OSM Chapter 36: “Since when have you been so understanding?”

Translator: Abo Dammen

At this moment, He Zhiqiu was indeed a little dazed. When Li Yuze hugged him, his mind went completely blank.

It wasn’t until he stumbled out of Li Yuze’s room that he suddenly remembered something and said, “There seems to be something under your blanket. Be careful when you sleep so you don’t get poked by it.”

Li Yuze let out an “ah,” as if he had only just noticed it thanks to He Zhiqiu’s reminder. He rarely said thank you, but this time he did, and then urged He Zhiqiu to go back to his room and rest early.

Since it wasn’t a big deal, He Zhiqiu didn’t press further. He simply said goodnight and turned to leave.

Li Yuze stood at the door, unmoving, watching He Zhiqiu’s retreating figure through the crack of the door. Only after he saw He Zhiqiu close his own door did he finally let out a soft sigh of relief.

He quietly locked the door and pressed his ear against it to listen for any movement.

After making sure He Zhiqiu wouldn’t come back, he hurried to the bed and lifted the blanket.

Sure enough, there was a photo frame underneath.

Inside the frame was a photo of him and He Zhiqiu from their youth.

When he had opened the door earlier, he had been in a hurry and, afraid that He Zhiqiu might see it, he had casually hidden it under the blanket.

It seemed that this photo couldn’t stay by the bedside anymore.

After all, he had told He Zhiqiu that he had long forgotten the past. He couldn’t let He Zhiqiu know that he actually still remembered.

But… if not by the bedside, where should he put it?

Li Yuze crossed his arms, holding the photo frame against his chest, and paced around the room.

He rummaged through the cabinet for a while, then checked the vase.

Every place he considered felt unsuitable, every spot felt too far away from him.

After thinking for a long time, he decided to dismantle the frame.

Inside the frame, besides the photo of the two of them, there was also a small one-inch photo of He Zhiqiu. This photo had once been kept in his wallet, but after he lost the wallet, he managed to recover the photo.

Li Yuze kissed both photos, which he had treasured for years, and then found a place he deemed most satisfactory to hide them.

The online buzz about the “deleted post” was still ongoing. Not many people had seen it that late at night, but in the following days, the speculation grew more intense. Anyone who paid even a little attention to entertainment news now knew that Li Yuze’s wife was also someone in the industry.

Although this significantly narrowed down the possibilities, there were still no concrete leads. Many netizens, however, let their imaginations run wild and listed a dozen or so of the most suspicious candidates, all of whom had some kind of working relationship with Li Yuze.

Gao Kui had finally finished filming Pingsha and had turned down several follow-up projects to take a month off.

Fang Haochuan planned to welcome him back and invited Li Yuze along. The three of them went to a private restaurant they frequented for a small gathering.

They originally wanted to invite He Zhiqiu, but he had passed his audition. He took a flight last night and went straight to the filming location.

Fang Haochuan took off his suit jacket and poured Li Yuze a cup of tea. “Isn’t your wife’s schedule a bit too packed? One project after another, with no time to rest.”

Li Yuze had gotten a new phone and hadn’t looked up much since entering the room. It was unclear what he was doing. “It’s fine. That’s how it is for newcomers.”

Gao Kui leaned back in his chair, enjoying the aroma of the tea. He opened one eye and glanced at Li Yuze. “Aren’t you worried?”

Li Yuze said, “This is the dream he’s always pursued. He enjoys this work, so why should I be worried?”

Gao Kui was incredulous. “Since when have you been so understanding?”

Li Yuze raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea. “I’ve always been this way.”

His claim of “always being this way” was hardly convincing.

If there were strangers at the table, it might have been different, but the two people sitting with him were his closest friends. They exchanged a look of disbelief.

Fang Haochuan said, “Did you know about the script your wife took on?”

Li Yuze said, “No.”

Fang Haochuan, “So you don’t know about the original subject matter of the script?”

Li Yuze, “No.”

Fang Haochuan, “I’ve looked into this script a bit. It’s not a hugely popular IP, but it fits the tastes of young people today. However, this kind of project can only capitalize on short-term popularity. If Xu Sui has planned it well, that’s one thing, but if there’s even a slight misstep, it could narrow his career path.”

Li Yuze casually hummed in response, still calmly typing on his phone.

Fang Haochuan found his reaction unusual. “Aren’t you worried at all about the potential issues that might arise after he films this drama?”

Li Yuze lazily raised an eyebrow. “What issues?”

Fang Haochuan, “The original subject matter of this drama is related to homosexuality. Although the plot has been heavily adapted, after He Zhiqiu films it, he’ll definitely be tied to the production for promotional purposes. Aren’t you concerned about that?”

Li Yuze put down his phone and looked at him. “Why should I be worried? Even if they use him for promotional hype, that’s the production team’s need. Besides, all of that is fake. Why would I care?”

His stance on this matter was remarkably lenient, giving He Zhiqiu plenty of room to develop his career.

In He Zhiqiu’s eyes, he and Li Yuze might still be in a tentative relationship.

But in the eyes of Fang Haochuan and Gao Kui, He Zhiqiu was clearly the person Li Yuze had loved for over a decade.

They believed Li Yuze wouldn’t interfere too much with He Zhiqiu’s work.

But when it came to emotions, Li Yuze wasn’t the type to be so generous.

At that moment, Meng Lin walked in from outside, holding a phone that was still on a call. He handed it to Li Yuze.

The caller was a director Li Yuze knew. After exchanging a few words, Li Yuze got up and walked out.

Gao Kui was curious about what Li Yuze had been doing on his phone earlier. Now that Li Yuze was gone, he moved to his seat and tapped the screen.

The screen required a password.

But Li Yuze’s phone password was hardly a secret. Gao Kui thought for a moment and entered He Zhiqiu’s birthdate. Sure enough, it unlocked immediately.

On the screen was the profile of a young actor.

Gao Kui looked at it for a few seconds, then glanced up at Fang Haochuan. “Who is Wu Lei?”

“Wu Lei?” Fang Haochuan set down his teacup. “The other male lead in the new drama He Zhiqiu is filming.”

“Oh…” Gao Kui responded, then asked in confusion, “Then why is Li Yuze collecting so much information about this guy dating female celebrities and being kept by wealthy women?”