REI : Chapter 93.2

The golden trophy, shaped like a human body with a lion’s head, had smooth, flowing lines. Though not made of pure gold, every detail of the lion’s mane was intricately carved.

As they were leaving, Duan walked half a step behind Luo, sneaking glances at him from the corner of his eye.

After getting into the car, Luo noticed Duan was still standing outside, hesitating to get in. He leaned out and tapped the seat beside him. “What’s wrong?”

Duan, as if relieved, climbed in quickly.

Once the door closed, there was no congratulatory atmosphere. Mi Rui focused on driving, Gu Yaxing occasionally glanced back to check on Luo Ding and Duan Xiubo’s interactions, and Wu Fangyuan seemed afraid of getting caught in the tension, burying his head and staying completely silent. The vibe was strange.

Luo Ding quickly understood, sighed, and gave Gu Yaxing a look.

Ah, so he wasn’t angry.

Gu Yaxing, realizing this, quickly broke the silence. “Duan Ge, congratulations.”

Duan forced a smile. His worst fear had come true—he was really facing this awkward situation after all.

Luo Ding’s smile seemed just as composed as any of the other nominees, leaving Duan unsure of what Luo was truly thinking.

“Xiao Ding,” Duan said after a moment, offering the trophy to Luo Ding. “Do you want to hold it?”

Luo Ding gave him a knowing smile, then took the trophy, running his fingers over the base where he found a row of beautifully engraved characters.

They even included the Chinese name, written in calligraphic script—it looked quite elegant.

Seeing that Luo seemed to like it, Duan quickly added, “You can have it. I’ll give it to you.”

Luo Ding touched the lion’s head. Most past winners, like the actress who had won Best Supporting Actress earlier, treated their trophies like treasures, keeping them close at all times. Once home, they’d lock the award in a glass cabinet and gaze at it daily. If friends visited, they’d proudly show it off from a distance.

This was the Golden Lion, after all.

Luo Ding had never had the chance to examine the trophy up close. He had thought about it for a long time after the last awards ceremony, but now that he held it in his hands, it didn’t seem all that special.

It wasn’t solid gold, nor was it that heavy. The wooden base wasn’t particularly valuable either.

Handing it back to Duan, he smiled and said, “I don’t want it. You keep it.”

That one sentence caused Duan to fall into silence for the rest of the ride.

Sensing Duan’s growing nervousness, Luo Ding couldn’t help but find the situation baffling. Duan, in his presence, sometimes seemed almost overly cautious. Like before the nominations were announced, Duan often tried hard to show that he wasn’t interested in winning the award. It was as if he were worried that their relationship would be strained by the competition—how could that be?!

Awards are based on merit, after all. Experience, connections, talent, and reputation are all part of one’s strength. There was no reason to be upset if someone else was more qualified.

But with so many people in the car, Luo couldn’t explain all this right now. Seeing that even Mi Rui didn’t dare offer a proper congratulations to Duan, Luo wondered what kind of persona he had unwittingly cultivated over the years.

Unsure of what might be misconstrued, Luo remained silent. With Duan now treating him like a ticking time bomb, no one dared mention anything about celebrating. The newly crowned Best Actor quietly headed home, just like one of the many defeated nominees, and climbed out of the car feeling like a scolded child.

Trailing behind Luo like a little wife, Duan followed him upstairs.

Downstairs, the two managers and the assistant lined up to watch their retreating figures. Wu Fangyuan suddenly asked, “You don’t think they’ll end up fighting, do you?”

Gu Yaxing slapped him on the head. Not having done so in a while, he’d forgotten that Wu Fangyuan had slimmed down, and the blow nearly sent him sprawling.

With a cough, Gu Yaxing quickly added, “Don’t talk nonsense. Luo Ding isn’t angry.”

Wu Fangyuan was instantly distracted, confused by everyone’s serious demeanor during the ride back. “Then why wasn’t Duan Ge talking?”

Mi Rui snorted, pushing his glasses up with a dark expression, feeling more frustrated than he could express.

Why was Duan Xiubo acting so cowardly? He’d won the award, yet after beating Luo Ding, he couldn’t even bring himself to speak. It was humiliating, especially in front of Wu Fangyuan.

Mi Rui was so upset he considered calling in sick for the next couple of days.

Seeing Mi Rui snort and walk off, Wu Fangyuan was clearly disgruntled. Usually, Mi Rui was polite in front of Gu Yaxing, but now Wu had caught him being rude.

He quickly tattled, “Gu Ge! Did you see that? He always looks down on me!”

Gu Yaxing looked down at Wu Fangyuan from his towering height, uncharacteristically feeling a tinge of worry.

Unable to differentiate between arrogance and frustration, was Wu Fangyuan really capable of taking care of Luo Ding?

******

Duan Xiubo trailed one step behind Luo Ding the whole way, unsure whether he should follow him into the room when Luo went in without looking back.

Luo Ding turned on the lights, closed the window, and drew the curtains before calling over to him, “Come in.”

Duan tried to act composed as he stepped inside.

Luo Ding walked over to him, reached past him to close the door, and gently took the trophy from his hands. Duan quickly let go, noticing the moisture his nervous grip had left on the metal.

Standing up straight, Duan braced himself for the inevitable complaints. Luo Ding had every right to be upset, after all!

But then Luo Ding reached up and touched his face.

Duan, on the verge of tears, wondered if he was about to be slapped. Should he dodge, or just take it?

Instead, Luo Ding gently caressed his cheek. Duan was too stunned to react, and before he knew it, Luo was leaning in closer until their lips met.

Whoa! A rare initiative!

Duan froze for two seconds before pulling Luo Ding into his arms. No way was he passing up this chance!

Since Luo was half a head shorter, one of them had to bend or stretch whenever they kissed, but they’d gotten the rhythm down.

But when they hit the bed, that problem disappeared altogether.

Midway through, Luo Ding suddenly remembered they hadn’t locked the door. No matter what, he insisted Duan get up and close it.

Duan Xiubo was exasperated. All the guilt he’d felt about winning the trophy evaporated in an instant, and he took his sweet time, leaving Luo Ding exhausted and unable to do anything but softly moan.

From just past 11 PM to the early morning, Duan was like a man possessed, filled with boundless energy. During their break, Luo was so tired he nearly fell asleep, but Duan carried him to the bathroom to clean up, still whispering in his ear, “You’re really not mad?”

Really not mad?

You’re sure you’re not mad?

Please, just tell me you’re not mad?

Annoyed by the incessant questioning, Luo Ding sleepily opened his eyes, raised his hand, and gave Duan a light smack on the head. There was no strength behind it, more like a playful reprimand for a misbehaving cat.

“Who do you think you’re underestimating?” Getting mad over an award? If he got angry every time he didn’t win, wouldn’t his entire career be one long sulk?

Duan, unfazed by the smack, grinned like an idiot as he climbed into the bathtub, hugging Luo’s now-soaked body.

Luo Ding fell asleep immediately.

Meanwhile, Duan lay there, deep in thought. This trophy is probably gold-plated, right? If I scraped it off, would there be enough to make a gold ring? Or maybe I should get him a gold earring instead? Would that look too tacky, though?

This was a serious matter—he’d have to consult Mi Rui about it.

Author’s note:

A final bow with exhausted Luo Ding and Duan the Big Cat who’s given up trying to behave.

Thank you all for your support! Thanks for all the votes, the subscriptions, and the encouraging comments. Writing this story and being able to finish it was all thanks to the strength I got from your company!

Tomorrow’s side story will be about pets, and Su Shengbai’s fate will be revealed afterward. As always, updates will be posted at 10 AM. The type of side story will be noted in the description, so if it’s not a theme you’re interested in, feel free to skip ahead to the ones you like.

Oh, I almost forgot to say—

The main story is complete.

For now, the planned side stories are: Luo Ding and Duan big cat raising a cat, Duan’s secret identity being revealed, Su Shengbai and Xu Zhen’s fates, and a wedding when they’re 30… There may be others still in the works.

R: The main story = end !!

See you next week for the extra ! ♥

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