Chapter 20

The van was spacious and bright.

Sheng Qingli had gotten used to catching up on sleep in the car over the past few years, so both the driver and Tong Tong in the passenger seat maintained their usual silence.

They both forgot that today there was an unfamiliar person in the car with them.

Originally, Sheng Qingli intended to sleep on the way to the city.

However, the presence of that extra person filled the confined space with an aura that kept invading her senses and distracting her.

This really shouldn’t be happening.

Having broken up with Pei Qingci for so many years, she should have long forgotten his scent. Yet, due to their recent frequent meetings, all the things she had deliberately tried to forget and ignore surged back into her mind, awakening her memories.

Unconsciously, Sheng Qingli shifted her gaze to the man sitting beside her, relaxed yet not overly casual.

In the years since, Pei Qingci’s appearance hadn’t changed significantly; if anything, he seemed more mature and steady. His youthful looks and skin still resembled that of someone in their twenties, and the occasional boyish charm he displayed often left fans and passersby astonished—this man doesn’t seem to age.

Whenever Sheng Qingli came across photos of him at the airport or behind-the-scenes shots from dramas, she would be surprised, wondering how he managed to maintain his appearance so consistently over the past five years.

Other male celebrities occasionally made headlines for gaining weight, losing weight, or looking less attractive.

Pei Qingci never did; aside from the necessary changes for his roles, within a month or two after filming wrapped up, he would return to his most perfect shape.

Perhaps Sheng Qingli’s gaze lingered too long, as Pei Qingci turned slightly to look at her. His narrow, deep-set eyes rested on her face, and his voice was calm and low. “Teacher Sheng.”

Sheng Qingli suddenly regained her senses and feigned calmness, saying, “What’s wrong?”

Pei Qingci didn’t ask her what she was doing. He paused and asked, “Is there water in the car?”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback and called out, “Tong Tong”

Tong Tong, who was pretending not to hear, quickly replied, “Yes, Sister Li, there should be water in the back seat.”

Sheng Qingli turned her head and saw the bottled water in the last row.

“Bottled water?” She reached out to grab one.

“Thank you,” Pei Qingci replied.

After handing him the water, Sheng Qingli prepared to close her eyes and force herself to sleep.

If she didn’t sleep soon, she was worried she might do something foolish.

However, before she could close her eyes, a bottle of water was handed to her with the cap already loosened.

Sheng Qingli paused slightly, her gaze lingering on the hand holding the water bottle, which had prominent veins, for a few seconds, before she reached out to take it. “Thank you.”

Pei Qingci didn’t say anything further. After giving her the water, he turned to grab another bottle and kindly asked the driver and Tong Tong if they wanted any.

Tong Tong was indeed a bit thirsty, so she said she would like one.

When Pei Qingci handed it to her, he had already thoughtfully loosened the cap.

Sheng Qingli had always known that Pei Qingci was a gentleman, a considerate person.

Part of her attraction to him stemmed from his striking good looks, which made it hard for her, a beauty lover, to resist; another part was his personal charm.

Most of the time, Pei Qingci appeared aloof and indifferent, often unconcerned about many things, ignoring those who tried to strike up a conversation, giving off an impression of rudeness.

But he was gentle and humble towards his assistant, most of the crew, and even the extras. He was polite and gentlemanly, always perfectly adjusting his demeanor, making those he interacted with feel comfortable.

Before entering the industry, Sheng Qingli had heard that the entertainment world was chaotic.

However, Pei Qingci was the first to shatter her perception of it. He was so clean, so special—special enough to always catch her attention. Even when he hid in a corner, she could sense his presence immediately.

After they started dating, Sheng Qingli gained a different understanding of his gentle restraint and cool demeanor.

This private person had nothing to do with the coldness those words suggested. He was simply “peculiar.”

Thinking of some absurdities between them, Sheng Qingli pulled her thoughts back and scolded herself inwardly, reminding herself—calm down.

After a moment of mental reassessment, adhering to the idea that not looking would mean not thinking, she took a small sip of water, put on her headphones and eye mask, tilted her head, and forced herself into a state of sleep.

Since it wasn’t during a holiday peak, the highway was smooth.

Sheng Qingli initially thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep easily, but she forgot one thing: when she had insomnia after diving too deep into a scene, it was Pei Qingci who helped her adjust and pulled her back.

Whenever he was by her side, she could always sleep soundly.

Today was no exception.

Hearing the steady breathing of the person next to her, Pei Qingci finally let his gaze drift to her.

The eye mask covered most of her face, revealing only a small part of her delicate nose and perfectly shaped lips. Sheng Qingli’s lips were beautiful, moist and pink, soft and full, like a ripe peach, very sweet.

He knew how sweet that peach was.

Pei Qingci didn’t know how long he had been staring at her, until Sheng Qingli, in her sleep, turned her face to the other side. Only then did he reluctantly withdraw his gaze.

---

Sheng Qingli slept deeply and well.

Once again, she dreamed of Pei Qingci, of the days before they started dating, right after they had been in a car accident and were filming together.

After that rear-end collision, the director gave Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci three days off to rest and recuperate.

At that time, Sheng Qingli’s manager wasn’t Lin Lin, but a more decisive woman who had spent over a decade in the entertainment industry and had formidable skills.

At first, she treated Sheng Qingli very well.

Upon hearing about Sheng Qingli’s injury, she flew to the set immediately and took her to the hospital for a thorough check-up.

Only after confirming that she wasn’t seriously hurt did she leave.

The day after the manager left, Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci returned to the set.

Having not seen each other for several days, they felt strangely distant.

When they met, Sheng Qingli shyly greeted him and inquired about his condition.

She thought Pei Qingci would say he was fine.

What she didn’t expect was for Pei Qingci to look at her for a moment and then, in a slow voice, say, “Ask me again in a few days; my wound has already healed.”

Hearing the hint of grievance in his tone, Sheng Qingli felt a bit awkward and apologized, “I’m sorry. My manager came by, so I’ve been quite busy.”

Pei Qingci noted her embarrassment and a trace of an imperceptible smile crossed his eyes. “Just teasing you.”

He cleared his throat, standing tall beside her, gazing into the distance at the busy crew. “I’m fine; don’t feel burdened.”

Sheng Qingli was momentarily stunned and asked uncertainly, “Really?”

Pei Qingci tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t believe me?”

“Not that.” Sheng Qingli met his dark, deep eyes and softly said, “I remember that day, you bled a lot from your arm.”

Pei Qingci responded with an “Mm,” tilting his head, pretending to be relaxed. “Maybe I just have a lot of blood.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

She wanted to say something more, but when their eyes met, her breath caught.

The way he looked at her was warm and powerful.

She found herself unable to withstand it.

After returning to work that day, the filming progress for Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci was much smoother than before.

The director was surprised by the chemistry between them and asked how they felt about watching the sunrise.

Pei Qingci said he felt nothing.

Sheng Qingli, who was listening nearby, cleared her throat, and when the director looked over, she added, “I only remember the car accident.”

The director was at a loss for words and waved his hand to signal them to wrap up.

As Sheng Qingli was about to find her van, she was suddenly called by Pei Qingci.

“Sheng Qingli.” He liked to call her by her full name at that time.

Sheng Qingli turned to look at his somewhat disheveled figure shrouded in the night, “Do you have something to discuss, Teacher Pei?”

She called him Teacher Pei.

Most people in the crew actually preferred to call him Brother Pei or Qingci.

But Sheng Qingli felt uncomfortable saying Brother Pei; it felt strange to her, and Qingci felt too ambiguous.

Pei Qingci lowered his eyes and replied casually, “Do you have plans for tonight?”

Sheng Qingli widened her eyes, “Huh? What do you want to… do?”

Pei Qingci was amused by her nervousness and smirked slightly, “Practice lines.”

He reminded her, “Tomorrow is basically our duel scene. If you’re free tonight, shall we go over the lines?”

“…” Understanding his meaning, Sheng Qingli felt her cheeks heat up and somewhat disliked her wandering thoughts, “Okay.”

She pressed her lips together and softly said, “I don’t have any questions.”

—

After they agreed, Sheng Qingli returned to the hotel first.

After resting in her room for a moment, she recalled something she had overlooked and took out her phone to message Pei Qingci.

They had added each other on WeChat during the script reading, but hadn’t communicated privately.

Sheng Qingli hadn’t expected that the first message she sent to Pei Qingci would be: “Where shall we practice? Your room or mine?”

When she sent the message, she didn’t think too much about it.

To her, it was just work.

It wasn’t until she hugged the script and arrived at his room, where he opened the door early to welcome her in, that she realized something felt off at the moment she stepped into a male’s room.

But before she could think more, someone else appeared outside.

Turning her head, she saw it was Pei Qingci and her assistant.

She froze for a moment, looking at Pei Qingci in confusion.

Pei Qingci’s expression was calm, “They’re just here to play games, don’t mind them.”

That day, Pei Qingci’s room door was always open.

All the actors and staff on their floor were from the crew.

After that day, when Sheng Qingli occasionally went to find Pei Qingci, she would see actors or staff and wouldn’t think much of it.

Sometimes, she would only sigh, thinking how hard the two newcomers were working, and how they had no excuse not to put in effort.

In fact, Pei Qingci and Sheng Qingli were indeed just rehearsing.

But compared to their initial awkwardness, Sheng Qingli became more relaxed after arriving at Pei Qingci’s room.

At first, she sat upright, with her head bowed, focusing intently.

Gradually, she slouched in her seat… sometimes even getting a little annoyed with Pei Qingci, ordering him to help her get water and other little things that might irritate him.

In the crew, they were very different from how they acted while rehearsing in the hotel.

Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci’s kiss scene was scheduled for later.

Their first kiss on screen would take place a month after they openly rehearsed in the hotel.

The day before leaving the crew, the director specifically called the two unfamiliar actors in front of him, “Tomorrow’s scene is crucial; aim to get it right in one or two takes.”

He looked at them and reminded, “You two practice your lines tonight and don’t take too long tomorrow.”

After saying that, he instructed Pei Qingci, “You’re Qingli’s senior, so help her out more.”

Pei Qingci nodded in response.

Their cars arrived at the hotel parking lot at the same time, and they got out and entered the elevator together.

As they watched the elevator numbers slowly rise, Sheng Qingli heard Pei Qingci’s voice beside her, “Shall we practice lines later?”

Normally, hearing those words wouldn’t make her feel embarrassed, but this time, her ears felt hot, “…mm.”

She mumbled her agreement, not daring to look at Pei Qingci, “I’ll… go back to the hotel to change clothes and then come over?”

After filming all day, she felt dirty.

Pei Qingci glanced at her, “Okay.”

Back in her room, Sheng Qingli first went into the bathroom to take a shower and also washed her hair.

As the weather warmed up, she thought she should pay more attention to her appearance.

After washing her hair and body, Sheng Qingli picked a comfortable and pretty outfit from her limited wardrobe.

When she had everything ready and was about to head out, she suddenly remembered something and went back to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

While brushing her teeth, she didn’t think their rehearsal would be so intense.

She was merely doing it just in case.

Holding the script nervously, she walked to Pei Qingci’s room. His door, as expected, opened early again.

Sheng Qingli politely knocked on the door and stepped inside only after receiving a response from inside.

As she walked into the room, she hesitated about whether to close the door when Pei Qingci’s voice came, “Could you help me close the door?”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

That was good. She wanted to close it too.

For other scenes, they could accept being observed, but for ambiguous scenes… it was better to decline visitors.

Slowly walking to her favorite single sofa, Sheng Qingli looked up at Pei Qingci, who was walking out of the room.

At that time, both of them were newcomers without much standing, but the crew was generous, and since they were the main actors, they had been assigned a comfortable business suite.

Sheng Qingli looked up at Pei Qingci as he approached, suddenly pausing.

She caught a whiff of the hotel’s exclusive shower gel scent.

The two of them exuded the same aroma.

Not only did Sheng Qingli notice this, but Pei Qingci did as well.

The identical fragrance enveloped them as their eyes met.

After a few seconds, she nervously bit her lip, unconsciously rubbing the corner of the script in her hand, awkwardly managing a smile. “It’s a bit warm.”

Pei Qingci gazed at her flushed ears and trembling eyelashes, and her nervous little gesture of fidgeting with the paper. In a deep voice, he replied, “It is a bit.”

He even felt a bit parched.

Thinking of this, he asked, “Would you like some water?”

“Sure…”

Pei Qingci got up to fetch two bottles of water.

Sheng Qingli took one, took a sip, and set it aside. “Shall we… start our lines?”

Pei Qingci nodded.

Sheng Qingli found the script for their scene the next day, looking at the lines and setting in silence.

“We…” She hesitated, a bit troubled. “How do we do this?”

Pei Qingci, not surprised, saw the lines in the script as well.

He understood where her embarrassment stemmed from.

After a moment, Pei Qingci shifted his gaze to the next page. “Shall we start with the lines on the next page?”

Sheng Qingli softly agreed.

Flipping to the next page, she focused her eyes again, rendered speechless.

Before taking this role, she hadn’t seen the complete script, only a general summary of the story.

After joining the production, she received the complete script and learned that this film contained numerous kissing and intimate scenes.

But seeing it alone was different from experiencing it now.

How had she not realized before how explicit these lines were?!

After a moment of silence, Sheng Qingli took a deep breath. “What… do you think?”

Pei Qingci paused, his brow slightly furrowing, knowing she was reciting the lines.

But the full line in the script was—how do you feel about kissing me?

Before this line, they had already shared a kiss in a sightseeing car, overwhelmed by emotion in the evening breeze.

A deeply passionate kiss.

After staring at the script for a while, Pei Qingci lifted his gaze, his eyes lingering on her glistening, rosy lips, his voice husky. “I think…”

He deliberately paused, “I need to confirm before I can answer that question.”

With that, he kissed her again.

Sheng Qingli: “…………”

How could their first kiss lead to multiple kisses in a row?!

She felt like she was going to collapse.

Sheng Qingli remained silent for a long time, and Pei Qingci didn’t rush her.

Finally, she wanted to quit.

“Pei… Pei Qingci.” She stammered his name.

Pei Qingci swallowed slightly, his voice low and gentle. “Don’t want to continue?”

Sheng Qingli pressed her lips together. “…Mm.”

She couldn’t continue.

Pei Qingci agreed, not pushing her further. He simply gazed at her, his Adam’s apple gently moving.

After a moment, Sheng Qingli couldn’t stand the way he was looking at her, suddenly getting up. “I… I’ll go back first.”

Pei Qingci replied, “I’ll walk you.”

He stood up, but Sheng Qingli refused, “No… it’s fine.”

She felt flustered and messy. “My room isn’t far, I’ll go by myself—”

Before she could finish, as she passed Pei Qingci, she accidentally tripped over the cable of a nearby floor lamp. As she stumbled to the side, Pei Qingci reached out to catch her.

Unexpectedly, they fell together, and she landed in his embrace.

“…”

For a moment, everything around them fell silent.

They were too close, close enough for their identical scents to blend together.

Sheng Qingli’s eyelashes fluttered as she met Pei Qingci’s gaze.

Their eyes locked and held.

After a long time, as Sheng Qingli regained her senses and attempted to get up from his chest, Pei Qingci’s lips moved slightly. “Sheng Qingli.”

Sheng Qingli, feeling guilty, lowered her eyes, her gaze drifting. “What?”

Pei Qingci’s hand remained gentlemanly, his fist pressed against her waist, stabilizing her. He paused for a moment, then leaned closer, asking in a low voice when she lifted her face again, looking bewildered, “Have you kissed before?”

Their breaths mingled more closely.

Hearing Pei Qingci’s question, Sheng Qingli’s heart raced. She stared at his handsome face so close, her lips parted to say she hadn’t, but it felt like a loss to say so.

Torn for three seconds, she placed her hands on either side of his body, struggling to rise and said, “I won’t tell you.”

With that, she hurriedly dashed outside.

Looking at the empty space where she had been, Pei Qingci chuckled helplessly. He felt a twinge of regret as he rubbed his face, wondering if he had been too forward.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Pei Qingci got up to answer the door, thinking Sheng Qingli might have forgotten something and returned to retrieve it. He didn’t expect her to push him back inside, closing the door behind her.

Pei Qingci looked up. “What’s this about—”

“Before I answer your question from earlier, you have to answer mine first.” Sheng Qingli interrupted him. “What about you?”

—Have you kissed anyone?

Pei Qingci was more direct than Sheng Qingli. Almost the moment she asked, he replied, “No.”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback and softly replied, “I haven’t either…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Pei Qingci leaned in closer, lowering his head.

His warm breath brushed against her cheek, stopping just before their lips touched, as if giving Sheng Qingli a final chance to refuse.

Her cheeks felt slightly tingly, and she could hardly endure his teasing. Embarrassed and annoyed, she said, “Do you want to kiss or not? If you do, then—”

Before she could say “hurry up,” he captured her lips.

It was the first time Sheng Qingli realized that a man’s lips could be so soft.

And so hot.

The moment their lips met, she closed her eyes.

In their first kiss, Pei Qingci was careful and slow, tracing the edges of her lips, nibbling softly.

Instinctively, Sheng Qingli parted her tightly closed lips.

…

---

“Sister Li Li,” Sheng Qingli’s dream was interrupted. She frowned and opened her eyes to see Tong Tong waking her up. “What’s wrong?”

Her voice was a bit hoarse.

Tong Tong, puzzled at how Sheng Qingli had fallen deeply asleep, whispered, “We’ve arrived.”

Sheng Qingli sat up abruptly. “Arrived?”

How could she have slept for so long?

Tong Tong nodded. “Yes, we’re here.”

She lowered her voice. “Wake up a bit; Sister Lin and the others are waiting for us upstairs.”

Sheng Qingli replied vaguely and instinctively glanced beside her, noticing Pei Qingci was no longer in his seat.

Just as she felt confused, a familiar voice came from outside the car. “Has Teacher Sheng not woken up yet?”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

She looked up, meeting the gaze that fell upon her.

After a few seconds, she got out of the car.

Tong Tong went to the trunk to get their things, and they stood facing each other, waiting.

Perhaps because she had just dreamt of Pei Qingci, she felt uncomfortable facing him now.

Thinking this, Sheng Qingli instinctively shifted a few steps to the side.

Noticing her small movement, Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, he sensed something was off. He stared at the tips of her ears, which were turning red, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Sheng Qingli was oblivious to the attention from beside her.

Once Tong Tong retrieved the items and they all headed toward the elevator, the person walking next to her suddenly spoke up, “Teacher Sheng.”

Sheng Qingli paused for a moment but calmly turned her head. “What’s wrong?”

Pei Qingci lowered his gaze. “You were sleeping…”

He watched her expression change, deliberately lowering his voice. “What were you dreaming about?”

“…”