Chapter Text
On Sunday, Eliot received a callback from the twin sisters Nong Zai and Jian Zai about the confirmation of his role in ABO Desire. He was acting as Hua Yong, the cold and calculating head of X holdings, and the Enigma who would lay down his life and the next for his beloved, Sheng Shaoyou. Before, they expressed great desire for him to act as Hua Yong, and were overjoyed when they finally got the clearance from the higher-ups.
They did also add that they were quite frazzled over the fact that they were not able to locate any actor suited for the role Sheng Shaoyou, and implored Eliot to keep an eye out for any potential candidates. The exasperation in Jian Zai’s tone was apparent, and he knew she was not-so-subtly trying to hint at his pickiness in finding a partner.
In his very humble opinion, all the actors that acted as Sheng Shaoyou individually were fine with almost no flaws to be seen from their acting. It was them acting with him that was the problem. One was too soft, the other too strong. Another, too kind, too harsh, too emotional… The list was as long as the time taken to find a perfect Sheng Shaoyou. He just didn’t feel the inexplainable pull Hua Yong should have felt towards Sheng Shaoyou.
Jian Zai’s pressuring was valid, though. Even Seeky, the actor who was selected to act as Gao Tu, had almost finalized his paperwork. Ocean, the actor who was chosen as Shen Wenlang, had lost 10kg in the span of time Eliot took to find, or at least try to find, the perfect actor for Sheng Shaoyou. The higher-ups were already chasing the twins, and the twins also tried to persuade Eliot to find a suitable actor as soon as possible, for there would always be a risk of the higher-ups retracting the green light for this project to move forward. The twins had lobbied as much as they could have with a light touch of “rewards” to it, but Eliot knew his time was almost up.
Eliot swirled the glass filled with water in his slender hand, his expression calmer than the internal chaos he felt. The thing was, he did like the twins, for they were quite a huge improvement from back when he was an idol trainee. Not only did they show their care through materialistic items— the new mansion he was granted along with the three others was quite luxurious, with a 97” wide 8k television and a swimming pool that spanned half the entire length of the massive house; but also their obvious love and care for each and every one of their actors, often checking up on Seeky, who was still in the throes of depression. They also scheduled monthly bookings from world-renowned and highly sought after psychologists to ensure that their mental health was in tip-top shape. About Ocean’s 10kg weight loss, they contacted quite a large number of nutritionists to ensure that his physical health would not be as affected.
Eliot also did feel fondness towards the two roommates of his. While he did suspect there was something going on between them, he also had the decency to hold his tongue. Seeky was still in great distress, and Ocean was growing increasingly concerned about him, oftentimes barging into his room if he wasn’t able to hear Seeky’s reply to his daily “are you okay?” after knocking. Well that certainly caused some embarrassing incidents, with Ocean being flashed by Seeky not once, but twice. Actually, scratch that. It was absolutely hilarious to Eliot, embarrassing for them.
Truth is, Eliot wasn’t being picky on purpose. He sincerely wanted to see the twins’ dreams be fulfilled, and maybe Ocean and Seeky’s relationship could be accelerated because of this project.
But in his heart, he knew there was only one perfect Sheng Shaoyou to his Hua Yong.
Qiu Ding Jie, according to MyDramaList, was a 25 year old Chinese actor, with milky-white soft skin, literal galaxies in his eyes, a perfect nose that sloped just at the right angle, and a confident smirk. He was known for the variety of roles he took on, and had a long list of leading roles. (Okay, maybe the description of his looks was from Eliot, but semantics.)
But what MyDramaList didn’t know was that Ding Jie was gay. Not only that, but he had dated Eliot before, 8 years ago.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
“Hey! Stop tickling me like that, I can’t breathe— HAHAHA!” 17 year-old Ding Jie burst out laughing, shaking uncontrollably as Huang Xin’s face shone with amusement and tenderness, a look that could only be seen by Ding Jie and Ding Jie alone.
“Shh! If the librarian hears us, it won't be good… do you recall the time she chewed us out because we were laughing just a decibel too high…?” Huang Xin replied, putting a slender finger on Ding Jie's lips.
“It's your fault for making me laugh so hard… the joke was just too funny…” Ding Jie answered, his face looking quite cross. But to Huang Xin, he just looked plain cute.
“Okay, okay, it's all my fault, don't be mad, hmm?” Huang Xin changed his expression to a pouty one, knowing Ding Jie had folded many times because of those innocent, watery eyes of his.
Ding Jie looked at him, and Huang Xin knew all traces of anger had fled Ding Jie's mind. True to Huang Xin's thoughts, Ding Jie pushed both of his hands into Huang Xin's cheeks, and said, “I really can't get mad at you…” That elicited a content smile from Huang Xin, just like the cat who got the cream.
After that exchange, they decided to continue studying (with shared earbuds, of course) in case the librarian came and reprimanded them for being noisy again.
They were currently studying at the library of Xiamen No.1 High School, the high school they both chose to enter due to its good reputation.
Huang Xin was a sophomore and Ding Jie a junior. They met on the first day of school, when Huang Xin was a freshman roaming the halls, unsure of where to go. It didn’t help that others looked as if they wanted to flee every single time they saw him.
“Honestly, I'm not even that scary, it's just my face… but it's not like I can control how my face looks, right?” Huang Xin sighed to himself.
Well, he'd rather them flee than start bullying him for how his face looked. He still remembered the days, back in junior high, when some people were green with jealousy of his good looks, which ended up in him being tossed in a ditch at the back of the school and having to transfer schools after.
From then, he decided to keep his eyes devoid of emotion and his face stone cold. He'd rather be seen as cold and heartless than go through that again.
Lost in his thoughts, he accidentally bumped into someone, losing his balance, and ending up on the floor.
When he looked up, he wanted to apologize, but the words at the tip of his tongue seemed to have fled his mind, for he was graced by the face of an angel. If God had a favourite, it would be him. Pale, porcelain skin, with almond-shaped ebony orbs, framed with long, luscious lashes that made him feel as if he were enveloped by the night sky. If he stared too long, he would be lost in them.
“Oh my! I'm so sorry for knocking you over… are you alright? I wasn't aware where I was looking…” Ding Jie inquired with a concerned look on his face, tilting his head cutely.
‘Even his voice sounds melodic…’ Huang Xin thought to himself. He was sincerely questioning his sexuality and sanity then, for perhaps he was hallucinating the person in front of him.
“Ah, yes, I'm perfectly fine without a scratch… Sorry for not looking where I was going…” Huang Xin immediately got up, taking the outstretched hand of Ding Jie.
His hands felt soft, warm, and as smooth as silk; also feeling like a perfect fit with Huang Xin's.
“Uhm… if it's not too much trouble, may I ask where do I get to class 1A…?” Huang Xin asked in a soft voice, hoping his mellow demeanor would shatter any impression relating to coldness about him in Ding Jie's mind. He found that while he could care less about the views of others; if Ding Jie had any bad impression of him, it would likely spell out the end of any friendship that could blossom between them, which made him feel sadder than he cared to admit.
“Woah, that's insane... Isn't that the elite class only the cream of the crop can enter? You're really intelligent!” Ding Jie exclaimed, impressed. Hearing the praise, Huang Xin blushed and looked to the ground, feeling a little shy. “Anyway… just walk straight through the hallway, turn left and walk until you see a staircase. Go down to the second level, turn right into a corner, and the first class will be your class!” Huang Xin nodded furiously, but the look on his face must've been confused all the same, as Ding Jie added: “Mm… Do you need me to walk you to the classroom?”
Another chance to stay longer with the upperclassman! Huang Xin replied with a yes, delight on his face apparent with how his eyes shone. “Okay, let's go!” Ding Jie exclaimed, walking towards the opposing direction from where they were standing.
Just then, a person shouted behind them. “QIU DING JIEEEEE! COACH SAYS IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASS TO THE BASKETBALL COURT NOW, YOU'LL BE TAKEN OFF THE TEAM!” Ding Jie tsked loudly, and shouted back with “LET ME GUIDE THIS FRESHMAN TO HIS CLASS FIRST!” “NO CAN DO, COACH SAID EVEN IF YOU'RE HIT WITH A HIGH FEVER, HE STILL WANTS TO SEE YOU.” “TELL HIM TO FUCK OFF!” Ding Jie yelled back at his friend, annoyance in his tone apparent. “IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR NOT GOING TO PRACTICE RECENTLY!” his friend chirped back. Ding Jie pinched the bridge of his temples, his brows furrowed in exasperation.
Although Huang Xin did want to be with Ding Jie longer, he didn't want Ding Jie's pretty face to be marred with stress, so he tugged on Ding Jie's sleeve and said, “Maybe you should go, I'll be fine.” “Are you sure? Do you need another person to guide you? I can get my friends…” Ding Jie's doubt on his face was apparent, but he was already preparing to walk in the other direction. “Positive, don't worry, I wouldn’t want to trouble your friends.” Huang Xin smiled back, touched. “Okay then! Bye for now!” Ding Jie replied, moving off.
“Wait!” Huang Xin exclaimed, making Ding Jie turn around. “Actually, I'm worried I won't be able to find my way around… Would it be possible for you to leave any sort of contact information? You see, I have a bad memory... just like a goldfish, so if I can't find my way around, maybe I could just ask you for directions with pictures!”
This was a lie, for Huang Xin was excellent with directions, especially after being given them. He had a photographic memory, which significantly helped his studies.
“Hmm… I don't think I can hand over my number so easily… but would my socials be alright? You can contact me through that!” Ding Jie answered. Huang Xin nodded, thrilled to even be able to contact Ding Jie.
“Okay, so here's mine… Oh, your name is Huang Xin?” Ding Jie questioned. “Yes, and yours is Ding Jie, right? I caught your friend yelling that just now…” “Ai, don't mind him, he's very loud normally.” Ding Jie responded. After seeing that Huang Xin had accepted his follow request, Ding Jie said: “Well then, see you around, Huang Xin!” Huang Xin waved back, a sweet smile gracing his normally cold features.
Seeing his retreating figure, Huang Xin gave his reply. “We definitely will see each other around, Ding Jie…” He would make sure of it.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
A deafening shout from Ocean, coupled with a loud slap from Seeky brought Eliot back to the present.
Turning his head towards Seeky's room, he saw Ocean rubbing his arm hard to alleviate the pain from the slap. “Wow. That slap was excellent. The decibels coming from it slapped me back into reality, and the red handprint on your arm truly complements your skin tone.” Eliot spoke in a silky tone sarcastically.
“Hey, it's not my fault, man. How was I to know he was changing…” Ocean muttered, feeling wronged. “Maybe learn to be less worried, Seeky is an adult after all. I'm quite sure he can handle himself.” Eliot shot back, unimpressed. “He looks like he's lost weight again… should I cook for him again?” Ocean said to no-one, his eyes vacant and far away.
Seeing that Ocean wasn't listening to him, Eliot rolled his eyes at the sight of Ocean listing off ingredients, and turned his attention to the television again.
Seeky was getting better, Ocean had lost weight, the higher-ups had already given the green light, the twins had all the shooting locations down… It was all down to him, in the end.
He sighed softly, and pulled out his phone, which was coupled with a phone case of autumn. There was only ever one star-themed phone case to pair with his autumn-themed phone case; and there was only one signature on the case to complement his signature on the other.
“Now we match, plus our signatures look like autographs from celebrities! Hmm… I hope we can make these signatures turn into autographs!” Ding Jie had said back then, and Eliot had tackled him into a bear hug, which caused the two of them to have stitches due to laughing.
Staring at the phone case, he smiled, but it was laced with bitterness. Yes, their signatures had turned into autographs. However, he had no way to know if Ding Jie still had the matching case to pair with his.
He shook his head, turning his phone around, dialing a number, and praying the number was the same one he got in sophomore year.
“Hello, Qiu Ding Jie speaking.”
Hearing the same melodic voice, just a few baritones lower from the last time he heard it from him, Eliot felt as if he was home.
It's time for Hua Yong to find his Sheng Shaoyou.