The One in My Heart

5

He thought it was all over, but then… Thụy Khởi left with her husband, who was actually a close friend of Uy Tần.

Seeing An looking embarrassed, the man smiled and asked, “Now, do you need me to take you home?”

Alright, saying no was a lie. An nodded, “Then I’ll trouble you… Thank you very much.”

“No need to be so polite, I’ll go grab the car,” the man said, then went to fetch the car from the parking lot. While he was away, Thụy Khởi glanced over at An and asked, “So what are you to Mr. Tần?”

An felt a little nervous, afraid of saying something wrong and upsetting the man. After all, they seemed to be friends. Thụy Khởi noticed An’s anxiety and chuckled, “Are you the person Mr. Tần is going to marry? He invited us, but we heard recently that the original partner had run away, so we’ve been worried about his reputation. It’s great that you’re back now!”

So, Mr. Tần hadn’t told anyone that An would be replacing Thiên Ân in the marriage. An quickly went along with the explanation, thinking the man probably wanted to keep it a secret. After all, marrying a sibling’s partner after they run away is not exactly a proud moment.

Thụy Khởi patted An on the shoulder: “Go read the script, make sure to perform well during the audition. Mr. Tần is a big shot in the arts world. Who knows, you might be on stage one day and remember to thank him!” An suddenly remembered that Thụy Khởi had also stood on stage before, confessing his love and sincerity to his husband.

He wondered if, one day, Uy Tần would smile as happily as Tề Văn did when looking at Thụy Khởi.

Sitting in the passenger seat, An hugged his small bag on his lap and checked if the script was safely packed. The man noticed An checking his script and asked, “Which film are you acting in? ‘I Don’t Want to Go Home’?”

“Ah, yes, how did you know the title?” An asked, surprised, looking at the man, who was focused on driving but had a smile on his lips. “How could I not know? Tề Văn has wanted to adapt that book into a film for a long time. Every time there’s a birthday in the group, Tề Văn gives a copy of the book, one for each person, in all sorts of languages…” The man seemed to remember something, then turned to the person beside him and asked, “Would you like to borrow the original book?”

“I can borrow it?” An couldn’t believe his ears. He had only ever read the online version because the physical copies were always sold out. Even when he pre-ordered, there was often not enough stock.

The man nodded, “Of course, you can. Soon enough, you’ll be able to come and go from my house as you please.”

After saying that, he drove toward his home. An realized that the man was actually going to his house to get the book for him to borrow. An felt a little anxious. He was worried about meeting the man’s aunt and uncle. Though his aunt and uncle seemed friendly, he still felt like a small bride meeting her mother-in-law for the first time.

To avoid getting distracted with unnecessary thoughts, An pulled out the script and flipped through it, reading through the scenes.

Scene 45, the evening setting. The younger brother is eating pizza and drinking Pepsi while the older brother brings friends over to their house. The younger brother has a crush on one of the girls in the group, so he hastily brushes his hands and cheerfully greets his brother at the door.

“Are you pretending, huh?” The brothers joke around. The younger brother replies, “But why does the youngest get greeted, and no one calls her fake? When I greet you, why are you calling me fake?”

“Because she’s the baby. We’re not close!” Hearing this, the younger brother, feeling embarrassed, throws his sandals and takes the food to the dining room, not speaking to his older brother anymore.

End of scene 45.

“This film is really about character psychology; not everyone will end up in the situation the character faces, but it’s not too difficult for a newcomer. If you understand and empathize with the character, you’ll get into the role.” Tần suddenly spoke, causing An to glance at him in surprise. Was he trying to reassure him? An couldn’t help but laugh and squinted, tilting his head at the man. “You should trust your partner!”

Uy Tần didn’t respond. He was focused on the road, and An thought he wouldn’t speak again, but then the man’s voice came: “Yeah, I trust you.”

Every time he sat with this man, even though he didn’t speak much, every word he said made a lasting impression, and An no longer felt the suffocating pressure he did at first.

The man’s house was in a luxury apartment complex. An suddenly remembered a friend he met online, Định. Wasn’t Định living in a nearby luxury complex? He hoped they wouldn’t run into each other. He had teased Định quite a bit, and if they met, it might get awkward.

“Would you like to come inside for a drink?” Uy Tần asked. He stopped the car at the gate to let the security check his card, then drove into the parking lot, heading toward a villa at the far end of the complex. An had heard from Thy that these types of villas were more expensive the farther in you went, and the more luxurious and soundproof they were.

“Your house is beautiful… Is your aunt and uncle home?”

“No, this is my private house. My parents live in the complex next door. Once we get married, we’ll have our own place. I don’t like living in a shared household,” the man replied calmly. He leaned over to unbuckle An’s seatbelt for him.

“Ah, okay, I’ll just wait outside for you to bring the book. We can go inside another time.”

An was still reluctant to go inside, whether there were adults there or not. Tần didn't pressure him. Hearing the young one's words, he gave in: "Alright, stay outside then. I'll go in and grab it and come right back."

An obediently nodded, watching his back as he walked toward the villa. It seemed like the villa had a garage, and the shared parking lot was just a temporary stop before driving further. An glanced around the area, silently thinking to himself that he needed to work harder so that he could contribute to the household expenses with the man, because this area was expensive. It would be awkward to live together after marriage if he didn’t contribute.

"Thiên An?"

His heart skipped a beat. The voice startled him, and he didn’t want to look or listen.

"An, right?" The voice asked again.

No, no, it couldn’t be. An took a deep breath, turned to look coldly at the person who just arrived. How could he forget that this area was also where his ex’s group gathered? It wasn't really a "group," but rather the house of the third person in the relationship. Currently, that person must be his adoptive younger brother.

"Well, still alive, huh, Phúc?"

"Why are you speaking like that? And breaking up so suddenly... I... I still love you a lot, I wasn't ready for this situation," Phúc whined, stepping closer to An. An quickly stepped back, leaving Phúc stunned.

"But why are you here?"

"Why shouldn't I be here?" An looked at Phúc as if he were a fool.

Phúc furrowed his brows, looking at An, who still looked radiant and beautiful after the breakup, obviously not happy to see him. Phúc hesitated for a moment, asking, "Is it just because I gave your supporting role to my adoptive brother that you broke up with me? If so, I’m sorry. Don’t be mad anymore. I won’t steal your roles again." He stretched out his hand to grab An’s, but An swiftly pulled it away.

"It’s not just one thing. You should put your hand on your chest and question your own conscience," An smiled as he spoke. "I don’t have any feelings for you anymore. I’m getting to know someone else now!"

"What?!" Phúc was in disbelief. "You’ve already found someone new? We just broke up not long ago, and you’re already seeing someone else. I’m feeling betrayed, but at the same time, I can’t accept it!"

Phúc grabbed An’s wrist tightly. "We need to have a serious talk, there must be some misunderstanding here!"

"The only misunderstanding I have is loving you!" An immediately kicked Phúc’s leg, causing him to stagger and let go. Once freed, An bolted toward the villa’s half-open door.

"Ah!" An collided right into the chest of the man who was coming out with a book in hand. The book fell, but An quickly caught it. "Phew... Sorry about that."

Tần Uy steadied An by the waist, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at the young man who had suddenly thrown himself into his arms.

An suddenly remembered something and turned to face Phúc, who was limping behind them. He declared loudly, "You should pay attention to who I’m with in the future!"

"Fate says he’s very good! And I deserve to be with someone as great as him!"

The sudden compliment made Tần freeze for a moment. His eyes met Phúc’s, the ex. He had checked An’s background before agreeing to the marriage arrangement. He knew that, before agreeing to marry in place of his brother, An had been in a relationship with Phúc. Phúc wasn’t a great person, so this made sense—he was a much better match for An.

Thinking this, Tần felt a strange joy in his heart. Though he wasn’t a "good" person, he was willing to accept being labeled as one for this moment.

"That’s right, someone as good as you should be with me," Tần smiled and said, pulling An closer, making the younger man blush. An had already played his part, so why did this man have to join in? As An opened his mouth to speak, Tần had already pulled him into the car.

"Come on, let me take you home," Tần said, patting An’s shoulder. The little one was smarter than he looked, not as innocent as he appeared to be. He wouldn’t let anyone bully him.

Inside the car, An made sure not to look back at his ex, even as Phúc called after them. The man beside him smiled and said, "Your ex is really obsessed, huh?"

"It’s all fake," An muttered, placing the book into his bag. Then, he realized he hadn’t mentioned to Tần that he had an ex. He pursed his lips, the atmosphere in the car growing a bit heavy. After a while, An hesitantly spoke, "I forgot to tell you that I just broke up with my boyfriend... Sorry about that."

"You don’t need to apologize. If you do, it would make it seem like one of us is at fault. I’d be intruding, and it would make it look like you broke up because of me."

Tần’s reasoning was so solid that An felt his previous apology had been unnecessary, though he wasn’t sure if it was truly unnecessary.

The car drove straight to An's house, where Tần helped him out. As An got out, he didn’t rush to close the door. He stared at the man for a long time before finally speaking, "Thank you..."

"No need," Tần responded.

An closed the car door and turned to enter the house. Just as he was about to go inside, he heard Tần’s voice call after him: "Next time, I’ll take the initiative to invite you to dinner!"

"Sure! I’ll wait for your message! And we’ll go register for our marriage too!" An waved and laughed. Looking at his face, An could tell that Tần had been so busy he forgot they still needed to go register for their marriage.

Tần wasn’t unfriendly by nature. It was just that, after rubbing shoulders with society, he’d become more reserved. An pushed the door open and entered the house. His mother was watching the news. Hearing the door open, she turned around and asked, "Oh, my baby’s home. Did you have fun going out with your teacher today?"

"Yeah, it was fun. I got a ride back from Mr. Tần." An told his mother about meeting Tần, and his mother seemed a bit unsure, mixed with happiness and worry about this marriage continuing. An comforted her and went upstairs. Maybe with time, his mom would see that Tần was a good person.

Checking the time on his phone, An saw that he needed to stream for two and a half hours. It was still early in the afternoon, so An decided to take a nap first before continuing his livestream.

Tần had two business meetings that day. After finishing, he arrived home to hear the loud voice of his younger brother from upstairs.

"Hunter! Hunter’s here!!! Ahh, Hunter is chasing me!!"

"Don’t! Help! Help! Save me, my baby!!"

The voice of Định was deep like Tần’s but could easily switch to a higher pitch when playing games, and it was incredibly loud. Tần frowned. Perhaps he should ban his younger brother from playing these noisy games or even soundproof his room.

"Mom told Định not to yell when playing games, but he refuses to listen."

Tần laughed, "It’s fine, mom. He’ll be quiet again once he’s done playing."

The woman smiled helplessly, fearing that her son would get a smack from Tần just like when they were younger.

An heard Định’s screams and recoiled. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, but Hunter had been too fast to be rescued.

An mumbled into the mic, "Sorry about that..."

"Don’t worry about it… I’m already dead inside, An baby. If I didn’t call you ‘baby,’ I wouldn’t be scolding you, I’m just respecting our online friendship!" Định pouted, sighing dramatically.

In the comments, everyone was teasing them both.

"Ha ha, I noticed baby An is using the ‘baby of everyone’s heart’ trick to respond to Định!!"

"Baby will always be baby in everyone’s eyes, right?"

"Shh! Be careful, or baby An will get a big head from how beautiful he is!"

"By the way, if nothing changes, next month I’ll apply for long-term offline leave with Rabbit Platform. I’ll switch my schedule to regular one like the busy streamers because I’ll be busy with filming. Hope everyone and Định understands!" An said cheerfully. Next month, he would be joining the film crew, going for auditions at the end of the month and starting filming in the beginning of the month. Between filming and studying, he wouldn’t have time to stream anymore.

"Don’t! Who’s going to cover for me when you’re gone?" Định whined, clearly unhappy.

An suddenly remembered that at the end of the month… Wasn’t there a wedding? Maybe he’d ask Định if he wanted to attend his wedding.

"There’ll be plenty of people to cover for you, don’t worry. Định’s friends on the platform are almost everyone, and even without me, you won’t lose your rank!" An glanced at the rankings, raising an eyebrow. He should probably place a bet on which rank Định would fall to when he goes offline.