Read Novel Full Chapter 72 - His Coat
**Chapter 72: His Coat**
Translator: Namizaki
*********************
Chi Zhongqiao’s “dominant aura” wasn’t just a product of his makeup and clothing; he was naturally tall.
Lu Yuzhou was slightly taller, and both men were lean and tall, allowing them to occasionally share outerwear, especially winter coats and down jackets.
For instance, Lu Yuzhou owned an identical coat to Du Ke’s. On early mornings, Chi Zhongqiao sometimes mistakenly grabbed Lu Yuzhou’s coat, as the two were only one size apart.
This wasn’t limited to clothing. Ever since Chi Zhongqiao began sharing a bedroom with Lu Yuzhou, he gradually lost track of his belongings. He’d sometimes wear the wrong watch or grab whichever cufflinks were handy, and Lu Yuzhou never corrected him.
Chi Zhongqiao wasn’t used to wearing glasses. After posing with them perched on his nose for a while, he took them off, grabbed his phone, and returned to the living room to continue chatting with fans.
*********
The next morning, Lu Yuzhou made breakfast and glanced at the time before steeling himself to wake Chi Zhongqiao.
“Qiao-ge, wake up and have breakfast.”
Chi Zhongqiao sat up groggily, taking a moment to fully wake up before getting out of bed to wash up. Only after hearing Lu Yuzhou leave the bedroom did he shuffle over in his slippers to the closet, pulling out the coat he had showcased during his livestream the previous night.
His upcoming location shoot in Yun City would last over half a month. The climate there was much warmer than in B City, making heavy winter gear unnecessary; spring and autumn clothing would be enough.
Chi Zhongqiao peeked outside to ensure Lu Yuzhou wouldn’t return to the bedroom. Feeling like he was doing something wrong, he quickly folded the coat and stuffed it into his suitcase before hurrying back to the bathroom in his fuzzy slippers to finish washing up.
After breakfast, Lu Yuzhou personally drove Chi Zhongqiao to the airport. Just before Chi Zhongqiao got out of the car, Lu Yuzhou gently pressed his hand.
“Qiao-ge, remember to miss me,” Lu Yuzhou murmured softly.
Chi Zhongqiao recalled the coat he had hidden in his suitcase. Leaning closer, he nipped Lu Yuzhou’s earlobe. “I’ll be… longing for you day and night.”
Seventeen days—over two weeks—separated by half the length of China. Such distance and time could only be bridged by a virtual internet connection.
How could I not miss you?
Lu Yuzhou’s earlobe burned, and he gasped sharply.
Only when Chi Zhongqiao waved goodbye did Lu Yuzhou belatedly react. He leaned back in his seat, staring blankly for a long moment before exhaling softly.
**********
Yun City enjoyed a perpetual spring. While most of the country was already deep in winter, the city’s temperature remained pleasantly mild. Chi Zhongqiao stepped off the plane and immediately swapped his down jacket for a trench coat. Just as he fastened the hood and prepared to exit the terminal, Zhong Yin came sprinting in like he’d seen a ghost, shouting, “Brother! Brother Qiao!”
Chi Zhongqiao looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Zhong Yin replied, “There are fans waiting to greet you, but not too many…”
This trip had been kept completely secret. Chi Zhongqiao had only brought one extra assistant for this remote location shoot. Yet somehow, these resourceful fans had unearthed the information and showed up at the airport.
Chi Zhongqiao removed his mask. “Where are they? I’ll go out with you.”
Zhong Yin hesitated. “…About seven or eight people, near the airport exit. I’m not sure if they’re here to greet you, but they’re all holding signs with ‘Brother Qiao’ on them.”
Chi Zhongqiao pondered for a moment. “Ling Dang, please book a private room at the nearest hotel and send us the address.”
Ling Dang responded promptly, “Got it. I’ll take care of it right away.”
Chi Zhongqiao turned to Zhong Yin. “Go outside and hail a few taxis, enough for everyone to fit. Hurry!”
Zhong Yin ran a few steps before realizing something was wrong. “Wait, if we all leave, what about you, Brother Qiao?”
Chi Zhongqiao, suitcase in hand, replied, “I’ll head out first and wait in the van to leave with the fans later. You go call a taxi.”
With only two assistants present and the rest waiting in the van outside, Zhong Yin had no choice but to call the van while running outside.
Chi Zhongqiao boarded the van after exiting the terminal. Just then, Zhong Yin called. “Brother Qiao, the taxis are here, but the girls refuse to get in.”
Chi Zhongqiao instructed the driver, “Pull over under the tallest tree.”
A massive tree stood a short distance from the exit, beneath which seven or eight girls were gathered. A shorter girl was hugging a large light-up sign.
The driver braked under the tree. Chi Zhongqiao lowered the window, removed his mask, and smiled at the group. “Really not getting in?”
The girls, caught off guard by his sudden appearance, erupted in cheers, but quickly clamped their hands over their mouths, exchanging frantic glances to signal silence.
Chi Zhongqiao chuckled at their antics. “Anyone want to ride with me? My assistant booked a private room at the hotel, and I haven’t had lunch yet. Care to join me?”
The girls nodded vigorously.
Chi Zhongqiao pushed open the car door, making room. “There’s space for one more. Come on in.”
After a moment of gentle shoving, the tallest girl was pushed forward. The others then gradually piled into the taxi Zhong Yin had hailed.
The pushed-forward girl sat beside Chi Zhongqiao, her face flushed. “H-hi, Qiaoqiao,” she stammered. “I’m the group leader of ‘Grapefruit Yogurt.’ You can just call me Xiyou. Actually, this… this airport pickup… it wasn’t really a pickup! We just knew you had a flight these past few days and came to stake out the place. I’m so sorry!”
Chi Zhongqiao opened the insulated box containing drinks and pulled out two cartons of milk, handing one to Xiyou. Surprised, he asked, “These past few days? You’ve been waiting for two days?”
Xiyou replied sheepishly, “We didn’t want to bother you, so we just planned to wait here and see if we got lucky enough to catch a glimpse of you. We just wanted to see you, nothing more. But today, some of our light-up signs arrived, and we were so eager to see you that we didn’t return them right away… and then…”
Celebrities typically use VIP exits, where cars wait for them. The group knew they were unlikely to be noticed, but a crowd could disrupt order and inconvenience other passengers, ultimately affecting Chi Zhongqiao. Initially, they had only wanted to catch a glimpse of him in person, so they waited near the exit.
Chi Zhongqiao raised an eyebrow. “Standing here for two days? Aren’t you tired? Are you all adults? Do your families know you’ve been out this long? Spending so much money just to suffer—doesn’t that feel like a waste?”
Xiyou chuckled at his scolding. “We’re all workaholics. I’m taking a compensatory day off, and the others are on vacation or something. Don’t worry about our finances, Qiaoqiao. We’ve been working for years.”
“Really?” Chi Zhongqiao asked. “You all look like fresh graduates.”
Xiyou’s face flushed crimson. “I’m almost thirty,” she mumbled.
“That’s still young,” Chi Zhongqiao replied. He finished his milk, tossed the carton into a small trash bin, and casually rolled up his sleeves a little.
Xiyou noticed his movement and exclaimed, “Brother Qiao, is that Du Ke’s coat? Why does it look a bit big on you?”
Chi Zhongqiao, who had secretly worn Lu Yuzhou’s coat, stammered, unsure how to answer.
After a moment of awkward silence, he said stiffly, “Just… thermal expansion and contraction, I guess. It’s hot here in Yun City.”
Xiyou: “Qiaoqiao, are you delirious from the heat?”
Let’s not dwell on Lu Yuzhou’s reaction in B City when he discovered his coat was missing. Chi Zhongqiao, having secretly worn Lu Yuzhou’s coat, found himself pressed against the glass, speechless under Xiyou’s questioning gaze.
After treating the group of young women to dinner, Chi Zhongqiao returned to the hotel booked by the production team.
“Hotel” was a generous term for the small inn. The remote filming location meant larger hotels were too far away and lacked enough vacancies. The production team had simply rented the entire inn to house the cast and crew.
<The Patriot> was essentially an ensemble drama. Set in the turbulent 25th year of the Heavenly Revelation1天启示~ tiān qǐ shì era, it follows a dozen visionary figures, led by the male protagonist He Yu, as they strive to prevent the crumbling Great Zhou dynasty from collapsing. Hence the title, <The Patriot>.
Though the setting was fictional and incorporated wuxia elements, the series boasted a grand narrative scope, demanding exceptional skill from both actors and director. Director Yu Shuo’s talent was beyond question, and Chi Zhongqiao had participated in casting, ensuring overall quality.
Yun City was quite distant from major urban centers. The actors had endured a long journey involving planes, various vehicles, and a bumpy mountain road. Even someone as physically fit as Chi Zhongqiao felt exhausted upon arriving at the inn, making immediate filming impossible.
Chi Zhongqiao carried his suitcase into the room. “Everyone, go get some rest. I’m going to take a nap too.”
Ling Dang and Zhong Yin hadn’t been much help on the way, so they both rushed to take the suitcase from Chi Zhongqiao’s hand, but he dodged them. “I’m really tired right now. I’ll unpack later.”
Since he’d said that, the two assistants couldn’t insist and quietly returned to their own rooms.
Exhausted, Chi Zhongqiao sent Lu Yuzhou a text, took a quick shower, and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep instantly.
He slept for over two hours, finally waking up to the sound of his phone ringing.
Groggy, Chi Zhongqiao reached for his phone on the nightstand, answered, and held it to his ear. “Hello?” His voice was still hoarse from sleep.
*********
Lu Yuzhou had returned home in the afternoon. While organizing his closet, he called Chi Zhongqiao. As he hung up a coat, he immediately noticed something was off—the size was slightly too small.
This was Brother Qiao’s coat, not his.
Lu Yuzhou glanced around the walk-in closet, couldn’t find his own coat, and casually asked, “It’s dinnertime. Has Qiao gege eaten yet?”
Chi Zhongqiao sat up, propped his forehead in his hand, and glanced out the window. The sky outside the curtains had already darkened. “No, I just woke up…”
“Are you home yet?” Chi Zhongqiao asked.
“Just got off work,” Lu Yuzhou replied. “Should I order takeout for you, Qiao-ge?”
Chi Zhongqiao faintly heard a clattering sound on the other end. “What’s that noise?” he asked in a low voice.
Lu Yuzhou chuckled softly. “I got off early, so I’m tidying up the walk-in closet.”
The walk-in closet… Chi Zhongqiao’s mind flashed to the coat he’d hung at the very back. He instantly sobered up, his voice turning wary. “I already tidied up last night. You must be exhausted from work—go get some rest. I’ll order dinner for you.”
“I ate at the office,” Lu Yuzhou said. “By the way, my Du Ke coat seems to be missing. Have you seen it, Qiao-ge?”
Chi Zhongqiao: “!!!” He glanced at the coat rack, stammering, “Maybe I grabbed the wrong one.”
Lu Yuzhou raised an eyebrow on the other end.
Afraid his explanation sounded unconvincing, Chi Zhongqiao emphasized, “I definitely grabbed the wrong one!”
Lu Yuzhou chuckled softly.
Chi Zhongqiao immediately realized Lu Yuzhou knew he’d taken the coat on purpose. His face and mind flushed simultaneously, and his right hand instinctively slammed the phone down.
Lu Yuzhou: “……”
He shook his head helplessly and redialed.
Chi Zhongqiao stared blankly at his vibrating phone—a girlfriend wearing her boyfriend’s clothes was considered cute and affectionate. But what did it mean for him, a man, to sneak out with Lu Yuzhou’s coat?
His gaze shifted to the window, where a tall, slender figure was silhouetted through the gap in the curtains.
Young women looked adorable when they acted clingy, but a man over six feet tall… there was nothing cute about it.
Chi Zhongqiao silently lowered his head, pressing his face into the pillow. It’s over. My image is ruined.
In the end, Chi Zhongqiao didn’t let Lu Yuzhou order takeout from across the country. He was called out by several other cast members who had arrived early.
Yan Cheng leaned against the doorframe. “Brother Qiao, let’s go out to eat together!”
She had finally landed the second female lead role in <The Patriot>. The moment she returned to her small apartment and caught her breath, her Manager told her with a complicated expression that the male lead was Chi Zhongqiao.
Yan Cheng was stunned at first, but after thinking it over, it made perfect sense. <The Patriot> was funded by Zhaohui, and Chi Zhongqiao had both the acting skills and the popularity. As Zhaohui’s most established artist, who else could play the lead?
Yan Cheng hadn’t seen Chi Zhongqiao in a while. Seeing him in person again filled her with mixed emotions. She had gained some recognition through <Empress of the World>, but her subsequent roles had been unremarkable, though her career had progressed steadily. Chi Zhongqiao, on the other hand, had transformed from a rookie who used to call her “Sister Yan” into a rising young star.
Now she had to address him properly as “Brother Qiao.”
This just goes to show: You should always be polite to newcomers in the industry. Who knows when they might become an overnight sensation?
Yan Cheng sighed inwardly, thinking of Xu Xingzhou, whose career was already on the decline.
Yan Cheng, brimming with energy, had already visited all the young actors who had arrived, introducing herself and getting to know them. When it was almost time, she led the group of four to knock on Chi Zhongqiao’s door.
Chi Zhongqiao glanced at the group. There were four people in total. He recognized Yan Cheng and Yan Yiyun, and vaguely remembered the two men as well.
The taller man smiled and said, “Hello, Brother Qiao, I’m Jiang Hong.”
Chi Zhongqiao smiled back. “Nice to meet you.” Jiang Hong had debuted much earlier but had never achieved mainstream success, though his acting skills were solid.
The slightly shorter man seemed less comfortable with social interaction. He nodded at Chi Zhongqiao and said, “Hello, Zhou Yuyang.”
Chi Zhongqiao smiled at him. “Nice to meet you too. I’m Chi Zhongqiao.”
Yan Cheng stuck her tongue out playfully. “Let’s hurry up and eat! I’m starving.”
Chi Zhongqiao looked up to see Yan Yiyun standing behind her, smiling. He smiled back and said, “Alright.” He texted his assistant, got dressed, and headed out.
The five of them settled into a nearby farmhouse restaurant.
Yan Cheng sighed. “This is going to be rough. We’re stuck here for half a month, and there aren’t even any decent supermarkets around.”
This place was located in a remote mountainous area of Yun City. The scenery was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the water was clean, but it was inconvenient—a one-hour drive to the county seat. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the village consisted of just one settlement. Apart from Tianmin Temple perched atop the southwestern mountain peak, the small hotel they had booked was the only other landmark.
Jiang Hong sighed, “I’ve never had an outdoor shoot right after the cameras started rolling.”
Chi Zhongqiao explained, “The scenes we’re filming here are set in winter, so we had to come now. January and February are packed with awards ceremonies, and the actors are too busy to come on location.”
Although this segment would take over half a month to shoot, only a few main actors were needed. The rest could be filled in with extras, which is why they were rushing to film it now.
After dinner, the group returned to the hotel. The brightly lit entrance revealed a crowd gathered around two vans blocking the doorway, with hotel security guards clustered nearby.
Chi Zhongqiao glanced over, surprised.
As they approached, they realized the vans had collided, explaining the commotion.
Two vans were parked at the entrance. Ye Hang, a rising young actor, stood beside one of them. The other van likely belonged to Jing Xi, a top-tier actress, but Chi Zhongqiao couldn’t spot her anywhere.
Chi Zhongqiao approached Ye Hang. “Need any help?”
Ye Hang, who had been directing the scene, turned around, startled. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just a fender-bender.”
Chi Zhongqiao glanced past him at the van. The damage didn’t seem severe. “Is everyone okay?”
Ye Hang sighed. “Everyone’s fine. It’s just my van—it’s been rattling all the way here. The collision finally finished it off. Now it’s blocking the entrance. We’ve already called a tow truck; it should be here soon.”
Chi Zhongqiao nodded. “Good to hear everyone’s safe.”
Ye Hang grinned and extended a hand. “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Ye Hang, and I play Gu Wen in <The Patriot>.”
Chi Zhongqiao shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Chi Zhongqiao, and I play He Yu in <The Patriot>.”
<The Patriot> was an ensemble drama. Besides the male lead, He Yu, there were six other pivotal characters—so crucial that they appeared alongside the protagonist on promotional posters.
The group filming on location this time consisted primarily of actors playing these six key characters. Among them, Ye Hang’s portrayal of Gu Wen was practically the second male lead, appearing in every scene. The script established Gu Wen as He Yu’s “best bro,” with numerous scenes opposite Chi Zhongqiao.
Ye Hang smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you. I’m glad we finally get to work together.”
He had fought hard to secure this role. During his audition, his Manager had drilled into him the absolute necessity of landing it.
Though Gu Wen was the second male lead, his well-written character made him the perfect fan favorite—easy to love and unlikely to spark controversy. Moreover, with Old Yu directing, the show’s quality was guaranteed.
But Ye Hang’s relentless pursuit of this role had another motive: He wanted to collaborate with Chi Zhongqiao.
As the “softest target” among last year’s rising Four Young Male Stars, Ye Hang knew he was most likely to be ousted if the media included Chi Zhongqiao in this year’s rankings. He wasn’t jealous of Chi Zhongqiao; his burning desire to work with him stemmed entirely from his need to understand why Chi Zhongqiao had risen so quickly and maintained his popularity so steadily.
Ye Hang’s thoughts were like those of a second-place student desperately trying to become the first-place student’s deskmate, secretly studying their methods.
However, Ye Hang knew his acting skills couldn’t compare to Chi Zhongqiao’s. He couldn’t follow Chi Zhongqiao’s path, nor did he intend to steal Chi Zhongqiao’s spotlight. He simply wanted to secure his position among the Four Young Male Stars.
Chi Zhongqiao remained oblivious to Ye Hang’s inner turmoil during their handshake. He rolled up his sleeves to help Ye Hang carry a few items as the van and Jing Xi, the A-list actress and goddess, arrived together.
Chi Zhongqiao and the others turned to see Jing Xi’s striking appearance and froze in awe.
The reigning Queen of the TV Screen, Jing Xi, wore a fiery red coat, leather pants that accentuated her slender legs, and knee-high boots. With a flick of her wrist, she braked, sending the scooter into a stylish skid before bringing it to a stop right in front of the hotel entrance.
Jing Xi pulled out the key, and the scooter beeped twice. She strode to the van, tossed her hair, and declared, “Just take this yellow one away.”
Chi Zhongqiao: “……”
The open space in front of the hotel, filled with dozens of people from assistant actors to security guards, was utterly stunned by the young actress’s domineering presence.
Zaki~ English is not my first language, but I’ll try to get the translations as close as possible to the Author’s work. If you see any grammatical errors or mistakes in the translation, please feel free to drop them in the comments section so I can correct them immediately. Thank you and Happy Reading 🙂
