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“Cut!” 

Shen Yuan felt himself relax as the director signaled that they were done filming the scene. He walked over to his chair and plopped down into it, putting his head back and looking up at the ceiling. It’s not that he didn’t love his job - who wouldn’t love being a moderately popular drama actor? - it’s just that sometimes the work was more demanding than the average person could imagine. 

After doing a quick check to make sure no one was behind him, he pulled out his phone. There was supposed to be a new chapter update for the latest web novel he was obsessing over, ‘Half-Demons Can Find Love Too?!’ It wasn’t good but it also wasn’t half-bad. The writing was a bit shoddy, but the characters were loveable enough that Shen Yuan could look past the terrible syntax and questionable grammar. 

Just as he got the webpage to load, he felt a presence appear behind him. He expertly and swiftly closed the tab that he had just opened and sighed. 

“Did you… need something, Binghe?” Shen Yuan didn’t look over his shoulder as he addressed his co-star. 

“Hm? Oh, nothing at all… Shizun.”

‘Shizun’?? Who are you calling ‘Shizun,’ young man? I’m as much a teacher as you are a weak little nerd, so stop calling me that!! Is this some sort of weird power play thing? 

This has been going on for a while, so it’s probably best to start at the beginning. 

Shen Yuan was at the wrap party for the final season of a show that he starred in that ran for several years. Needless to say, everyone in the entire industry was present. He usually hated these sorts of parties, but Shen Yuan couldn’t help but have a good time. He was surrounded by his fellow cast members who he had grown to love as a sort of weird family, his agent was optimistic for his future acting endeavors, and there was an open bar. 

What could possibly go wrong? 

He had about six of those champagne flutes in him and was just leaving the bar with his seventh, when he ran into a wall. No, not a wall. A person. 

A person who was now wearing that seventh champagne flute. 

Shen Yuan cursed under his breath and began trying to sop up the champagne from this person - a man’s - shirt. He grabbed a handful of napkins and continued to wipe valiantly at this very broad chest in front of him. The chest huffed. 

“That’s not actually doing anything,” a deep voice said. Shen Yuan looked up and almost fainted. This wasn’t just any chest, this was Luo Binghe’s chest. 

Luo Binghe. As in the Luo Binghe. The darling of Xianxia dramas. 

Luo Binghe was a few years younger than Shen Yuan, but infinitely more successful and popular. Which didn’t bother Shen Yuan because he totally understood why. He was tall, he had a rugged look to him, and his face seemed like something that could only be sculpted by the gods themselves. 

And on screen, he had an acting prowess that could bring even the most veteran performers to their knees. He was intense and there were several rumors flying around that he was a method actor, meaning that you were almost never guaranteed to have a nice, normal interaction with him. 

Speaking of rumors, Shen Yuan heard that there wasn’t an actress in the entire country that Luo Binghe hadn’t bedded. Shen Yuan didn’t blame them, again this is Luo Binghe being talked about, but he did feel a bit of judgment at the women for putting their careers on the line for a notorious playboy. Did they think they would be the one to finally tame the stallion?

In their dreams. 

Shen Yuan realized that he hadn’t responded and was just staring dumbly up at him.

“U-uh,” he replied, smartly. 

Luo Binghe scoffed and grabbed his hand, moving it away from his chest. He flashed a warm smile at the bartender who looked just as starstruck as Shen Yuan. 

“Excuse me,” he looked down at her name tag. “Miss Jing, are you able to grab me a washcloth?” 

The bartender blinked slowly before snapping back to reality. “Oh! Yes, sir!” 

She scurried off behind the bar and returned shortly with a white rag. Luo Binghe grabbed it from her and smiled again. 

“Thank you, you’re amazing.” The bartender’s entire face flushed bright red. Instead of responding, she just nodded and returned to her station. That was the Luo Binghe effect in action. 

Shen Yuan stared at Binghe again. He was wiping his shirt with the rag that the bartender had handed him, but it still wasn’t doing much more than the dozens of napkins that Shen Yuan had wasted trying to do the very same thing. Binghe didn’t look at Shen Yuan. 

“You know,” he started. “Most people say ‘sorry’ when they ruin someone’s ¥3,600.00 shirt.” 

¥3,600.00 for that?! What’s the difference between that shirt and mine? Were the silkworms handpicked by Buddha himself? 

“O-oh!” Shen Yuan was full of intelligent banter tonight. “I’m sorry.” 

Luo Binghe scoffed and shook his head. He had a smile on his face but it was different from his earlier smile. This one seemed meaner somehow. 

“I can… pay for the dry cleaning?” Shen Yuan offered, not wanting to have his first (and possibly last) encounter with Luo Binghe end this terribly. 

Luo Binghe waved him off. He didn’t say anything else, gave the wash cloth back to the bartender, and walked away. Shen Yuan watched his back as he left to go back to the party to mingle. Well, that could’ve gone better. He turned to get his eighth (but really, it was still his seventh) champagne flute when his agent came up to him. 

“Did I just see you and Luo Binghe?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Shen Yuan replied, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “I spilled champagne on him.” 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah.” 

“How… did he… what happened after that?” 

“He asked the bartender for a rag after I tried cleaning him up with napkins, wiped himself down, told me off for not saying sorry, and then left.” 

“Ah, I see.” 

“At least I don’t have to see him again, soon.” Binghe usually did historical dramas - his rugged demeanor really shone through when he was dressed head-to-toe in robes with a weapon on his back. Shen Yuan tended to do more modern romance dramas. 

“About that.” 

Shen Yuan turned toward his agent with a confused sound. 

“You’re actually going to be co-stars soon,” his agent said. “He just signed on to the crime drama that we booked this morning. He’ll be playing opposite your character.” 

Great. Shen Yuan wondered distantly if he would forget about the shirt thing by then. 

--

Luo Binghe did not forget about the shirt thing, by the way. 

His first day on set, Shen Yuan attempted to introduce himself as if they had never met. As a celebrity, Luo Binghe has likely met hundreds if not thousands more people since the party - it wasn’t ridiculous to believe that he would forget that one nerd who bumped into him. 

“I’m Shen Yuan,” he put his hand out for a handshake. 

Luo Binghe looked him up and down with a critical eye, recognition and annoyance mixing on his face. 

“Ah, I forgot to send you the invoice for my dry cleaning.” 

Shen Yuan sighed. This was just his luck. He was normally a pretty popular guy, not because he was super handsome or extremely talented, but mostly because he was just… friendly. He could get along with almost anyone and people seemed to like his dry demeanor and quick humor. That being said, he’s never had a co-star who didn’t like him, let alone who didn’t like him before they even started working. 

But then something happened. 

After that awkward introduction in which Shen Yuan provided his agent’s email address to be sent the dry cleaning invoice, they moved on to do a table read for the pilot with the director. This was one of Shen Yuan’s favorite parts about starting a new show. The table read was a great place to gauge chemistry between actors and get a feel for each individual character. 

Shen Yuan can admit that he maybe puts a little too much into his table reads, but that’s part of the fun! 

In this new show, Shen Yuan plays a fresh-faced detective trying to solve the murder of his old high school classmates. While looking for clues, he runs into a very handsome, rich man, played by Luo Binghe, who offers to help him by providing necessary funds and equipment that the bureau wouldn’t hand out so easily. Shen Yuan’s character is lulled into a sense of trust, because who wouldn’t trust such a nice face to look at? 

After working together for weeks on the case, Shen Yuan’s character finally comes to the realization that it was one of their fellow classmates who was conducting the murders - an underclassman who was always trying to join their friend group but went ignored. That underclassman was Luo Binghe. 

Er, Luo Binghe’s character.  

The script didn’t look too cheesy from the snippets that Shen Yuan’s agent gave him and he really liked this director’s previous work, so he was pretty excited. His agent had tried vying to get him a love interest but the writers didn’t think it would work. 

The table read started and Shen Yuan, as he knew he would, got swept up in the moment and got a little too into the acting. During a particularly intense scene, where Luo Binghe’s character asked Shen Yuan’s character what the killer’s motivation is, Shen Yuan looked up at Luo Binghe and responded, “I think he must be lonely. All of the killings happened days after the actual kidnappings. I think he just wants someone to talk to, to hang out with. Imagine you’re all alone in the world - maybe no friends, no partner, no family to speak of, wouldn’t you do absolutely anything to be seen and heard? To be loved?” 

Luo Binghe stared back at Shen Yuan, his mouth opening a little. He looked… scared? Confused? Mad?? Shen Yuan wasn’t sure what to make of his expression. 

Luo Binghe, you do know we’re acting, right? And I’m not saying that to you? Please don’t hurt me, I’m just reading the script. 

“Uh… Luo Binghe, your line is-” 

He snapped out of it. 

“I know what it is, sorry.” 

They continued the rest of the table read like normal and finished before dinner. 

Afterwards, Shen Yuan was texting his agent to tell him that it went well, minus the weird moment between him and Binghe, and that he was heading home. That’s when he felt the now-familiar-but-very-deeply-unfamiliar-at-the-time feeling of Luo Binghe looming behind him. 

He whipped around, startled. 

“Oh! Sorry!” Shen Yuan said automatically. “I, uh, didn’t see you there.” 

Luo Binghe put his hands up and smiled. It wasn’t the smile that Shen Yuan saw before when he spilled his drink on him nor was it like the smile that Luo Binghe had flashed at the waitress at the party. This was a new smile. Huh. Why did it kind of look hungry??

“Apologies, I didn’t announce myself,” Luo Binghe responded. “Shen Yuan, I have a request for you. Co-star to co-star.” 

Shen Yuan wondered if he really did want him to pay for the full shirt that he had ruined. It wouldn’t put too much of a dent in his funds, but it still took his precious money away from getting a new item off of his Hatsune Miku figure wishlist. 

“Of course-” 

“Will you train me?” They spoke at the same time. 

Wait? What did he say?? Did he ask me to… train him? Me? Him? Luo Binghe. Train in… what??? How to be insufferably awkward?? Surely he doesn’t mean…

“Train you in what?” Shen Yuan asked.

“Acting.” 

“Luo Binghe, you already know how to act.” Shen Yuan pushed up his glasses. “I’ve seen you act. You already know how to act very well , I might add.” 

“You’ve seen my work?” Luo Binghe said, blushing???

“W- yeah?” Shen Yuan was growing more confused by the second. “Hasn’t everyone seen your acting?” As far as Shen Yuan was concerned, Luo Binghe was very much a famous actor. Had he entered into some alternate dimension? 

“And what did you think?” 

Shen Yuan put his finger on his chin. He wanted to be honest with Binghe, so he didn’t want to just shower him with empty praises. Obviously Luo Binghe has the awards to prove that he’s good, but if he wanted advice from a fellow actor, there were always things to improve upon. Especially because he was switching from his usual genre involving horseback riding and swords and long, historical wigs into a dramatic, modern crime show. A genre that Shen Yuan has acted in a dozen times by now. 

“I think you’re really well-cast for all of your previous roles. You have a very masculine face and build, and you’re ruggedly handsome,” Shen Yuan responded. “You have the air of someone who has never seen an iPad, someone who could’ve lived hundreds of years ago. Regal. Old-world royalty.” 

Luo Binghe appeared to preen under the compliments. 

“But…?” he prompted Shen Yuan. 

“Some of that regal energy needs to fall off for a more modern role. That stuff can work if you’re playing a prince or a military general, but for this sort of role, you need the audience to believe that you’re from, like, this time period.” 

Luo Binghe’s smile faltered for a second and then went back to how it was before. If Shen Yuan had blinked, he would’ve missed it. 

“Right, right, of course,” he responded. “Thanking Shizun for the advice.” He cupped his hands and bowed. 

Shi-shizun???!!

“See, that’s kind of what I was talking about,” Shen Yuan said. “You can just say ‘thank you, Shen Yuan.’” 

Luo Binghe had that hungry smile again. When he smiled like that, Shen Yuan could really see why the guy got type-casted as the hot demon emperor in his last role. 

“Ah, okay, I see. Let me try again.” He took a step closer to Shen Yuan, closing what little distance was already between them, put his finger under Shen Yuan’s chin, and tilted his face up to look at him. “Thank you… A-Yuan.” 

Shen Yuan choked on his spit. A-Yuan??? Why so familiar??? It was only their second time meeting, right? 

Luo Binghe seemed to revel in Shen Yuan’s confused and embarrassed sputtering for a second before releasing his chin. Shen Yuan felt his phone vibrate in his hand, likely his agent telling him that he had arrived to pick him up and take him home for the night. Luo Binghe’s eyes slide down to look at the screen. 

“Looks like your ride is here,” he said, turning away. “I’ll be in contact to schedule our next ‘lesson.’ See you later, Shizun.” 

Shen Yuan didn’t have a second to react before his agent pulled up and honked the car horn at him. His legs were on autopilot as he got in the car, shut the door, and buckled his seat belt. 

“So, how did it g-”

Shen Yuan’s agent didn’t get a chance to finish his question as Shen Yuan began smacking his head against the dashboard. His agent worriedly put his hand down to stop the next impact

“Shen Yuan!! The makeup artists will kill me if they have to cover up a big bruise on your forehead. Stop that!” 

“Did you see Luo Binghe just now?” 

“Just now? Yeah, he was walking in the other direction - why? Did you guys have another confrontation?” 

Shen Yuan wishes that he had simply had another slightly awkward confrontation with a co-star instead of… instead of whatever that was just now. 

-- 

So, that’s how they got to where they are today. Shen Yuan had been giving Luo Binghe “lessons” in his trailer. But they were nothing more than Shen Yuan trying to run lines and Luo Binghe poking and prodding at every single object in sight and interrupting Shen Yuan to ask personal questions. 

“Have you ever had a proclivity toward teaching before?” “What would you do if I said that I was a demon right now?” “Can you braid hair?” “Do you like when people cry?”

Shen Yuan’s head was always swimming with all these hypothetical questions that Binghe loved asking. Is the demon thing the new ‘would you still love me if I was a worm’ question??

Said worm had circled around Shen Yuan, who had given up on trying to read his web novel, and was now standing in front of him. Something that the tabloids never seemed to truly capture about Luo Binghe was that he was sort of like a puppy. But not a golden retriever type of puppy, more like a german shepard or maybe even a doberman. Cute at times, but a bit intense when focused. 

He followed Shen Yuan everywhere, they ate lunch and dinner together on set, their trailers were barely five feet apart from each other, almost all of their scenes were together, and Luo Binghe had taken to driving Shen Yuan home after shooting wrapped up each night. 

“We’re doing lessons again after the shoot today?” Binghe asked as he handed Shen Yuan a to-go cup of tea from the local cafe. Although there was clearly a question mark at the end of the sentence, Shen Yuan heard it for what it was. A period. 

“Why do you keep calling them ‘lessons,’ I’m not teaching you and you’re certainly not learning anything,” Shen Yuan responded. He sipped the tea and sighed. Exactly how he liked it. “We try to run lines for like 10 minutes and then you start asking me about myself.” 

Luo Binghe smiled and stared at the cup in Shen Yuan’s hands. 

“I am learning.” 

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes and continued drinking his tea. Whatever made the kid happy, that’s all that mattered. Shen Yuan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

Today they were shooting a more intense scene in the series. Shen Yuan’s character is going to jump off a building in order to catch what he believes to be a lead, only to find out while he’s midair that the building is not two floors like he originally thought but eight floors. There had been plenty of safety precautions taken, so Shen Yuan could do the stunt himself. 

Unfortunately, that means that he currently has about a dozen foam pads hidden throughout his person and it made it really hard to sit. 

“Is A-Yuan going to be okay for the shoot today?” Luo Binghe asked. “You know we can always have a stunt double do it.” 

“I’ll be fine, plus it’s kind of exciting,” Shen Yuan replied. “How many times do you get to jump off a building?” 

Luo Binghe made a noncommittal hum and pursed his lips, taking a sip of his own drink. It was then that Shen Yuan realized that, for as much as Binghe now knew about him, he didn’t know much about Binghe. During all of their “lessons” it was mostly just Binghe asking Shen Yuan about himself and Shen Yuan very much not returning the favor. 

“Binghe, where did you grow up?” Shen Yuan felt a little embarrassed at the sudden question but it was too late to take it back. 

Luo Binghe looked at him with a curious smile playing on his lips. 

“I grew up at… a boarding school,” he responded. He looked wistful. “I attended after my mother died.” 

Shen Yuan felt his heart pang. 

“Do you miss it?” 

He laughed without humor. 

“No, I don’t miss it, I had an awful teacher who abused me,” Luo Binghe responded. “None of the other kids liked me much, either.” 

Shen Yuan wanted to say that he had a hard time believing that Binghe didn’t make many friends at school, but the truth was that he definitely understood it. Luo Binghe was tall, handsome, probably stole all the girls’ hearts, and had natural talent and ability. The abuse was surprising. 

“I’m so sorry, Binghe,” he said. “No kid should ever be hurt like that by someone they trust.” 

Not knowing what else to do or say, Shen Yuan reached out and patted Luo Binghe’s head. He wasn’t sure what made him do it but those curly brown locks just begged for Shen Yuan’s hand to reach out and touch. So he did. He pet Luo Binghe a little more, indulging a bit in the act he had wanted to do for some time now, and forgot where he was and what he was doing and who he was doing it to. 

He yanked his hand back. 

“Ack! I’m sorry, Binghe, I didn’t-” 

“Keep going-” Binghe interrupted him. “It was… nice. Keep doing it.” 

Shen Yuan reluctantly brought his hand back up and continued petting Binghe like a dog. This was a bit strange but at least that sad look was off Binghe’s face. They continued on like that until the director called them to set.

They got into position and did all of their lines leading up to the big chase scene. Shen Yuan had to jump a few mental hurdles to remind himself that he wasn’t really going to fall and there was a giant inflatable bouncy-house looking thing on the ground that would catch him. He let the adrenaline of the scene take him and when he saw his cue, he began running. 

“Hey! Come back here!” Shen Yuan shouted to the invisible person running away from him off-screen. “You! I see you!” 

Shen Yuan could see that he was getting closer and closer to the edge. However, he didn’t feel any of the earlier fear. He was right. His adrenaline had kicked in. Just as he crouched a bit to jump off the building, he felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his waist and pull him back. 

Huh???

“Binghe!” Shen Yuan yelled. “Let me go!” 

Luo Binghe had caught Shen Yuan right as his feet lifted off of the ground and now had him in his arms, bridal-style. Shen Yuan lightly hit his chest. This wasn’t the time to fool around!! 

“I-I’m sorry, but I can’t let you jump,” he said, almost too earnest to handle. “There has to be another way.” 

Shen Yuan’s fight left him and he stared at Binghe with wide eyes. Didn’t he see all of the safety equipment? Didn’t he watch Shen Yuan get fitted out in all of the safety pads earlier? Did he even remember they were on a set right now? 

“Binghe… I…” 

“Cut!” the director yelled from his chair. Shen Yuan startled and wiggled out of Luo Binghe’s arms. He stood next to Binghe and elbowed him to bow in apology as the director approached. 

“I apologize, sir, I don’t know why he-” 

“It’s fine.” The director said. And he… didn’t look mad? In fact, he had this glint in his eye that Shen Yuan couldn’t quite place. He almost looked excited? “Listen, I need to go talk to the writers about something, we’re going to wrap early today.” 

Shen Yuan’s confusion continued. 

“Oh, uh, okay?” he said, looking over at Binghe who was acting as if he didn’t just halt an entire production for no reason at all. “Well, that’s… are you sure you’re not mad?” 

“Absolutely,” the director replied. “This just gave me a great idea, that’s all. See you both tomorrow - we’ll be doing this scene again.” 

The director walked away and headed toward the conference room where the writers worked. Shen Yuan turned to Luo Binghe. 

“You. My trailer. Now.” 

Luo Binghe turned for Shen Yuan’s trailer without a word. He led them the whole walk there, leaving Shen Yuan to ponder at his back. He still could not figure out what had gotten into him earlier. And he also could not believe the ease with which he had been yanked out of the air and carried. Shen Yuan wasn’t exactly a bulky guy, but he wasn’t scrawny either. 

And although Luo Binghe had a few centimeters on him, Shen Yuan wasn’t particularly short. Yet he had been picked up as if he weighed nothing more than a housecat. 

He followed Luo Binghe up the steps and through the door, turning around to close it with just a hint of force to show that he was angry. Well, not angry. Frustrated. 

But when he turned around, Luo Binghe slammed both of hands on either side of Shen Yuan’s head effectively caging him in. The light in the trailer seemed to dim as Luo Binghe’s form blocked it out. 

“B-Binghe?” Shen Yuan had only wanted to give him a light scolding, he didn’t intend to be pounced on like this as soon as the door closed. 

“I apologized to the director but I will not apologize to you, Shizun,” Binghe said, his eyes dark. “I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety and I cannot sit by and watch as you fling yourself off a building several meters off the ground. If you got hurt, even so much as a small scratch, I would raze down this entire set and all of the people working on it.” 

Okay, a bit dramatic much? Shen Yuan could understand Binghe’s concerns about his safety but that seemed a little over the top. 

Binghe, there’s no need to kill those innocent staffers over something as little as a papercut, okay???!! 

As much as he wanted to joke, seeing how serious Binghe was made any hint of laughter die before it could even reach his throat. Was he really that worried? 

“Binghe, I was going to be fine, you saw all of the safety nets and workers there to ensure nothing happened,” Shen Yuan said. “There’s really no need to worry.” 

Luo Binghe punched his fist against the door next to Shen Yuan’s head but for some reason Shen Yuan didn’t flinch. 

“No! What if they had made a mistake, what if they forgot to check one of the nets, what if they didn’t put enough air in the stunt pad? Humans make errors,” Luo Binghe was almost whispering at this point. “And any error may have cost you your life. I just found you, I won’t have a simple mistake take you from me.” 

That’s when Shen Yuan felt it. A droplet of water hit his cheek. His hand reached up and touched it and he wondered if he had a leaky ceiling before he realized it was a tear. From Binghe. Luo Binghe was crying. 

Alarm bells started going off in Shen Yuan’s head immediately, blaring over any other thoughts or questions that popped up. 

“Binghe? Hey, hey, no, don’t cry, hey, look at me,” Shen Yuan took Binghe’s cheeks in his hands. “I’m okay, see? I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” 

Binghe’s crying subsided a bit at Shen Yuan’s soothing. How was it possible that he was even more pretty when he cried? Was that allowed? Shen Yuan had a feeling like he would do anything in the world to stop those tears. 

He sighed. “I’ll ask the director tomorrow if we can use a stunt double, okay?” Shen Yuan patted the top of Binghe’s head like he did earlier. Binghe nodded slowly. Honestly, what had gotten into this boy? 

The next morning, they arrived on set like normal. Instead of going to makeup first, Shen Yuan beelined for the director’s office. He was kind of excited about doing his own stunts, but Binghe was so distraught that he decided that he would try again on his next project. 

He knocked three times in quick succession on the door and he heard the director’s muffled ‘come in.’ He opened the door and walked in, surprised to see his own agent and who he believed to be Binghe’s agent already sitting in front of the director’s desk. 

“Uh, I can come back later if it’s a bad time,” Shen Yuan said, gesturing over his shoulder. 

“No, you’re exactly who I want to talk to right now,” the director responded. “I have a re-write that I’d like to propose to you.” 

Shen Yuan closed the door and sat down in the chair next to his agent. He’d never seen the director look this giddy before.

“After the incident yesterday,” he started. “I saw something that I hadn’t seen before. Chemistry. Undeniable chemistry.” 

Was he talking about Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe? Well, of course they had some chemistry, they were… friends. Acquaintances. Coworkers. They knew each other. They hung out almost every single day and had been for the last few weeks on set. Not only that, they were both pretty talented actors, so there was no doubt there was going to be chemistry on screen. 

Shen Yuan let the director continue. 

“So, I talked to the writers and we’re going to change the genre of this show a bit,” he said. “We’re going to make it one of those bromance shows that implies a MLM relationship but of course doesn’t show anything on screen. We need to get this through censorship. After some slight editing, I think we’ve come up with some good stuff.” 

Bromance. MLM. Relationship. Implied. Chemistry. 

Shen Yuan didn’t know if he was comprehending this right. “Wait, sorry, you decided this after seeing me and Binghe?” he asked. 

“Yes! When he caught you with such determination and ease before looking into your eyes and earnestly expressing his concern, his passion, his desperate need for you to be safe. It was then that I saw it. We may even catch the fan girls’ attention with this and broaden our audience even more!” 

Luo Binghe’s agent nodded enthusiastically, clearly proud of her client for inspiring such a rewrite. 

“You know, before working on this show, he was very cold,” she said to Shen Yuan’s agent. “I don’t even know where the kid came from. One of our recruiters found him at some sort of anime convention as a cosplayer. He was so in character that people started coming up and taking pictures with him and videos to post on Weibo. He didn’t drop the act for a whole hour.” 

Shen Yuan barely registered what she was saying. Luo Binghe. And him. Relationship.

“But I’m straight?” he didn’t mean to say it like a question. 

Everyone turned to look at him. 

“Of course you are,” his agent said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But you’re an actor. Just act.” 

“But not too much,” the director added. 

He then pulled Shen Yuan up from his shoulders, provided him with two copies of the revised script - one for him and one for Binghe - and ushered him out of the office to prepare for filming. Shen Yuan dazedly walked over to Binghe, who had a small tray of all of Shen Yuan’s favorite snacks from the craft service table. He handed him the new script. 

“What’s this?” Binghe asked. “What did the director say about not doing the stunt?” 

“They rewrote the script,” Shen Yuan said. He plopped down into his chair. “Take a look.” 

Binghe set the food down and looked over the notes that the director and writers had made in the revision. His eyes slowly got bigger as he flipped through the pages. He looked up at Shen Yuan with what could only be described as a very scheming look in his eye. 

This can’t end well. 

--

Shen Yuan felt ridiculous. Listen. He was an ally, okay?? He didn’t care what people did in their own bedrooms. Plus, his… best friend was gay. If you could call him a friend, he was certainly Shen Yuan’s best. He even wrote absolutely horrendous gay webnovels. Which Shen Yuan only knew because he read them. 

Not for pleasure or anything!! He’s always been a web novel reader and he figured he might as well check his friend’s work so he didn’t look like some sort of amateur. 

That being said, he is familiar with the bromance genre, he isn’t homophobic, and he is a good actor, so, really, this script rewrite shouldn’t even affect him that much. Besides, the director had said that it was inspired by him and Binghe’s natural chemistry. Nothing should change. 

Except everything DID change!! He was now keenly aware that the director and writers were attempting to push him and Binghe as a couple. He almost wishes that no one had said anything to him. 

But if he isn’t homophobic and if he is a good actor then why was this so difficult all of the sudden? 

Shen Yuan peered over at Binghe, who was being primped and primed by the hair and makeup ladies. He’s looked every bit like the cat that caught the canary ever since Shen Yuan had handed him the new script. 

Was he okay with it? Shen Yuan was supposed to be his teacher, however loosely they’re using that term, and so he should be even more okay with this than Binghe. 

They were going to film the jump scene again except this time, the director wanted Binghe to catch him just like he had yesterday. Shen Yuan was still sufficiently padded up and all of the safety precautions were still set in place just in case Binghe didn’t catch him, which he doubted would happen. Binghe was very strong, thank you very much. 

After getting into their places, Shen Yuan once again snuck a glance at Binghe. 

“Do I have something on my face, Shizun?” he whispered. Shen Yuan blushed at being called that in front of the entire crew and swatted Binghe’s arm. 

“Don’t call me that here! And no, your face is perfect.” He slapped himself on his forehead. Why did he say that? Objectively it was true, but you don’t just go around telling your co-star that his face is perfect. He obviously knows that already. 

Still, Binghe smiled happily so the blunder was worth it in the end. Even if it was at the cost of Shen Yuan’s dignity. 

The sound of the director yelling ‘Action!’ rang loud and clear and Shen Yuan immediately got into character. He saw his cue to begin running and took off across the fake rooftop. 

“Hey! You! Come back here!” he yelled again before leaping, pretending to believe every bit that he was actually going to make it more than 2 feet off of the building. Then he felt it. Binghe’s arms wrapped around him once again. This time he tried observing just how Binghe got him so easily into the bridal-style carry from his leaping position. However, it happened way too fast for him to even begin to comprehend. It was almost like he had superhuman strength and speed or something. 

Shen Yuan shook his head. Too many webnovels. 

“What’re you doing?!” Binghe breathed. His eyes were wide and blown, his face filled with worry. If he didn’t know any better, Shen Yuan would think that Binghe really thought he was going to jump and fall to his death. “We can take the stairs, don’t do something so dangerous!” 

Shen Yuan was so taken with Binghe’s genuine fear that he was speechless for a moment and almost forgot his line. When he remembered it, he stuttered out a weak, “I… I would’ve been fine…” 

Binghe set him down gently on his feet. “And if you weren’t? Who would catch the psycho committing these murders, then? The people need you, the victims’ families need you, so don’t do something that brash and dangerous again. Understood?” 

Shen Yuan felt like he was swaying on his feet. Must be the head rush after being thrown around like a ragdoll. He stared up at Binghe. 

“Understood,” he replied quietly. Binghe had put on his commanding voice and Shen Yuan was reminded of his very regal presence that had captivated audiences across the country. Seeing and hearing it in person was a whole different level. 

“Cut!” the director yelled from his seat. Shen Yuan figured they would have to do the scene again seeing as he was so rattled that he stumbled over his words. To his surprise, the opposite happened. 

“Excellent work, boys! That was brilliant!” 

“What? I forgot like half my lines,” Shen Yuan said, deadpan. 

“Yes, but,” the director started, grabbing Shen Yuan’s shoulders. “It was perfect. You could practically feel the attraction oozing off of you after your strong and domineering new friend swept you off of your feet and now maybe you’re seeing a side of him that you hadn’t before.” 

The director was staring dreamily up to the ceiling. 

“Should I give you a minute?” Shen Yuan asked. The director let him go and clapped him on the shoulder before running back to his seat to have everyone set up for the next scene. 

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes and looked over at Binghe seeking to commiserate over how odd the director had been acting lately but he found Binghe already staring at him with an odd look on his face. He quickly schooled it into something more neutral when Shen Yuan turned, but he had still caught a glimpse of it. 

Huh. 

“What do you think has gotten into him?” Shen Yuan asked. “I mean, I guess he’s always been a bit of an oddball. But really, he makes it sound like I’m some teenage girl mooning over her crush.” 

Binghe cleared his throat and smiled. Shen Yuan could tell it was fake. 

“Maybe he’s just really excited about the new fangirl audience the show will get now?” he offered. “It’ll certainly bring in more money.” 

“Yeah, but we were always going to have fangirls.” 

“Hm? Why’s that?” 

“Pfft, c’mon, don’t be coy,” Shen Yuan said, gathering his stuff to change into a slightly different costume. “You’re so hot, of course girls would watch the show regardless.” 

“Shizun thinks I’m hot?” 

Shen Yuan squinted at him and clicked his tongue. 

“Aiya, always fishing for compliments. And I told you not to call me that in public!” 

Binghe looked mischievous in a way that told Shen Yuan that he would only continue doing it as long as it riled Shen Yuan up. So, he elected to ignore his co-star and make his way back to the costume department.

After changing, Shen Yuan found Binghe surrounded by the hair and makeup department. The ladies were absolutely obsessed with Binghe’s chiseled face and curly brown locks. Shen Yuan couldn’t really blame them - who wouldn’t be? But that’s no reason to hold them up every single time they came to set! 

Once they were finished with Binghe, the director walked up and patted both of them on the back. 

“Okay, boys, this is a very important scene per the new script,” he said, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. “You’re going to find one of the knives that the killer used in the alleyway where you saw him running away. Except you’re both going to reach for the knife at the same time and when your hands lightly touch, you’re going to look up into each other's eyes for just a smidge too long. Hold that tension for a few seconds and then you’ll both pull away.” 

Shen Yuan felt like they were losing the plot a bit with this rewrite but anything to make the director, and his agent, happy. Plus, he was having fun. 

He watched as the director jauntily walked back to his seat, sat down, and yelled ‘Action!’ 

Shen Yuan scanned the perimeter, pretending to gloss over the knife that he knew was sitting about a foot to the left of the fake dumpster. He watched Binghe do the same out of the corner of his eye. He waited for Binghe’s head to look right and then left before he pretended to notice the knife at the exact same time. They both jogged over and leaned down to grab it. 

Binghe got to the knife first, so his hand was covering most of it when Shen Yuan gently put his hand on top. It was a featherlight touch. Barely a grab. Shen Yuan felt a little jolt shoot up through his finger tips. He looked up at Binghe, wondering if he accidentally static shocked him. Binghe looked up at the same time, his eyes once again wide and innocent looking. 

It really was no wonder girls threw themselves at him. His pink lips were softly parted and a stray curl fell into his face. Shen Yuan felt his breath catch in his throat and remembered he was supposed to pull away. So, he snatched his hand back, a bit embarrassed, and mumbled a ‘sorry’ as Binghe was clearing his throat and looking away. 

“This is probably his knife,” Binghe said. “We should gather it as evidence.” 

“Yeah,” Shen Yuan responded, putting on his gloves and pulling out a plastic bag. “And it looks like there’s some dried blood left on it, too. Maybe we can identify any new victims. You go, uh, get the car.” 

Binghe nodded and jogged a bit off set to where their “car” was sitting. Shen Yuan gathered the (fake) knife and plopped it into the bag before sighing and looking at where Binghe had just been. 

“Cut!” 

Surely, this time, the director had some notes and they would have to reshoot. Shen Yuan stood up and started taking the gloves off, already preparing to put them back in his coat pocket where he will inevitably have to pull them out when they do another take. 

The universe must think itself awfully funny. 

“That was another great take! Wow, I haven’t had this many one-takes in a single day in years,” the director gushed. “That’s all for you boys today since we have to film a few scenes with the victims’ families. You can head home and we’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Shen Yuan nodded and waited for what he knew for sure this time was coming next. Sure enough, he felt Binghe come up behind him. 

“Shizun?” His voice was soft, lacking all of its usual boisterous cadence. “Can we-?” 

Shen Yuan gestured for Binghe to begin the trek to his trailer. He walked inside behind Binghe, as he always does, and shut the door. Binghe was sitting at the couch looking like a puppy who was about to be scolded for tracking mud in the house. Shen Yuan felt his face melt a little. 

“Is something wrong?” he asked at the same time that Binghe was asking the same question. 

“Wait- you’re asking me?” Shen Yuan laughed. “Nothing is wrong, why?” 

“You seemed… upset. Today. After each shoot.” Binghe said. Shen Yuan was puzzled for a second before he realized that Binghe must’ve been misinterpreting his confusion at only needing to do one take as anger. 

“I wasn’t mad, I was just surprised,” he replied. “I really thought I had beefed it in that first scene, but the director seemed so pleased? I wasn’t expecting that.” 

“You’re a great actor,” Binghe said. “Of course you’d only need to do one take. That’s why you’re my teacher.” 

He sighed. 

“Binghe, I don’t think we can actually call me your teacher if I really haven’t taught you anything about acting.” 

He plopped down on the couch next to Binghe, putting his head back until he felt his crown hit the window behind it, and rubbed a hand down his face. 

“Shizun can teach me something, then, that this student has been curious about ever since the script rewrite,” Binghe said, though it was more like a whisper. 

Shen Yuan straightened up a little. Binghe had an actual acting question for him? 

And the sun must be shining in Hell!!!

“Well, go on, what is it?” 

“Shizun has been in a romance before?” 

He flinched. Technically, this was still a crime drama but with the rewrites it was definitely dipping its toes in what one could vaguely call ‘romance.’ 

“Yeahhhhh,” Shen Yuan considered his answer as it was leaving him. He wasn’t lying, per se, but he had a feeling he wasn’t truthfully answering Binghe’s question. He had starred in a romance before, just not as the love interest. 

“Does… does that mean that you’ve kissed a co-star before?”

Shen Yuan began choking on his own spit. Binghe, don’t ask such awkward questions!! He felt as he reached over with his big palms and started patting at Shen Yuan’s back. Once he had his breathing regulated, he looked over at Binghe. It’s true that once in a role years ago Shen Yuan did have to kiss a female co-star. But it was just a light peck. Kisses in the media couldn’t be anything more than that. Too salacious. 

“Why are you asking?” Shen Yuan said, evading the question. 

“Well, since we’re in a romance now… I thought…” 

Finish that sentence, young man! You thought what?? What did you think?? Hello??!! 

“Binghe, you know we aren’t going to have to kiss, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Shen Yuan said. Binghe was probably nervous because he’d never had to kiss on-screen before and he’s certainly never kissed a man, on or off screen. The thought was probably equal parts gross and embarrassing. 

“But what if we do?” Binghe asked, determined. “Or what if I have to in the future and my dear Shizun hasn’t had a chance to teach me that lesson, yet? What am I supposed to do? Fumble my way through it?” 

Shen Yuan supposed Binghe had a point. He was going to have to learn one way or the other. Shen Yuan did a mental catalog of all of the female co-stars that he had been on friendly terms with who would help Binghe practice. Someone who was safe and wouldn’t fall in love with Binghe. 

Not that there would be anything wrong with that! But Binghe was a young playboy actor and Shen Yuan would hate to set up one of his former co-stars for failure. 

Liu Mingyan would probably work - she was professional, courteous, smart, charming, maybe even a bit too charming. Shen Yuan shook his head. No, Mingyan would be perfect. Plus, Shen Yuan recalled that he was pretty sure her inklings were toward a more… feminine build. 

“You’re right. You need to learn.” Binghe’s metaphorical ears perked up. “And I have the perfect actress that we can get to help you practice.” And the ears fell again. 

“Shizun,” Binghe whined. “I don’t want to practice with some woman. What if she becomes all obsessive and weird and starts stalking me? Then what?” 

Shen Yuan had already thought this through, of course, having assumed that Binghe had the power and charisma to woo any woman who comes within 10 feet of him. 

“Don’t worry, I’m like 98% sure she’s gay,” he said, patting Binghe’s head. He really should break that habit. “She’ll be perfect.” 

Binghe leaned into the hand patting his head a bit and pouted. 

“Why can’t my Shizun teach me?” 

Shen Yuan’s hand stilled. HUH??????!!!!!!!!???!?!?!?!?!???!!!!!

“B-Binghe… me???? Teach? YOU?!” His head was blue screening. “W-h-... would… why???” 

Binghe moved his head out from under Shen Yuan’s still unmoving hand. He had the most innocent look on his face, his eyes wide and his lips jutted out a bit. Shen Yuan tried valiantly to stay strong and see through the act. 

“Who better than my teacher? Isn’t that what this is all about? A tenured actor teaching a younger, new actor all of his tips and tricks?”

Shen Yuan… supposed that was true. But still! 

“Binghe-” 

“And it would be awkward if it was me and a woman with you directing it!”

Shen Yuan considered this for a moment and realized that his first time practicing what would be his first and only on-screen kiss had in fact been when they were rolling and on set with about two dozen cast and crew watching. It was nerve-wracking to say the least. 

“Well…” Wait, what was he thinking?? “Wouldn’t you want to kiss a girl, though?” 

Binghe was giving him a Look, but he once again wasn’t able to read it. He switched gears pretty quickly and replaced it with a more predatory one. He began to shift on the couch so that his arm was now on the back of the couch directly behind Shen Yuan and his legs, previously crossed, were now open and facing him. 

“Shizun… teacher… don’t you want to help this poor, young actor?” Binghe said. Shen Yuan could swear he saw his eyes begin to glisten with tears. “I trust you so much and I know you would remain professional and informative. Plus, I don’t care that you’re a man.” 

Shen Yuan considered it, actually considered it, for a second. Binghe took this opportunity to move closer. He could now feel his breath tickle his face. How was it possible that his breath smelled that good? Had he popped a mint when Shen Yuan wasn’t looking??? They had been on set together all day with at least two coffee breaks in-between. 

“I…” Shen Yuan tried desperately not to look at Binghe’s lips, ones he had just been admiring earlier that very day. He failed and glanced down at them and wondered if Binghe tasted as good as he smelled.

Just as Binghe seemed to be getting closer, and was Shen Yuan moving closer too????, there was a harsh knock on the trailer door. Shen Yuan jumped, startled out of whatever moment they were just having and ran to the door to open it. 

It was a P.A. 

“Director says he actually needs you guys back on set for a few things before you leave,” she said. “It should only take a few minutes. Minor stuff with the family actors.” 

Shen Yuan assured her that they would be over as fast as possible. He closed the door but before he could fully turn around, he was trapped between Binghe’s arms again. A similar scene to the one right after the first time he jumped, Binghe’s hands had slammed onto the door, bracketing Shen Yuan’s head. He looked mad. Scary. 

“We were in the middle of a lesson,” he said through clenched teeth. Shen Yuan patted his arms. 

“Yes, yes, and we’ll finish it later,” Shen Yuan responded. He dusted himself off and smoothed out his wrinkle-free clothes before turning to open the door again. “Besides, since when have you ever been so studious?” 

--

After that weird moment in Shen Yuan’s trailer, Luo Binghe seemed to be acting… weird. 

Not that he was ever completely normal from the start - what with his rude behavior during their first meeting and his subsequent borderline obsessive behavior every day after filming started. But something definitely was different. 

He had always had a habit of hovering near or around Shen Yuan. Which Shen Yuan didn’t mind since he figured maybe he just didn’t have any friends on set. Shen Yuan didn’t either, so this wasn’t really an issue. However, these days his hovering came with a more menacing aura. 

Shen Yuan didn’t feel like he was in danger, no. This was more something that was pointed at anyone who tried to get near him while the cameras weren’t rolling. It seemed like that moment in the trailer had broken something in Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan had spent hours trying to figure out why and how and what was broken. 

Was Luo Binghe mad at him because Shen Yuan actually looked like he was going to kiss him? Was Binghe just kidding around and Shen Yuan took him too seriously? Did Binghe think that was gay? Was he a homophobe? 

Shen Yuan had already convinced himself that even if they had kissed - it wasn’t gay. They were practicing and it was for a potential role that Binghe might have in the future. Straight actors play gay people all the time, it wasn’t new and it wasn’t going away any time soon. Not with how popular those kinds of shows are in other countries. 

“Binghe,” Shen Yuan said, too quiet to be heard by normal ears but picked up by Binghe regardless since he was standing 2cm away from him. 

“Yes, Shizun?” 

Shen Yuan shot him the usual look at being called that in public before continuing. 

“Is something wrong?” he asked, turning to look at him fully. 

“No, nothing’s wrong.” 

Shen Yuan pursed his lips. There was definitely something wrong. 

“I just feel like you’ve been acting a bit strange since… since our lesson… the other day,” he said. “The one that got, ahem, put on hold.” 

Binghe feigned a thinking pose. 

“Hmmm, oh! Yes, I remember,” he replied. “When that awful, rude woman came and interrupted us.” 

“Binghe,” Shen Yuan scolded. “She wasn’t rude, she was just doing her job.” Either way, he had confirmed that was likely the source of the issue. “Well, I was just thinking… we don’t have to continue that les-” 

“I would like to.” Binghe interrupted Shen Yuan. 

“Oh? You would?” Okay, so maybe Binghe was just mad that the lesson was interrupted in general and not with the teachings of the lesson. “Alright, well, we can after the shoot today then.” 

Binghe looked so eager you’d think he actually wanted to kiss Shen Yuan but he chalked it up to the young actor being excited to finally get this over with and to no longer have to worry about his first on-screen kiss. Shen Yuan patted his head. 

“But, Binghe?” Shen Yuan said, petting down his soft curls. “Don’t be rude to any of the crew, okay? They’re just doing their jobs and it won’t be good if you start acting like a diva - got it?” 

“Yes, Shi-... yes, A-Yuan.” Shen Yuan was almost startled by the address. He was always telling Binghe to stop calling him ‘Shizun’ in public for a few reasons, the first being that it was such an antiquated honorific and the second being that Shen Yuan really hadn’t taught him all that much, but now he kind of missed it. 

Whatever. As long as the kid agrees to behave. 

The rest of their scenes flew by after that and Shen Yuan hated to admit it but the director was right that the script changes didn’t actually mean much change for him. The cues were a bit different and there was a lot more instruction to “gaze longingly” or “stare for just a moment too long” or “hold the tension when your hands brush” but none of that was really much more effort. 

Shen Yuan had no problem staring at Binghe for a moment too long because Binghe was objectively an extremely attractive guy. Who wouldn’t want to catch as many glimpses as they could? 

When the director finally yelled his last ‘Cut!’ of the day, Shen Yuan felt great about the work that he was doing on set. The show was interesting and he wasn’t just saying that because he was in it as one of the lead characters. There was drama, of course, but the interpersonal relationships were what would make audiences crave more at the end of each episode. 

He started packing up his jacket and bag when one of the grips came over to talk to him. 

“Hey, Shen Yuan?” the young man said. “I just wanted to say that I’m a big fan and it’s really cool getting to see the work that you do in person.” 

Shen Yuan felt himself blush a bit. While he had been in projects before, he didn’t actually have many fan interactions making this a new feeling even after years in the business. 

“Thanks! It’s nice hearing that.” 

“You probably hear it all the time…” 

“No, no, really, I don’t,” Shen Yuan assured. “But even if I did, it’s still nice to hear it from a bystander. It’s hard to tell when I’m out there and the director is approving every first take.” 

The man laughed. Perhaps a bit too hard. 

“Yeah, I know what you mean, he’s REALLY into the script rewrite,” the man said. “Well, I was also wondering, if you aren’t… uh…” 

Shen Yuan felt a familiar presence behind him and instinctively knew it was Binghe. He wasn’t sure why this had startled the young man talking to him, though, so he turned around just to make sure he was right. 

He turned to find Binghe looking innocently at him. Weird. When he turned back, the grip was nervously walking away and muttering “never mind, have a nice night.” What was he going to ask? 

“Binghe, what did I say about being rude to the crew?” 

“But Shizun, you saw that I wasn’t being rude. I just walked over here so we could go to your trailer to continue our les-” 

Shen Yuan slapped a hand over Binghe’s mouth. 

Talking about me giving you a lesson in my trailer??? Out loud??? Binghe, these people would TOTALLY get the wrong idea!!! 

As Shen Yuan glanced around to see if anyone had heard Binghe’s potentially depraved words, he felt a wetness on his palm. 

“Ew!! Binghe!! Did you just lick me?” Shen Yuan pulled his hand back to observe the shine that Binghe’s tongue had left. “Are you a child throwing a tantrum?” 

Binghe smiled at him, the picture of innocence. Shen Yuan rolled his eyes and started walking toward his trailer, Luo Binghe hot on his heels. He had made sure to tell his agent that he was staying a little later tonight to run lines with Binghe and that he would have him ride him home. 

They walked to the trailer in silence. Binghe had a smug look on his face and Shen Yuan shivered as he remembered the feeling of tongue on his palm. Even though they had a rough start, Shen Yuan was beginning to see Luo Binghe as an actual friend and not just a co-star. He liked hanging out with Binghe, even when he was acting like a petulant child, and he hoped they would stay close after filming ended. 

Shen Yuan wanted to know so much more about Binghe. Most importantly, he wanted to talk to him about the anime convention that he was scouted at. He hadn’t mentioned it because he wanted to get closer before dumping his own nerdy musings onto Binghe. Someone so hot being a nerd was unheard of for Shen Yuan, so he wanted to confirm first if that story was even true and then cross reference any similar interests they might have with each other. 

He wasn’t sure if Binghe was ready to hear about his silly little webnovels, yet, but he had read plenty of comic books, manga, and manhua, so there was sure to be something in common. Then they could definitely stay friends after filming. 

Shen Yuan was thinking all of this while looking at Binghe’s broad back, which was walking swiftly ahead of him. Binghe knew where his trailer was and he seemed eager ever since Shen Yuan brought up the idea of finishing their lesson earlier. 

Huh. 

How did this guy find shirts that fit? Shen Yuan wasn’t sure he ever noticed quite how muscular Binghe’s back was but now that he was really looking, it’s like he’s straining out of his, frankly, ridiculously tight shirt. 

“So many muscles…” Shen Yuan muttered to himself, a bit irritated. How was this guy the whole package - cool, handsome, a natural actor, good listener, hot, a little strange but very endearing, HOT - and yet he still hadn’t been cast as a lead role in a romance? He supposed it was because Binghe was newer on the scene and as Shen Yuan had observed before he had this regal look about him, like he was made to be a monarch in some feudal land centuries ago. 

“What was that?” Binghe asked, a smile coloring his voice. Shen Yuan would be embarrassed that he had been heard but he decided that it wasn’t anything Binghe hadn’t heard before. 

“I said you have so many muscles… Do you live at the gym?” he asked, catching up to Binghe so they were walking side-by-side now. 

“Oh, these old things?” Binghe said as he flexed an incredibly huge arm. “You flatter me.” 

“C’mon, you’ve probably heard that a million times.”

“No, no, I really don't,” Binghe said. “But even if I did, it’s still nice to hear it from you, A-Yuan.” 

Shen Yuan swore he had heard these words before and then realized they had come from his own mouth. 

“Ah, you heard the whole conversation with that crew member, then?” He wondered how long Binghe had been standing there before he noticed. 

“Yes,” Binghe said. Clipped. Short. 

“Aw, are you jealous that I might make a new friend that isn’t you?” Shen Yuan teased, reaching up to pat Binghe’s head. 

“Yes.” 

Oh! That wasn’t what Shen Yuan was expecting. Then he remembered Binghe’s past. No friends, no family, no teachers who liked him at his old boarding school. Binghe’s childhood was a lonely one, there was no arguing that, and he probably was actually a little scared that Shen Yuan would make a new friend and dump him. 

“He was hitting on you, you know.” Binghe said this very matter-of-factly. So much so that Shen Yuan didn’t even think to argue for half a second. 

“What?!?!? No, he wasn’t!!” Shen Yuan ruffled Binghe’s hair chaotically and pulled his hand back. “He was just being nice.” 

Binghe huffed but didn’t continue the conversation but he seemed mad again. Maybe he really is homophobic??? He’s having a pretty strong reaction to the thought of that guy hitting on Shen Yuan. 

They reached the trailer finally and Shen Yuan let Binghe hold the door open for him so he could put his keys on the hook and set his bag and coat down. Binghe made himself very comfy on the couch and was now looking less angry and more forlorn. Shen Yuan felt pity forming in his heart. 

He walked over and stood in front of Binghe where he was sitting. 

“Binghe, you know, even if I did make a new friend I wouldn’t just leave you all by yourself.” Shen Yuan felt ridiculous having this conversation with a grown man but he didn’t want him to feel abandoned. “You’re…” Shen Yuan struggled to find the right word. “Different.” He settled on. 

Binghe looked up at him through his lashes. Did he use mascara? Shen Yuan didn’t have longer to think about that possibility, although he wouldn’t put it past Luo Binghe, because he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. Binghe had leaned forward so that his face was now in Shen Yuan’s stomach and they were in a weird, lopsided hug. 

He sighed and put his hand once again on top of Binghe’s head. His hair must have some sort of magnet connecting to Shen Yuan’s palm. Shen Yuan had never been much of a physical touch person but he just couldn’t help it with Binghe. 

“Do you really mean that?” Binghe asked, muffled by Shen Yuan’s shirt. 

“Yes, Binghe, would I even be doing this ‘lesson’ with you if I didn’t think so?” 

“So you wouldn’t do it with anyone else?” Binghe countered. He pulled his face out of Shen Yuan’s stomach to look up at him again. 

Shen Yuan couldn’t imagine another scenario in which he would have to teach an actor how to do an on-screen kiss, so for the sake of the argument, he just responded with, “Of course not!” 

Binghe studied him for a second before pulling on his waist, which he still had his giant paws on, so that Shen Yuan fell forward with an undignified yelp and was now straddling Binghe on the couch. 

“B-Binghe?!” Shen Yuan steadied himself by putting his hands on either side of Luo Binghe’s head on the back of the couch. “What are you doing?” 

“Starting the lesson,” Binghe said. His tone was different, darker. Deeper. 

“How am I supposed to kiss you from this angle?”

“Shizun, they make actors do all kinds of weird positions, just think of that Spiderman movie where he was hanging upside down,” Binghe said, putting his hands a little too close to Shen Yuan’s ass. “It’s like learning how to drive a stick.” 

Shen Yuan couldn’t find an argument and they were wasting time, so he decided that this was the position they would stay in. He settled more into Binghe’s lap and crossed his arms. 

“Who is the one giving the lesson right now, hm?” 

Binghe smiled and acquiesced. “Shizun is the one giving the lesson.” Somehow, Shen Yuan felt like he was being placated like a child instead of being taken seriously. 

“Okay, then let me teach,” Shen Yuan put his fingers under Luo Binghe’s chin and tilted his head up. “When you kiss on-screen, they don’t usually let you move as much as you would if you were just kissing your partner in real life. You can move a little bit, but just don’t get too crazy.” 

Binghe removed his hand from where it had crept toward Shen Yuan’s ass to raise it like a student. 

“And what if I’ve never kissed someone off-screen before?” 

Shen Yuan felt his brain short-circuit. Binghe. Luo Binghe. The Luo Binghe. New playboy on the scene. Hottest man Shen Yuan has ever seen with his own two eyes. Binghe. Had never kissed someone off-screen? 

“Binghe, is that true?” 

“Will you please show me, Shizun?” Binghe said, avoiding the question. “How to kiss off-screen, that is. That way, it’ll be much easier to learn what not to do.” 

Shen Yuan stared at him incredulously. During the beat of silence that followed, Shen Yuan internally sighed and figured it would probably be harmless. If Luo Binghe really hadn’t kissed anyone off-screen, and Shen Yuan was sincerely trying to hold back on his doubt about that, then it would probably be best to first show him what not to do. 

“A-alright,” Shen Yuan replied, deeply unsure. “Yeah, that makes sense.” 

He still had his fingers under Binghe’s chin and used them to tilt that godly face up even more and looked down at Binghe’s mouth. Binghe’s hands were now on his thighs, his thumbs rubbing gentle circles over the skin that was being exposed as his shorts rode up. During one of his laps, Shen Yuan swore that Binghe shifted his path so that his thumbs were hooking up under the cuff of Shen Yuan’s shorts. 

Shen Yuan felt stuck looking at Binghe’s lips. A small smile was playing on them and Shen Yuan felt a bit out of his depth. 

“A-Yuan?” Binghe said softly. “Are you going to kiss me?” 

Shen Yuan nodded weakly before he started lowering his face. Luckily, he didn’t have to go the whole way because Binghe shifted upwards to meet him in the middle. Their lips met and Shen Yuan immediately felt like he was being eaten alive. Binghe bit his lower lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to make him gasp. 

As he opened his mouth, Binghe took this opportunity to bring his tongue into the mix. Shen Yuan had originally started to pull away at the first scrape of teeth to scold Binghe, but now he was being soothed back into pliancy. Binghe was a natural. 

Shen Yuan was starting to doubt this was his first kiss and that he had been played, and he would have had the mind to say something to Binghe if he wasn’t being kissed stupid. 

Despite being the “teacher” in this lesson, Binghe was definitely leading it. He had moved his hands from Shen Yuan’s thighs to slither up his back and hold him in a tight embrace. The trailer was silent save for the wet sound of their mouths and, under normal circumstanes, Shen Yuan probably would’ve thought it was gross. Fortunately, all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat hammering in his ears. 

Binghe gently began lowering Shen Yuan so that he was no longer straddling him, but instead laying on his back on the couch. It was honestly pretty impressive that they didn’t once break away from each other. Shen Yuan wasn’t even sure how he was still breathing. Luo Binghe tasted as good as he thought. Better, even. 

He tasted like the mint of his toothpaste but also like something sweeter. Something addicting. Shen Yuan felt his hands grab a fistful of Luo Binghe’s curls and tug gently. Luo Binghe moaned into his mouth and Shen Yuan took this brief opportunity to take a deep gulp of much needed air. Binghe, maybe sensing the Shen Yuan was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, began kissing down his chin and neck. 

“Binghe,” Shen Yuan said. “Binghe-” 

“A-Yuan,” Luo Binghe responded, sliding up to whisper directly into Shen Yuan’s ear. “My A-Yuan. Shizun. I’ve looked everywhere for you and now I’ve finally found you.” 

No more than a second passed before Shen Yuan was being kissed again. Binghe kissed like he was hungry. Like he was a starving man and Shen Yuan was the first food that he’d had in days. Their teeth clacked a few times and Binghe started to get a bit more bite-y, but Shen Yuan found that he didn’t mind it much at all. Binghe’s hands were moving up and down his sides, eliciting a tingly feeling up his spine and shooting straight into what was left of his brain. 

Right when Shen Yuan started to get a bit annoyed because Binghe must have left his wallet or something in his pocket and it was starting to poke Shen Yuan’s thigh, Binghe slowed his barrage of kisses down and began giving him soft, repeated pecks. 

Shen Yuan opened his eyes to stare a bit cross-eyed at Binghe’s face as he pulled away after the last, lingering peck. 

“Binghe, you’re glowing,” he said. 

“A-Yuan looks beautiful, too,” Binghe replied, going in for another kiss. Shen Yuan put his finger on Binghe’s nose to stop him. 

“No, you’re literally glowing. Red. On your forehead.” 

They stared at each other for a half a beat. Binghe saw the way that Shen Yuan looked at his revealed glowing red huadian and instead of seeing disgust or confusion, he saw… fascination. Curiosity. Feeling emboldened by this lack of revulsion, he leaned in for another kiss, which Shen Yuan accepted with a dreamy look on his face. 

“Perhaps I can explain… over dinner at my place?” Binghe asked, his smile wolfish. 

Shen Yuan, with not an ounce of self-preservation, responded simply with, “Okay.” 

One fast drive, a few expertly cooked dishes, and another makeout session later, Shen Yuan found himself staring at Luo Binghe in full Heavenly Demon regalia. His black robes lined with silver trimmings and red tassels. 

“Sure,” Shen Yuan said.

“Sure?” Binghe repeated back. 

“Yeah, sure.” 

“Sure… what? What does that mean?” 

“It means sure, I believe you,” Shen Yuan responded. “Why not? This is a classic reverse isekai trope, I’ve read it a hundred times.” 

“So, you believe me?” 

“Yep.” 

“And you don’t care?” 

“Nope.” 

“You aren’t scared? I just told you that I’m an extremely powerful demon from a different dimension who came here looking specifically for you, ready to tear apart heaven and earth if that’s what it took.” 

“Am I supposed to say that I feel special?” Shen Yuan asked. “I bet you say that to all the girls.” 

Luo Binghe scooped Shen Yuan up and began spinning him around, kissing him soundly before setting him back down. They smiled at each other like a couple of idiots. Shen Yuan didn’t care that Luo Binghe was a demon from a different world. He wasn’t scared of him, he was still Binghe. Plus, Shen Yuan had sort of prepared for a scenario like this after years and years of reading those trashy webnovels. Everyone else called it delusion, but Shen Yuan could now confidently say that it was more like optimistic preparation. 

“Wait!” Shen Yuan yelled. Binghe felt his heart lurch. “Does this mean I’m gay???” 

--

A few weeks later, Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe found themselves once again at a wrap party. Except this time, it was for a show that they had starred in together. And this time, instead of Shen Yuan embarrassing himself by spilling his drink on Binghe, he was being handed yet another glass by the rascal himself. 

“Binghe, are you trying to get me drunk?” Shen Yuan asked, setting the full glass down amongst its empty brethren scattered across the table. 

“It’s a celebration, A-Yuan!” Binghe responded. “Plus, you get much more handsy when you have a few drinks in you.” 

Shen Yuan felt his face get redder than it already was from his tipsy state and weakly hit Binghe’s arm. 

“Don’t! Say that! In! Public!” Shen Yuan whisper-shouted. Binghe took the hits happily, a big smile on his face. 

It didn’t help that their director encouraged them to have a closer relationship off-set, since that built excitement from the fangirls around the show. Shen Yuan didn’t like that idea, not because of the fangirls, but because he actually cared about Binghe and wasn’t just getting closer to him to sell the bromance. Binghe didn’t seem to mind it, but still. 

Shen Yuan stared at his profile. His perfect, chiseled profile. Binghe was looking out at the party and taking a sip from his own glass and Shen Yuan started thinking about the future. 

“Binghe?”

“Hm?” 

“Will you ever go back?” Shen Yuan asked, suddenly feeling a bit sad. “To your world, I mean. It sounds way cooler than here.” 

Binghe turned and looked at him. He had a serious look on his face and Shen Yuan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought that up. Binghe, noticing his change in posture, smiled warmly and put his hand on Shen Yuan’s knee, just barely out of the sight of the rest of the party. 

“A-Yuan, my world is right here.” He turned back to the party and took a sip of his wine. 

“Oh god,” Shen Yuan said, laughing. “That was so bad.” 

But then Binghe jutted out his lower lip and had that pathetic look on his face - where it looked like he could start crying any second. Shen Yuan swore he saw his lip wobbling. He put his hand over Binghe’s where it was still on his knee. 

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding, aiya, you’re so sensitive,” Shen Yuan responded, patting the hand that was now under his own. “I’m glad to hear it.” 

Binghe preened like a proud peacock, his curly hair shining under the twinkling lights and his chin held high. Shen Yuan wasn’t done teasing him. 

He got up and walked behind where Binghe was sitting in his chair. Reaching around, he grabbed a stray set of silverware from the table that hadn’t been used and untied the red bow that was keeping the napkin together. 

“One second, I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now.”

Binghe anxiously fidgeted in his chair while Shen Yuan went to work. After a few seconds, Binghe felt Shen Yuan release his hair and something red flopped into his peripheral sight. 

“What-”

“It’s a little braid!” Shen Yuan said, proud of his work. He picked it up to show Binghe better. “Isn’t it cute? Wait- wait, Binghe, why are you crying? Binghe???”