Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 95 : Hellish Mission (4)

Chapter 95: Chapter 95 : Hellish Mission (4)

Yan Renzhong pulled a chair and sat down facing Shen Jingwei.

He stared at the basin of warm water with such longing eyes that Shen Jingwei just had to ask.

"Uh," Shen Jingwei cleared his throat. "Would you like to soak your feet as well?"

"Yes."

Yan Renzhong needed not be asked twice. He put his feet into the water basin as well, almost causing the water to overflow from the edge.

A contented sigh escaped his lips as he too savored the soothing sensation.

"Oh, that was good."

Despite its size, the basin barely accommodated both pairs of feet. Shen Jingwei tried to create more space by sliding back against the wall, but his efforts were futile as his feet slid forward and bumped into Yan Renzhong’s feet.

"..."

They locked gazes only to look away after a mere second.

"Do your feet hurt very much?" Yan Renzhong asked.

Shen Jingwei chuckled softly.

"I am not that soft. I can still work tomorrow," Shen Jingwei said in reply.

"That’s good."

"... And you?"

Shen Jingwei gave Yan Renzhong’s previously sprained ankle a slight nudge.

"Not my worst injuries," Yan Renzhong said. "I hurt myself a lot more when I was working at my father’s farm."

This new knowledge startled Shen Jingwei somewhat.

Yan Renzhong never liked to talk about his life before he started his acting career, and Shen Jingwei was not the kind of person who liked to stick his head in other people’s business.

In the end, he did not know much about the person he loved.

Looking back, that was probably a mistake.

Love, this intangible emotion, served as a poor foundation for a relationship.

How ironic that he knew Yan Renzhong better now after they were separated for over three years.

"So your family had a farm," Shen Jingwei concluded.

"Not as big as this one," Yan Renzhong said. "It was approximately the size of Uncle Wang’s farmhouse. We cultivated a variety of vegetables, tended to a flock of chickens and ducks, and even had a small fish pond. I used to keep a dog when I was small."

Yan Renzhong’s eyes grew misty when he recalled his childhood.

"My father was a good man," he said. "He might not have much, but he dedicated himself fully to his wife and son. I remember him as a loving father and a patient teacher."

"My condolences," Shen Jingwei murmured. "It must have been hard."

"Probably not as hard as it was in your case," Yan Renzhong said. "It had been too many years since he was gone. I was only ten back then."

"... Oh."

They both lost their fathers.

Shen Jingwei couldn’t help but ask.

"Is your mother living well?"

Yan Renzhong shook his head.

"My mother passed away several years ago as well."

"..."

So Yan Renzhong, he...

He was all alone.

He had no one else in his life.

At least Shen Jingwei still had his mother and Dou Dou around.

Yan Renzhong must be so lonely.

Shen Jingwei sighed.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss," he said.

Yan Renzhong shook his head slightly before switching the topic back to farming.

"So yes, when I was a child, I used to help my father in the vegetable field. I knew how hard it was during harvest and re-planting season.

My father used to help out in other people’s fields as well when they needed help. And I used to tag along as his little helper."

"Oh..."

Shen Jingwei nodded apprehensively.

"I see."

The water in the basin gradually cooled down as the heat carried the throbbing pain in their feet away.

Yan Renzhong removed his feet from the basin.

"If you want more, I can heat water a second time," Shen Jingwei offered.

Yan Renzhong shook his head.

"No need," he said. "It was enough. Thank you."

Shen Jingwei shrugged. He picked up the water basin, poured the water away in the sink, and washed it.

It was a pity that the camera crew did not capture their moments of connection. Then again, so Shen Jingwei mused, Yan Renzhong had always been a private person.

He most likely did not want strangers finding out about his past.

If he had wanted to share, the story would have been written in some tabloids or magazines.

After he finished, Shen Jingwei walked back into his bedroom. He registered with joy that he was no longer limping.

Nothing worked more magic than some hot water!

Morning arrived after only a few more hours of rest.

Their guest rooms were not equipped with own bathrooms, thus they had to all line up for a quick shower in the morning.

There was an unwritten rule that all men had to adhere to -- ladies bathed first.

Several reasons necessitated this arrangement, among which the prevailing although unfounded fact that men were but dirty swines who always left bathrooms in state of disarray upon their exit.

The men did not mind taking their showers after the ladies, really, but a tiny problem irked them every morning.

"Ruoye...!"

Feng Jietang banged at the bathroom door.

"Can you please hurry? Just get out of the bathroom in a towel or something. We all need to take showers!"

Lin Ruoye did not deign to give an answer and chose to ignore Feng Jietang instead. It was Shen Jingwei who gave the man a commiserating pat on the shoulder.

"Ladies take their time in the bathrooms, and gentlemen should not rush them."

Feng Jietang pursed his lips.

"We all need to get pretty before the camera. Including me."

"You are pretty enough as you are," Shen Jingwei assured him. "Don’t worry."

Feng Jietang grinned from ear to ear.

"Did you just call me handsome???" He asked. Shen Jingwei could almost see an imaginary tail at Feng Jietang’s rear side, wagging excitedly from side to side.

"Hey, handsome man," Yan Renzhong called out with a mocking tone. "Brush your teeth and eat breakfast first. Don’t disturb the ladies."

Feng Jietang groaned.

Before long, the door behind him clicked open and Lin Ruoye stepped out of the bathroom, looking as prim and proper as a farm girl posing for a magazine cover.

"I am so sorry, Senior Feng," she said with a toothy smile. "Please go ahead."

And yet before Feng Jietang could take a step toward the bathroom, Yan Renzhong went ahead of him.

"Ladies first, then the seniors," he quipped before closing the door at Feng Jietang’s face.

Feng Jietang was literally boiling with rage.

"Yan. Ren. Zhong!" He hissed at the door to no avail.

------------------

Author’s note :

Mini theater!

Emperor Yan, Empress Shen, King Feng, and the royals went off to spend several days cultivating at a scenic area.

Problems arose when Emperor Yan and King Feng fought for the best cultivation spot.

Emperor Yan : I am the Emperor so I have to go first.

King Feng : I am the King so I have to go first.

Empress Shen : I am pregnant so I have to go first.

Emperor Yan, King Feng, and everyone else : (⁠⑉⁠⊙⁠ȏ⁠⊙⁠)...

Empress Shen : That was a joke, you idiots (⁠ノ⁠ಠ⁠益⁠ಠ⁠)⁠ノ⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻