Fu Xingyun looked at him, "Dating is not allowed, but marriage is?"
Lin Qiong shook his head earnestly, "Actually, marriage is not allowed either because my agent forbids me from talking about it."
Earlier during the movie audition, they had negotiated not to disclose Fu Xingyun's involvement. Lin Qiong promised Wang Cheng not to mention Fu Xingyun, and in return, Wang Cheng agreed not to exploit his single status.
Fu Xingyun frowned, "Then why did you choose to get married in the first place?"
When Lin Qiong married him, they were already in the entertainment industry.
Lin Qiong blushed and lowered his head, "Because I love you. I chose you without hesitation between you and my future. But I don't regret this decision because you are my 'future'."
Fu Xingyun was about to speak when Lin Qiong quickly raised his hand to stop him.
With a serious expression, Lin Qiong said, "You don't need to say anything. I know, I understand."
Fu Xingyun: ...
"I know this marriage is just my wishful thinking, but my feelings for you are real, and my love for you is real."
Fu Xingyun: "You..."
Lin Qiong pressed a fair-skinned finger against his lips, "I know you don't like me. I don't expect you to respond to my feelings. I just hope to accompany you until you recover."
Then, pretending to be sad, "Rest assured, I won't bother you. When you're better, we can get a divorce. By then, I'll take away the good things you gave me, and you can start a new life."
The man looked at his inexplicable expression and couldn't figure it out, "You..."
Before the man could finish his sentence, Lin Qiong preemptively spoke, "So, for now, don't push me away, okay?"
As the words fell, the man fell silent for a moment. Then, looking at Lin Qiong, he spoke, "Lin Qiong."
"Um."
"You're pressing on my foot."
"..."
Lin Qiong, like a bouncing ball, instantly bounced up, and his fluffy hair trembled with the movement.
"Sorry, I didn't notice just now." Lin Qiong looked at the man's expression and cautiously asked, "Is it heavy?"
There was little emotional fluctuation on Fu Xingyun's face, "It's fine."
Lin Qiong breathed a sigh of relief, "It seems I'm not that important to you."
Fu Xingyun: ?
"After all, some people are as heavy as Mount Tai, while I'm just a small part of it."
"..."
Afterward, Lin Qiong pushed the sandwich in his hand toward the man and said, "Hurry up and eat; I added ham for you."
Seeing the man pick it up, Lin Qiong stood up. "You go ahead and eat. I'll go downstairs and get you a glass of water."
With that, he clattered down the stairs in his slippers.
When Lin Qiong, holding a cup of water, stood at the door of the study, the three sandwiches that were originally on the plate were all gone.
Approaching, Lin Qiong was silent for a few seconds. His round trip up and down the stairs took no more than three minutes.
Then he looked at Fu Xingyun. "Haven't eaten for a few days?"
Fu Xingyun: ...
The man coughed. "I eat every day."
Lin Qiong continued to gaze at him. Fu Xingyun said, "I just don't eat much."
Fu Xingyun also couldn't understand his own psychology. Since getting married, perhaps he had become accustomed to eating what the other person cooked. After the other person left, everything he ate seemed to taste off.
Just like the instant noodles earlier, he never ate such junk food, but the ones Lin Qiong made for him seemed fine. Even when he bought the same kind later, he always felt the taste was different and ended up throwing it away after a bite.
Looking at the empty plate, Lin Qiong pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you need me to make more for you?"
"No need."
Lin Qiong was somewhat surprised. "Is your appetite smaller?"
Fu Xingyun's expression was somewhat unnatural. "Lunch is in two hours."
"..."
Great.
Lin Qiong clapped his hands and stood up. He had just woken up from his nap and was now quite energetic. "Then, have some water for now."
Fu Xingyun: ?
"Fill up a bit, considering it's still two hours until lunch."
Lin Qiong sat in the study for a while, then went downstairs to make lunch. Later, he came back upstairs with the intention of pushing Fu Xingyun downstairs.
However, when he arrived at the elevator, he saw Fu Xingyun not raising his hand.
Lin Qiong was puzzled. "Is the elevator broken?"
"No."
Lin Qiong was instantly surprised. Could it be that Fu Xingyun wanted him to carry him downstairs?
But considering that he was being paid for this, Lin Qiong patted his own shoulder, trying to show a sense of manliness. "Come on."
Fu Xingyun didn't understand. "What for?"
Lin Qiong tilted his head slightly and looked at him. "To carry you downstairs."
"No need." Fu Xingyun said, "Press the button with your finger."
Lin Qiong was puzzled. "Where?"
Fu Xingyun pointed, "The elevator button."
Lin Qiong: !
"Me?" The young man's expression was exaggerated as if he had won several billion in a lottery. He looked at the elevator button and then at his own finger.
The man's expression remained calm. "Yes."
"Really?" Lin Qiong confirmed repeatedly. "Can I really do it?"
The man looked at him without saying a word, but it was indeed an acquiescence.
In the next moment, the young man suddenly pounced on Fu Xingyun. "Xingyun, you are really amazing! I love you even more now."
As he spoke, he excitedly shook Fu Xingyun, like an enthusiastic little dog wagging its tail.
However, along with the excitement, there was also an extremely hollow feeling of guilt.
Lin Qiong, holding the man, felt a bit uneasy. Did the fact that the man asked him to input his fingerprint mean that he had started to trust him? And what about his own intentions...
Afterward, Lin Qiong decided that he would be even more kind to the man in the future!
Lin Qiong looked at the fingerprint recognition screen next to the elevator, like a little stray dog just entering the village. "What do I need to do?"
"Press your finger against it," said Fu Xingyun.
"Which finger should I use?" asked Lin Qiong.
"Any finger will do."
In the next moment, Fu Xingyun saw Lin Qiong extend his index finger in an international-friendly gesture.
Lunch was neither too much nor too little—three dishes, one soup—enough for two people.
As Fu Xingyun picked up his chopsticks and saw the familiar mountain peaks in his bowl, Lin Qiong, with a mouthful of rice, asked, "Have you been outside these days?"
"No."
"Then, later, I'll push you outside for a walk. Autumn is coming soon, take advantage of the weather before it gets cold, and get some sun."
Lin Qiong looked at the man's head. "Let's go to the park. I've passed by a few times before, but I've never been inside. There's a first time for everything."
The first sentence was an excuse, and the second was persuasion.
Seeing that the man remained unmoved, Lin Qiong continued to cajole, "I've never been inside and want to take a look. Besides, what couple doesn't stroll in the park together?"
"Do other people stroll?"
"Even elderly couples dance in the square together."
"..." Fu Xingyun's tone was indifferent. "Just this once."
Lin Qiong nodded eagerly, "Okay, okay."
With a smile on his lips, he pushed the man out of the villa area.
Upon arriving at the park, they found quite a few people. Lin Qiong pushed the man through the shade of the trees, and in the distance, he spotted a sizable sandbox.
Curious, Lin Qiong stretched his head to take a look and then patted the man's shoulder. "Let's go over and see the ducks."
Fu Xingyun glanced at it without saying anything.
Seeing no clear rejection, Lin Qiong pushed the man excitedly towards the sandbox.
There were quite a few people in the sandbox, mostly children playing with sand.
There were only two steps in total. After coming down, Lin Qiong looked up at the man. "Do you want to come down and play together?"
Fu Xingyun: "No..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his hand was already held by Lin Qiong.
Lin Qiong looked at the man with anticipation. "Come on."
Fu Xingyun still refused, "No need."
Lin Qiong widened his eyes in surprise. "Why? It's so much fun."
When he was a child in the orphanage, and later when he worked while attending school, he never had family to accompany him. Today, seeing many children playing with sand, Lin Qiong realized that he might not have played like this when he was a child, and curiosity overwhelmed him.
Fu Xingyun's gaze was too dazzling. He turned his head slightly. "I don't want to."
"Come on." Lin Qiong brought his face close to the man's.
Fu Xingyun dodged and looked the other way, but Lin Qiong followed suit. "Come on."
While saying this, Lin Qiong swayed their joined hands and chanted like a spell, "Come on, come on, come on, come on."
Fu Xingyun frowned and reprimanded him, "Lin Qiong!"
Lin Qiong instantly closed his small mouth.
Behaving obediently.
"In public, what are you doing with this coquettish act?"
"..."
Lin Qiong nestled his fluffy head against Fu Xingyun's shoulder and said, "If you accompany me down, I won't bother you anymore."
Then he pointed to the sizable sandbox. "The kids playing in there all have companions, they all have someone with them."
His sincere appearance at that moment resembled a pyramid scheme.
"Come on, it's so much fun."
Fu Xingyun looked at him. "Have you played before?"
"No," Lin Qiong shook his head, "but who can resist playing with sand to build castles?"
"..."
Seeing the man silent, Lin Qiong continued to coax, "Xingyun, come on, come on, come on."
"I think every first experience should be with you." Lin Qiong blinked his eyes twice at him.
Fu Xingyun's expression darkened. "Just this once."
Lin Qiong had lost count of how many times the man had said this to him, but he still responded eagerly, "Okay, okay."
"Let's go." Saying this, he moved forward to pull Fu Xingyun.
Fu Xingyun raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
Lin Qiong looked expectant. "Let's go play in the sand."
Then he continued, "The wheelchair can't go down, or the wheels will be filled with sand. Let's go down together."
"Lin Qiong."
The man's tone was unusually uncertain and flustered.
But Lin Qiong didn't stop his actions; he repeated once again, "Let's go down together."
Fu Xingyun pressed down the hand trying to pull him up. "Let go of me."
"Why?"
"I don't want to go."
"No, you've already promised me."
Fu Xingyun frowned; he knew the other's stubbornness was kicking in, typically manifested by Lin Qiong's mouth running and, if intensified, turning into a wild dispute.
"I'm not going."
Lin Qiong looked incredulous, "How could you deceive me?!"
"I don't want to go."
Lin Qiong glanced at him, then lowered his head in a dejected manner, "I know, I know."
Seeing the sudden change in the person in front of him, Fu Xingyun was puzzled.
"You don't dislike the sand; you dislike me, so..."
The man's voice sounded irritated, "Enough."
Lin Qiong looked at him pitifully.
Fu Xingyun took a deep breath, sounding helpless, "Let's go down."
"Okay!" Lin Qiong said as he went to help him up, "Let's go down together."
In his joy, he didn't forget to flatter, "Xingyun, you're the best."
However, it was almost as if Lin Qiong had used all his strength to support him, visibly shaking with the effort.
After helping him up, Lin Qiong pretended to be relaxed, saying, "Let's go."
Supporting him towards the sandbox, Lin Qiong's fair face turned red from exertion, and the veins in his neck stood out.
Speaking with short breaths, "We're going down the steps; be careful."
Fu Xingyun watched him, his legs completely numb, but every word from Lin Qiong felt like he could walk, like he was capable of walking.
林琼 carefully landed with Fu Xingyun and then took a deep breath.
He hadn't expected Fu Xingyun to be so heavy. The weight had caused his legs to tremble, and it was fortunate that the distance wasn't more than half a meter; otherwise, they might have ended up falling into the sandbox.
But exhaustion was quickly replaced by the attraction of the sand beneath him. Lin Qiong first slid his hands through the sand, gradually entering a state of carefree abandon.
As he played, a little girl holding a bucket approached.
"Big brother, want to play together?" she asked.
Lin Qiong didn't refuse, "Sure."
Then Lin Qiong asked, "Who did you come with?"
The little girl pointed to the woman not far away with a baby, "I came with my aunt and her little baby."
Then, tilting her head innocently, the little girl asked, "Big brother, who did you come with?"
Lin Qiong pointed to the stern-faced man behind him, "I came with my old baby."