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As soon as the livestream ended in the hotel room, Zhang Zhexu turned to him without waiting a beat.
He didn't say anything.
Mi Jin blinked his big eyes innocently as he got an indiscernible once-over from the man beside him, after which Zhang Zhexu raised his head, his gaze sharp as he regarded his assistant.
"Mengmeng, please be more careful in the future, will you?"
"No, it's my fault, I didn't tell anyone until now. I probably just ate something off during breakfast. Mengmeng, pack up, we'll leave soon."
As Mi Jin spoke, he casually reached for a cherry, but the cherry was instantly snatched away from him in less than half a second.
Mengmeng nodded to both of them as he dismantled the lighting equipment alongside Ms. Qian; he understood the reason for Zhang Zhexu's concern and thus didn't feel offended.
If they were just ordinary business partners, this level of scrutiny would seem strange and completely unnecessary. After all, he only needed to be responsible to Mi Jin, and there was no need to report to his colleague. But the relationship between these two had long surpassed ordinary fan service, and they were practically like a married couple, even he could see that.
Mi Jin didn't bring much with him, so packing up was easy: lights, charging cables, the hat he wore when he arrived, and the newly bought medicines, of course. At Zhang Zhexu's request, Mengmeng also packed up some of the food on the table that didn't need refrigeration, completely ignoring Mi Jin's look that signaled him to pack the fruit Zhang Zhexu had prepared for him. Mi Jin may be his boss, but he was clearly not the boss of this household.
Mengmeng laid out Mi Jin's jacket for him on the chair, said goodbye to them and told Mi Jin to come find him near the hotel lobby. Ms. Qian followed suit after taking note of the current mood in the room, leaving her task halfway. It was best to let those newlyweds enjoy their time together as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhexu's attitude became even more assertive. He picked Mi Jin up in a princess carry and gently placed him on the bed, then sat beside him, slowly massaging his stomach where he’d placed the two hand warmers. There was a hint of pain in his eyes, as if he couldn't bear for Mi Jin to experience any discomfort.
"Zhexu~"
"Hmm?"
"Happy New Year."
A brief silence. Zhang Zhexu's hand paused for a moment, then he leaned down and gently kissed his forehead.
"Happy New Year," he whispered, lips moving to Mi Jin’s.
An indescribable warmth sprang forth between them as they welcomed the new year together, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of cherries and homemade sugar cookies.
"I don't want to leave," Mi Jin breathed out, once his slightly swollen lips were released from the extremely long kiss.
Zhang Zhexu didn't answer, but simply lay down beside him, burying his face in the crook of Mi Jin's neck while his arms wrapped tightly around his waist, trying to transfer the warmth to his skin more effectively.
“Let go of me, I'm hungry. Want more fried chicken.”
Zhang Zhexu's expression darkened immediately, and he gripped him even tighter.
"Sometimes I really want to lock you up," he said, without a trace of humor in his voice.
Mi Jin giggled. "Okay, Xu Zang, would you dare to say that during a livestream?"
“What shall I do with you, huh?”
“Get me some water.”
“Wait.”
It was a little comical how Zhang Zhexu lost his fangs immediately as he got up from the bed in search of the room temperature water that he’d asked his assistant to bring halfway through their livestream.
Mi Jin wanted to make another joke, but seeing the expression on Zhang Zhexu's face when he handed him an opened bottle, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
“Jinjin, you have to tell me, okay? Let Mengmeng get the medicine, or tell me, and I'll order it online for you, but you must take your medicine on time and take your health more seriously."
Mi Jin was instantly reminded of the time that he had given the same lecture to Zhang Zhexu when he'd caught that terrible cold back in Yancheng.
So, is that how he feels now?
"Okay~ But I really thought it was nothing serious, until I told you..."
"Doesn't matter whether it's big or small, you have to tell me even if it's a scratch or a paper cut."
Mi Jin leaned in slightly and pecked him on the cheek. "Okay." He thought to himself, was his stomach aching now because of the butterflies fluttering within? He liked being scolded like this; it was the best proof of Zhexu's care for him. He could never resist the meticulous attention his boyfriend showed only to him.
Zhang Zhexu relented a soft smile as he moved to hug him close again, and with that smile, Mi Jin could hardly believe that they had only known each other for about a year.
Mi Jin felt incredibly safe being protected like this. He had felt this way ever since they got together as Zi'ang and Shuhe on set and even now, his only wish was for things to remain this way forever. He wanted to stay in Zhang Zhexu’s warm embrace all night long, cocooned by the strong arms that shielded him from the cold, shielded him from the entire world around them.
“Do you want me to order some porridge for you now? Although you didn't have a lot, this food really isn't suitable for you,” Zhang Zhexu murmured, gesturing towards the table.
Mi Jin didn't reply, just looked up at him with stars in his eyes.
“I missed you so much.”
“…I missed you too, guaiguai.” Zhang Zhexu kissed him several times on the face until he chuckled softly. Then, Mi Jin also ruffled Zhang Zhexu's hair, stroking him affectionately like a puppy.
Between preparing for the fan meeting, photoshoots, and constantly dealing with the logistics of their jam-packed schedules, they had almost no time to themselves in Qingdao. The trip to the beach felt like a dream; only the cold wind whipping their faces served as a reminder that it was all real. Mi Jin’s heart had sunk just a few hours earlier when he’d realized that he’d be too late to make it in time to the beach they wanted to go to because of his delayed flight, but they’d still made their wish come true despite all obstacles.
He’d made another wish just then: that they would always be able to come back to each other like this, despite any amount of distance separating them.
Zhang Zhexu laid both of them down on the bed again and covered them with the fluffy blanket, holding Mi Jin in his arms.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Mm, it's okay, I was just kidding. I don't feel like it right now, I’ll order some light soup or congee in my room.”
"Okay."
A few minutes later, Zhang Zhexu started playing with his hand again, pressing down firmly on the acupressure points between his thumb and index fingers to help alleviate some more of his pain.
They stayed like that for a while, and Mi Jin slowly counted till ten in his mind before he spoke again. "It's getting late, Xuxu..." He didn't want to remind him, but he had to. Although he didn't have any filming tomorrow, he knew there were probably people waiting outside the hotel. It was already past one in the morning, and he had to leave immediately to avoid any rumors.
"Stay a little longer. Don't move around when you're in pain." Zhang Zhexu said in a voice that brooked no argument, holding him even tighter in a vice-like grip, their heartbeats closely pressed together.
Mi Jin didn't have it in him to put up a defense. The warmth was too easy to melt into.
"I'll miss my personal heated blanket in that room. Why can't I just take you with me?"
Zhang Zhexu kissed him again. “Shh, close your eyes.”
Mi Jin complied, and in the next moment felt a warm breath caress his cheek. Gentle kisses landed on the center of his forehead, on the space between his brows, on his eyelids, on the bridge of his nose, his Cupid's bow, and his chin.
“So pretty,” Zhang Zhexu said, and Mi Jin's breath caught on an exhale. “Feeling any better?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don't know. Kiss me again.”
Zhang Zhexu chuckled softly, shaking his head, but bent down obediently, expertly parting his lips with the tip of his tongue. This kiss was deeper than any previous ones, and it was a good thing Mi Jin was already lying down because it would have surely made his knees buckle. He didn’t respond passionately, content to simply lie there and enjoy his boyfriend’s complete conquest of his lips.
After a considerable amount of time had passed, Zhang Zhexu finally let go of his lips with a pop and stood up, straightening himself up with a dopey grin.
“That's all you're getting. If I kiss you anymore, I'll forget everything else, including all the lines I memorized for tomorrow.”
Mi Jin smiled.
“I'll come with you to get your makeup done, and we’ll go to the set together,” he said as Zhang Zhexu maneuvered both of his arms into his jacket sleeves.
“Will Jinjin-laoshi be my assistant this time?”
“Of course.”
“What if I'm too high maintenance for you?”
“Hah, just try it.”
He wanted to say something else, like how he would be such a great assistant, but with the way Zhang Zhexu was busy smoothing his hair and fixing his crooked tie, the joke would definitely fall flat and turn on him instead.
When it was time for him to go, Zhang Zhexu fussed over his collar a bit more before pressing close one final time. “Jinjin. Thank you,” he said, cupping his face with his hands.
“For what?”
For arranging everything with Yu-laoshi, for making me these delicious cookies, for saving the cherries, and for… just for being your amazing self as always.”
“You liked it that much?” Mi Jin asked, pointing to the half-empty packets of cookies lying on the table.
“I loved it. I adore it. All of it.” The “I love you” wasn't spoken out loud, but it was clearly written all over his eyes. “You're my lucky charm.”
“Then you should keep me by your side forever.”
“I plan to. The reins are in your hand, though. I meant what I said before, when I said don't let me leave you.”
“Living up to your name and trying to be all philosophical, huh?”
“Hmm.”
“Ouch,” Mi Jin deadpanned, because this silly man was busy pinching and playing with his cheeks.
“Call me if it hurts or if you can't sleep tonight, okay?”
“You know I wanted to ask, 'Do I have to be sick for you to contact me so much?' but you've been texting me nonstop the entire past month...”
“Didn't you tell me to be more clingy? I've just been practicing my New Year's resolution in advance.”
They lingered around the door, exchanging a few more playful remarks, before Zheng Zhexu finally unlocked it with a sigh.
“I'll drop you.”
“Mengmeng just texted. Says there are a lot of people.”
“It's okay. Let's go, baby,” Zhang Zhexu grabbed his hand with one hand and grabbed his coat with the other.
As Mengmeng had said, there were indeed too many people downstairs, and Zhang Zhexu couldn't even get close to his taxi.
This caused Mi Jin to helplessly glance back with every step he took, even as Mengmeng kept urging him to get in the car.
“Zhexu,” he rolled down the window and couldn't help but say in a slightly pleading tone. Although they'd gone through the usual motions of collecting letters and replying to fans, their eyes had never left each other.
In a sea of people, all I can see is you.
They kept waving to each other even as the car began to move.
We've said goodbye too many times in our last few meetings. At least this is only a temporary one. At least I still get to see you again tomorrow.
This was precisely the reason why he'd asked Yu Zheng for a favor, and thankfully, his boss had agreed to it. The wish he had just made while blowing out the candle flashed in his mind. He'd wished for health, happiness, and good fortune for himself and all the people he loved, just like last year, but this time there was one more wish, a wish that encompassed all his wishes since he met him: "To always be together, no matter what happens."
金金金金金 (2:04 AM)
you'll regret putting the reins in my hand
because i will never let you go
旭zang (2:04 AM)
:)
No regrets
That’s exactly what I want
旭zang (2:05 AM)
Call me once you reach
Order some plain porridge, take your medicine and go to bed right after
Ask the receptionist for a heating pad before you go up to your room
金金金金金 (2:06 AM)
???? aren't you forgetting something else
旭zang (2:06 AM)
I love you <3
And, as Mi Jin braved the shivering cold on his day off at around the same time the next day just to drape a jacket over an inconspicuous actor on the crowded set where he was filming his newest drama, it was obvious that he'd given his response.