The Traitor (20)

"Yes, while fame and fortune are important, they are not as important as you. I could lose everything but I cannot lose you.

"I know the audience might turn on me but that is a risk I am willing to take if the prize is you. Zao Ming, you've sacrificed so much for me, let me take the risk for you this time.

"If worse comes to worse, I'll just retire from the limelight and opt for a simpler life. Perhaps I can take up an occupation as a gym trainer, in any case, as long as I have you, I know everything will be just fine."

Zao Ming was so overwhelmed by emotions due to Lee Mu's sudden confession that he had difficulty forming his words.

Seeing this, the trickster within Lee Mu surfaced. He pouted and added, "Unless, of course you only want me around because I'm a celebrity, and you'll abandon me when I'm not a nobody…"

A flustered Zao Ming said hurriedly, "No, of course not… We're both at the start of our career when we met each other so how would I leave you because…"

He then noticed the chuckle that came out of Lee Mu and Zao Ming realized his leg had been pulled. He smacked Lee Mu lightly on his chest.

This made Lee Mu chuckled even harder. "See, there is nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine…"

…

Lee Mu walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist. The mist was drifting out from the shower and water stuck to man's slick hair. It trailed down his sexy and powerful chest and abs.

Lee Mu looked around the modern-looking apartment as if in search of someone. The place was sparsely-decorated and the biggest give-away that they had just moved into the place was the moving boxes that could be seen at the corner of the frame.

The walls were white and the floor were tiled. The room was brightly lit and it looked clean and warm. The essentials were already there, these included a dining table, a couch and a television. It could need a little more personal touch but it had the making of a comfortable home.

Lee Mu's eyes lit up when he turned towards the balcony. The camera cut away from Lee Mu temporarily to catch the perspective from where he was standing. Outside the balcony, the sky was darkening and a man could be seen leaning against the bannister, seemingly enjoying the late afternoon breeze.

The camera cut back to Lee Mu.

Lee Mu padded towards the balcony without putting on his shirt. His muscles gleamed deliciously as the camera panned to follow the man. He stepped out into the balcony and the wind tussled his wet hair.

The man didn't seem to mind the cold. He did not shiver even though his attire of clothing was only a simple towel.

Lee Mu hugged the man who looked younger than he was from behind. The appearance of a younger age was probably not due to the face but instead due to the difference of size between the two men. Compared to the heavily-muscled Lee Mu, the other man was slight in frame. In fact, he was almost swallowed up in Lee Mu's bear hug.

Initially the man tried to struggle out of Lee Mu's embrace, but he did not do it hard enough to look like he was really trying to escape. Instead, it felt like he was doing that to play with Lee Mu. To prove this point, Lee Mu squeezed even harder, causing the man to chuckle. It did look like a game between couple albeit one that was of the same sex.

"Stop playing," the man warned jokingly. Lee Mu relaxed his grasp and said in a tone that was filled with the intention to pamper, "Your wish is my command, Zao Ming."

He made sure the audio recorder pick up his lover's name because that was crucial to their plan.

Zao Ming sighed as he leaned into Lee Mu's chest and turned his head up to look at the sunset. "Thank you for being in my life and I'm glad we've chosen this place to start our future together."

Lee Mu smiled a smile that was equally seductive and satisfied. "You know what, I feel the same way…"

Just in case the nature of their relationship was not clear enough for the audience, Lee Mu leaned down to plant a kiss on Zao Ming's lips. Their lips stayed locked until the camera zoomed out.

Then, it faded to a blur as a jingle came on screen. The logo of Lin Kang's real estate company rolled onto the screen and it was followed by the slogan, "Jade Garden Apartments, a home for everyone."

The commercial for Lin Kang's company newest project was scheduled to release in a few days. This was what Xiu Ling meant when she said they need to start by taking the power away from the blackmailer. If they exposed the nature of the relationship between Lee Mu and Zao Ming themselves, then the blackmailer would have nothing to hold over them anymore.

This was also the risk that was mentioned by Zao Ming. Through this commercial, they were essentially telling the world Lee Mu was gay. He risked having his fans and the public turn on him but Lee Mu did not seem to mind that.

When they were drafting the commercial, they debated about hiring another male actor to play Lee Mu's commercial partner. However, they ran into quite a bit of a problem when it came to casting. When the agency they approached heard that Lin Kang's company plan to do a commercial aimed at the LGBT community, many of them rejected the offer immediately despite the lucrative payment.

Lee Mu might be willing to commit career suicide for Zao Ming's sake but that did not mean that the other actors were dumb enough to fall into the chasm with him. They could not find a good enough candidate.