True Star Chapter 128

The final filming for Dream Lover took place the day after the training cla.s.s’ awards ceremony. Last week, Charles didn’t keep the audience in suspense while selecting between the final two celebrities. Tang Feng was still this multi-millionaire’s first choice. To the audience, it was a thoroughly expected yet surprising ending.

What the audience feared the most was that Charles would throw a twist just before the conclusion. No one was capable of reading the minds of the rich. n.o.body knew whether Charles would end up selecting someone other than Tang Feng at the very end. When Charles chose to give Tang Feng the bouquet of flowers in last week’s episode, everybody sitting in front of the TV sighed in relief.

As for today, it was time for Charles’ confession.

The confession would take place outside of S City. The production crew and everyone else involved in the show took a flight from China to the verdant city of Seattle in northwest United States. Charles would be confessing his love to Tang Feng in a mansion located right beside Lake Was.h.i.+ngton.

During the day, the production crew busied themselves taking scenery shots of the rich neighborhoods around Lake Was.h.i.+ngton. While filming, they didn’t forget to gossip over which mansion belonged to the CEO of Microsoft and which belonged to a high official of Boeing. They had seen plenty of articles in fortune magazines describing how numerous high-ranking executives of well-known companies lived in this beautiful area.

Despite it being Charles’ mansion and despite that they will be holding a confession ceremony later in the day, Charles and Tang Feng were not allowed to meet and talk alone.

Like before, they had go through individual interviews with the show’s host.

At the moment, it was three twenty-three in the afternoon. Tang Feng and the host sat together in a room with two walls made completely out of gla.s.s. The room faced the lake’s surface and one wall of gla.s.s could be opened up, leading to a wooden dock with a yacht anch.o.r.ed beside it.

Sitting on the couch, Tang Feng could feel a cool breeze brush over his face. Turning his head just a bit, he could see the beautiful Lake Was.h.i.+ngton. The blue surface of the lake glittered like a gemstone underneath the sunlight.

“Tang Feng, none of us knew you were acquainted with Charles. Before you agreed to film Dream Lover, did you already know that Charles would be this season’s Prince Charming?” Audiences of the show would frequently send questions to the production crew. The host had especially selected a few among the many they’d received to ask Tang Feng today.

“Firstly, I don’t think a t.i.tle like ‘Prince Charming’ fits Charles at all. He’s more like a lion. Usually, he looks pretty impressive, but he’s also arrogant and conceited.” Tang Feng chuckled and raised a hand to brush back the hair that had been tousled loose by the breeze. “Most of you probably won’t believe it, but I truly didn’t know that Charles would be partic.i.p.ating in this show. I wasn’t all that familiar with him. I’ve only come across him a couple of times because he’s good friends with President Lu.”

Despite the clear lies, Tang Feng’s response was also half-true. Even though he had lived together with Charles for a month, the word “friends” couldn’t be used to describe their relations.h.i.+p at all.

“Charles has chosen you time after time in each episode. Many of audience members are curious, has he ever called you out for a date outside the show? Has he given you any hints?”

Tang Feng lowered his head and smiled. He then lightly rubbed his lips with his fingers. Under the host’s suggestive gaze, he finally said, “We’ve met outside the show.”

“I’m sure many people are cheering in front of their TV right now.” The host immediately started laughing.

“We are friends.” Tang Feng looked seriously at the camera. “It’s exactly like the tagline for this show. What we have is friends.h.i.+p between men. Get those unclean thoughts out of your heads!”

The interview pa.s.sed by at a leisurely pace. Tang Feng was willing to talk and had a good sense of humor. Occasionally, he would also mock himself for the things that he had done. The host and the other staff members inside the room frequently burst out into laughter at his jokes.

♦

Around the evening, Tang Feng stood alone on a second floor balcony while looking down at Charles. The man in question was placing candles on the dock. In previous seasons, the production crew liked to put on surprises. The Prince Charming would secretly prepare a gift for their princess and then put on a surprise that made everyone happy.

Clearly, this time the production crew decided to forgo the well-trodden path of surprises. From the beginning, Tang Feng knew Charles would be confessing to him on this day. From where he stood, he could also see Charles’ each and every move as he prepared for the big moment. Charles was currently adding petals to the collection of candles on the dock. Occasionally, he would raise his head and call out to Tang Feng.

“Hey, do you really plan on not helping me at all? Are you going to watch the whole time while I’m busying about?” Lifting his head, Charles yelled toward Tang Feng.

“There aren’t enough petals and candles. You also need to add them to the lake.” Not only was he not helping, Tang Feng added even more tasks for Charles to do.

Charles bent and gave him a perfect bow like a gentleman. “Your wish is my command, Miss.”

What a foul mouth.

Tang Feng smiled and gave Charles a thumbs-down.

Gradually, the sun was setting on Seattle. It hovered like a blaze above Lake Was.h.i.+ngton and ignited the blue surface. In the far distance, someone’s yacht crossed over the lake, leaving a streak of black across the reddish-orange reflection. The scene was like a painting, and they were merely the figures inside.

Charles was partly responsible for dragging the production crew all the way to the United States for the last episode. However, Lu Tian Chen also had a say in the decision. Since Tang Feng was going to be filming in the United States, they might as well fly over early in case something occurred later on and delayed their journey.

Facing the lake and the setting sun, Tang Feng gripped the banister with both hands and breathed in deeply. This was the smell of life. The breeze that carried the warmth of the sun entered his nose and traveled deep into his chest and spun like a tiny tornado. He could smell the lake, the fish, and the suns.h.i.+ne. Faintly, he could also make out the scent of cigars and wine in the air.

Each and every smell mixed and tumbled together, strong and vivid.

When his eyelids fluttered open, the light of the setting sun shone right into the deepest reaches of his eyes; dying his eyelashes and his pupils with the fiery color of a blaze. He narrowed his eyes and gazed at the lake. The light made it difficult to see, but was that a yacht over there? And was the person standing on the deck someone he knew?

Lu Tian Chen?

“Tang Feng!” Charles suddenly yelled down below.

He looked down at the dock. Charles had already lighted all the candles. His sleeves and pants were both rolled up, appearing like a fisherman who had just come back from the lake. Only his attractive brown eyes still carried a hint of aristocratic air, s.h.i.+ning like a pair of priceless jewels.

Tang Feng had never noticed that Charles’ eyes were quite beautiful. Similarly, he had never tried to know and understand more about the man.

“I like you.” It was a straightforward confession.

“What did you say? I can’t hear you.” Tang Feng smiled. He lifted a hand to his forehead to block the piercing light.

Standing with his back to the sun, Charles seemed to have developed a reddish-orange aura. He raised his arms and smiled at Tang Feng, revealing a set of teeth that gleamed white like they were made out of mother of pearl.

“I said, jump!” Charles yelled.

“What do you mean jump? Are you crazy?” If Tang Feng jumped down from the balcony, he would be leaping right into the lake.

Charles beckoned at him and said, “Come, quickly! If you’re a man, then jump. Or are you a dry duck who doesn’t know how to swim? Don’t worry, after you jump into the lake, I’ll go and fish you out. Don’t you feel hot? Quickly, jump!”

“Psychological manipulation is useless on me.”

Tang Feng smiled and turned around to walk back. Charles was still yelling down below, but by the time those words got to him, he had no idea what Charles was yelling about.

He took another few steps forward. Just when everyone thought he would return to the room, he suddenly turned and sprinted toward the banister.

With one hand supporting him on the banister, he launched himself easily over the balcony.

A long, long time ago, he had wished that he could live carelessly like others his age and jump from a high springboard into a swimming pool or from a cliff into the ocean. He had pa.s.sed by too many things in his past life, thing he could never attempt.

With the evening light marking his silhouette, he leapt from the balcony into Seattle’s setting sun.

A splash from down below and Charles jumped into the lake as well.

This was the confession between them. It was different from what the audience had in mind. In the end, they didn’t understand whether it counted as a confession or not. If it did, then did Tang Feng accept Charles’ feelings by jumping down, or did he not?

Some distance away, the man who had been standing on the yacht smiled lightly. He took a breath and then walked inside.

The petals and candles floated gently on the waters of the lake, until the moon rose high into the sky.

Was that the end of the show?

♦

“I’m sure we’ll be receiving numerous letters from the audience after we broadcast this episode.” An ending that wasn’t an ending. As a producer of the show, w.a.n.g Nan rubbed her forehead tiredly. The show was supposed to have ended the way they had planned. After Charles confessed to Tang Feng, the actor was supposed to have made a firm decision on whether to accept or reject Charles.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Even in the end, they didn’t have a solid conclusion on the relations.h.i.+p between Charles and Tang Feng.

Kai shrugged and smiled. “There’s no helping it. Charles is never one to listen to others. It could also be that…he doesn’t have the courage to ask for the answer.”

“He doesn’t have the courage? I feel like he’s courageous enough to be a terrorist!”

“Even the strongest giant will have a gentle, perhaps even weak side to him.”

This applies to each and every one of us.