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<< Are you going?
His Weixin was still left unread. Sent two hours ago. Xiao Zhan knew logically that Yibo was filming but he never enjoyed it when Yibo was this unresponsive.
He sighed and handed his phone to Liu-jie, allowing himself to be swept up in another round of fittings for Weibo Night.
In the end, there were four outfits he really liked, and his team would help him narrow them down further. The one that was for sure, though, was the ivory Elie Saab set that Xiao Zhan fell in love with as soon as he saw it on the rack.
Now they just had to figure out his makeup and hairstyle for the event. Liu-jie handed him back his phone while he was waiting for his makeup artist and there was finally a response.
>> Trying to figure it out.
Yibo, Yibo, please improve your shorthand, Xiao Zhan thought fondly.
<< ???
>> I’m doing my best to get the day off. Speaking with the directors right now.
<< Jiayou
A stylist drifted back over to him with an eyeshadow palette and a brush in her hand. Xiao Zhan shut off his phone and turned it face-down on the vanity right as she draped a thin sheet over his clothes to protect them from any fallout, especially since the suit was white.
She buffed some color onto his skin—barely decipherable but enough to enhance his features. Then she picked up a clean brush and chose a different one for his other eye.
A couple different members of his team drifted over to assess the difference but many of them had trouble choosing. There was a very subtle difference; one that most people wouldn’t be able to spot.
“Ah, they’re both great!” The makeup artist cried. “I can’t decide. Which one do you like, Xiao-ge?”
“I think I prefer this one…” he pointed to the first color she had applied. “The warmer tone brings out the ivory of the suit better, don’t you think?”
“You’re right. I’ll fix the other side too.”
She pulled out a wipe and cleaned off the other side, fanning it dry before applying the shade. She went through the other basics of Xiao Zhan’s makeup routine, lining his eyes with a gentle brown to bring them out more, covering even the most miniscule of blemishes with concealer, and adding his go-to shade of tinted lip balm to bring more life and color to his face.
“Simple, but effective,” she said once she finished. “Any notes, Laoban?”
“Nothing, A-Shui. Great job.”
She grinned. “I’ll go and grab Mo-jie to experiment on your hair. Your phone went off, by the way.”
Xiao Zhan reached over to pick up his phone as she stepped into the other room.
It was a Weixin from Yibo, with the exact words he had been dying to see.
>> I’m going.
It would have been a real shame if Wang Yibo couldn't attend the awards ceremony that was taking place in the same city he was filming in. How fortuitous; they would finally see one another in person again.
He could barely contain his excitement.
<< Lele, what hotel is Yibo staying in? I’ll send some flowers to his room for his arrival.
>> Laoban, we’re not going to stay in a hotel tonight.
<< What do you mean?
>> We’re still at the filming site.
<< Oh.
<< What time are you arriving tomorrow?
>> Right before the ceremony. We leave the set at noon after he finishes filming.
<< …There’s more filming? Are you kidding me?
>> …Did you not know?
He could barely contain his anger.
<< What do you mean you’re not going to get a hotel by the venue tonight?
The response came surprisingly quickly.
>> How did you find out?
Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes. The misdirection wouldn’t work on him, Yibo should know that by now.
<< Who do you think?
<< Didn’t you just tell me you filmed for fifteen hours straight today?
>> The only way I could get enough time off for the awards was to compress two and a half days of filming into today and tomorrow.
>> And I’m leaving part way through the ceremony to head back to the site.
Xiao Zhan wanted to pull his hair out. This man! He was going to go bald, seriously. As if he already didn’t have to worry about a thinning hairline from stress.
<< Wang Yibo.
>> Don’t scold me like that.
>> It’s the first time in weeks we’ll be able to see one another.
Xiao Zhan shook his head even though Yibo couldn’t see him. If Yibo was arriving right before the event and leaving before it even ended, they might not get to speak to one another at all.
It was so frustrating. They were in the same city, would be in the same room, but they might miss one another entirely. And though Yibo's filming location was in Shanghai and he would stay there indefinitely, Xiao Zhan can't exactly visit him when he is busy, nor could he drop everything and fly from Beijing or wherever else he is in the world.
<< We might not even be able to.
>> I can always stare at you from across the room
<< Don’t you dare. There will be so many of our fans there.
>> I’m sure Lai-jie and Liu-jie can work something out
>> I’ll ask them to figure it out
<< Aiyo you need to get A-Lai a fruit basket or something for how much trouble you cause her
Yibo read the message but didn’t respond. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he finally wrote back.
>> Managed to squeeze an extra hour or so in town. The whole “leaving early” plan was just to give me some buffer time to go back to my accommodations at the filming site and shower and change but if I skip that altogether I can give us some time at the end of the ceremony.
>> I can stay a few minutes after the event ends, but that’s really all I can manage.
Yibo would drive all the way back and start filming again without washing up? Sure, makeup wipes could get most of the stuff off his face, but what about his hair? And changing clothes?
<< Why don’t you leave early anyways? Have someone stop by and take a hotel keycard from my team tomorrow. You can change and shower in my room, it’s right by the event hall.
<< Order food and nap if you need to, I know you’ll be exhausted. I’ll be over as soon as the ceremony ends and we can have some time to ourselves there.
>> Okay.
It was torture having Yibo so close yet so far.
He couldn’t even glance in the general direction of his seat, not with so many people and cameras watching. He clapped politely for each award, smiled and laughed when he was supposed to, and played up a calm and collected demeanor when he really just wanted to leap across the seats of celebrities and sit next to his damn boyfriend.
When he received his own award, he glanced out into the crowd and realized that Yibo’s seat was already empty though the ceremony was barely halfway through.
“Where is Wang Yibo?” He asked Liu-jie when he stepped offstage.
Her eyes widened and she gestured backstage with her chin that made him realize, belatedly, just how many people were around him and how many cameras were focused on him at that very moment. He let himself be led backstage before she answered his question.
“He’s already on his way to the hotel. There should be just enough time for you to see him for a few minutes before he leaves.”
“Make sure Lai-jie gets him something to eat. And get him to take a nap if we take too long.”
“I’m sure they’re already on top of things.”
It was only another hour or so before he left the venue, but it felt like an eternity. He felt jittery and unbalanced, like a bottle of lightning ready to burst open and be unleashed. He couldn’t wait to see—really see—Yibo in person. Every second he wasted was a second less he could spend with Yibo; precious time gone down the drain. He didn't even know when he would be able to see him next.
In the car, he swapped out the stiff and heavily jeweled jacket for a more comfortable blazer and changed his shoes to something a little more understated so he could walk easier.
The hotel was only fifteen minutes away from the arena with traffic, but each one felt like a waste of time.
The car pulled into the carpark of the hotel and Xiao Zhan rushed out of the car, flanked on all sides by his assistants and bodyguards. It was unlikely that he’d be recognized by anyone this late at night but they stuck close to him nonetheless.
He took the familiar hallways to the elevator, pressed the number for his floor, and made his way to the room he stayed in the previous night.
He knocked on the door twice just to be polite but it immediately swung open and he was dragged into the room while being swaddled in a tight hug. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Yibo, the first time in weeks he had been able to do so.
Yibo was already in comfortable clothes for traveling, his makeup removed, the hair product washed away and replaced with the scentless shampoo provided by the hotel and his cologne. Xiao Zhan didn’t care that it wasn’t Yibo’s usual shampoo scent, nor that his hair was mostly covered up by a beanie, he took a deep breath and savored having Yibo close.
Yibo’s team quickly moved around them, sneaking out the door and shutting it with a quiet click to give them some privacy. Xiao Zhan made a mental note to personally thank his and Yibo’s team for being so gracious and giving them time together. No matter how difficult it might be at times.
“Needed a recharge,” Yibo mumbled and Xiao Zhan let out a helpless little giggle, clutching the back of Yibo’s soft sweatshirt in his hands.
It was true, though; he didn’t realize how low his battery had been until now.
Yibo nuzzled in closer, pressing his nose to Xiao Zhan’s shoulder and he internally praised Liu-jie’s foresight in giving him a different jacket to wear—the rhinestones on the other one would have definitely been uncomfortable to hug and Yibo wouldn’t even have paid it any attention until his face was all scratched up and red. Instead, Yibo held crisp cotton that yielded under his touch. A warm jacket to slip his hands under and wrap around Xiao Zhan's waist.
“Congratulations on the awards, Laogong.”
“You as well, Zhan-ge,” Yibo whispered. One of his hands crept upwards until the fingers were nestled in Xiao Zhan’s hair, messing up the perfect styling now that it was just the two of them. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“You looked amazing today.”
“You did too. Liu-jie showed me the photos with the gloves.”
Yibo chuckled. He mouthed at the exposed skin at Xiao Zhan’s neck; softly, just barely brushing his lips, but it was enough to make him shiver at the contact.
“Don’t think I’m not angry with you for overworking yourself, by the way.”
“What else would you rather me do? Pass up the opportunity to see you?”
“You’ve barely gotten any sleep in two days for us to get five minutes together,” Xiao Zhan glanced down at him, raising an eyebrow. “Was it really worth it?”
Yibo smiled, sweet and seductive. He looked exhausted but so content that it made the floor roll like waves under Xiao Zhan’s feet. But then his eyes went half-lidded after he glanced down at Xiao Zhan’s lips.
“Depends on if you still remember how to kiss me good.”
“You insane man,” Xiao Zhan growled, pulling Yibo into a fierce kiss by the back of his head.
Yibo sighed, pressing into it. Pouring all of his longing, love, and lust into a single kiss, Xiao Zhan could feel heat gathering behind his eyes but he willed himself not to cry; then Yibo would spend precious seconds worrying about him and soothing his worries instead of kissing him harder, deeper. He wanted more, it wasn’t enough. He could never get enough of this.
Yibo broke away first, panting hard.
“I missed you so much,” he said, his mouth smudged with Xiao Zhan’s tinted lip balm. “Five minutes would be worth a whole week of endless work. Even more.”
Xiao Zhan pulled him into another tight hug, wondering if it were possible to hold him forever. To keep Yibo by his side and hide him away from the rest of the world. To run away to some far-off town and exist solely for one another.
A series of light knocks sounded on the door, bursting the bubble as the outside world invaded their personal space. Xiao Zhan groaned and pulled away, brushing his thumbs against Yibo’s cheeks and fixing his crooked beanie.
He pressed a lingering kiss to Yibo’s forehead before tilting downwards to press their bruised lips together once more. If given the chance and the time, he would do so much more. It was so hard to keep his hands to himself when he had Wang Yibo in his arms again for the first time in weeks. It was so difficult not to push him down on the bed and kiss him senseless—lick into his mouth and hold his bare skin like they have all the time in the world together.
But this was the life they chose for themselves and they'll have to live with the consequences of being busy and in-demand. Wang Yibo had a drama set to return to immediately. Xiao Zhan would be flying out of Shanghai early the next morning.
Responsibilities were going to be the death of him, Xiao Zhan concluded.
“Drive safe. I’ll see you soon.”
Yibo nodded, stealing one more chaste kiss before allowing himself to be walked to the entrance. He pulled open the door, immediately greeted by both their teams standing guard in the hallway with various bags and luggages. Some were his own, some were Xiao Zhan's.
“All ready?” Lai-jie asked, holding out a face mask and backpack for Yibo to take.
Yibo nodded, putting the mask on and taking his bag. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and held it up to show Xiao Zhan, who was still hidden in the shadows of the doorway.
“I’ll call you in the car.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
And then Yibo was off, walking down the hall surrounded by his team, away from Xiao Zhan who really just wanted him back in his arms immediately. It was always difficult to be away from one another so long. He wanted to lean out the door, to walk him down the hallway and maybe even down the elevator to the parking lot but he knew it would be impossible. He was still done up in makeup and hair and half of what he was wearing for the second half of Weibo Night. He would be immediately recognized, unlike Yibo who was more discreet in his casual wear. And just the fact that they couldn't be seen together at all.
His own team came into the hotel room then, the stylists immediately pulling out makeup remover and skincare products for him to clean up his face. Someone had laid out garment bags on the bed for his suit and a stack of clean pajamas for him to change into by the pillows.
He sat down in one of the chairs, closing his eyes as his stylists began the arduous task of stripping him of his idol persona and leaving him bare-faced. The room smelled vaguely of Yibo’s cologne and salad dressing; he must’ve listened to Xiao Zhan and eaten something before he left, which pleased him immensely. He would need to check the bed later and see how ruffled the sheets were to figure out if Yibo took a nap as well—he hoped he did.
Somewhere, as his eyeshadow was being meticulously wiped off, his phone went off and soon he found it pressed into his hands without a single word.
“Laogong,” he answered blindly.
“Laogong,” came the voice through the tiny speakers of his phone, breathless and laden with exhaustion.
And if Xiao Zhan could pretend, it was almost like Wang Yibo was still there in the room with him. The fading scent of cologne wafting in the air. A takeout bowl of salad in the trash. Mussed bedsheets. A bathroom left hot and damp, a used towel dropped to the floor. A half-used bottle of hotel shampoo. Signs of life he was desperately grasping onto.
“I miss you already.”