003|Roses&truth(5)

After a thorough "performance", Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng returned to the hotel. 

Tan Ye lay on the sofa in Zhong Shao's room, his brows slightly furrowed. Upon hearing the sound of a card swiping, he bounced off the sofa, turning his head towards the door. 

"What are you looking at?" 

"I'm looking at Yu Cheng," Tan Ye said, glancing at Zhong Shao's expression and muttered to himself, "This doesn't seem right." 

Zhong Shao ignored Tan Ye, grabbed his clothes, and headed to the bathroom. 

Tan Ye was still there when Zhong Shao finished showering. 

"What's the matter?" Zhong Shao asked with an impatient expression. 

"Shao," Tan Ye glanced at the closed door and cautiously asked, "Is there something going on between you and Yu Cheng?" 

Zhong Shao paused while drying his hair, "What?" 

"I mean," Tan Ye crossed his legs, speaking solemnly, "Don't you think you and Yu Cheng are getting too close?" 

"It's the director's request." 

Tan Ye thought, "I've never seen you get this close to any other co-star before!" 

As Tan Ye pondered, Zhong Shao said, "I can distinguish between work and life." 

"You both have the same sexual orientations, that's why I'm concerned," Tan Ye, with a worried expression, heard this and felt somewhat relieved. 

Media outlets habitually drop bombshells in the middle of the night. After receiving several notifications backstage, Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng learned about the scandal involving Li Hengjie's alleged fraud and theft of numerous private photos of female students, realising that their alma mater was in trouble again. 

Many people on the set were also following this incident, and the next day, someone dared to ask Yu Cheng, "How do you view your alma mater's involvement in such a scandal?" 

Yu Cheng smiled and simply replied, "Each to their own aspirations."

Ongoing are the discussions and impromptu performances. 

With the frequent reports of interplanetary sexual assault cases, more individuals have joined the campaign to safeguard Beta and Omega, including a significant number of Alpha participants. 

Three months later, a similar incident has surfaced — individuals of the same first and second gender have faced long-standing discrimination and are unable to register their marriages due to the lack of clear regulations. On Darwin's Planet alone, there exist one million such couples. 

What is the significance of this? Assuming each planet hosts one million of such couples, there would be six million pairs across the interstellar community. This amounts to twelve million citizens, including Alpha, Beta, and Omega individuals, equivalent to over a tenth of a planet's population. Since the introduction of the second gender among humans, proposals for interplanetary laws protecting Beta and Omega have been discussed but never officially enacted. Nevertheless, as an unprotected group, they are still entitled to exercise their basic rights under the "Interstellar Constitution." Therefore, each planet is initiating formal legal proceedings against Alpha individuals who commit sexual assault against Beta or/and Omega (about Alpha societal norms and the gender equality rights of the first and second genders) and for the marriage rights of individuals of the same first and second genders. This marks the first simultaneous legal actions taken by six planets in the past century within the interstellar community.

A century ago, the societal guiding principles followed on Earth's land primarily consisted of the establishment of capitalism and socialist systems, with these two systems being internally rationalised based on each country's circumstances. Over countless years, these two systems developed into opposing forces, posing a challenge for rulers, government officials, and all humanity to find a suitable balance between them.

Since the initiation of the interconnected six planets along the established trajectory, each planet has designated relevant departments for socialist and capitalist systems separately, with all collaborative departments remaining neutral in terms of the system in place, such as the immigration department. When conflicts arise between socialism and capitalism, resolution is handled by the Federal Department of Justice. Prior to this, believers of socialism and proponents of capitalism had minor clashes, mostly manageable by the branches in various planetary cities. However, the shortcomings of the "Six Planets, Two-half Policy" resulting from these two incidents highlight the contradictions of a semi-socialist, semi-capitalist society, particularly regarding what constitutes fair judgment.

Equal rights entail that individual citizens receive equal protection under the law and can exercise equal rights within the legal framework. Inequality may manifest in seemingly insignificant details of daily life, but it is these details that emotionally impact groups in need of equal rights.

As citizens are the highest sovereign entities on the planets, do they have the right to define equality and marriage? Should judgments be made through their votes, or by the interstellar federal courts and judges?

While advocates of both systems champion their interests, discussions among the public raise a more profound argument —— the blindness of the law. 

Regardless of which system is supported, they are not solely based on themselves but also on the law.

The emergence of laws provides people with a legal framework to follow, enables countries to govern by law, and leads the entire world towards a more prosperous, harmonious, and sustainable future. However, laws are ultimately created by people, and not every article can justly determine good from evil.

Hence, can the law truly deprive an individual of their equal rights and the right to choose marriage based on gender and sexual orientation?

During these scenes, everyone held their breath, not relaxing at all, because once they let go, the entire heavy yet passionate atmosphere would be ruined. It wasn't until the end that they realised their backs were covered in sweat. If there were cameras, viewers would witness this battle of defence without gunfire, the Immigration Officer Yu Yue and Ji Chen were the most silent guardians on the planet Darwin. They were quiet but not complacent, as they always believed that at least the citizens on this planet would judge fairly and equally on the relationship between marriage rights and the second gender.

Sweat stuck to short sleeves, revealing the faintly visible angular muscles of Zhong Shao, giving Yu Cheng a strange feeling that he didn't want others to see. It was just a passing moment, and he didn't dwell on it much.

As the internet buzzed, Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng focused on the script while also keeping an eye on the progress of the Wang Jing incident. Wang Jing had been in the police station for nearly 24 hours, so the news release wouldn't be too far off. Both of them had sent messages to Prof. Wang Shuo.

On the way back to the hotel gym again, Zhong Shao, who had closed his eyes for a moment, opened them and asked Yu Cheng, "How do you view these matters?" 

Zhong Shao did not specify what matters he was referring to, but Yu Cheng subconsciously understood which matters he meant. After some contemplation, Yu Cheng responded, "The school will issue a report on the handling of Li Hengjie's students first, while cooperating with the police investigation. The relationship between Chen Jian and Wang Jing may appear as the public perceives it, or it may not be. I have a hunch that these matters may be connected." Yu Cheng paused and added, "I have a feeling that these matters may all be related." 

Prof. Wang Shuo did not disclose more information about this matter to the two students, only leaving them with the message, "The law and social justice will give the deserving their due." 

"Shao, what about you? How do you see it?" 

"Similar to you," Zhong Shao replied with a hint of a smile in his eyes. In this entertainment-centric era, countless people are eagerly chasing fame and popularity, while they, hidden in the background, can calmly contemplate these matters because their focus is always on more important things beyond, such as society, culture, self-development, and integrity. 

Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng did not question each other about why they were concerned about these matters, as if understanding the answer tacitly. 

There was a moment of silence in the nanny car, while Tan Ye and Miaomiao in the back seat were gossiping wildly about their masters, speculating if these two men were really not in a relationship! 

Meanwhile, in Zhong Shao's mind, a conversation with Yu Cheng from a few days ago played over again. 

That day, the two male leads conscientiously stayed in the hall, discussing with the director and screenwriter their "confession" scene in the rain. Their improvisation was not bad, just lacking a bit of the atmosphere surrounding childhood sweethearts. 

Yu Yue and Ji Chen had been together for ten years in training camp, growing from youth to occasionally immature maturity, becoming partners fighting side by side. 

"The relationship of childhood sweethearts is not about one taking 99 steps and the other taking the 100th step, that's what unrequited love does," Song Chunuan said, "The affection of childhood sweethearts is when both sides have taken 49 steps, it's about who takes the 50th step first. In your eyes, there is everything, except for that seemingly confrontational yet actually hidden joy of age." 

Watching the commotion without worrying about the seriousness, Lu Cheng thought, you two are both gay, they must have never experienced the taste of childhood sweethearts.

Indeed, Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng both fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

The room was now occupied by only Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng.

Zhong Shao suddenly spoke up, "Yu Cheng, have you ever liked someone before?"

"Back when I was young, I did have a crush, but that person is married now." Yu Cheng was open about his unrequited love from his teenage years and inquired, "What about you?"

"Never." Zhong Shao candidly replied, "I'm not sure if liking someone comes easily for others, but for me, finding someone I like is probably... not a simple matter. I became famous too early, and many emotions for me are entangled with countless interests that even I can't keep track of. But I desire a purely genuine emotion." He turned to Yu Cheng with a smile and asked, "Do you think I am so idealistic?"

"No, I think it's great." Yu Cheng recalled the screenwriter's words, "This kind of purity is not only good in reality but also necessary in the script."

This time, Zhong Shao genuinely laughed and asked that question again, "Why do you like acting?"

Yu Cheng almost blurted out, "Because I want to get to know every different side of myself."

Each character is oneself yet also the character itself, representing different aspects hidden in the consciousness.

"That's wonderful," Zhong Shao sighed, revealing his inner thoughts, "unlike me, currently sees acting as just a job."

After some thought, Yu Cheng remarked, "That's not bad either."

Zhong Shao pondered for a moment and lightly chuckled, "It seems so."