"How on earth did you end up posting that all of a sudden?" Taking advantage of the moment while Sheng Yiyang was eating his crew-provided boxed lunch, Ji Rong asked with a face full of worry. "Aren't you afraid of him retaliating?"
Sheng Yiyang shoveled down a few mouthfuls of rice, scrolled through the messages on his phone, and said, "Then let him come!"
"Momo can't just stay cooped up at home forever. Sooner or later, I'm going to take him out into the world."
Hearing that last sentence, Ji Rong realized that was the true point of it all.
Their investigation into Ling Chen had begun back during the month Shen Mo spent in the hospital. Furthermore, the content Sheng Yiyang had posted was only half the story; netizens only knew that Ling Chen had stringing Sheng Yiyang along, but they had no idea that Ling Chen had approached Sheng Yiyang with ulterior motives ever since high school.
It was only after Sheng Yiyang filled him in that Ji Rong had launched a deeper investigation.
"Did you take lunch over to Momo?" Sheng Yiyang shoveled up some rice, failing to notice the trace of sympathy in Ji Rong's eyes.
"I delivered it! When I left, he was eating." Ji Rong let out a helpless sigh. According to Sheng Yiyang's original plan, he was supposed to act as Shen Mo's 'babysitter', but Shen Mo was genuinely terrified of him, which was why he was left home alone.
Sheng Yiyang nodded, though his heart still felt unsettled. Just as he was about to make a video call, he heard Director Lin calling his name.
*Oh well! I'll see if I have time to head back tonight.* The moment the thought crossed his mind, Sheng Yiyang tossed his phone to Ji Rong and walked over to Director Lin.
While Sheng Yiyang's filming was going smoothly, things back at home for Shen Mo were not going quite as well.
Shen Mo stared intently at the television as 'Sheng Yiyang' embraced someone, holding hands and stroking her head. After exchanging a few words, he watched as 'Sheng Yiyang' lowered his head and kissed her.
Shen Mo lowered his gaze to the food spread out before him, utterly losing his appetite. He felt a sudden urge to smash that television to pieces.
*"Brother Ye, I like you!"*
Shen Mo listened with a blank expression as the person on the television spoke. What did 'like' mean? He didn't quite understand, but he could clearly see that 'Sheng Yiyang' was overjoyed upon hearing those words, lowering his head once more to kiss the corners of her lips as he replied that he, too, 'liked' her.
If Sheng Yiyang were here, he certainly would have told Shen Mo that it was all fake! They had merely used camera angles.
Unfortunately, Sheng Yiyang was still caught up in the crew's rush to meet their schedule, completely unaware that Shen Mo kept replaying that exact segment over and over, barely touching his food.
"Are you really going back? It's a two-hour drive each way!" Seeing Sheng Yiyang sprint toward the parking lot the moment his scene wrapped, Ji Rong asked anyway, even though he already knew the answer.
Sheng Yiyang merely let out a single "Yeah," then got into the car and drove off in one smooth, practiced motion.
Left standing in a cloud of exhaust fumes, Ji Rong sighed, hailed a taxi back to the studio, and spent the entire ride pondering how he was going to write the upcoming public relations statements.
*Ding—*
It was the sound of the smart lock unlocking.
Crouched on the sofa watching television, Shen Mo stared warily toward the entryway.
Sheng Yiyang pushed the door open, seeing the living room lights switched off, and assumed Shen Mo was already asleep. He even made an effort to tread a bit more quietly while changing his shoes, but after taking a few steps inside, he saw the television still playing. In the flickering light, Shen Mo was curled up on the couch, staring at him in a daze.
"Momo?"
Sheng Yiyang paused, quickly flipping on the light switch, and crossed the room in a few strides to wrap his arms around him. "Why are you still awake so late?" His peripheral vision caught sight of the barely touched meal sitting on the dining table, and his brow instantly furrowed. "Momo, why didn't you eat lunch? You didn't go the whole day without eating, did you? Are you hungry? Should I boil a bowl of noodles for you? It's not right to skip meals like this. I'll worry, Momo..."
Shen Mo looked up at Sheng Yiyang, the steady stream of nagging washing over him. He blinked slightly, reached out a hand to smooth away the furrowed brow, and raised his head to kiss those thin, incessantly moving lips.
Sheng Yiyang froze in surprise. Just as confusion set in, the television on the screen declared "I like you," and when he glanced sideways, he happened to catch the sight of 'himself' kissing someone else's lips.
He couldn't whether to laugh or cry, yet his chest felt flooded with warmth. Before he could speak, Shen Mo leaned in closer and kissed him back.
Sheng Yiyang pulled Shen Mo into his waist, tousled his hair, and affectionately rubbed his lips against Shen Mo's before saying, "Momo, that was fake! I don't like her, I only like you. Sheng Yiyang only likes Momo."
Shen Mo's eyes lit up. He burrowed himself into Sheng Yiyang's embrace, lifting his head to pepper kisses against Sheng Yiyang's face over and over.
He loved hearing Sheng Yiyang say he liked him, and he loved the feeling of pressing close and touching Sheng Yiyang.
Filled with overflowing joy, Sheng Yiyang felt this was a massive step forward for Shen Mo. He pecked Shen Mo's lips a few more times before heading into the kitchen to cook some noodles.
While stir-frying dishes wasn't his strong suit, boiling noodles was well within his capabilities.
Shen Mo followed right on his heels. Once the noodles were out of the pot, Sheng Yiyang even reheated the leftover side dishes and placed them in Shen Mo's bowl.
In return, Shen Mo picked out food for Sheng Yiyang as well, and the two of them—taking turns feeding one another bite by bite—finished off the noodles and cold dishes.
For the month that followed, whenever Sheng Yiyang headed out to film, Shen Mo would reluctantly see him to the door, exchange a parting kiss, and then settle onto the couch alone to watch television. When Sheng Yiyang returned late at night, Shen Mo would calculate the time, standing obediently by the doorway to wait for him, and the moment the door swung open, he would fling himself into Sheng Yiyang's arms for a welcome-home kiss.
Over that month, Ji Rong and Shen Mo grew somewhat familiar with one another. When they had free time, Ji Rong could actually sit and watch television with Shen Mo for an entire day.
Only, Ji Rong privately lamented that he had watched Sheng Yiyang's television drama so many times he was practically ready to throw up from it!
Fortunately, Sheng Yiyang finally wrapped up his scenes!
Director Lin wasn't surprised in the slightest when Sheng Yiyang turned down the wrap party; after all, everyone on the crew knew that no matter how late filming ran, Sheng Yiyang had to go straight home every single day!
Relying on sheer intuition, Du Yiyang sensed that Sheng Yiyang had something going on in his personal life, but no matter how hard he tried to pry, he couldn't dig up a single thing! In the end, he even told his manager to keep a closer eye on him—sooner or later, he was going to uncover the truth!
Upon returning home, Sheng Yiyang held Shen Mo and slept for a whole day because he was simply too exhausted. This scared Shen Mo so much that he kept rubbing his forehead against Sheng Yiyang's to check if he had fallen ill.
"Good boy, Momo~ I'm fine, I just want to hold Momo~" Sheng Yiyang wrapped his arms around Shen Mo's slender waist, resting his head in the crook of Shen Mo's shoulder.
Shen Mo's brows curved gently as he raised a hand to stroke Sheng Yiyang's hair.
Sheng Yiyang let out a soft chuckle, shifted his grip on Shen Mo, and kissed his lips.
Following his instincts, Shen Mo pressed even closer to Sheng Yiyang, deeply fond of the feeling of being held in his arms.
"Be a good boy~ I'm going to take a shower first, and then I'll take Momo out to have some fun, okay?" Sheng Yiyang straightened up, putting a little distance between them, his voice raspy.
Uncomprehending, Shen Mo tried to lean forward again, only for Sheng Yiyang to firmly hold him by the shoulders. "Be a good boy, Momo~"
Looking bewildered, Shen Mo watched Sheng Yiyang head toward the bathroom, tilting his head with a slow blink of his eyes.
Inside the bathroom, Sheng Yiyang let out a ragged breath, mentally berating himself while repeating over and over: *Momo doesn't understand anything! Anything at all!*
Listening to the sound of rushing water from the bathroom, which seemed accompanied by some other strange noises as well, Shen Mo furrowed his delicate brows, trotted over to the bathroom door, and gave it a knock.
"Mm... Don't rush, Momo, I'll be right out."
Shen Mo stood right outside the doorway with a worried look on his face, turning the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. He could clearly tell that Sheng Yiyang's voice sounded different!
The bathroom door was slapped with sharp thuds. Just as Shen Mo was about to burst into tears of anxiety, the bathroom door swung open. Sheng Yiyang was still damp with cool droplets of water, hastily draped in a bath towel.
Shen Mo threw himself straight into Sheng Yiyang's arms, startled by the chill radiating from him, and hurriedly stood on tiptoe to rub his forehead against his.
Sheng Yiyang wanted to push Shen Mo away, but found he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could only wrap his arms around Shen Mo's waist, letting him rub his forehead against him, before finally lowering his voice, "Momo promised to go out and have fun with me, didn't you?"