Chapter 10

The next morning, Sheng Qingli woke up with a splitting headache. Groggily, she checked her phone and saw that it was already past nine.

There were a few unread messages on WeChat, all from Li Yuwei, who informed her that there was a cup of hot hangover tea waiting for her in the kitchen and to drink it when she woke up.

She had already flown to the film city.

Sheng Qingli calculated her departure time and figured that if there were no delays, she should be landing right about now.

She replied, “I just woke up. Have you arrived?”

After sending the message, Li Yuwei did not respond immediately.

Sheng Qingli lay back down to recover a bit before getting up to wash up and go downstairs.

Just after finishing the hangover tea, Li Yuwei messaged again: “I just landed. How are you?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “My head hurts a bit.”

Li Yuwei: “You can’t handle alcohol and still drank so much. If you don’t hurt, who does?”

Sheng Qingli: “… Did I do anything after getting drunk?”

Li Yuwei: “?”

Seeing the question mark, Sheng Qingli’s heart tightened: “Did I or didn’t I?”

Li Yuwei: “No, you’ve always had good drinking manners.”

Although Sheng Qingli’s tolerance for alcohol was not great, her manners were excellent.

Even when drunk, she would not stumble around, act out, or make a scene. She was the type to quietly sleep it off.

Seeing Li Yuwei’s message, Sheng Qingli felt a bit guilty.

In reality, she was not always so well-behaved when drunk. At least, she was not with Pei Qingci.

She often boasted about how well-behaved she was when drunk, not believing Pei Qingci when he told her otherwise.

So, on one occasion when she got drunk again, Pei Qingci recorded a video. In the video, Sheng Qingli kept asking Pei Qingci to go out for a walk in the middle of the night and then to go racing.

Even more exaggerated, she refused to leave Pei Qingci’s side.

She followed him everywhere, just like the trophy.

Even when he went to shower, Sheng Qingli insisted on following him, leaving Pei Qingci both amused and helpless. Eventually, Pei Qingci had no choice but to pick her up and place her on the washbasin, leaning down to kiss her. With a deep voice, he asked, “Shall we shower together?”

Sheng Qingli closed her eyes, enjoying his tongue’s intrusion, placed her hand on his waist, unfastened his belt with one hand, and mumbling, said, “Mmm… I want you to help me wash.”

The alarm clock pulled Sheng Qingli back to reality, and thinking of the images that had just flashed through her mind, she felt a bit embarrassed and irritated as she rubbed her face—

“Am I crazy?”

Why had she been frequently recalling those unrestrained moments with Pei Qingci lately? Did she really need to start dating?!

Suddenly, her phone vibrated with a message from Li Yuwei: “Where did you disappear to?”

Blushing and heart racing, Sheng Qingli lied, knowing Li Yuwei couldn’t see her: “Making breakfast.”

Li Yuwei: “Oh.”

Li Yuwei must have thought she was hiding something.

---

After a brief chat, Sheng Qingli made a simple breakfast and went out to exercise.

To maintain her good figure and stamina, she did high-intensity workouts four to five times a week when not on set.

After spending over an hour at the private gym, Sheng Qingli slowly returned home and received a message from Lin Lin: “Did you have dinner with Ying Zheng yesterday?”

Sheng Qingli was startled, realizing she had forgotten about this: “Yes, we ran into each other by chance.”

Lin Lin: “Was there any paparazzi?”

Sheng Qingli thought for a moment: “The private restaurant was quite secluded and required a reservation, so it’s unlikely we were photographed by paparazzi.”

She sent another message: “But I did run into Yin Miaojing.”

A moment later, Lin Lin called: “Why didn’t you tell me you ran into Yin Miaojing?”

In a low voice, Lin Lin asked, “Is everything okay?”

Sheng Qingli smiled: “Sister Lin, you underestimate me. What harm could meeting her do?”

She bit her lip, feeling a bit guilty, “But—”

“Just tell me everything at once,” Lin Lin said, exasperated. “What else?”

Sheng Qingli risked being scolded by Lin Lin and vaguely said, “Pei Qingci and I put on a show in front of her.”

“…” Hearing Pei Qingci’s name, Lin Lin was a bit confused. “Wait, let me sort this out.”

After a pause, Lin Lin asked in a suppressed voice, “Are you saying that while you were having dinner with Ying Zheng, Pei Qingci was also there?”

Sheng Qingli: “They came together.”

Lin Lin took a deep breath. “And then you ran into Yin Miaojing, and afterward, you and Pei Qingci put on a show in front of her?”

“That’s right,” Sheng Qingli answered obediently.

Lin Lin: “…”

She raised her hand to her forehead, sounding somewhat disheartened, “What kind of show did you two put on? Showing off your love?”

Sheng Qingli touched her nose, feeling awkward: “Something like that.”

If Lin Lin wasn’t so experienced, she might have felt faint at this point.

Sitting in her office chair, she closed her eyes to calm herself, “Aren’t you worried that she might spill the beans about you two?”

“She won’t,” Sheng Qingli was confident, “I know her.”

Having been friends with Yin Miaojing for more than half a year, Sheng Qingli could only understand her half of the time before their falling out. After their fallout, she could now explain things that had been unclear before.

She was familiar with her character and her obsessions.

A person who couldn’t even accept seeing her and Pei Qingci’s names together in trending searches would never expose their ambiguous past.

Lin Lin was stunned, initially thinking that people changed over time.

But then she realized that no matter how Yin Miaojing changed, the base of her malice and her unrequited love for Pei Qingci remained the same.

After pondering for a few seconds, Lin Lin reminded her, “That said, you should still be a bit cautious in the future.”

Sheng Qingli agreed.

Lin Lin continued, bringing the topic back on track, “Ying Zheng’s side sent over the contract today.”

Sheng Qingli: “Do you need me to come over to sign it?”

“Signing isn’t urgent,” Lin Lin said, “But they mentioned they might not be able to consider Xu Xingyue, whom you recommended. He has endorsements that conflict with Ying Zheng’s sports brand.”

Sheng Qingli hadn’t really expected her recommendation to succeed. She replied with an “mm,” and asked, “So who’s the final choice?”

“Not decided yet,” Lin Lin said, frustrated, “Ying Zheng asked me if you’d mind if they chose Pei Qingci.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

She realized why Lin Lin had said signing wasn’t urgent.

After a moment of silence, Sheng Qingli thought about how frequently Pei Qingci had appeared in her life recently and even in her dreams. She couldn’t help but mutter, “Why is he everywhere?”

Lin Lin replied, “I’d like to know too.”

She had actually run into him occasionally before, but never so frequently.

After a silent moment, Lin Lin asked in confusion, “Has Pei Qingci fallen short of money lately?”

Why would he suddenly start taking on sports brand endorsements?

Hearing her implication, Sheng Qingli’s voice wavered, “Sister Lin, I’m not short of money either.”

It’s just that Ying Zheng offered too much.

Lin Lin: “… Sorry.”

Sheng Qingli sighed, “I understand.”

Pei Qingci had always been selective about endorsements, favoring high-end ones. Even when he first debuted, he never took on more affordable endorsements.

As fans humorously said about him—he likely didn’t want fans boosting his sales, so he chose endorsements that were increasingly expensive and out of reach.

“So, why is he suddenly taking on sports brand endorsements?” Lin Lin brought the topic back.

Sheng Qingli wasn’t sure and began to speak, “Maybe it’s—”

Before she could finish, Lin Lin asked, “Could it be that he wants to win you back?”

Sheng Qingli: “… Impossible.”

Lin Lin was curious: “Why is it impossible?”

When they broke up, Lin Lin had thought they would get back together soon. She never expected them to drift so far apart for such a long time.

Sheng Qingli pressed her lips and said, “Didn’t you forget that I was the one who unilaterally ended things? For someone as proud as him… It’s a miracle he doesn’t hate me.”

---

How could he possibly take the initiative to get close to her and reconcile?

Once those words were out, Lin Lin didn’t know what to say.

She was at a loss. “Forget it, let’s not discuss that for now. Are you still interested in taking on the endorsement for Pei Qingci?”

Sheng Qingli: “…What’s the endorsement fee offered by Ying Zheng?”

Lin Lin told her a huge sum.

Sheng Qingli: “That amount could build quite a few hope primary schools.”

Lin Lin understood her: “So, you’ll take it?”

“Yes,” Sheng Qingli said, gritting her teeth, “It’s foolish not to earn money when it’s available.”

Moreover, Ying Zheng’s sports brand is highly popular, which could make Sheng Qingli more famous—a win-win opportunity.

Lin Lin: “I’m very glad you think this way.”

After discussing the endorsement, Lin Lin remembered to ask, “How’s the script going?”

Sheng Qingli: “It’s going well.”

She told Lin Lin, “Ask about the shooting schedule for the endorsement. I might join the crew as early as next week.”

The film will officially start shooting in two months, but Sheng Qingli, who plays a highly skilled swordswoman, needs to join the crew early to learn swordplay, practice, and use the sword.

Zhong Hongmao has high expectations for his actors and prefers not to use body doubles unless absolutely necessary.

Sheng Qingli didn’t want the film to receive criticism or complaints after release. She needs to live up to herself, the creative team, her fans, and the paying audience.

Lin Lin: “Alright, shooting shouldn’t be that soon. I’ll communicate with Ying Zheng and see if it’s possible to shoot near your training location if your training is crucial.”

Given Sheng Qingli’s status, such a request is not excessive.

Sheng Qingli: “Okay.”

After hanging up, Sheng Qingli hesitated for a moment but couldn’t help but complain to Li Yuwei about the possibility of Pei Qingci taking on an endorsement for the same brand as her.

Li Yuwei, upon seeing the message: “??????”

Sheng Qingli: “I have as many question marks as you do right now.”

Li Yuwei: “What does he want to do? Pursue you?”

Sheng Qingli: “Impossible.”

Li Yuwei: “How is it impossible? To be honest, with his recent series of strange actions, I can’t think of any other reason besides wanting to rekindle things with you.”

Sheng Qingli: “It could also be—”

Li Yuwei: “What?”

Sheng Qingli: “He sees that things are going too smoothly for me lately and, being idle, he’s looking for trouble.”

Li Yuwei: “…I’m impressed by your imagination.”

Sheng Qingli: “Do you agree?”

Li Yuwei: “Whether I agree or not doesn’t matter. What matters is if Pei Qingci agrees.”

Sheng Qingli: “…I won’t talk to you about this anymore.”

Li Yuwei: “Alright, just remember to let me know as soon as there’s any progress. Don’t let me find out about your progress online.”

Sheng Qingli didn’t reply to this message.

She put down her phone, slumped on the sofa, and tried to take a nap. However, as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with either Li Yuwei’s words or Pei Qingci’s annoyingly pleasant face.

After struggling for a while, Sheng Qingli buried her head into the pillow and muttered in frustration: “Annoying.”

Unfortunately, the living room was too quiet, and there was no one to respond.

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A few days later, Sheng Qingli’s life was a routine of going back and forth between home and the gym.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day for Sheng Qingli to fly to Ancheng.

The new film’s shooting location was in Taolin County, Ancheng, where there was a large peach orchard, the place where the female lead grew up under her master’s guidance. The location was remote, with fresh air and a good environment.

The training venue was set there for convenience when filming began.

Other actors didn’t need to start training two months in advance like Sheng Qingli, so they didn’t need to arrive early.

What Sheng Qingli didn’t expect was that Xu Xingyue would also be flying to Ancheng the same day as her.

After learning that Pei Qingci would play her master’s role, Sheng Qingli received the news that Xu Xingyue had signed on as the male lead.

They had chatted a few times on WeChat, but Xu Xingyue hadn’t mentioned anything about flying to Ancheng for training on the same day.

They ran into each other in the VIP lounge.

Before Sheng Qingli could react, Xu Xingyue had already raised his hand to greet her, “Ms. Sheng, long time no see.”

“…Long time no see.” Sheng Qingli looked at the ticket in his hand and hesitated, “Where are you flying to?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingyue smiled slightly and said with familiarity, “What do you think?”

“Ancheng?” Sheng Qingli was surprised, “Why are you arriving so early for the training as well?”

Xu Xingyue hummed and joked, “I plan to be an early bird and try not to delay everyone’s progress after the official shooting starts.”

Sheng Qingli was speechless, “That’s not necessary.”

Xu Xingyue’s acting skills weren’t bad, but his previous roles had not been as demanding as Zhong Hongmao’s, so his standards weren’t as strict. Sheng Qingli knew his acting ability from their previous collaborations.

Xu Xingyue smiled and explained, “Anyway, I have nothing else to do, so more training time is always good.”

Sheng Qingli agreed with that.

They chatted in the VIP lounge without paying much attention to the other passengers in the waiting area.

Naturally, Sheng Qingli didn’t know that after she and Xu Xingyue boarded the plane, their names appeared together on trending topics.