Reborn as a Substitute

Xie Xuanming’s expression remained calm, but his pupils were constantly contracting, and when you looked closely you could see his hand holding the spoon tremble slightly.

Ji Sheng’s heart was also full of ups and downs; he had no experience in confessing, he just opened his mouth and went ahead as soon as he was well fed and warm.

He looked at Xie Xuanming with some uncertainty and was surprised to find that the man who had been confessed to was even more nervous than him.

Ji Sheng calmed down a little and leaned forward tentatively: “You… don’t you have anything to say?” 

“Oh.” Xie Xuanming hastily lowered his eyes; the spoon unconsciously scraped the bottom of the bowl a few times. After calming down, he asked in a low voice, “Did Su Jing tell you to say that?”

“?” Ji Sheng was taken aback, “What does this have to do with Su Jing?”

“To make me let my guard down so you can find a chance to leave.” Xie Xuanming explained.

“…I am sincere.” 

“I don’t believe it.” Xie Xuanming said decisively.

“……”

“You are not like this when you are sincere.” Xie Xuanming ignored Ji Sheng’s speechless and wronged expression and got up to clean up the table, “It’s late, go to bed, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

Ji Sheng was almost turned into a joke by Xie Xuanming. He opened his mouth to say something, but Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes and refused to communicate. In the end, Ji Sheng could only shut up bitterly, put away the takeaway boxes and go upstairs into the bedroom.

“Today I’ll sleep next door.” After washing up, Xie Xuanming spoke for the first time.

“Huh?” This was the first time Ji Sheng had seen the guest room come into play, and he was very surprised.

“Call me if you need anything.” 

Ji Sheng didn’t expect that he had the courage to take a step closer but was forced to retreat for a hundred metres.

Seeing that Xie Xuanming was about to walk out, Ji Sheng sat up and grabbed his wrist, “There is no need, just because I confessed, do you have to draw a clear line?” 

“That’s not a confession.” Xie Xuanming corrected him.

“…are you a confession appraisal expert? Is it up to you to decide whether it’s a confession or not?” Ji Sheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry for a while.

Xie Xuanming was indifferent, still looking like he was in a hurry to get to the guest room.

Very Liu Xiahui(1).

As if he was not the one who had engaged in sex a few hours ago.

Ji Sheng complained a lot in his heart but changed his tone to a persuasive one: “You’re sleeping next door, aren’t you afraid that I’ll run away?” 

“I locked the door.” Xie Xuanming was very righteous.

“…” Ji Sheng broke the jar, “Then do you know that I can pick locks?”

“…” Xie Xuanming paused when he heard this, lowered his eyelids and glanced at Ji Sheng coldly.

Ji Sheng was searched by these probing eyes to the roots of his hair, retracted his hand and laughed dryly: “Just kidding, except Su Jing no one can.”

After thinking for half a second, he added: “But there’s no guarantee, since I am talented and good at self-teaching… In order to ensure that I don’t pick the lock and escape, don’t you have to look at me all the time?” 

Xie Xuanming: “.” 

With this righteous tone, it seemed that he wouldn’t run away even if the house collapsed.

Xie Xuanming finally slept in the master bedroom, lying on the side of the big bed, half a bed away from Ji Sheng.

Ji Sheng lay on the other side, recalling the passion a few hours ago, the confession half an hour ago, and the estrangement now… confusing. He felt that the relationship between him and Xie Xuanming was very deformed, stranger than an ordinary couple, more awkward than ordinary friends, yet not even as intimate as fuck buddies.

Xie Xuanming’s feelings were originally very naked and generous, but after receiving a response, he squirmed away.

Ji Sheng let out a sigh, wondering why.

The phone at the bedside vibrated and lit up; Su Jing returned the message.

Xie Xuanming on the other side was keenly aware of it and turned his head slightly.

Ji Sheng was so sleepy that he didn’t want to reply to the message, so he stretched out his hand to turn off the phone, yawned and slowly closed his eyes.

Xie Xuanming on the other side waited for him to breathe smoothly before slowly turning his head back.

When he woke up in the morning, Ji Sheng turned on the phone, saw a flood of missed calls, and his scalp felt numb.

Su Jing still hadn’t given up the great idea of “rescuing a friend from water and fire”. No matter how much Ji Sheng explained to him, he didn’t want to believe. He was sure that Ji Sheng was abducted by Xie Xuanming, so he continued to send messages to persuade Ji Sheng, or call to harass Xie Xuanming.

Ji Sheng was so upset that he couldn’t laugh or cry, while Xie Xuanming became more irritable under the bombardment of phone calls early in the morning and doubted the authenticity of Ji Sheng’s confession last night.

The atmosphere between them was awkward, but they had to stay in the same room, and the sense of suffocation was as omnipresent as air.

Ji Sheng was not shameless enough to keep pestering Xie Xuanming to talk. He could only pretend that he couldn’t hear the phone ringing and couldn’t see the questioning look as he lowered his head and swiped his mobile phone.

He looked like he was addicted to the internet, and he did manage to find some useful information.

With the collapse of the Qingchu power, the scars and sins that had been buried in the shadows were finally exposed.

The actress who was forced out of the entertainment circle by Sheng Kongzhi published a long post accusing Qingchu of holding back some footage and releasing it later to mislead the public about “sexual harassment”. When she asked Sheng Kongzhi for clarification, Sheng Kongzhi, who knew the truth, only replied ”I’m sorry” and refused to lend a helping hand.

The actress wrote.

[I was thinking, if you are really sorry, why don’t you stand up and tell the truth? Why add fuel to the fire when public opinion is ugly? Why do you do nothing when your fans harass and threaten me? Did I do something wrong? Or do you really not have the most basic kindness as a human being?]

Her accusation was heart-wrenching.

At the time of the ”sexual harassment” incident, Sheng Kongzhi’s persona of a kind gentleman had not yet collapsed. Passers-by had looked at him favourably due to various marketing tricks. In addition, Sheng Kongzhi was the absolute victim of the ”Ji Sheng” incident. No one doubted the authenticity of Qingchu’s ”sexual harassment” information. The actress was humiliated countless times, with “being a slut”, ”being a diva”, “playing a big name”, ”disrespecting seniors”, ”using unspoken rules” and other false rumours spreading everywhere.

However, over time, Qingchu’s marketing methods and Sheng Kongzhi’s fake persona collapsed step by step, and more and more people questioned the authenticity of “sexual harassment”. Long before the actress’s post, in a forum where the public opinion was not easy for fans to control, some insiders had already anonymously defended the actress, reversing the impression of some netizens on the matter. The actress’s post exonerated her name in the eyes of an even bigger number of people.

She fought so hard to clear her name, and fortunately, she was not let down.

When Ji Sheng scrolled down the comments section, the majority of voices were encouraging and comforting.

[Go, sister, defame the rumour-monger]

[Can people who scolded without figuring out the facts come forward and apologise!]

[Can you charge White Lotus Sheng for moral damage? He caused her depression]

[You’ve got the nerve to jump in front of the screen after slandering a girl for sexual harassment! White Lotus Sheng hasn’t even apologised yet!]

There were also people who thought of Ji Sheng.

[If this sexual harassment is fake, then the previous one…]

[It’s also fake, although I don’t like Ji Sheng, he really doesn’t look like someone who can sexually harass his teammates]

[I also think it’s fake… If Ji Sheng was really gay and so thirsty, why would he leave Xie Xuanming untouched to engage with Sheng Kongzhi? Xie Xuanming is much more attractive than Sheng Kongzhi, whether for straight women or bent men]

[? The focus is too biassed, right?]

[Laughing to death, at least the conclusion is correct]

[Isn’t Xie Xuanming going to make a drama to prove Ji Sheng’s innocence? I feel that many questions can be answered when this drama comes out]

[Hurry up, hurry up, I can’t wait to see the love/hate relationship between these guys]

[Kick out White Lotus Sheng, he doesn’t deserve to be in Xie/Ji relationship]

[……]

The focus switched to the web drama and Ji Sheng put down his mobile phone unhappily.

He suspected that Xie Xuanming had bought these comments that stepped on Sheng Kongzhi and praised Xie Xuanming, and finally tutted to make the web drama.

Ji Sheng rubbed his hair irritably. Xie Xuanming had already washed and went downstairs. The clanging sound from below should be him making breakfast.

Ji Sheng also got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom.

He was actually not that stubborn. He didn’t want to take on the web drama mostly because he was worried that Xie Xuanming would lower his status…

Just like in his previous life he rejected the TV drama because he was afraid of spoiling Xie Xuanming’s reputation, not because he didn’t want to act.

In this way, although he had been thinking about Xie Xuanming all the time, it made Xie Xuanming more and more resentful.

Ji Sheng thought about it with the toothbrush in his mouth.

Then why don’t you trust Xie Xuanming a little more?

Believe that with his ability he can receive good scripts even after the web drama; believe that he has a good idea of what he is doing when he makes the arrangements.

Ji Sheng lowered his head and rinsed his mouth.

Let’s think about it again.

When he went downstairs, Xie Xuanming sat at the dining table waiting for him.

“Niepan has a live broadcast next Friday.” Xie Xuanming said with coffee in his hand, “With Su Jing.”

Ji Sheng paused slightly as he pulled the chair: “Did you reject it?” 

“No.” 

“Then I will reject it.” Ji Sheng sat down, “Let the other members of Niepan participate, and I won’t go.”

Xie Xuanming raised his eyes to look at him and lowered them again: “Then Su Jing is probably going to curse again.” 

“Let him curse.” Ji Sheng smiled, “I’ve been cursed since I was a teenager, this time is not too bad.”

“…didn’t you say that he couldn’t beat you in cursing?” 

“En?” Ji Sheng was taken aback, and then he remembered that when he was young, he used to brag to Xie Xuanming, who was a minor, saying that he was not unable to win over Su Jing in verbal battles but just let him win…

“You still remember this…” The lie from years ago was pried out, and Ji Sheng’s face was slightly lost. ”We used to be evenly matched but I didn’t have a chance to practise after my debut. Of course I can’t compare now…”

Xie Xuanming stopped teasing him and put down his coffee: “The live broadcast is in the afternoon. Do you have any plans for that morning?” 

“There seems to be a magazine shoot.” Ji Sheng said uncertainly.

“I’ll pick you up after the shoot.” 

“Okay.” 

Next Friday, after the magazine shoot was over, Ji Sheng and the Niepan members separated after saying goodbye at the entrance of the parking lot.

Xie Xuanming had called and said he would pick him up here but Ji Sheng waited for a long time and still didn’t see Xie Xuanming.

He sent a message to Xie Xuanming in some confusion.

Ji Sheng [Where are you?]

Xie Xuanming [Where are you?]

Ji Sheng [……]

Ji Sheng [Lift No. 2 entrance, Area B, this is the place we agreed to meet]

Xie Xuanming [I’ll drive over to pick you up]

Ji Sheng put down his mobile phone and soon saw a black business car driving over.

He pulled the co-pilot door; it did not open it but the rear seat door was unlocked with a “click”.

“What’s wrong today?” Ji Sheng muttered and got in the car without thinking much.

Xie Xuanming in the front seat didn’t speak but slowly started the car.

Ji Sheng was a little tired after filming, yawned, and prepared to close his eyes and nap for a while.

As soon as he closed his eyes, his phone suddenly vibrated twice.

Strange number [Where are you?]

Strange number [This is Xie Xuanming, where are you?]

Ji Sheng was startled. Before he could understand what happened, he saw “Xie Xuanming” in the driver’s seat stretch out his hand and grab his mobile phone.

Ji Sheng watched the man take the phone away and raised his eyes in amazement.

In the driver’s seat, ”Xie Xuanming” put his mobile phone aside, took off his fisherman hat and revealed a pair of beautiful almond eyes.

Su Jing rubbed his hair, saw Ji Sheng’s stunned expression in the rearview mirror, and raised the corners of his lips blankly.

“Hey bro.” He said calmly, “Ready to run?”

The author has something to say：

Xiao Ji, forced to run away.

Xiao Xie, forced to chase his wife.

1. A famous ancient guy who held a lady on his lap without having any impure thoughts