Applaud for Happiness

Shen Qi settled his luggage down with Jiang Changshen’s help. Then he turned into a bit of a devotee, following behind Jiang Changshen.

“Brother Jiang, is there anything I can do for you?”

“It’s hot. Do you want me to fan you?”

“You’re picking vegetables? I’ll do it too. I’ll help!”

Liang Yu and Xie Jun were sitting outside under the grape arbour, cooling off. They shared a glance, smiling.

Liang Yu raised an eyebrow at Xie Jun, gesturing to watch. He waved to Shen Qi.

“Xiao Qi, come here. You see, it’s so hot and we two old people aren’t so well. You can’t even move in the heat and it’s even worse if you get heatstroke. It’s been hard on everyone. If you want to help your Brother Jiang, l’ll give you an idea. There are watermelons in the back field. You go and pick two. We’ll put them in the fridge and chill them, and then we’ll cut the watermelons, so there is a half for everyone. How about that to quench thirst and fight the heat?”

Shen Qi was convinced by that reasoning. His face was kind of blank, mind crackling with thoughts. There wasn’t much of a response.　　

Liang Yu hooked an arm around his shoulder.

“Want to get an in with your Brother Jiang? Would you like to take a picture with him? Maybe even get his contact information? Then it makes sense to listen to me. Think about it. Your Brother Jiang worked so hard. One man did the work of three in this heat and the crew is so cheap, they didn’t even give him a cold beer. Drinking ice water is bad for your stomach, and if you come holding a watermelon like that, he’ll be pleased and moved. Xie Jun and I will be there to help you. You want some kind of reward, don’t you?”

Xie Jun stifled a laugh, and added helpfully: “Alas, if we weren’t both so old, one with a bad back and the other with a bad leg, we would have gone off and done this on our own.”

He was being a little blunt with that one, obviously nudging him into accepting the role in order to paint a respectful and hardworking persona.

No matter how stupid Shen Qi might be, he would understand such an obvious hint. He nodded.

“Well, I’ll be there going now. Which way is the watermelon field?”

Jiang Changshen had finished choosing the vegetables and had started washing them. He’d seen Liang Xie and Xie teasing Shen Qi and hadn’t poked holes in their argument, waiting until Shen Qi was about to leave.

Then he took the basket and hat and gave them to him.

“The watermelon field is right behind the house, and you can see it along the path around the vegetable garden. It’s hot, so take it easy on the road and hide from the sun.”

He helped Shen Qi carry the basket and put on the hat, his expression gentle, vividly displaying the perfect image of someone caring for the younger generation.

Once the hat was on, he put his hand on Shen Qi’s head. “You should be ready for dinner when you get back.”

Shen Qi almost blushed again after being treated like this by the film emperor. He had held his breath when the hat was put on him, his expression undecipherable but his eyes shining.

It was as if fireworks had exploded in his heart.

‘Ahh! The Movie King has put a hat on me! And he touched my hair!’

Jiang Changshen laughed. He turned him around by pressing his shoulder and gave him a gentle push.

“Alright, go.”

Shen Qi drifted out of the courtyard door. With his back to the camera, a hint of amusement crossed his eyes.

It had just been a short exchange and yet he had seen that unfortunately, it seemed the emperor was not as good on the inside as he appeared to be on the outside. Even if he had fooled everyone, he hadn’t fooled Shen Qi, who had been trained in several worlds and had a keen eye for detail.

Interesting.

Rubbing his lower lip with a finger, Shen Qi let out a silent laugh. A smile rippled across his lips.

Shen Qi was young and strong, so he found the watermelon field quickly and was not tired after carrying two large watermelons back. Instead, he was all over the place with an air of productivity and happiness.

“I’m back!”

He was full of energy, with a bright smile on his face, and the falling sun shone from behind him as if he had a halo.

Liang Yu and Xie Jun were impressed, a normal reaction from the average person when faced with something beautiful.

Jiang Changshen, however, raised his eyebrows at first. He lifted his hand to shade his eyes as if he were being stabbed by the sun, and then he had the same expression as Liang Xie and the two others.

Shen Qi noted this small detail. It swirled around in his mind.

“Look, big watermelons!”

He gleefully showed the fruits of his efforts to the three, including a group of camera editors in the courtyard.

As a young master, before entering the entertainment industry he was the kind of guy who wouldn’t pick up a bottle of soy sauce if it fell over. Of course, with his status, he didn’t usually see a bottle of soy sauce.

After getting into the entertainment business, though, Young Master Xiao Qi had learned many skills for filming. However, this was the first time he had ever picked a watermelon from the ground with his own hands.　　

He lifted his hat, revealing his wet forehead. His bangs were plastered to his cheeks, sweat dripping down his temples.

Liang Yu got up from his recliner and grasped the watermelons. “Okay, okay, sit back and relax while I cut watermelon for everyone.”

Xie Jun also removed the towel that was resting on his shoulders to wipe his sweat. He smiled for the camera.

“It’s been hard work. Luckily we have Xiao Qi, who is also an extremely honest kid.”

“It’s not hard.” Shen Qi smiled brightly. He turned and saw Jiang Changshen stirring vegetables in front of the stove. He hurried over, pointing at Jiang Changshen the little fan Xie Jun had just given him. “Brother Jiang has worked hard!”

Jiang Changshen turned to look at him. “No, you go rest. I’ll be right over here.”

Of course Shen Qi refused, but he took three steps back at Jiang Changshen’s insistence.

“Brother Xie, do you need my help?”

Xie Jun had been setting the table and feigned anger at the news.

“Why aren’t you helping out your Brother Jiang? Is it only because your Brother Jiang doesn’t want you anymore that you thought of us?”

Shen Qi was very honest: “Brother Jiang said he didn’t need my help and told me to go rest.”

Xie Jun’s helpless expression wasn’t looking good. “Okay, okay, then you can rest.” He turned to the camera. “Why did I think this boy’s dependable? He doesn’t know how to ask us if we need help. He’s just circling around Xiao Jiang. I can see now that he’s only interested in Xiao Jiang.”

Shen Qi approached him and took the chopsticks from his hand. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Brother Xie, you go and rest!”

Xie Jun raised an eyebrow and smiled. “That’s more like it.”

The table where they’d be eating was set under the vine arbour. It was a folding table. Shen Qi just propped it up and set the stools. Then he cleaned the table and the chairs. He set the table and put down the food. He was like a hard-working bee.

Xie Jun observed the show and smiled. “Have a look at how diligent and energetic he is. That’s how it should be. We’ll have to refer to Xiao Qi for future guests.”

Liang Yu came out with the iced watermelon he’d made. He smiled in agreement.

“Okay.” Jiang Changshen put down the shovel and brought up the last plate of food. “You can eat now.”

Shen Qi instantly moved next to him and took the plate from him. “Brother Jiang, be careful; it’s hot. I’ll do it!”

Jiang Changshen didn’t say much and just let him take it.

There were three courses and one soup, all prepared by Jiang Changshen. Without the taste even coming into it, just looking at them made your mouth water.

Shen Qi was a fanboy, so he praised every dish before it entered his mouth. And when he tasted them, he not only complimented every single one of them again, but he was able to give individualized, specific praise for each dish, which made it feel less like bootlicking and more like sincere flattery.

Not to mention Xie Jun, who was already impressed with him, Liang Yu and Jiang Changshen were now warming up to him a little bit, too. Shen Qi was good-looking, a good worker, and honest. As a newcomer in the entertainment circle, he reached an 8 out of 10.

Though Shen Qi was brushing up his acting skills, he didn’t need to suck up to all three men. The only one to receive special treatment was Jiang Changshen, because Shen Qi was wearing a guise of a fanboy. It was his excitement and admiration at seeing his idol. Even smart guys like Xie Jun and Liang Yu couldn’t see anything wrong with it, especially since he really liked Jiang Changshen.

As part of his attack strategy, Shen Qi never invested true feelings into a person. But here, it was more or less a matter of Jiang Changshen being his type. For □□, to be exact. That the face that looked like a clear blue moon was very much to his liking. Just the thought of that face being erotic because of him, being in the throes of lust because of him, lit a fire in his heart.

If you counted, it had been a year since he’d had any relief, at the end of his last mission.

Shen Qi licked his lips, which were bright red from spicy food. He speared a piece of watermelon with a toothpick and handed it to Jiang Changshen, who was next to him.

“Want to taste how sweet it is, Brother Jiang?”

The dining table was small and the benches were the low kind. The four of them sat close together, especially Shen Qi, who was a big fan of Jiang Changshen. In order to fulfil his wish, Liang Yu and Xie Jun had specifically seated him next to Jiang Changshen, while they were sitting on the edges, to the left and right. On the other side of the table was the camera.

Jiang Changshen turned his head at the call.

The boy’s handsome face was very close. Because he had sweated, he’d washed his face not long ago. Only skin care products had been applied. His face was kind of plain, yet fair and delicate, full of youthful energy. It was only when Jiang Changshen was close that he noticed that the end of the teenager’s eyes were slightly upturned.

Now he looked curiously at Shen Qi and saw a hint of loveliness and lushness, with red lips. The young man was seductive, but unaware of it.

Jiang Changshen was a man and his sexual orientation were other males, but he had never revealed it before.

It was like when a straight guy saw a beautiful woman. Instinctively, he would take a second look, even if she was not his ideal type.

“Brother Jiang?” Shen Qi had caught his momentary lapse of concentration and simply put the watermelon directly near the man’s mouth.

It wasn’t an overly intimate gesture, though. After all, Xie Jun had just fed Shen Qi the food that he couldn’t eat during the meal.

The expression in Jiang Changshen’s eyes deepened. His face showed his usual gentle self.

He took the toothpick. “Thanks.”

“It’s nothing,” said Shen Qi with a bright smile. Then he looked at him expectantly, like he was waiting for him to comment.

 “Not bad. It’s very sweet.”

Shen Qi was satisfied, looking as if he had received a great compliment.

It was a late summer evening with a dark sky. It had been past three in the afternoon when Shen Qi arrived and by the time dinner rolled around it was after six.

The four of them ate and talked and find ideas to add to the show’s watchability. Liang Yu and Xie Jun also gave a hand to help Shen Qi fulfil his fanboy dream, took pictures of him with Jiang Changshen to exchange contact information, and more.

By the time it was all over, it was 9:00 p.m. There was enough material for one day.

There was no TV to watch, so they packed up, showered and went to bed. After all, they had to get up early the next day to continue recording.

The house was a rural one. The rooms were connected, just separated by a living room with a small bedroom on the left. There was only a small bed that could accommodate two people. So Liang Yu, Xie Jun and Jiang Changshen slept in the master bedroom on the right. The small bedroom was reserved for the guests coming to the show. However, the bathroom was built in the small bedroom.

It was summer, so Shen Qi took off his shirt when he entered the bedroom.

When it was Jiang Changshen’s turn to take a shower, he saw the bare teenager sitting on the bed with a big grin on his face. Because he had just showered and still had moisture on him, he looked like the vegetables that had been washed earlier, fresh and tender.

Seeing him come in, he looked up, and the dusky light gave this a seductive taste.

-o-

Translator’s Note: Hahaha, our Shen Qi isn’t wasting any time.

Oh, and you might have received a notification over a week ago about a chapter 2. That wasn’t me. I talked with the translator and they got the link removed.

In case it’s not clear, I have no intention of dropping this project. I fully intend on translating all the way to the end of this novel. I have not given permission to anyone to take over this project and I don’t intend to. If I drop off the face of the Earth and don’t post anything in at least three months then it’s understandable that someone else would take up the project, but that’s the only exception.

I don’t know how fast my posting rate will be. I’ll see as I translate and post chapters how fast I am, and then give you guys an estimate. If you want me to translate faster, then please motivate me by leaving comments.