Fate, Wonderful and Unspeakable.

Cheng Ping and Li Baixi stared at each other, their minds blank for a moment.

Outside their stall, the intense activity continued.

Li Baixi finally came to his senses and signaled with his eyes: Let’s leave.

Cheng Ping, dazed, nodded.

Just as they were about to make a tactical retreat, the noise outside started to die down.

The restroom fell silent. Cheng Ping was frozen, unsure whether to move forward or retreat.

After a few seconds, Actor Lu’s hoarse voice broke the silence: “I think I heard something just now.”

Li Baixi and Cheng Ping held their breath.

Finally, they heard the other person’s voice: “You’re just too nervous.”

Li Baixi suddenly realized and glared at Cheng Ping, pointing at his feet. Cheng Ping also realized he was about to be exposed and panicked.

Actor Lu: “The lock on this restroom doesn’t seem very secure. If someone sees us…”

Desperate, Cheng Ping tried to hide by sitting on the toilet seat with Li Baixi. The small toilet seat couldn’t fit two people. In a critical moment, Li Baixi put down his legs and pulled Cheng Ping onto his lap.

Both tried hard to keep their feet off the ground.

The other person seemed to pause, then said, “Relax, no one’s here.”

By now, their positions were incredibly awkward.

Cheng Ping’s legs were hanging in the air, and to keep his balance, he had to lean back against Li Baixi, stretching out a foot to gently push the stall door closed.

Just as he finished this, the person in the farthest stall came out.

Li Baixi and Cheng Ping watched through the gap as Actor Lu walked to the sink to tidy himself up.

A tall man with an imposing presence followed behind him. Judging by his appearance, it was hard to believe he would engage in such behavior here.

The man kissed Actor Lu’s ear from behind: “You’ve got a mark on your clothes.”

Actor Lu looked down and sighed: “How am I supposed to explain this later?” He resignedly began to wash it.

While the two men checked their appearance, Cheng Ping’s muscles began to ache from holding his position.

He could still hold on, but Li Baixi was struggling to bear both their weights, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Cheng Ping pulled out his phone and, with lightning speed, typed a line, showing it to Li Baixi: “What now?”

Li Baixi, with one hand supporting himself and the other holding Cheng Ping around the waist, took the phone and typed back with one hand: “Was the door locked when you came in?”

Cheng Ping: “I locked it again.”

Li Baixi: “Text the director. Say I’m not feeling well and you’re taking me back. Then come back later.”

Cheng Ping instinctively followed the instructions without analyzing them.

Cheng Ping: “And then?”

Li Baixi: “Pray.”

Cheng Ping: “…”

Cheng Ping: “Why are you here?”

Li Baixi: “Long story. You?”

Cheng Ping: “Long story. You first.”

Li Baixi summarized: “Thought he was hitting on you, came to save you.”

Cheng Ping: “And this is how you save me? Eavesdropping?”

Li Baixi: “And you? Kink?”

Cheng Ping: “I wanted to save you too!” He even censored himself in text, a habit from gaming to avoid filters.

Li Baixi: “…”

Fate, wonderful and unspeakable.

They didn’t need to ask each other why they didn’t kick the door open directly. They knew their thought process was the same: since the other person hadn’t made a sound, they couldn’t be sure who it was.

Cheng Ping’s reason slowly returned, finally recognizing their current situation.

Li Baixi’s chest was pressed against his back, the rapid heartbeat transmitting directly and overlapping with his own chaotic pulse. The hairs on his neck were constantly brushed by Li Baixi’s breath, leaving a slight itch.

He had always known he was gay but had never experienced such a position.

Li Baixi felt Cheng Ping suddenly stiffen, his ears visibly turning red.

But he couldn’t focus on that now. He was on the verge of collapsing, cold sweat dripping down.

Li Baixi’s legs trembled as he briefly touched the ground before lifting them again.

At that moment, Actor Lu spoke: “Boss, can you check if there are any more marks?”

Boss?

Li Baixi: “So he’s the one being pursued.” He needed to type to distract himself.

Cheng Ping also needed a distraction: “Can’t it be true love?”

Would true love need to sneak around the crew for a quickie? Li Baixi thought Cheng Ping was still too naive: “Being pursued.”

Cheng Ping: “True love.”

Outside, the man said: “No more.”

Actor Lu pulled a paper towel and dabbed at his clothes, complaining: “You always pick the worst times.”

Man: “If I wait until filming starts, I won’t see you for months. Spending time with the young crew.”

Actor Lu softened: “I don’t.”

Cheng Ping: “True love.”

Li Baixi: “Pursued.”

Actor Lu finished cleaning and headed towards the door with the man.

As they passed the slightly closed stall, Actor Lu’s gaze casually fell on the gap, and the two inside turned to stone.

The man coincidentally shifted, blocking Actor Lu’s view: “Can you come home next month? Even if not for me, for our son.”

They walked away, Actor Lu’s voice echoing: “For both of you, of course…”

Inside.

Cheng Ping: “True love.”

Li Baixi: “Stop with the true love. Get up.”

Cheng Ping quickly jumped up: “Are you okay?”

Li Baixi also stood and shook his legs: “I’m fine.”

“Didn’t know you had this stamina.” Cheng Ping said, realizing something was off. “We better go before Actor Lu notices we’re gone and comes looking…”

Li Baixi calmly said: “Too late.”

Cheng Ping: “?”

Footsteps approached. The restroom door opened again, and someone walked straight to their stall, kicking the door open.

The man from earlier stood there, face stern: “What are you doing?”

Cheng Ping: “We…we…”

Li Baixi suddenly wrapped an arm around Cheng Ping’s waist, nestling against him.

Cheng Ping shivered.

Li Baixi’s long hair half-covered his face as he shyly said: “We didn’t see anything. So you didn’t see anything either, okay?”

The man: “…” Who is this freak?

Li Baixi knew the man wasn’t someone easy to deal with. Instead of making futile promises to keep quiet, he offered something in exchange, giving the man some leverage.

Sure enough, the man just said: “Lu Xian is thin-skinned. Don’t tell him.”

Cheng Ping was eager to agree: “We promise.”

The man nodded and left.

Li Baixi released Cheng Ping.

Cheng Ping was stunned.

Li Baixi: “Let’s go. Since you told the director you’re taking me back, you should really do it. Otherwise, it won’t match the story.”

Cheng Ping followed like he was in a dream.

It struck him that it had been a while since Li Baixi had acted with him like that.

And he had never realized he was being treated differently.

The restaurant was close to the crew’s hotel, so they walked.

Cheng Ping started to feel he knew too little about Li Baixi.

Li Baixi knew all about his past, but he didn’t even know why Li Baixi was so good at drawing.

Cheng Ping: “Did you study art?”

Li Baixi: “I studied for about eighteen or nineteen years. Why do you ask?”

Cheng Ping: “Why did you become a makeup artist?”

There it was, the question.

Li Baixi decided to be honest: “One day, I realized I didn’t have anything I wanted to draw. To put it simply, I was too ordinary.”

Cheng Ping frowned: “That’s not fair. If you have nothing to draw, you should look for inspiration. Then, when you find it, go back to drawing.”

It was the first time someone had interpreted it this way, and Li Baixi smiled: “That makes sense.”

Cheng Ping suddenly remembered a concern. Maybe it was the shared hardship tonight, or perhaps it was an inexplicable irritation he couldn’t shake. He hesitated but finally asked impulsively: “Your junior said you’ve always been competing. Is that true?”

Mentioning his junior, the atmosphere cooled.

Li Baixi answered factually: “We have some theoretical differences. His ego always takes precedence over the model, like that blue peacock makeup. If he used it on another actress, he would do it exactly the same. Regardless of age or face shape, he only cares about expressing himself.”

Li Baixi hesitated and subtly shifted the conversation: “For example, your eye makeup. He redid it, right? His style is too strong.”

Cheng Ping was surprised: “You can tell? I didn’t even notice a difference.”

Just that one sentence.

That was enough: Cheng Ping wasn’t retaliating.

Li Baixi felt completely relieved.

Bringing up old issues was pointless now, so he didn’t mention what happened later, just said: “His eyebrow work and high-saturation eye makeup don’t suit everyone. On your face, my original version was better.”

Cheng Ping sensed a hint of jealousy.

But oddly, he didn’t mind.

Li Baixi continued: “Take the eyebrows. They don’t match your face shape. From the front, it’s okay, but from another angle, your forehead looks wider…”

Talking about technical issues, Li Baixi couldn’t stop.

Cheng Ping didn’t understand much, but he realized Li Baixi’s words were aimed at his junior, not at him.

The words of the junior echoed in his mind: “We regret dragging others into our competition…”

The jealousy seemed to intensify.

“Some actors’ looks fluctuate greatly depending on the makeup artist. It might not sound great from me, but if you hire my junior…”

Cheng Ping suddenly snapped: “I didn’t hire him. He came to me!”

Li Baixi: “Ah? I wasn’t specifically talking about that time…”

Cheng Ping: “How can you keep talking about that petty person? Are you blind?”

Li Baixi was stunned, not understanding Cheng Ping’s reaction.

Instinctively, he tried to lighten the mood: “Are you jealous?”

A bolt from the blue.

Cheng Ping was struck silent, staring at Li Baixi.

Cheng Ping thought: Am I jealous?

Li Baixi, seeing no reaction, started to worry.

Li Baixi thought: Is he jealous?

Time stood still.