Chapter 143: I Do Not Belong to the Entertainment Industry, I Only Belong to You

The grand spectacle drew to a close.

Zhou Yili had successfully dominated the trending topics for the entire evening.

"Half of those are thanks to Movie Star Shen," his manager grumbled. "He’s got such nerve, changing the opening act on a whim like that!"

Before the stage lift had even fully descended, Zhou Yili had already vaulted off with one hand, his tall, lithe, and defiant figure passing right by the manager.

"So, tell me, are you satisfied with the change?"

The manager: "..."

The trending list was currently flooded with:
#Zhou Yili’s breathtaking loop opening#
#My wife looked so confused when he was kissed???#
#The sea is vast for fish to leap, the sky is high for birds to fly#
#A dedicated artist who sang and danced for three hours straight#
#Who else is crying listening to 'Unfallen Stars' on loop?#
#May the shining stars ensure that what is missed will have an echo, and all wishes will be fulfilled#

The manager’s weathered face finally crinkled into a smile. "Fine, fine, I’ll let you off the hook this time."

He watched as Zhou Yili kept walking without stopping. "Where are you going? Put on a jacket first, don't catch a cold..."

The night air was chilly, and Zhou Yili was wearing nothing but a thin shirt; was he in such a rush to be reincarnated?

"No time," Zhou Yili waved a hand dismissively. "Your forgiveness doesn't count. I have to go coax someone."

Wearing less also helped him play the part of the pitiful one.

Zhou Yili crossed the backstage area, hearing the constant chatter of staff and seeing his name plastered across every screen.

"Some people are just born for the entertainment industry. Four years since his debut, he became a top-tier star, vanished for two years, and now he’s back, dominating the entire internet once again."

The staff whispered among themselves, sighing in awe.

Zhou Yili walked past without so much as a glance, until he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Shen Jixing was leaning against the doorway of the lounge, his eyes lowered, focused intently on something.

Zhou Yili approached quietly. "What are you looking at so intently?"

Shen Jixing snapped back to reality, feigning composure as he put his phone away. "Nothing..."

"My photos, huh?"

Zhou Yili placed his palm against Shen Jixing’s wrist, his gaze dropping to the screen showing his own image. There were shots from the opening, shots of him performing with fervor, and shots of him in quiet moments. They were all photos Shen Jixing had snapped—photos of him.

Shen Jixing hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly, and the tips of his ears turned a burning red. "Everyone was taking photos, is it a crime if I took a couple? I didn't take them because you look good—I look at your face every day, I’m sick of it! I was just snapping randomly. Let go!"

"..."

Zhou Yili stared at him, momentarily stunned. "?"

Shen Jixing closed his eyes in despair.

Zhou Yili couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to pinch his clean, fair cheek. "Why are you getting so worked up, little star?"

Shen Jixing swatted his hand away with cold indifference, seizing the initiative. "Who gave you permission to change the opening..."

Before he could finish his questioning, Zhou Yili squeezed his slender, beautiful fingertips and asked in a low, husky voice, his throat bobbing as he swallowed, "Can I give you a hug?"

"..."

"Though, I’m a bit dirty."

"..."

Shen Jixing looked at the thin, star-dusted shirt clinging to his frame, the damp traces still lingering on his neck. He had been jumping and dancing on stage for so long that even after changing, it was understandable. Even the silver stars on the tips of his blue hair were damp.

Shen Jixing watched him quietly for a few seconds, saying nothing.

"I'll hug you when we get home." Zhou Yili thought about washing up and holding him all night, trapping him in his arms like a ragdoll so he could never escape again...

His waist was suddenly encircled by a pair of arms. Shen Jixing leaned into his chest, eyes closed.

"Zhou Yili, it has nothing to do with you."

Zhou Yili buried his face in Shen Jixing’s embrace, not caring that he was covered in sweat and grime. Since the truth had come out, he hadn't had a single chance to hold him.

"You're saying it has nothing to do with you again. Does the fact that you came to find me also have nothing to do with you?" Zhou Yili rubbed his cheek against Shen Jixing’s neck, his voice lazy and raspy.

How on earth did Bo Yu raise Shen Jixing? To make him trust no one and keep everyone at a distance.

"Yes. That was just my choice. You have every right to refuse..."

Zhou Yili cupped the back of his neck with one hand, leaning down to silence his soft, thin lips.

"I’m not listening."

"I don't care."

"And I’m not refusing."

Shen Jixing met his dark, intense eyes. Zhou Yili remained pressed against him, unmoving, as if waiting for a verdict on whether he was allowed.

Finally, Shen Jixing let out a helpless, soft laugh and parted his lips to respond.

"Fine. We won't talk about it then."

In the silent, deserted corner of the backstage area, Zhou Yili, granted limitless indulgence, pressed him against the wall, his eyes stinging with heat, and kissed him with desperate, tangled fervor.

"I'm not good at logic. I can't win an argument with you."

Shen Jixing’s eyelashes trembled as he felt Zhou Yili whisper against his ear, "I love you."

Outside the venue, the night sky was filled with scattered stars. Even though the entire entertainment industry had been buzzing about one man all night, all he wanted to tell Shen Jixing was, "I came here for you."

The little lion left behind in his memories had tried, time and again, to change the outcome, foolishly hoping to carve his own path into his destiny. He had plunged headlong into the vanity fair, leaving his mark wherever Shen Jixing could see.

"I don't belong to the entertainment world. I only belong to you."