Extra (iii): All the Way “West”
Edited: 12.24.2023
The surrounding fans burst into a screaming commotion of shock and worry. The staff at the back were also alarmed at the situation and immediately wanted to go down to save him, but Jiang Liushen floated himself up first.
He paddled two or three times and quickly swam to the side of the boat. He held on, wiped off his face full of icy water, and calmly said: “Get to the shore first.”
Once they were on shore, all the accompanying staff immediately helped him take off his heavy wet clothes and put on a windproof coat. They found a hotel nearby and had him enter a room with a heater and take a hot bath as they went to find a doctor. No one dared to make a single mistake.
It was only when they saw that he was fine that everyone was finally relieved. The next step was to notify the director to post a PR blog, because there were many fans around during the filming and the incident of Jiang Liushen falling into the river may have been posted online. If it was not explained clearly that it was an accident, the fans would probably explode at the crew.
Xia Xi’ai didn’t have time to think about this. He stayed with Jiang Liushen nervously from beginning to end, handing him towels, wiping his hair, and even following him into the bathroom, fearing that he would faint in there.
Jiang Liushen seemed to be in good spirits except for the fact that his lips were a little pale from the cold. But Xia Xi’ai knew that he had stomach issues, causing him to be naturally afraid of cold and he usually rarely caught colds. However, after suffering such a severe freeze today, even if he didn’t show it on his face, he was definitely feeling very uncomfortable.
“It’s all my fault.” Xia Xi’ai dried his hair and his eyes became a little red. There were no outsiders and no cameras in the room at this moment so he didn’t need to worry about anything. He leaned forward and hugged Jiang Liushen. Even after taking a hot shower, his skin was still a little cold.
“If I had known that this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have come in the first place……”
Jiang Liushen scraped his nose: “Who could have known? If I had known that I would fall into the water and make my baby feel so guilty, I wouldn’t have come.”
Xia Xi’ai was amused and blushed slightly: “You’re already like this yet you’re still trying to act strong……”
“It’s not that serious, aren’t I fine?” Jiang Liushen reached out to hold the plush balls on both sides of Xia Xi’ai’s hat and covered his own two ears, looking exceptionally funny: “Of course, if the kiddo is willing to help me, it’ll be even better.”
Xia Xi’ai hesitated for a second: “……How should I help?”
When Jiang Liushen saw that he actually agreed, he immediately held the person and turned around as they both fell onto the soft bed. He buried his head into the crook of his neck and deeply inhaled a big mouthful of warm fragrance.
“Just let me warm up.”
Near evening, the other two groups successfully completed their tasks and returned to the hotel. The program team thought that one afternoon would be enough time to rest, so they went to the hotel that Jiang Liushen was temporarily staying at for a check-in, and if they were okay, they could return together.
The staff members who were waiting outside in the lobby went upstairs together. They walked to the room and knocked on the door. They thought Xia Xi’ai would open the door, but it turned out to be Jiang Liushen.
“Heading back now?” He asked.
The staff nodded dumbly.
“Okay, I’ll go wake him up.” Jiang Liushen headed back inside.
Ten minutes later, Xia Xi’ai, who was still asleep with reddened cheeks, came out with him. His hair was still a little frizzy and a few strands were sticking out. Jiang Liushen smoothed it down for him and helped him put on his hat again: “Why were you sleeping so deeply?”
“It’s all because of you……” Xia Xi’ai muttered.
He didn’t sleep well last night when he was alone and was even more tired after today’s turmoil. But the most important thing was that Jiang Liushen’s embrace made him feel at ease. After a while, he fell asleep once his face was pressed against his chest so he didn’t know if Jiang Liushen warmed up.
Thinking of this, Xia Xi’ai asked: “Are you comfortable?”
Jiang Liushen curled his lips up into a smile: “Couldn’t be more comfortable.”
Staff: “……”
It seemed like they heard some kind of extraordinary conversation……
After returning to the hotel, director Zhu Zhiming immediately brought a doctor for a second check. Although he didn’t want to delay the filming progress, he also knew that the safety of the guests must be his first priority, especially when it came to Young Master Jiang. If he didn’t take good care of him, the accusations from fans alone would be enough to end him let alone the Jiang family.
“Liushen, your temperature shows you have a fever, how about not going on tomorrow’s trip and just staying back to have a good rest?”
“That won’t do, the itinerary is all planned out. If I don’t go, wouldn’t this be a breach of trust to the fans? I’ll be fine after a night’s rest.”
At this time, Xia Xi’ai suddenly opened his mouth: “It’s okay, the fans will understand. If you don’t believe me, you can make a Weibo post. I can guarantee that all the comments will tell you to get some rest first.”
Jiang Liushen chuckled and was rarely choked: “You……”
“Me what? Isn’t this what you said yourself?” Xia Xi’ai made the decision for him and said to Zhu Zhiming, “I won’t go tomorrow either. I’ll stay with him at the hotel and take care of him.”
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Zhu Zhiming was in a difficult position. It was hard enough with one less popular guest. If two popular guests were missing, the ratings of this program would probably plummet.
Xia Xi’ai understood his concern and continued: “We’ll both record at the hotel. Anyway, going to the masquerade ball is also a group action, we’ll just record some daily routine and dance clips in the room, is that okay?”
This idea was quite new. Not only could it capture the local masquerade ball, but it could also capture the private daily shots of two popular guests. The audience would definitely like to see it.
Zhu Zhiming thought for a moment and immediately decided: “Okay!”
After discussing the specific arrangements, Jiang Liushen posted a post to explain the situation to his fans, calming their worries. Furthermore, he took Xia Xi’ai’s phone, forwarded it, and commented:
“Rest well, I’ll stay with you.”
The statement was simple and sincere without any exaggerations. It was obvious that he had studied and analyzed Xia Xi’ai’s text style from his blogs and even the most hardcore fans didn’t notice any difference and shouted with sincerity:
[Ai Ai is so virtuous! ! ! Pervert Jiang sure is fortunate! ! ! I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s content, ahhhhhh, broadcast it sooner! ! !]
[Looking at the pictures, you two were holding hands all the time. After Brother Shen fell into the water, you guys hugged each other in public. As expected, after having made it public, there is nothing to worry about anymore, hahaha!]
[I was really shocked when I saw today’s report. Fortunately, everything is okay. That’s right, after all, Brother Shen is such a wave, so he must have good swimming skills[1].]
[What kind of companionship? ? Hmm? ? I don’t want to think dirty but Brother Shen can’t help but make me think dirty things……]
[Ai Ai, only take care of him! If nothing is needed, stay far away from him. Don’t let him taste the softer parts, you know? ? ! ! ]
Ever since their side accounts were exposed, his reputation among fans seems to have become increasingly distorted. Jiang Liushen was quite depressed, how could fans still think of certain aspects when he was so serious about his content? He obviously wasn’t the pervert, it was clearly these fans who had perverted thoughts.
“Finished posting?” Xia Xi’ai spread his hands towards him.
Jiang Liushen returned his phone and said with a smile: “Will Ai Ai sleep with me tonight?”
Xia Xi’ai frowned slightly. After considering it for a few seconds, he surprisingly agreed: “Okay.”
This was beyond Jiang Liushen’s expectations. The kiddo was a bit too well-behaved today. He had agreed to cuddle with him, let him log into his account, and was even willing to stay the night.
“Just kidding, I don’t want to infect you, go sleep in your own room.”
Xia Xi’ai glanced at him suspiciously, as if he didn’t quite believe him: “You really don’t need me to stay with you for the night?”
“No need.” Jiang Liushen smiled.
Xia Xi’ai immediately stood up: “Then I’ll go back to my room.”
Jiang Liushen couldn’t even catch him before he escaped.
Why did it feel like something wasn’t quite right?
Xia Xi’ai didn’t go back to his room but went to the hotel’s open-air balcony. Once he stepped in, he found that Lin Cheng also happened to be looking at the night view. When he noticed him, he immediately greeted him with a smile: “Xi’ai! This way!”
He walked over, holding on to the railing and looking into the distance, but he had no intention of enjoying the night view. He just sighed and the white mist he exhaled dissipated in the Winter air.
“What’s wrong? Are you worried about Brother Shen?” Lin Cheng immediately saw that he was in a bad mood, “I saw your posts, didn’t you say you wanted to stay with him? Why did you come out?”
Xia Xi’ai lowered his eyes: “He said he was afraid of infecting me.”
“Mnn, I guess there’s that.”
“But I’m not afraid, I just want to stay with him.”
“Then tell him that. If Brother Shen heard that, he would definitely be moved.”
Xia Xi’ai shook his head: “He won’t let me stay with him even if I tell him.”
“That’s hard to say. If you don’t tell him, how will he know what you’re thinking?” Lin Cheng suddenly transformed into a life coach, “There are some things that you have to say even if you’re embarrassed, otherwise you won’t get further development! Although you and Brother Shen already have a good relationship, do you not want it to get even better?”
Hearing the words “even better,” Xia Xi’ai’s heart skipped a beat.
“……What you said seems to make sense.”
“Of course, this is from my experience. If you don’t make it clear to the person you like, he won’t know your feelings.”
“Mnn……” Xia Xi’ai raised his eyes and looked into the distance as the lights dimmed, and the cool evening breeze that greeted him reminded him of the warm embrace that had lulled him to sleep in the afternoon.
“Then I’ll try.”
********
The author has something to say:
How can we let the old pervert get a taste of sweetness so soon? We have to let him suffer a bit more, who told him to always bully Ai Ai.
P.S. Student Lin is a natural airhead, the person he likes can be found in “After Dawn.”
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[1]Play on words; the “wave” character here means being “unrestrained/prodigal.” But in order for the joke in the next part to work, I used the word “wave” instead of “unrestrained” so that the joke about being a good swimmer would make sense. ↩
☽ ⋆ℍalf 𝕄oon 𝕋ranslations⋆ ☾ 
Thank You for the new chapter (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡
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