Looking at himself in the mirror, Adam adjusted the towel draped over his shoulders, making sure the fallen hair wouldn't tickle his neck. He meticulously checked the details of his haircut, his expression extremely placid. There was a hint of scholarly rigor, combined with a touch of obsessive-compulsive cleanliness – everything proceeded with methodical precision.
However, Kyle, standing by his side, seemed unusually agitated. His brow furrowed, body swaying uncontrollably, he rambled incessantly, "You shouldn't do this. You're making a mistake." Kyle's head kept shaking, vehemently denying the reality. His wrinkled cheeks resembled dumplings, clearly reflecting his inner turmoil. "You're gonna look weird, man."
The overwhelming negativity caused Adam's movements to pause. He turned his head, tilting it slightly, eyebrows filled with puzzlement. He stretched out his hands in disbelief, saying, "What do you mean?"
"It's gonna look f*cking weird." Kyle didn't dare to meet Adam's eyes directly. His gaze just grazed Adam's eyes through the mirror, and he quickly averted his eyes.
Adam shrugged his shoulders helplessly, gazing at Kyle. His handsome brows came together in the middle, forming a question mark. His face was filled with an innocence that was strangely amusing. "What are you talking about?" He elongated the ending of each word when speaking, emphasizing the disbelief and incomprehensible confusion. This contrasted sharply with Kyle's impatience and anxiety.
Kyle raised his hand and gently touched Adam's hair. The pleasant texture made his fingers unconsciously linger a bit longer. This action widened Adam's eyes in surprise, and he complained, "Hey, I'm not someone Nancy from the bar with them locks."
This unexpected wit caused the crew members behind the monitors to tightly press their lips, trying to stifle their laughter and avoid disrupting the shoot.
Jonathan's expression relaxed a bit. The fact that Renly was not fully ad-libbing lines was a positive sign. Seeing Renly's impatient expression while delivering such playful lines was quite amusing. The focus now shifted to how Seth would respond. Jonathan felt that there was finally a sense of comedy emerging.
Kyle couldn't help but step closer, sniffing Adam's hair. The single action prompted Adam to instinctively avoid his touch, turning his head to dodge Kyle's "oily" hand. However, Kyle persisted. He used his right hand to continuously stroke Adam's head, opening his palm to feel the strands of hair slipping between his fingers. Suddenly, Adam's slightly curly hair turned into a bird's nest.
"Disgusting," Kyle's entire face contorted, displaying a disgusted expression. "Nancy? You overestimate yourself! Your hair barely holds up against Donald Trump's wig."
Adam was taken aback, his head turning to face Kyle. He looked at him directly, asking, "Should I be angry because of that statement?"
Kyle grabbed Adam's shoulder and turned him back towards the mirror. Then he lifted his right hand to continue patting Adam's head, as if a father were patting his son's head. Adam rolled his eyes in response, wearing a resigned expression, yet he didn't resist.
"Who knows if you've got some big Gorbachev bird shit thing on your head?" Kyle's snide remark, combined with the earlier analogy, oozed forth a wave of dark humor.
However, Adam had no time to pay attention to these matters. He widened his eyes, staring at Kyle in the mirror, and pronounced each word deliberately, "You said that you liked this idea!" His accusation was akin to a child reprimanding a mother for breaking his toy, filled with pent-up grievances.
"I liked the idea in theory," Kyle took half a step back, spreading his hands in a gesture of both aggrieved and flustered defense. Adam's expression momentarily froze. His deep brown eyes conveyed an overwhelming sense of helpless shock. His slightly agape mouth held a touch of amusement akin to a "dislocated jaw".
"Now that we're standing here about to do it, I think you're gonna look like f*cking Vin Diesel or something," Kyle adopted a repulsive expression, exuding an air of rejection from head to toe. He didn't mince words and directly launched into his critique.
Adam's gaze shifted away from Kyle's reflection in the mirror and back to his hair. He shook his head resolutely, stating, "We have to do it." He also clenched his fist, pumping himself up.
"I'm not doing it, man," Kyle muttered, rolling his eyes.
"We have to do it!" Adam took a deep breath, bracing himself and firmly asserting. After uttering those words, his peripheral vision lifted provocatively, shooting Kyle a challenging glance. "What did you just say? Say it again! Vin Diesel? The f*ck!"
Kyle froze, his eyes widened, feigning innocence, yet secretly letting his gaze wander upwards. "What?"
Kyle could feel those searing eyes on him. He discreetly lowered his head, glanced at the mirror, and caught Adam's narrowed eyes. This made him feel guilty for a moment. He pretended to whistle and shifted his gaze away, completely avoiding direct confrontation with Adam.
Adam's jaw moved slightly, withdrawing his gaze and reiterating that they had to do it.
"You do it." Kyle snapped back to reality and retorted without backing down. But upon seeing Adam's gaze, he had to add, "I'm not fucking doing it."
"You..." Adam wanted to continue coercing Kyle, but he didn't expect Kyle to directly hand over the electric clippers. Kyle's expression was a mixture of disdain and reluctance, as if he were holding not electric clippers, but a pile of filth. This left Adam feeling helpless, and his shoulders slumped as he trailed off, "Come on, do it!"
"No way!" Kyle pushed the electric clippers toward Adam, signaling for him to take them.
Adam truly had nothing to say. "You promised earlier!"
"I've changed my mind." Kyle's voice gained intensity, emphasizing his stance. "If it ends up looking terrible, you'll definitely be on my ass. Every time you see your bald head, you know who you gonna remember." Kyle's words flowed without pause or a break for breath. He carried on unabated, his face turning red as he continued to glare at Adam.
Adam pursed his lips, raising a corner of his mouth in a speechless and chilling expression, then rolled his eyes at Kyle. He cast a sidelong glance, his slightly squinted eyes filled with disdain, contempt, and aversion. He briskly took the electric clippers from Kyle's hand, flicked the switch, and paid no heed to Kyle's incessant muttering. He unceremoniously pressed the clippers against his own forehead.
This swift and decisive action held no hesitation or buffer, leaving Kyle startled. His voice got caught in his throat, his whole body jerked back in alarm. He ended up bumping into the radiator. As if that weren't enough, he reflexively raised both hands, firmly covering his cheeks and even his eyes.
His childish reaction was genuinely amusing.
The electric clippers were already at the side of his hairline, but suddenly Adam remembered something. He halted the clippers momentarily, observing Kyle's reaction. He cleared his throat and smacked his lips, "Wait." Adam turned off the clippers and saw Kyle's hands drop slightly, though he maintained a look of traumatized shock. "Hold on!"
Without turning around, Adam just slightly angled his head and looked at Kyle through the mirror. His eyes narrowed gradually, brimming with suspicion and mistrust as he scrutinized Kyle. This intense gaze made Kyle uncomfortable, causing him to blink repeatedly. Unconsciously, he blinked far more than he normally would have.
The serene air flowed slowly in the confined space. Kyle didn't understand where he had gone wrong, but his eyeballs began to drift away to avoid making direct eye contact with Adam. He involuntarily started feeling guilty, although he had no clue about the situation.
Adam's chin lifted slightly, and with the reflection in the mirror, he carefully examined Kyle from top to bottom. It was as if he could peer through his skin and glimpse his soul. This made the hairs on the back of Kyle's neck stand on end. He couldn't help but lift his hands defensively, striking a comical pose.
Seeing the desired effect, Adam was satisfied. In a deep voice, he inquired, "What do you use this for?"
Silence. Utter silence.
Kyle slowly lowered his hands, not realizing that his gaze was now drifting downward. His guilt-ridden demeanor was obvious. "You know, my body hair?" Even Kyle himself couldn't believe it. His voice grew softer and softer until it almost disappeared.
Then Kyle noticed Adam's intent gaze. Looking up, he found Lan Li's face up close. Kyle turned to face him directly and asked, "When was the last time you cleaned this?"
Kyle's bravado vanished, and he modestly took the clippers from Adam. He scrutinized them carefully, then mumbled incoherently, "Like brand new?" It was supposed to be a declarative sentence, yet unexpectedly, his tone lifted at the end. He seemed uncertain even to himself.
"That's great." Adam's response was dismissive, devoid of soul. After all, it was all the same. What was the use of fussing over these intricate details?
"Totally clean," Kyle emphasized. He then observed Adam expertly adjusting the fallen towel. Adam's movements lacked any hesitation or uncertainty. Kyle paused, then realized there was no turning back. Adam was really going to do it. Thus, with a grimace, he helped Adam straighten the towel.
Then he watched as Adam unhesitatingly lifted the electric clippers and pushed them down.