Xie Guan's hand trembled violently, and the wine glass he couldn't hold steady fell to the ground with a "clatter."

"Don't panic," Huo Mingjun said calmly. "If you were really Cheng Sheng, I wouldn't have waited until now to see you."

Xie Guan let out a long breath, the sound of his overly tense and clamoring heartbeat still echoing in his ears: "Ancestor, I'm begging you, don't pause for dramatic effect when you speak."

Seeing he still had the mind to joke around, Huo Mingjun wasn't annoyed and felt slightly relieved. "Last year, to confirm your identity, I brought Cheng Sheng's parents here from their hometown. They were the couple you saw at the restaurant that day. His biological parents know Cheng Sheng better than I do. They said you're not him, and that's the final result."

"That's true. No matter how you look at it, I'm too different from him. It might really just be a coincidence," Xie Guan sighed. "He was a good kid. What a pity."

Huo Mingjun: "So..."

"Alright, you don't need to explain anymore. I understand what you mean," Xie Guan leaned back, relaxing against the back of the chair. The expression between his brows was one of relief, yet it also held a faint, imperceptible hint of embarrassment. "I misunderstood before. I thought you were using me as an emotional substitute, and I found it ridiculous. After hearing the story today, I realized I was being too narrow-minded."

Huo Mingjun furrowed his brows: "Stop overthinking. This has nothing to do with you."

Seeing him frown, Xie Guan couldn't help but smile. "Alright. Now that you've explained the whole story, I feel much better. Even if you once mistook me for Cheng Sheng, I'm not angry anymore. Let's turn the page on this, shall we?"

"Live well, don't forget him, and don't let his sacrifice be in vain."

Xie Guan filled the empty bowl before him with wine, raised it, and toasted Huo Mingjun from a distance: "To Cheng Sheng."

Huo Mingjun also raised his cup in response: "To Cheng Sheng."

In the end, Xie Guan did get drunk that day. The sober Huo Mingjun, who hadn't touched a drop, ended up driving him home. The car stopped steadily downstairs. Huo Mingjun woke the drowsy Xie Guan, opened the rear door, and helped him out. The moment he saw the man unable to walk straight as soon as his feet touched the ground, his knees weak, Huo Mingjun recalled the unbearable memory of that other night and couldn't help sighing. "Let's get this straight. You're going upstairs quietly this time. No fooling around."

Xie Guan was only dizzy, his reaction time slowed, but he hadn't reached the point of being completely incoherent. Hearing this, he casually pushed away Huo Mingjun's proffered hand. "No need to help me, I can walk on my own—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he walked straight into the car door.

Huo Mingjun quickly reached out to stop him, draped one of his arms over his own shoulder, and wrapped an arm around most of his body, leading Xie Guan upstairs. "You troublesome thing. Don't let me see you drinking again in the future. And don't come looking for me if you've been drinking."

Xie Guan, like a computer with its memory overloaded, took a while to react before he started laughing. "I just forgave you a few minutes ago, and you're already getting impatient. Is all that talk about coaxing people from you domineering CEOs just empty words?"

Hauling a grown man up the stairs was quite draining. Huo Mingjun was breathing a little heavily. He turned his head to glance at Xie Guan; they were so close their heads were almost touching. He could faintly smell the mellow fragrance of huadiao wine on Xie Guan. It wasn't unpleasant; on the contrary, it had a kind of heady, inexplicable sweetness.

"How else do you want me to coax you," Huo Mingjun said, his arm around Xie Guan's lean waist. He gave a slight lift to help him up a step. "How about I carry you up?"

Xie Guan couldn't stop laughing. "No way, we're already on the third floor. That's a bad deal. How about we go back to the first floor and start over?"

"Start over, my foot," Huo Mingjun gave his side a light slap. "All you know is how to torment me... Watch your step, don't miss."

His words weren't exactly gentle, but his tone was indulgent and amused, carrying a sense of helplessness mixed with willing acceptance.

Xie Guan woozily looked up at his face. Huo Mingjun's looks really were on par with the A-list celebrities of the entertainment industry; even from this bizarre angle, he still managed to look handsome.

After much difficulty, the two made it to the apartment door. Xie Guan obediently held out his arms to let Huo Mingjun fish the keys from his pocket. Huo Mingjun pushed Xie Guan inside, closing the door behind him as he asked, "Do you want to sit in the living room for a bit, or go straight to bed..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Xie Guan, with drowsy drunken eyes, suddenly lunged forward and slammed Huo Mingjun against the security door with a thud.

This textbook-classic kabedon pose, coupled with the unfinished sentence that had just been spoken, instantly made the atmosphere indescribable.

They stood face to face. Huo Mingjun was about half a head taller than Xie Guan. He leaned back slightly, his back pressed against the door. It was probably the first time he'd ever met someone who dared to corner him, and the expression on his face was rather intriguing. "Hm?"

A layer of mist clouded Xie Guan's eyes. Because he was dizzy, his pupils couldn't focus properly, making his gaze seem somewhat scattered and adrift. He slowly sized Huo Mingjun up from his forehead to his chest, his gaze like two soft little brushes landing on him, creating a tangible, faint itch.

"I've been wanting to tell you for a while," Xie Guan raised a hand and very lightly brushed the back of it against his cheek. "You're so handsome, don't always wear a stony expression. It's such a waste. You should smile more."

The back of the man's hand was cool. Just a light touch on the sensitive skin of his face, yet the sensation felt like it could burn all the way to his heart.

Huo Mingjun reflexively grabbed his hand.

It was meant to be a defensive move, but Huo Mingjun didn't use much force. Xie Guan's hand turned halfway in his loosely cupped palm, their palms meeting, and gently took hold of his fingers, squeezing them idly.

"I can tell you have very deep feelings for Cheng Sheng. It's been ten years, and you still haven't given up hope. Although you never talk about it, you must have felt awful after finding out I wasn't him."

"You kept apologizing to me, but what about you? Has anyone comforted you?"

Huo Mingjun froze, stunned. A trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

Xie Guan opened his arms and said magnanimously, "Come on, it's my turn to comfort you now."

Before Huo Mingjun could fully comprehend the meaning of his words, he was pulled into a full embrace.

Xie Guan gave him a hug like one between old friends, his warm, trembling breath brushing past his ear and neck. Huo Mingjun heard him say softly, "It's all in the past. It's okay now, don't be sad."

---

After filming for Jingwu Youth wrapped up, Xie Guan rested at home for no more than half a month before he immediately started preparing for the movie The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea. Bai Luzhou had completed the preliminary casting, and the first version of the script was finalized. Xie Guan's role was upgraded to the second male lead, and the villain roles were consolidated, with Yue Qinglu ultimately being confirmed as the film's main antagonist.

Xie Guan had just finished his special training in Tai Chi when he began learning new routines with the martial arts director. He also had to do reshoots for Jingwu Youth, and, per Director Bai's requirements, study his character, read the script, and work out to get in shape. The entire month of March flew by in a bustle of activity. In early April, the preparatory work came to a close. Before Xie Guan even had a chance to catch his breath, he received an invitation from Herun Tiancheng.

Since The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea was one of the most promising IPs of the past two years, and its TV drama adaptation had been a success, Herun Tiancheng, in collaboration with Apple Literature Net and an online streaming platform, planned to hold a launch ceremony for the IP project and a press conference for the movie version of The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea, inviting Director Bai Luzhou and several of the movie's main actors to attend.

Xie Guan's career momentum was excellent recently. Lin Yao was considering whether to get him a few more public appearances, letting him show his face before he joined the film crew to maintain his popularity. As for this movie press conference led by Herun Tiancheng, many industry insiders would be present. If he could become a familiar face to these bigwigs, it would be of great benefit to his future career.

Therefore, Lin Yao specifically instructed Huang Cheng and Xie Guan to treat this press conference attendance with utmost seriousness. Their clothes, accessories, and grooming all had to be meticulously managed, and they absolutely could not lose points on the first impression.

Events like press conferences implicitly required formal wear. For an artist, it was best to wear a brand's ready-to-wear or haute couture, as it showed respect and also boosted their profile in the fashion world. Xie Guan hadn't had many opportunities to shine over the years and rarely wore formal suits, so he hadn't thought of getting a new one. His two suits were from a mid-to-high-end brand, designs from two years ago, which were clearly unsuitable to wear now. Xie Guan had thought he should go buy a new set as soon as possible, but a problem came up with the dubbing on Director Pang's side. Xie Guan was pulled away to record audio, and in the hustle and bustle, he completely forgot about the matter.

With only two days left before the press conference, Xie Guan was still as steady as Mount Tai in the recording studio. Lin Yao called to ask how his preparations were going. Xie Guan was taken aback, remembering the thing he'd forgotten. Feeling a bit guilty, he was about to laugh it off and bluff his way through when he saw Huang Cheng walk into the lounge holding two large garment bags on hangers.

"A Mr. Zhong sent some clothes over, said they're for you," Huang Cheng said, hanging the clothes on a rack and putting down a pile of bags he was holding. Xie Guan asked in confusion, "What clothes?"

He walked over, lifted the garment bag cover to take a look, and saw two suits, one black and one dark blue. He then flipped over the tag and stared at the familiar string of English letters for a moment before asking Lin Yao, lacking confidence, "Sister Lin, did you borrow clothes for me?"

Lin Yao asked, baffled, "Clothes? What clothes? No, I didn't."

The only people who knew his schedule were his assistant and his agent. Since Lin Yao denied it, Xie Guan, seeing the grand gesture, already had a good guess.

He gave Lin Yao a few perfunctory words, then put down his phone and asked Huang Cheng, "Did the person who delivered the clothes say who sent him?"

Huang Cheng said, "I asked. He said you'd know once you saw them."

As expected. Xie Guan's heart relaxed, a feeling he couldn't quite describe as sour or soft spreading within him. Other than Huo Mingjun, no one else would be so attentive to such trivial matters.

The suits were high-end ready-to-wear from a top luxury brand. Besides those, everything from the tie down to the leather shoes, even small accessories like a brooch, cufflinks, and even cologne, were sent as a matching set. That was one thing, but there was also an exquisitely packaged, palm-sized box. Inside was a delicate, rather thin watch with a strong mechanical aesthetic.

Although the clothes and shoes were expensive, they would total around a hundred thousand at most. But if you included this watch, the price would probably be heading towards seven figures.

Xie Guan fretted over the pile of items, looking somewhat at a loss. Huang Cheng observed him quietly for a moment before suggesting, "Why don't you try them on first? Time is tight, we might not make it if we have to buy clothes now."

Xie Guan raised his eyes gloomily, glanced at him, then lowered his head again and sighed. "Let's try them on."

Seeing him finally relent, Huang Cheng quickly came over to help him change.

The sizes of the clothes and shoes were all a perfect fit.

Xie Guan put on the jacket, adjusted his cuffs, and asked Huang Cheng casually, as if it were an afterthought, "You're actually one of Huo Mingjun's men, aren't you?"

Caught off guard by his sudden accusation, Huang Cheng's heart skipped a beat. He immediately denied it, "No, I'm not."

"I've never taken you to see him," Xie Guan said as he methodically tied his tie. He turned around, a faint smile playing on his lips. "At a time like this, you should be asking me, 'Who is Huo Mingjun?'"