Li Baixi followed his junior out of the live broadcast venue and found himself being led into a nearby small bar.

Even though the nightlife had begun, the bar was relatively empty, perhaps due to its remote location and high prices. The junior chose a corner seat and ordered two drinks.

Li Baixi had just been reminded to be wary of Zhang the actor, so he was a bit on guard, unsure if there was a trap waiting for him. As soon as he sat down, he said, “If you have something to say, just say it. Let’s get it over with quickly. I won’t be drinking since I have a flight to catch back to the crew.”

The junior said, “No need to be so tense. We’re just going to talk for a bit. You’ve already won; are you still afraid of me?”

Li Baixi replied, “I’m really scared, actually.”

Despite his words, he didn’t get up to leave.

The junior laughed, “Relax, I won’t oppose you anymore.”

Li Baixi raised an eyebrow, “Really? Just one loss and you’re already discouraged?”

The junior smiled without replying.

The bartender brought the drinks, and the junior picked up his glass, lightly clinking it against Li Baixi’s. “Congratulations on finally waking up.”

Li Baixi got goosebumps. He glanced at the junior and then at the drink. “You didn’t drug this, did you?”

The junior said, “Do I really have that kind of image in your mind?”

Li Baixi replied, “Yes.”

The junior was speechless.

The junior took a sip of his own drink and said, “Back in school, I really hated you.”

Li Baixi responded, “I could tell.”

The junior continued, “You could get praise with a casual drawing, yet you chose to waste your time aimlessly. Everything I sought but couldn’t get, you discarded like trash.”

Li Baixi said, “You have a big misunderstanding about me.”

The junior replied, “You have a big misunderstanding about yourself.”

Li Baixi looked puzzled, “?”

The junior said, “I used to think we were evenly matched, and I wanted to strive to catch up. But you inexplicably closed off your self-expression. You searched high and low for something you already had. At that time, I was jealous of you and looked down on you. I thought the competition before graduation would wake you up. But what path did you take? First, you wore women’s clothes, then you just bent yourself… Do you really think you can deceive yourself?”

Li Baixi didn’t respond, only smiling sarcastically.

The junior noticed Li Baixi wasn’t touching his drink, so he picked it up and took a sip himself, provocatively looking at him, “I know you’re straight.”

“Cut!”

The director applauded Cheng Ping, elated. “Young man, you’ve just completed a highlight of your career. It will become a classic.”

Albert also smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Cheng Ping thanked them. His heart was still pounding, and he felt a bit dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

They had just finished a highly intense scene.

The artist, after becoming successful and joining the ranks of the wealthy, brought Hong to manage his gallery but found himself no longer attracted to the increasingly worldly young man. He inexplicably bought back a painting he had made, hanging it above his bed.

During an intimate moment, his gaze wandered from Hong to the painting and couldn’t look away. He stared intensely at the figure in the painting, reaching the peak.

The artist collapsed on the pillow, closing his eyes to cover up his feelings. Hong sat beside him, looking down at him with no visible emotion. After a long while, Hong lowered his hand to gently touch the artist’s forehead.

During this scene, Cheng Ping’s level of immersion startled even himself. Even now, he still felt a boundless despair in his heart, unable to distinguish whether the emotion belonged to Hong or himself.

Impulsively, he grabbed his phone and sent out a voice invitation like a drowning man grasping at straws.

Li Baixi’s phone, face down on the table, vibrated. Neither of the two at the table paid any attention to it.

The junior stared directly at Li Baixi, “What, really scared? Did I reveal the truth?”

Li Baixi leaned back in his chair, laughing a bit defiantly, “Afraid you’ll stick to me.”

The junior said, “… You think I like you? Then you’re underestimating me. Do you think you can only attract little gay guys who want to bend you? Then you’re underestimating yourself.”

Li Baixi sarcastically said, “I get it. You see yourself as Archbishop Colloredo? André Gide? Or… Plato?”

The junior leaned forward, pressing his hands on the table, staring at him, “You’re losing yourself. The people around you let you play an increasingly false role, which is tantamount to a slow suicide. If you one day run out of talent, today’s defeat will be a real humiliation.”

Li Baixi didn’t respond.

The junior continued, “Face your true self. You don’t need a so-called muse.”

The phone on the table vibrated again. Li Baixi flipped it over and saw it was a call from Cheng Ping.

He immediately answered, “What’s up, dear?”

The junior was speechless.

Whatever was said on the other end, Li Baixi smiled and said, “I’m heading to the airport now, don’t worry, I won’t miss the flight.”

He didn’t hang up, continuing to chat as he waved casually at the junior and got up to leave.

The junior was speechless.

Cheng Ping chatted with Li Baixi for a bit more, and after hanging up, he found himself smiling, his heart settling back into place.

Only at this moment did he feel he had stepped out of the role and returned to being himself.

Lately, it had become increasingly difficult for him to detach from his roles. Perhaps the character of Hong was also a highlight of Li Baixi’s career. Not just in appearance and makeup, but he was decorated right down to his soul.

In front of Li Baixi, he acted carefree, fully enjoying the relationship. He didn’t show anxiety or mention insomnia, fearing to annoy him.

On reflection, this kind of paranoid, dependent state of mind was also a contagion from the character.

Because Li Baixi had never actually wronged him. Just because the other was straight, did he have to constantly doubt his feelings and live every day in a countdown?

He thought, I shouldn’t be this kind of person.

During the two days Li Baixi returned to the competition, the crew finished wrapping up in the United States and then moved to Paris. The upcoming scenes were all to be shot on location. Thus, his return ticket was straight to Paris.

Most of the members were visiting this romantic city for the first time and found it refreshing. In the following days, they took every opportunity to explore between shoots.

Li Baixi didn’t expect Cheng Ping to be the first to invite him out.

“Let’s go for a walk? Enrich our dating experiences, otherwise, there’s no mental connection…”

Li Baixi said, “You’re tired of other forms of connection?”

Cheng Ping kissed him, “We can continue when we get back.”

However, Li Baixi was still worried about Zhang the actor’s matter, not daring to go out alone with him. “Let’s take the assistant with us, just in case we get photographed.”

Ma Koukou refused, “This time it’s a no-go, I’m busy, and I still have to honeymoon with Albert.”

Li Baixi rolled his eyes, “Really can’t keep a grown girl at home. Then Xiao Yang, you come.”

Assistant Yang’s eyelids twitched, reluctantly following them out, feeling like she was brighter than the entire Eiffel Tower’s night lights.

The next day, when Li Baixi tried to drag her out again, she had a strategy ready: “Master, I have a good idea. How about you two go to the Louvre? Looking at paintings doesn’t need any excuse, right?”

Li Baixi thought it was reasonable. So, they chose an afternoon with no shooting tasks, bypassed the wave after wave of tour groups heading straight for the three big pieces, and picked a relatively quiet route, strolling through each gallery slowly.

They didn’t get a guide or rent an audio guide. Li Baixi played the role of the temporary guide.

He was afraid Cheng Ping would lose interest in these artworks, so he only occasionally mentioned some gossip and anecdotes between the artists. Unexpectedly, Cheng Ping listened attentively and even asked questions from time to time.

Li Baixi found it curious, “When did you become interested in art?”

Cheng Ping said, “I want to understand your world.”

Li Baixi was taken aback, looking up at the huge oil painting occupying most of the wall in front of them, “It’s not really my world.”

In the oil painting, the gods continued their dignified battle.

“But…” his gaze shifted to the corner of the wall, where an unremarkable small painting hung. A young peasant couple was working in a kitchen.

Cheng Ping also noticed the scene filled with the smell of ordinary life. They stood side by side in front of it, looking at it for a long time.

Cheng Ping said, “Actually, you have a ready-made theme to paint.”

Li Baixi asked, “What?”

Cheng Ping half-jokingly said, “How about painting a picture of us touring the exhibition?”

Li Baixi laughed, “That would definitely be a masterpiece.”

Seeing no one around, Cheng Ping slipped his hand into Li Baixi’s palm.

Once out of the Louvre, Li Baixi found an unread message on his phone.

It was from Assistant Yang: “Master, take a look at this.” Attached was a link.

He clicked it open and found it was a Weibo post from a marketing account: “Shocking

! A crew member revealed that Cheng Ping is involved with the crew’s makeup artist! These two pretended to be straight men, deceiving their female fans and ex-girlfriends. How is this different from a gay scam marriage?”

The plain Weibo post, with no evidence, naturally attracted a lot of fan ridicule: “The marketing account is trying to ride the wave again. Taking away our Pingping, he’s focused on acting!” “The biggest joke of the century: Cheng Ping is gay.”

However, Li Baixi’s heart sank.

As for himself, it didn’t matter. Cheng Ping’s team had once helped him promote a straight man persona, and that was a fact. If this was Zhang the actor’s move, then he must have a follow-up, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so reckless.

Li Baixi instinctively began to recall if he had exposed any flaws since joining the crew.

… He had been cautious, right?

Even with the junior that time drinking, he should not have said anything incriminating.

Li Baixi thought for a moment and tentatively sent the junior a message: “?”

The junior replied: “?”

Li Baixi: “…”

Zhang the actor’s phone rang. He glanced at his new lover sitting beside him and put the call on speaker.

His sister and manager’s voice came through: “The PR is ready for the next step, we can release it anytime.”

Zhang the actor said, “Then release it.”

After hanging up, he noticed his new lover’s hesitant expression and asked, “What’s up?”

The new lover hesitated, “If you push Li Baixi too hard, with his background, won’t he fight back?”

Zhang the actor sneered, “You’re still too young. No matter how strong his family is in the art world, the fact that he’s working as a makeup artist shows he has no talent and can’t make it in that circle. A strong dragon can’t suppress a local snake. As long as he wants to work in the entertainment industry, he won’t fight back.”

He looked at his new lover, suddenly curious, “Have you had a change of heart?”

The new lover was silent.

Zhang the actor laughed, “Westerners might not care about an actor’s sexuality, but deceiving women is a solid angle, enough to crush Cheng Ping. They are on a strong path to winning awards. If you don’t knock them down, you’ll be the one knocked down. Think carefully, I won’t give you another chance.”

The new lover remained silent.

Zhang the actor asked, “Are you really willing?”

The new lover stayed silent for a long time before shaking his head.

The marketing account quickly released the second wave: “Since fans are causing a stir here, congratulations on getting the proof you wanted.”

They posted a recording.

…

“How do you make someone who thinks they’re a 1 willingly lower their number?”

“If I didn’t misunderstand, you’re implying that you are the 1?”

“What else?”

“Are you saying that self-proclaimed 1 is Cheng Ping?”

“Just talking about the matter, Xiao Cheng has never really experienced it, probably just assuming. Forcing it won’t work, we need to find a way to guide him.”

Marketing account: “Coincidentally, this makeup artist recently did a live broadcast. You can compare whether this is his voice.”