Chapter 13

There are many security passage entrances in the shopping mall. Some of them are designated exclusive passages for employees. Although visitors cannot push open the heavy doors to enter, there will be an open area next to them, creating a recessed space alongside the store fronts.

Pei Qingci and Sheng Qingli were hiding in a small, recessed corner.

There was only a slight distance between them and the aisle, so close that they could vaguely hear the voices of the passersby and fans chasing after her.

“Where did she go? She clearly ran this way.”

“Do you think she hid in one of the shops?”

“Very likely. Should we split up and search?”

“…”

The discussion continued, and Sheng Qingli was trapped in Pei Qingci’s embrace, so tense that her body stiffened and her breathing became careful.

At that moment, her mind was racing with thoughts: what if they were recognized here? How would their team manage the public relations crisis? What should she and Pei Qingci say when faced with questions from fans and reporters?

Should they say they accidentally bumped into each other, or that they were secretly dating?

Noticing her tension, Pei Qingci lowered his head, his nose brushing against her neck, his voice deep. “Relax.”

Sheng Qingli ignored him.

How could she relax when that crowd hadn’t moved far away?

As they kept their heads down, two fans looking for her inadvertently caught sight of the couple snuggled together and couldn’t help but murmur, “Seriously, showing off their affection in a mall.”

“Tell me about it, but that guy is really tall, and he looks pretty good.”

“His back looks decent, but who knows if he’s just a back killer? Plus, anyone showing affection in public is automatically treated as ugly.”

The two walked away, completely unconcerned about the identities of the couple.

After all, no one would think that a popular female star would dare to cuddle a fellow popular male star in public.

Pei Qingci held Sheng Qingli in his embrace for only a few minutes before the people around them dispersed.

But every second of being hugged again felt like “torture” for Sheng Qingli.

The familiar scent of cold, aged wood filled her senses, distant and cool.

That familiar smell easily awakened memories she had tried to forget, like the moment he first sprayed on the perfume she gave him when he came to find her.

When they first met, Sheng Qingli ran towards him enthusiastically.

Pei Qingci opened his arms and held her steadily, even spinning her around.

Just as he was about to speak, Sheng Qingli caught a whiff of something unusual on him.

She tilted her head slightly, like a puppy, leaning in to sniff his neck, then bright-eyed asked, “Did you spray on the perfume I gave you?”

Pei Qingci pushed her head away, feeling her warm breath on his neck, ticklish and sensitive. They were still outside, and he was worried about acting irrationally.

“Why is your nose so sensitive?” Pei Qingci teased her, “Are you a little dog?”

Sheng Qingli raised her eyebrows, a bit proudly saying, “Of course! I picked it myself. Do you think it smells good?”

Pei Qingci lowered his eyes, resting his forehead against her. “As long as you think it smells good, that’s enough.”

Hearing his answer, Sheng Qingli smiled, her eyes crescent-shaped as she stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, whispering, “It smells good. I like it a lot.”

She liked that scent, and even more so how it felt when it was on him—it was special, a sense of ownership.

Pei Qingci chuckled at her answer, his gaze deepening. “Do you really like it that much?”

Sheng Qingli nodded. “Really.”

Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow, playfully pinching her cheek. “Then do you like it more, or me?”

They were a bit childish at that moment.

When she first heard the question, Sheng Qingli was caught off guard.

Only when she met Pei Qingci’s dark, deep eyes did she burst into laughter. “…I’ll tell you later?”

Their gazes locked, Pei Qingci’s throat moved as he touched her cheek with his warm fingers. “I’ll be waiting.”

The hotel was not far.

They hurried back to the hotel, and as soon as the door opened, Sheng Qingli could hardly wait to tell Pei Qingci that she preferred him over the perfume.

Clothes were strewn everywhere.

As they stumbled into the room, Sheng Qingli purposefully brushed against the back of his neck, saying, “I think I like it more.”

She provoked him intentionally, but unexpectedly, Pei Qingci playfully punished her.

She thought that after that, he would compete with that perfume and never use it again.

What she didn’t expect was that he continued using it.

To this day, he still carried the familiar scent she loved.

Suddenly, a low, calm voice interrupted her thoughts. “They’re gone.”

“…” Sheng Qingli snapped back to reality and muttered, “How do we get out?”

She was afraid of running into fans or passersby who recognized her. Moreover, her presence at the Ancheng mall was likely trending online, and if she was unlucky, some of the fans chasing her would post her pictures on Weibo.

Wearing this outfit, she would definitely be the most conspicuous person in the mall.

“Put on my clothes.”

The temperature in Ancheng wasn’t very high today, and neither of them was someone who dressed according to the weather. In the summer, they might bundle up like rice dumplings, while in winter, they could dress coolly.

Pei Qingci was dressed casually today, with loose light-colored jeans and a white T-shirt, topped with a long enough trench coat that accentuated his tall, slender figure.

He took off the trench coat and let Sheng Qingli wear it.

Wrapped in a familiar and close scent, Sheng Qingli tightened her breath.

She looked at the man sorting her clothes with his lowered eyelashes, her lips slightly parted, “…Is this okay?”

After meeting Pei Qingci, she felt her intelligence had dropped, and she became less composed and steady.

Just then, the door to the corridor beside them was pushed open.

Pei Qingci slightly lifted his chin, the muscles in his jaw tightening under the mask. He paused for a moment, then spoke softly, “Okay, let’s go this way.”

“And you?” Sheng Qingli asked.

“I’ll come down later,” Pei Qingci replied.

As he spoke, he handed the car keys to Sheng Qingli.

When their fingers accidentally brushed while exchanging the keys, Sheng Qingli was momentarily stunned by the heat of his touch. “…Then I’ll wait for you in the car.”

Pei Qingci said, “Go on, there’s no need to be so scared.”

Sheng Qingli lightly hummed, “…Thank you.”

Pei Qingci glanced at her without saying anything.

Sheng Qingli slipped out of his embrace and, under Pei Qingci’s cover, entered the safe passage.

She didn’t dare take the elevator and walked down the dark staircase to the underground parking lot instead.

---

Once back in the car without any issues, Sheng Qingli saw calls and messages from Lin Lin and Tong Tong.

She let out a small sigh, sent a quick message to Tong Tong saying she was fine, and then called Lin Lin back. While waiting for the call to connect, she anxiously stared at the elevator exit.

“Hello,” Lin Lin’s voice came from the other end, “Are you okay?”

Sheng Qingli responded, “I’m fine. Did I trend?”

Lin Lin was checking the situation online. “Yes, someone caught your profile while you were running in the mall.”

With a hint of frustration, she added, “How could you be so careless?”

Sheng Qingli explained softly, “I ran into fans while shopping.”

If it weren’t for the fans, they wouldn’t have recognized her at first glance.

Lin Lin asked, “Are you safe now?”

“Yeah,” Sheng Qingli replied, “How’s the online situation?”

Lin Lin assured her, “It’s fine, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Just as she said that, Lin Lin paused and asked suspiciously, “You didn’t do anything, did you?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “…Do you know Pei Qingci came to Ancheng to supervise Director Zhong?”

“…” Hearing Pei Qingci’s name, Lin Lin felt a bad premonition. “Please tell me you two didn’t go to the mall together.”

Sheng Qingli confirmed, “Yeah.”

Lin Lin exclaimed, “Oh no.”

“He shouldn’t have been photographed,” Sheng Qingli hurriedly clarified. “He didn’t get out of the car while I was shopping.”

“But then he did get out, right?” Lin Lin knew her well.

Sheng Qingli admitted, “…Yeah.”

With nothing to hide from Lin Lin, she explained, “When I was chased by fans, he pulled me aside to hide, so… can you keep an eye on what’s being said online about him?”

Lin Lin was silent for a long time before she finally blurted out, “You two really are—”

She paused, then sighed, “Fine, I’ll call Pei Qingci’s manager. If anything happens, we’ll handle it.”

Sheng Qingli said, “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Don’t say that,” Lin Lin murmured. “I’m your manager.”

That was her job, after all.

Then she warned, “But my poor heart can’t handle you and Pei Qingci’s constant drama. You two need to get out of the city center and focus on training.”

“Got it,” Sheng Qingli agreed, not daring to argue. “Shall I hang up now?”

Lin Lin said, “Contact me if anything comes up.”

As soon as she hung up, Sheng Qingli saw Pei Qingci approaching from a distance.

In her daze, he had already opened the car door and sat down.

“…”

The tiny dust particles in the car floated in the air, rising and falling.

Their gazes met, and in the enclosed space of the car, the atmosphere felt even more delicate and strange than when they had left the home goods store.

Unspoken emotions lingered in the air.

Feeling Pei Qingci’s scrutiny, Sheng Qingli moved her lips, “…Did you manage to get out okay?”

Pei Qingci paused slightly, his gaze falling on her familiar outfit, and replied, “It went smoothly. How about you?”

“Very smoothly.” Sheng Qingli bit her lip, lowering her eyes. “Are we heading back to Taolin County now?”

She used “we.”

Pei Qingci’s expression shifted slightly as he responded with a low “Mm.”

After leaving the mall, Sheng Qingli opened her phone to see a new message from Lin Lin: “Netizens are digging into your trip to Ancheng; many marketing accounts speculate you went there early to train for Director Zhong’s project. I just spoke with Director Zhong; we won’t respond to those rumors for now. We’ll wait for an official announcement after filming starts.”

Sheng Qingli replied, “Okay.”

Lin Lin added, “There’s some bad news; a fan found out Pei Qingci’s flight to Ancheng this morning.”

Sheng Qingli frowned, “The fans found out?”

Lin Lin clarified, “What did they find out? That you two are together? Not really, but the CP fans can definitely make up stories.”

Sheng Qingli thought, “…”

She didn’t need to think hard to know how the CP fans would speculate about their appearance together in Ancheng.

Lin Lin said, “By the way, Xiang Rong said he called and messaged Pei Qingci, but he didn’t respond. He asked you to check if he’s still alive.”

At this message, Sheng Qingli instinctively turned her head to glance at the person driving, who was focused on the road, and replied, “…He’s alive.”

Lin Lin said, “Okay, I’ll pass it along.”

After finishing her chat with Lin Lin, Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but glance at Pei Qingci again.

Noticing her gaze, Pei Qingci looked straight ahead and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“…Your manager asked me to check if you’re still alive,” Sheng Qingli said, blurting out what Lin Lin had just told her.

At this, Pei Qingci smirked slightly. “Tell him I’ll live longer than he will.”

Sheng Qingli choked slightly, slowly responding with an “Oh.” She thought to herself that if Xiang Rong heard that, he would be furious.

---

The car was quiet for a moment.

Suddenly, Sheng Qingli’s phone rang again, and she froze when she saw the caller ID.

Pei Qingci glanced over at her screen, noticing the name “Xu Xingyue.” He smirked slightly and asked, “Why aren’t you answering?”

Before Sheng Qingli could respond, he added, “Am I not convenient here?”

Sheng Qingli could sense Pei Qingci’s sarcasm, but she didn’t understand why he was acting like this all of a sudden.

Her relationship with Xu Xingyue was purely professional, just as her relationship with Pei Qingci was at the moment.

Initially, Sheng Qingli didn’t plan to answer.

However, Pei Qingci’s question made not answering seem like she had something to hide. She quietly picked up the phone. “Hello.”

Xu Xingyue’s voice came through, “Ms. Sheng, I just saw the news online. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sheng Qingli replied.

Xu Xingyue sighed with relief and asked anxiously, “Have you left the mall? I heard the driver who took you had an incident and can’t bring you back. How do you plan to return? Do you need me to contact some local friends to pick you up?”

“No need,” Sheng Qingli quickly declined. “I’m already in a car.”

Xu Xingyue responded, “Did you arrange for another driver?”

He hadn’t heard about that.

“No,” Sheng Qingli said calmly, looking straight ahead. “Mr. Pei came today, so I’m taking his car back to the set.”