once they did. Xu Jingzhe was far too conscious about his image. If he hugged him even a little bit, the guy’s first worry would be whether or not his hair was messed up. 

“There are too many cameras.” Xu Jingzhe was still looking around after the others left. He was very troubled. “Why are there so many?”

Liang Yu could only remind him, “Everything you’re saying is being recorded.”

Xu Jingzhe was given a start and covered his mouth. He leaned into Liang Yu’s ear and whispered, “What if I talk like this? Can they still hear it?”

Liang Yu: “…” 

It might have been that Xu Jingzhe’s reaction was just so amusing, so Liang Yu simply took him to search for all the cameras in the villa. The very last camera was found outside the changing room. Xu Jingzhe was a little worried. “Won’t it be able to film us while we change clothes?”

Liang Yu felt that he was worrying over nothing. “It’s fine as long as you don’t take off your clothes.”

Xu Jingzhe stared at the camera, still a little conflicted. Liang Yu looked at him for a while. Suddenly, he said, “Look up.”

Xu Jingzhe slightly raised his head. Liang Yu proceeded to bend his head down and place his lips upon his brow. 

“…” After a while, Xu Jingzhe asked, “Was that caught on camera?”

It wasn’t until later in the evening that Xu Jingzhe got a little more used to the rhythm of a reality show. The housekeeper prepared a meal for the two of them. Xu Jingzhe was still studying the microphone in the middle of the dining table even as they were eating.

Liang Yu put some food in his bowl and said, “Quit staring. It’s not going to record you smacking your lips.”

Xu Jingzhe objected, “I don’t smack my lips.” 

He wasn’t as nervous as he was at the beginning. In the afternoon, there was a period of time in which he didn’t speak at all for fear of saying the wrong thing. Xu Jingzhe almost looked as if he were miming. Liang Yu didn’t have such a burden. He worked out when he wanted to, and he talked when he wanted to. His only issue was that he was a little clingy. He followed after Xu Jingzhe everywhere he went. If the other did anything, he would ask about it.

“Do you want to watch a movie tonight?” Most reality shows typically arranged some sort of activity. It depended on what the guests wanted to do. Xu Jingzhe’s nightlife had never been very rich in content, and watching movies was one of the few things he could bring to the table. His other hobbies were just working out and skincare. Quite frankly, the show would be rather boring if that was all that was included in the cut.

Xu Jingzhe really liked watching movies. Once he finished eating, he went to the audio-visual room to pick out a movie, and, as he was doing so, he realized that there was a camera in the room. He then began earnestly describing each movie to the camera.

“Here is the Sound, Light, and Color trilogy.” He carefully read out the blurb. “I even have it on vinyl.” He then moved to pull out the vinyls. It was as if he was advertising products on a livestream. “It’s worth collecting.” 

Liang Yu walked in to see Xu Jingzhe still chatting to the camera. Neither of his hands were empty. He started with the disc and moved onto the vinyl. In the end, he even started talking to the camera about how to buy a projector.

Liang Yu was a little speechless. “You don’t have to say all that. They’re not going to use all of it.”

Xu Jingzhe had his own logic. “That’s why I talked so much. They have more material to work with.”

Liang Yu watched him pick out a disc and pop it into the projector. Once the dragon logo showed up on screen, Liang Yu realized it looked kind of familiar. He was a little incredulous and asked, “You’re going to watch my movie?” 

Xu Jingzhe was seriously adjusting the atmosphere, sound, lighting, and seating position. He hugged a pillow in his arms and spoke, his voice normal. “I have all of your movies.”

Liang Yu: “All of them?”

Xu Jingzhe nodded firmly. “All of them.”

Liang Yu laughed. He waved Xu Jingzhe over and said, “Sit over here.” 

“Sit where?” Xu Jingzhe asked and obediently stood up. He walked over to Liang Yu, who then took his hand and pulled him into his arms.

“Sit here with me,” Liang Yu said. He complained a bit, “Stop hiding. I can’t kiss you.”

Xu Jingzhe was embarrassed. “It’s filming. Quit it with the kisses.”

Liang Yu didn’t listen to him. He didn’t care if it would mess up Xu Jingzhe’s hair. He just held him in his arms and kissed every inch of his face.