Yuan Ye chose his cow quite well, and the milk production was quite alright. It felt effortless to milk them.
However, this couldn't make up for the fact that he was the only one doing the work. Fang Shaoyi didn't even lift a finger, not even to hold a bucket. In the end, Yuan Ye couldn't get the luxurious room he wanted and asked Fang Shaoyi, "Why didn't you milking?"
Fang Shaoyi glanced at the camera and whispered, "I don't like doing that."
"I like it," Yuan Ye said, laughing at him. "I like it ah? I'm willing to milk a person's...the cow's... milk?"
Fang Shaoyi lowered his eyes and smiled, "I can see that you like doing it."
Yuan Ye thought to himself, what do I like doing? Is it cows that I like to milk?
Cheng Xun and Chi Xing got the luxurious room. They had been squeezing and working hard just now. Yuan Ye joked with them, "Did you two just steal my best cow? If you used my cow, you have to split the reward with me, right?"
Chi Xing had become more familiar with Yuan Ye now and was no longer afraid to speak up like before. He handed the bucket of milk they had just squeezed to Yuan Ye and said, "We can't split the room, so we give you the milk instead."
Yuan Ye smiled and tilted his chin, ignoring him. "Take it away, I don't want it."
The two young men didn't say much in front of the camera, but they came to Yuan Ye privately later. Cheng Xun said, "Brother Yuan Ye, why don't you and Brother Shaoyi share the room? I think he doesn't look too comfortable."
Yuan Ye looked at him, patted his arm, and shook his head. "No need, I understand your intentions."
"It's okay, Little Xing and I can sleep anywhere," Cheng Xun said.
Yuan Ye smiled at him, but still shook his head and said, "No, thank you. I appreciate it."
Yuan Ye had always had a good impression of the two of them. They were not as scheming as other children and had enough emotional intelligence.
They didn't say on camera that they would give their room to Yuan Ye and Fang Shaoyi, which made them even more likable. They could have easily said it in front of everyone during the milk squeezing and room allocation, and even mentioned Fang Shaoyi's discomfort to show their politeness and consideration. The program would have praised them for it.
They were never like that, always very sensible in their dealings. Yuan Ye really liked these kinds of young people, in their early twenties, with such a strong sense of purpose in their actions. But if you were to replace them with one of those young couples who put on a show and play up their personas, Yuan Ye wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut and would definitely fire back.
Ji Xiaotao didn't come along this time, but it didn't really matter since the recording didn't need an assistant like him. After finishing up for the night, Fang Shaoyi lay down to sleep with only Yuan Ye and himself in the tent.
Yuan Ye didn't intend to start a conversation, but it seemed like letting Fang Shaoyi go to sleep wasn't too good. Last time they recorded the show, Ji Xiaotao had already kept nagging and talking for half the night to put in more effort.
Fang Shaoyi had already laid down, but Yuan Ye hesitated before walking over and squatting in front of the low bed. He lightly touched Fang Shaoyi's hair and called out, "Hey."
Fang Shaoyi looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.
Yuan Ye asked, "Are you really going to sleep like this?"
Fang Shaoyi stared at him, his eyebrows raised even higher.
Yuan Ye realized his question was a bit silly. How else would one sleep? It was as if they had something else to do.
Clearing his throat, Yuan Ye said, "It's quite dry over here. Are you really going to sleep like this without even wiping your face?"
After hearing Yuan Ye's question, Fang Shaoyi withdrew his gaze and calmly replied, "Not wiping it."
As he spoke, Yuan Ye couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy. Back when they were still doing well, Fang Shaoyi would often come back exhausted from filming and immediately wash his face and go to sleep. Yuan Ye would playfully sit on top of him and give him a massage, apply lotion and essence.
When Fang Shaoyi was younger, he didn't really bother with these things, but after turning thirty, everyone had to face aging. Even if the body didn't age, the skin definitely wasn't as good as before, so before going to bed, he had to complete these tasks.
Yuan Ye was still squatting there, in an unusually good mood tonight. Maybe it was because he had ridden a horse for a while and felt relaxed, or maybe it was because he had laughed a lot while milking in the afternoon. Anyway, his mood wasn't too dull at the moment.
He touched Fang Shaoyi's head and laughed shamelessly, "Brother Yi, let me wipe your face."
Fang Shaoyi frowned and buried his face in the blanket, muttering, "Why are you so annoying?"
Yuan Ye still smiled, reaching into Fang Shaoyi's suitcase to grab his facial products. As soon as he unzipped it, Fang Shaoyi sat up and said in a low voice, "Don't touch my suitcase."
Yuan Ye froze, his hand still on the luggage, and turned to look at Fang Shaoyi.
Fang Shaoyi stared back at him expressionlessly and repeated, "Don't touch my suitcase."
Yuan Ye blinked slowly, a curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, unsure if it was a smile or something else. He nodded and said, "Okay."
Standing up, Yuan Ye took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets. He then tucked his chin into his coat and buried half of his face in it, feeling the cold metal of the zipper against his nose. Without looking at Fang Shaoyi, he simply said, "Sorry."
"I'm used to being casual," Yuan Ye added. "Don't mind it."
This statement was like a thorn, poking a hole in Fang Shaoyi's heart and leaving behind a painful sting. When you hurt others, you also hurt yourself. After saying this, Yuan Ye walked out with his hands still in his pockets.
The wind outside was a bit chilly. He walked quite far and lit a cigarette against the wind. The smoke was dry and spicy as it entered his throat, causing Yuan Ye to cough. He waved the cigarette in front of him with the hand holding the cigarette, but instead of dissipating, the smoke seemed to increase, swirling around in his vision.
Yuan Ye laughed and turned his head to curse himself in the wind, "...Stupid idiot."
Previously, Fang Shaoyi and Yuan Ye could still put on a harmonious and loving facade in front of the camera. Even though they weren't as clingy as other couples, they were just like that in real life and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
But halfway through filming the next day, even the assistant director couldn't help but ask Yuan Ye, "Yuan-laoshi, what's going on between you and Fang-laoshi?"
Yuan Ye was preparing for sledding, with his head down oiling his sled shoes. Yuan Ye didn't even look up when he asked her, "What's wrong with us?"
"It's just that I feel like you and Fang-laoshi aren't in high spirits," the young director said cautiously. "Did anything happen between you and Fang-laoshi?"
"Nothing happened," Yuan Ye stood up and smiled at her. "Don't worry."
Since the first episode of this program, Yuan Ye has been acting more energetically. He always takes the initiative to stick to Fang Shaoyi, creating a natural on-screen relationship between them and not letting others see through it. Fang Shaoyi's words last night had left Yuan Ye unable to even stir up his own emotions, let alone act in any scenes.
They're just putting on a show. To outsiders, they look like a loving couple, but it's all fake. One word is enough to reveal the true nature of their fake intimacy.
With Yuan Ye's temper, it's already quite difficult to get to this point in the filming. Today, their task is to go sledding. They will first learn from the coach and then have a sledding competition. Everyone is ready and waiting to listen to the coach.
Sledding is not much different from skiing, and several people here should already know how to do it. But for the sake of the show's effect, they have to pretend it's their first time or act like they're not familiar with it. Later, they will intentionally fall a few times to add some humor.
But today, Yuan Ye didn't want to be the monkey performing for others. He put on his gear and quickly darted out. He slid down the slope with a sharp turn and disappeared in a flash.
Chi Xing looked at Yuan Ye with admiration, his eyes shining. He whispered, "Yuan Ye is so cool."
"Whatever game it is, he always disappears in a flash," Lin Tian laughed. "It's a pity that Brother Ye didn't become an athlete."
Fang Shaoyi said, "He never behaves properly. That wild monkey, just ignore him."
Yuan Ye did a turn and when he came back from behind, Fang Shaoyi was slowly sliding down the slope. Yuan Ye had adjusted his state and he accelerated towards Fang Shaoyi's direction.
Fang Shaoyi turned around and saw him coming towards him. He didn't try to dodge to the side, but instead lowered his body slightly to stabilize his center of gravity. Yuan Ye didn't slow down and pounced on Fang Shaoyi from behind with a strong force.
Fang Shaoyi couldn't hold on and they both fell together. Yuan Ye used his strength to roll them both onto the grass onto their side, and despite the awkwardness, they ended up in a rather intimate position.
Yuan Ye laughed like he was crazy for a while, while Fang Shaoyi looked a bit helpless. He patted Yuan Ye's arm and asked, "Are you okay?"
Yuan Ye shook his head, still laughing and panting a little.
Not far away, Cheng Xun saw them fall and started to come over.
Yuan Ye waved his hand to signal that everything was okay.
They had been filming all morning with cold faces towards each other, but now they were rolling around together and it looked pretty good. The young director secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fang Shaoyi patted the crushed leaves off his leg and was about to get up when Yuan Ye grabbed his arm and pulled him towards him. Fang Shaoyi raised an eyebrow as Yuan Ye suddenly leaned in closer.
In fact, Yuan Ye had been holding back his anger all morning. In his opinion, even though they were separated now, they had been together for over ten years and there was no need for either of them to put on a show for the other.
His anger had made it hard for him to focus on acting, but he had gone outside to calm down and now he had to come back and do a good job on the show. If he didn't, it would affect Fang Shaoyi, who was after all a celebrity in the entertainment industry.
But that doesn't mean Yuan Ye can just keep it all in. He can't suppress his anger, and it was making him feel uncomfortable.
Yuan Ye grabs onto Fang Shaoyi's arm, with a smile on his face. Their eyes meet, and the camera captures a very ambiguous and captivating scene. If the program added some background music and made a trailer out of it, it would be perfect.
No one else can hear what Yuan Ye whispers to Fang Shaoyi, but Fang Shaoyi can hear him loud and clear. Yuan Ye's voice is low and he says, "Brother Yi, I don't owe you anything, so stop picking on me. Let's finish recording this program together, or if you don't want to record anymore, we can each go our separate ways.
"My brain must have been filled with drain oil to agree to recording this, taking many wrong steps with this one wrong step."
His tone at the time sounded like he wanted to bite Fang Shaoyi's ear: "I definitely admit that my brain was filled with oil, but I didn't come here to please you. I just... wanted to see you."
A little frog who likes reading. Hope you liked this chapter, and thank you for your support! Coffee fuels my midnight translation binges.
Give me feedback at moc.ebircssutol@tibbir.