Chapter 14

After the call ended, the car fell silent again.

The driver, with the surname Pei, hadn’t said a word since she answered the phone.

To avoid any unwanted calls, Sheng Qingli simply put her phone on silent. She didn’t speak to the person next to her and lowered her head to check Weibo for updates.

Just as Lin Lin had said, her appearance at the mall had gone viral after being spotted by fans.

Soon after, someone leaked that the cast of Zhong Hongmao’s new movie was setting up scenes somewhere in Ancheng. Was Sheng Qingli getting ready to join the cast for the new film ahead of time?

There was a flurry of speculation.

Then, someone remembered the trending topic about Sheng Qingli secretly traveling with Xu Xingyue, and curiosity arose—if Sheng Qingli was preparing for the new movie, what about Xu Xingyue? Was he also going to be in Zhong’s film?!

In an instant, the news that Xu Xingyue might participate in Zhong’s movie soared to the trending list.

Xu Xingyue’s agency didn’t deny the rumors, which generally meant there was some truth to it.

Consequently, as Xu Xingyue’s team began leaking negative information about him, attempting to undermine his potential opportunities, chaos ensued. Meanwhile, some were celebrating elsewhere.

【[Eating Pears Super Talk] Family! The case is solved, Pear Pear and Xu Xingyue secretly traveled together to train for the movie. They are not dating! We’re the real fans!】

“Ahhhh, I knew Pear Pear and Mr. Pei were a couple!”

“Let’s speculate boldly—if the lead in Zhong’s new movie is Xu Xingyue, then Mr. Pei flying to Ancheng the day after Pear Pear’s trending topic makes it obvious why he went! He’s jealous, this shy man is claiming his territory!”

“Ahhhhh, I was initially disappointed that they couldn’t work together again, but hearing this from my sisters suddenly got me excited!”

“Eat pears, szd!!!”

“Wuwuwu, Mr. Pei is so jealous; Pear Pear is in for it tonight, hehe.”

“Just thinking about Mr. Pei going to confront Pear Pear makes me giddy, hehe.”

“I can’t handle how you all make it sound like Pear Pear’s heart is racing; I’m covering my face and laughing :-D”

“I’m starting to worry if Pear Pear can get up and train normally tomorrow.”

“I bet she can’t.”

…

After observing the online situation, Sheng Qingli noticed that most netizens were focused on Xu Xingyue possibly landing the lead role in Zhong’s film, and she let out a slight sigh of relief.

Although some were puzzled—if Xu Xingyue was indeed the lead, then why did Pei Qingci fly to Ancheng? Was he going to see Sheng Qingli? Could it be that they were really dating?

Or was it just a coincidence?

No one had the answers, and the excitement gradually faded.

Sheng Qingli exited Weibo and saw a question mark from Li Yuwei.

Sheng Qingli: “.”

Li Yuwei: “I just saw Weibo; what’s going on?”

Sheng Qingli: “I was accidentally recognized by fans.”

Li Yuwei: “That’s not what I’m asking; why did Pei Qingci fly to Ancheng? Isn’t he just a supporting role with little screen time? Does he really need to start training two months in advance?”

Sheng Qingli: “He said he was coming to supervise the set for Director Zhong.”

Li Yuwei: “Do you believe that?”

Sheng Qingli naturally didn’t believe it; there were specific people in charge of set construction.

Even if Director Zhong needed to understand the situation better, he could just send an assistant—why send Pei Qingci?

Moreover, if Pei Qingci didn’t want to, he would refuse even if Zhong arranged it.

They were no longer the newcomers from a few years ago who had to follow their agency and management team’s arrangements for everything.

Pei Qingci was freer than Sheng Qingli; soon after their breakup, she had terminated her contract with her original agency and started working independently.

Now, he was a free man, unbound by anyone.

After not receiving a reply from Sheng Qingli for a while, Li Yuwei sent a message: “I want to come visit you on set.”

Sheng Qingli replied: “Do you really want to visit me?”

She knew that Li Yuwei just wanted to be close enough to gossip.

Li Yuwei: “Hehe, don’t expose me.”

Sheng Qingli: “You should focus on filming.”

Li Yuwei: “You have to tell me about any updates immediately.”

Sheng Qingli stared at her phone in a daze for a moment: “We’ll see.”

She didn’t really think there would be any updates.

After chatting with Li Yuwei for a while, Sheng Qingli started to feel a bit tired.

She put down her phone. “Can I take a nap?”

Pei Qingci nodded slightly, tapping the steering wheel with his long fingers. “Do you want to listen to music?”

“…Sure.” Sheng Qingli hesitated for a few seconds and asked, “Should I just play the car music?”

Pei Qingci’s phone was connected to the car’s Bluetooth.

Pei Qingci responded affirmatively.

Sheng Qingli, too lazy to connect her own phone, simply played the song that Pei Qingci was already listening to.

She didn’t pay much attention, just clicked on a song he had saved.

As the intro played, she instinctively wanted to skip it.

But it was too obvious.

She could only pretend to be calm and withdraw her hand, asking casually, “Is this song okay?”

Pei Qingci: “Mm.”

The familiar, upbeat rhythm filled her ears, and Sheng Qingli instinctively bit her lip, turning her head to look out the window—

It was also instinctive that her mind started translating the lyrics of the English song.

When she heard the lines “Leaving everything behind Just you and I,” her gaze dropped, and she naturally remembered the first time she learned about this song, sharing and discussing it with Pei Qingci.

This was one of Sheng Qingli’s favorite songs; she loved the lyrics, especially the line “Leaving everything behind, just you and I.”

As a public figure, she greedily wished for a space in this world.

A place that belonged solely to her and Pei Qingci, where they could date freely, embrace, kiss, and do anything they wanted without restrictions.

Unfortunately, that space didn’t exist.

They had chosen their current careers, enjoying the high rewards and special privileges it brought, but they had to bear the responsibilities that came with it.

At least in certain matters, they couldn’t indulge too much.

Sheng Qingli hadn’t expected that Pei Qingci still had the song she had forced him to save, labeling it as a favorite.

And now, in their shared moments, she had played it.

For a moment, Sheng Qingli really wanted to jump out of the car.

Why had she been doing such laughable things today?!

Noticing the emotional shift beside her, Pei Qingci spoke up at the right moment, “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

“…” Sheng Qingli’s ears twitched, and she softly responded, “I can’t sleep with the noise; I think I’ll turn off the music.”

Pei Qingci’s tone became cold: “…As you wish.”

After turning off the music, Sheng Qingli let out a quiet breath.

To avoid any more embarrassing situations, she decided to sleep, even if she couldn’t. It was better than keeping her eyes wide open and making mistakes.

---

The car returned to silence.

On the highway, there weren’t many cars, and Pei Qingci drove fast and steadily.

Sheng Qingli closed her eyes and gradually fell into a deep sleep.

As they queued to exit the highway, Pei Qingci glanced at the person curled up in her coat.

Sheng Qingli looked peaceful when she was asleep, her entire demeanor soft. She hadn’t changed much from a few years ago.

However, her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were dreaming of something unpleasant.

Pei Qingci wanted to reach out to smooth her brow.

Just as he lifted his hand, he suddenly remembered something and let it drop again.

Not long after exiting the highway, Sheng Qingli woke up.

She blinked her sleepy eyes, looked around at the scenery, and rubbed her eyes. “Are we almost there?”

Pei Qingci glanced at the navigation. “About twenty minutes left.”

Sheng Qingli nodded, slowly sitting up and taking a sip of water.

Twenty minutes passed quicker than she expected.

When the car stopped in the hotel parking lot, Sheng Qingli still felt a bit dazed.

As they opened the car doors to get out, they were approached by Tong Tong and Xu Xingyue, who had come to get their things.

Upon seeing the coat Sheng Qingli was wearing, Xu Xingyue paused. “Ms. Sheng, you—”

He raised a hand to point.

Sheng Qingli was confused. “What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

Tong Tong: “…Sister Pear, is that coat from Mr. Pei?”

“?”

Sheng Qingli froze, looking down to realize she was still wearing the coat Pei Qingci had given her at the mall.

No wonder.

No wonder Pei Qingci had stared at her for a while when they got in the car.

At that moment, Sheng Qingli thought he was acting strangely but didn’t ask more.

With a sudden “whoosh,” Sheng Qingli’s cheeks flushed red.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes of the two in front, she pretended to be calm and said, “Yeah, it was too cold in the car, so Mr. Pei lent me his coat.”

As she spoke, she took off the coat and handed it to the person retrieving items from the trunk. “Mr. Pei, here’s your coat, thank you.”

Pei Qingci took it without a word.

Noticing the subtle tension between them, Xu Xingyue coughed into his hand. “Does Mr. Pei have a lot of things? Do you need help?”

Pei Qingci: “I do.”

Xu Xingyue: “Huh?”

Pei Qingci pulled out a suitcase from the trunk. “Mr. Xu, I’ll need you to handle the suitcase.”

“……” Looking at the black suitcase in front of him, Xu Xingyue composed himself, saying, “Mr. Pei, you’re too kind; it’s nothing.”

After Pei Qingci took out the bedding items bought by Sheng Qingli and another large bag he brought, everything was ready.

Tong Tong looked at her empty hands and turned to Pei Qingci, “Mr. Pei, can I take a bit?”

Pei Qingci replied, “No need.”

He glanced at the person standing not far away, “Go press the elevator button.”

“……”

The strange four-person combination entered the elevator.

While Xu Xingyue was swiping the elevator card, he remembered to ask, “Mr. Pei, you’re going to the first floor for check-in, right?”

Pei Qingci responded, “I’ve already taken care of it.”

Xu Xingyue looked puzzled.

Pei Qingci added, “The staff is waiting for me upstairs.”

“…… I see.” Xu Xingyue smiled awkwardly, “Mr. Pei, you’re quite thoughtful.”

Pei Qingci replied, “It’s nothing special.”

Hearing Pei Qingci’s response, Sheng Qingli felt a bit embarrassed for Xu Xingyue.

She pressed her lips together and asked, “Mr. Xu, why were you in the parking lot just now?”

Xu Xingyue smiled and explained, “I just got back from training. I saw Tong Tong waiting for you by the elevator, so I thought I’d wait with her to see if you needed any help.”

Upon hearing this, Sheng Qingli understood, “How was training today?”

When training was mentioned, Xu Xingyue looked a bit down, “…… It was a bit tough; I can’t handle that sword well for now.”

Sheng Qingli looked up and comforted him, “It’s like that when you just start.”

Xu Xingyue hadn’t done much action scene shooting before, so struggling with the sword was normal.

Xu Xingyue said, “I can only practice hard.”

Then he asked, “What time are you going to the training ground tomorrow?”

Sheng Qingli thought for a moment, “Not sure, I’ll go whenever I wake up.”

Xu Xingyue didn’t ask further, “Alright, see you at the training ground.”

As they spoke, the elevator doors opened.

The three actors were on the same hotel floor. Xu Xingyue’s room was next to Sheng Qingli’s, while Pei Qingci’s was across from hers.

At the door stood a staff member who took the room card from Pei Qingci and greeted Xu Xingyue and Sheng Qingli before leaving.

Xu Xingyue set down his suitcase, “…… I’ll head back to my room to rest.”

He looked at Sheng Qingli, “Shall we have dinner together tonight?”

Sheng Qingli shook her head, “No, thanks.”

Xu Xingyue nodded and didn’t insist as he opened the door and went in.

After he left, the corridor had only the two of them.

Tong Tong sensed something was off between them and quickly swiped her card to push the door open, “Sister Li, I’ll go get my things first.”

Before Sheng Qingli could respond, Tong Tong not only took her things but also closed the door behind her.

“……”

Staring at the closed door in silence for a few seconds, Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but laugh in annoyance, “Tong Tong.”

Unfortunately, the heavy door was too thick, and Tong Tong, carrying the bedding to the balcony to wash, couldn’t hear her at all.

At the same time, a sound came from the opposite room.

Pei Qingci pushed his suitcase inside and, seeing someone facing the wall like they were reflecting on their mistakes, kindly reminded, “You can ring the doorbell.”

Sheng Qingli: “……”

—

Once inside her room, Sheng Qingli shot Tong Tong a resentful glance.

Tong Tong said, “…… Sister Li, I forgot.”

Sheng Qingli huffed lightly, walking over to sit on the sofa, “Don’t let it happen again.”

Tong Tong giggled, “Got it.”

As she went to wash the new bedding, she asked, “Sister Li, what are we having for dinner? Are we going out?”

“Not going out.” Sheng Qingli felt that today’s trip to the city had already drained her energy for the next few days, “I’ll just grab something. If you go out, be careful, and avoid less crowded places.”

Tong Tong asked, “Should I make you a low-calorie meal?”

Sheng Qingli thought for a few seconds, “No need; I’ll eat at the hotel restaurant.”

She hadn’t eaten much for lunch and didn’t want to deprive herself again for dinner.

Tong Tong replied, “Alright, I’ll join you.”

The hotel they were staying at was quite upscale, with a washing machine and dryer in the suite.

After the washing machine finished cleaning the bedding, Tong Tong hurriedly tossed the cleaned items into the dryer. Drying took quite a while.

Sheng Qingli changed her clothes, “Let’s go eat first.”

The two of them went downstairs to the hotel restaurant.

What Sheng Qingli didn’t expect was that Pei Qingci and Xu Xingyue were also in the restaurant, sitting at tables close to each other.

Seeing Sheng Qingli enter, Xu Xingyue, who was a bit closer to her, waved, “Ms. Sheng, want to sit together?”

Sheng Qingli unconsciously glanced at the person facing away from her and felt a bit regretful for coming to the restaurant.

“Maybe next time.” Sheng Qingli met Xu Xingyue’s gaze and explained, “I’m eating with my assistant. It would be uncomfortable for her to sit with you.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingyue didn’t insist, “Alright, we’ll sit together next time.”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

Then she walked back, passing by Xu Xingyue and Pei Qingci’s table, and sat at a further empty table, keeping some distance from them.