Chapter 31

When Sheng Qingli clearly saw the two words Pei Qingci sent, her heart skipped a heavy beat.

She instinctively pressed her lips together, and her mind uncontrollably began to guess, to imagine. She wanted to ask him if the feelings he referred to meant love.

It seemed like a question where the answer was already known.

What other kind of emotion, besides love, could make an actor feel restricted? It couldn’t be familial affection, and it certainly couldn’t be friendship.

As Sheng Qingli pondered, hesitating over whether to ask and how to ask in a more subtle way without being too direct, the makeup artist entered.

“Why are you so early today, Sister Qingli?” Sheng Qingli didn’t like being called “teacher,” so most of the crew members just called her by name.

Hearing the makeup artist’s voice, Sheng Qingli calmly put away her phone, pretending as if nothing had happened. “I woke up early.”

The makeup artist smiled. “I’ve heard that you have a habit of clocking in at the film set like it’s a class. Now I see it’s true.”

Sheng Qingli chuckled, “No, it’s just a coincidence today.”

“I just had breakfast,” the makeup artist explained. “Shall I start your makeup now?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “Sure.”

Sheng Qingli’s makeup for this film was relatively simple, and because her skin was in good condition with hardly any blemishes, it only took about half an hour to finish her makeup.

There was still over an hour before shooting started, and after finishing Sheng Qingli’s makeup, the artist moved on to the other actors.

The makeup room was busy with crew members coming and going.

After thinking for a moment, Sheng Qingli decided to change into her costume later. She stood up and left, but just as she stepped out of the makeup room, the phone in her hand vibrated.

Li Yuwei: “Player.”

Before she could send the follow-up message, “Sleep and dash,” Sheng Qingli quickly replied: “Shall I have the driver pick you up?”

Li Yuwei: “I’ll just take a cab.”

Sheng Qingli: “It’s a bit remote here, taxis might not come.”

Li Yuwei: “Then I’ll follow your plan. Should I order some milk tea or something and have it delivered?”

Sheng Qingli: “Milk tea in the morning doesn’t seem right. Get coffee.”

Li Yuwei: “Okay, okay.”

Just as she finished talking with Li Yuwei, a shadow fell in front of her.

“What are you standing here for?” A clean, clear male voice entered her ears, disrupting her thoughts.

Sheng Qingli lifted her face and met his deep gaze.

Pei Qingci’s eyes were truly beautiful—bright and large, with distinct black and white pupils. The outer corners of his eyes were long and slightly upturned. When he gazed down at you with lowered eyes, they were deep and captivating, making it hard to resist.

At the very least, Sheng Qingli was finding it hard to hold her ground.

Being stared at by Pei Qingci like that made it difficult to breathe. “I didn’t do anything.”

Sheng Qingli regained her composure and found her voice. “Why did you come over?”

Pei Qingci responded with a leisurely tone, “I came to see what Ms. Sheng is doing standing here.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

He came here specifically to find her.

Realizing this, Sheng Qingli shifted her gaze back to him. “Weren’t you supposed to be learning from Director Zhong?”

Pei Qingci smiled, glancing at her. “I don’t have to stay by his side all the time.”

Sheng Qingli responded with an “Oh.”

“…”

After a silent few seconds, Pei Qingci slightly lifted his chin. “Want to rehearse with me again?”

Sheng Qingli glanced at him, wanting to say they had already rehearsed last night, and she didn’t really need to now—she could perform well later.

But when her eyes met Pei Qingci’s gaze, she changed her mind. “Shall we go over there?”

The two of them openly found a spot slightly farther away from the staff and sat down.

Tong Tong and Fang Li were asked to rest not too far from them.

Sheng Qingli picked up her script and flipped through it. “Shall we rehearse the scene we’ll be shooting later?”

“…” Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow and asked with a side glance, “Still haven’t found your rhythm?”

Understanding his insinuation, Sheng Qingli wanted to retort: Wasn’t it you who suggested rehearsing?

But as the words reached her lips, she ultimately didn’t say them.

She knew why she accepted his suggestion to rehearse, and so did he. Between adults, some things don’t need to be spelled out too clearly.

–

After a moment of silence, Sheng Qingli lowered her lashes, her gaze unintentionally falling on Pei Qingci’s long legs.

Pei Qingci wasn’t sitting particularly upright. He was half-leaning against the back of the chair, holding a script in his hand, which rested on his lap. His posture was relaxed, yet it didn’t come across as overly lazy.

It was strange—Sheng Qingli had noticed from the moment she met Pei Qingci that there were always subtle, easily overlooked details about him that touched her, making it hard for her not to develop feelings for him.

Take now, for instance. The two were sitting together with an open space in front of them. His long legs were bent in what couldn’t have been a very comfortable position. Most men would have stretched their legs out or spread them wide, taking up more space.

Sheng Qingli had always hated both of these postures—whether back in school or now.

She didn’t mind when there was no one around, but when someone beside her sat like that, she couldn’t stand it.

During her school days, and even after debuting and attending events or gatherings, she had often encountered men stretching their legs out, blocking her way, and arrogantly taking up extra space.

She had no fondness for such men.

Even if the guy was handsome, in her mind, this behavior knocked points off his appeal.

Not to mention some male celebrities… their legs weren’t even that long, so she couldn’t understand what they were trying to show by stretching them out.

But Pei Qingci didn’t do that.

Whether in the past or now, whether in a crowd or when alone, he never spread his long legs too obviously to draw attention to himself.

“What are you looking at?” Sensing her gaze, Pei Qingci asked quietly.

Sheng Qingli paused briefly, then shifted her eyes to the distant wall. It was a tall, bare temporary structure set up to prevent paparazzi.

“When did you decide?” She didn’t answer his question, instead blurting out this one.

Pei Qingci glanced at her, his tone calm. “I forgot.”

Sheng Qingli: “…You forgot?”

She was a bit surprised. “You forgot something as important as this?”

Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow. “You’re that surprised?”

“…” Sheng Qingli hesitated, then nodded slightly.

Pei Qingci lazily curved his lips. “It’s been too long.”

So he had forgotten.

Sheng Qingli was stunned and muttered, “Why? Do you not like acting anymore?”

If he didn’t like acting, Pei Qingci wouldn’t have stayed in this industry for so long. Sheng Qingli knew that.

When the two of them first joined the crew of Love Vows, Sheng Qingli could sense that Pei Qingci didn’t particularly enjoy being in the entertainment industry, with all its drama.

She had thought he was doing it for the money. It was common knowledge that the entertainment industry paid well.

But Pei Qingci didn’t show it outwardly. After he terminated his contract with his management company but still remained in the industry, Sheng Qingli began doubting her intuition.

It wasn’t until she stumbled upon an interview Pei Qingci had done that she learned that when he accepted his role in Love Vows, he was actually planning to leave the industry after finishing the shoot.

He had intended to retire after filming that project.

But after finishing the movie, he realized that he had developed a passion for acting.

That’s why he continued to work hard, professionally, and sincerely, producing one film after another to meet the audience.

“What do you mean by I don’t like acting anymore?” Pei Qingci heard her mumble and raised his eyebrows. “When did I ever say I didn’t like acting?”

Before Sheng Qingli could answer, Pei Qingci squinted and asked, “Have you watched my interviews?”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Feeling the heat of his gaze on her, she calmly turned her head. “Which interview?”

Pei Qingci looked at her.

Sheng Qingli remained composed. “You’ve done too many interviews, Mr. Pei. I don’t know which one you mean.”

Hearing this, Pei Qingci stared at her intently. “Is that so?”

“Of course.” Sheng Qingli replied confidently, “Besides, isn’t it normal for me to watch your interviews, Mr. Pei?

They are not unknown artists; they are the Best Actress and Best Actor who can trend online at the slightest movement.

Even if Sheng Qingli doesn’t actively search for news, or even deliberately ignores it, she still often comes across information related to Pei Qingci while surfing the internet. She has seen plenty of their fan edits and compilations.

Hearing her respond so confidently, if Pei Qingci were surprised that she watched his interviews, that would be unexpected.

Thinking this, Pei Qingci smiled a little helplessly, “It’s pretty normal.”

Sheng Qingli fell silent.

In the midst of their silence, the assistant’s voice came through, “Sister Li Li.”

It was time for Sheng Qingli to change her clothes and shoot.

She replied, “Coming.”

After responding to Tongtong, Sheng Qingli stood up. “I’ll go shoot first.”

Pei Qingci nodded. “Go ahead.”

Sheng Qingli was about to walk away when Pei Qingci suddenly added, “I don’t dislike it.”

He didn’t dislike acting.

“…”

---

After finishing several scenes in the morning, Li Yuwei brought the coffee she had ordered to check in on everyone.

After calling others to get their coffee, she plopped down next to Sheng Qingli, snatching the small fan from her hand and blowing it, “I’m dying from the heat.”

Sheng Qingli took the coffee she handed over and took a sip, wrinkling her brow. “What flavor is this?”

“Orange.” Li Yuwei smiled, “The first sip is strange, but you’ll like it after a few more.”

Sheng Qingli was skeptical. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sure.” Li Yuwei shot her a sideways glance. “Try it again.”

Believing in Li Yuwei, Sheng Qingli took another sip.

“How is it?”

Seeing her expression relax, Li Yuwei raised an eyebrow with confidence. “Didn’t I say so?”

Sheng Qingli ignored her and gulped down a big sip before commenting, “It’s okay, very unique texture.”

Li Yuwei said, “I knew you’d like it.”

The two sat together enjoying the breeze.

Li Yuwei looked around. “Where’s Mr. Pei?”

“…” Sheng Qingli bit the coffee straw and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Li Yuwei turned to her sharply.

After a brief pause, Sheng Qingli asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You seem a bit off.” Being friends for many years, Li Yuwei could sense any change in Sheng Qingli’s mood. “Did you argue with Pei Qingci?”

Sheng Qingli was speechless. “What could we possibly argue about?”

Li Yuwei said, “…That’s true.”

She fell silent for a moment, furrowing her brows. “Then what’s with your strange mood?”

“Whose mood is strange?” Sheng Qingli was taken aback by Li Yuwei’s words. “I’m perfectly fine!”

Li Yuwei shot her a glance. “Only those who aren’t familiar with you would think you’re fine right now.”

But she wasn’t fooled.

Sheng Qingli swallowed her words, wanting to defend herself but not knowing how.

In the silence, she mumbled, “It’s not convenient to talk here.”

Li Yuwei raised her eyebrow, gesturing outside. “Shall we talk in the RV?”

“…”

The two locked eyes for a few seconds.

Just as Sheng Qingli was about to agree, Yi Yehua suddenly called out to her, “Sister Qingli.”

Sheng Qingli looked up. “What’s up?”

Yi Yehua came over with a script. “Can you help me rehearse? The other teachers aren’t here.”

He scratched his head, displaying youthful shyness. “I’m worried about messing up in the afternoon scenes.”

Sheng Qingli nodded. “No problem.”

She glanced at Li Yuwei. “Wait for me a moment.”

Li Yuwei smartly gave an OK gesture. “I’ll wait for you in the RV.”

Sheng Qingli replied, “…Alright.”

When Sheng Qingli and Yi Yehua finished rehearsing and returned to the RV, Li Yuwei was watching a video on D Station, and the voices sounded familiar.

Sheng Qingli leaned in to see. “Why are you suddenly watching my interview?”

Li Yuwei replied, “It just popped up in related videos.”

She hadn’t searched for the interview.

Sheng Qingli said, “Oh.”

Li Yuwei was about to close it when she suddenly heard the reporter ask Sheng Qingli, “Qingli is now a Best Actress holding two major awards. If she wins another, she will be a grand slam actress in the country. Everyone has seen your dedication to work over the years; you’re definitely aiming for more trophies, right?”

Sheng Qingli smiled. “I just go with the flow; I’ll do my best.”

The reporter continued, “That’s true, but we’re all looking forward to your work.”

“Thank you.”

“However, today besides wanting to discuss your work plans, we also want to talk about your life. Is that okay, Qingli?” the reporter asked.

Sheng Qingli smiled slightly. “There’s nothing inconvenient; feel free to ask.”

Formal interviews usually provide artists with a list of questions in advance, filtering what can and cannot be asked.

This question was on the list, and Sheng Qingli had agreed.

So when the reporter brought it up, Sheng Qingli remained very calm.

“Qingli has put in a lot for her acting career over the years. On your recent twenty-sixth birthday, what did you wish for? Was there anything related to your personal life?” the reporter asked curiously. “For example, did you wish to find a boyfriend in this new year?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “No.”

The reporter was momentarily taken aback by her frankness and laughed, asking, “Still no thoughts on dating?”

The reporter had also interviewed Sheng Qingli a year earlier. At that time, Sheng Qingli responded that she felt her career was not stable enough and that she wasn’t considering romance for the time being.

“…That’s not quite it,” Sheng Qingli said thoughtfully into the camera. “If there’s someone suitable, someone I like, I would consider dating. I just didn’t make a wish for that on my birthday.”

She blinked at the camera and joked, “Birthday wishes only come once a year, so they should be reserved for more important things.”

“Isn’t romance important?” the reporter asked, half-amused.

Sheng Qingli replied, “That’s not it.”

She admitted, “It’s just that, for me right now, it’s not that important.”

Noticing the reporter’s awkwardness, Sheng Qingli added, “Of course, I’ve included finding a partner in my plans for this year.”

The reporter seemed enlightened. “Then let me ask for all the netizens: What type of guy does Qingli like?”

“…Someone tall and handsome,” Sheng Qingli replied as usual. “The rest just depends on the feeling.”

The reporter smiled widely. “Got it! Then I’ll gather tall and handsome guys for our Qingli—come and pursue her!”

“…”

—

The interview concluded here.

After watching, Li Yuwei exclaimed in surprise, “This is an interview from March this year! I can’t believe you actually mentioned wanting to find a partner in front of a reporter!”

Sheng Qingli said, “It was for a movie channel, and the reporter is an acquaintance, so I couldn’t not respond.”

“I thought your answer would be the same as before,” Li Yuwei remarked. “Still not looking, focusing on your career.”

Sheng Qingli shrugged and replied, “That answer has been used for three or four years. I can’t keep saying I’m prioritizing work at twenty-four, twenty-five, and then twenty-seven, right?”

Although she felt that there was nothing wrong with that answer, reporters and fans wanted to hear something different from her.

That’s why she gave the response she did earlier.

Li Yuwei understood her point. She turned off her tablet and glanced at the view count. “Was this interview not made public?”

Otherwise, how would she have only seen it today?

Sheng Qingli replied, “I’m not sure; I haven’t really paid attention.”

The two exchanged glances.

After a moment, Li Yuwei asked, “Forget about that for now. What were you about to tell me earlier?”

“…” Sheng Qingli blinked. “Wasn’t it you who wanted to ask me something?”

Li Yuwei said, “You just can’t let go of your pride and suffer for it.”

Sheng Qingli retorted, “I don’t care; I’m just the type who only answers when asked.”

Li Yuwei sighed and kicked Sheng Qingli’s toe lightly in the not-so-spacious van. “Hurry up and say it.”

Sheng Qingli said, “Pei…”

Just as she began to speak, a knock came at the door.

Li Yuwei grumbled, “Who is it, so un… Pei… Mr. Pei?”

She trailed off as she stood up to open the door, stopping short when she saw the man standing outside.

Pei Qingci nodded, his voice calm and subdued. “Is Sheng Qingli in the van?”

As he spoke, Sheng Qingli also approached the door, looking at Pei Qingci, who appeared a bit serious, and asked curiously, “Do you need something?”

Pei Qingci glanced at her and replied steadily, “You’ve made it to the trending topic.”

Sheng Qingli asked, “Huh?”

In that moment, she pulled out her phone, which she had put on silent while filming, and saw a missed call from Lin Lin.

Furrowing her brow, she asked Pei Qingci, “What trending topic?” while returning Lin Lin’s call.

Before Pei Qingci could respond, Lin Lin answered the call.

“Sister Lin,” Sheng Qingli whispered, “I just looked at my phone.”

Lin Lin got straight to the point. “Did you see the trending topic?”

“Not yet,” Sheng Qingli said, turning back to the van and logging into Weibo on the tablet Li Yuwei had just turned off. “What could it be—”

After seeing the trending topics related to her, Sheng Qingli fell silent.

“Did you see it?” Lin Lin asked. “Tell me what happened in detail.”

She didn’t doubt that Sheng Qingli was secretly dating someone every day.

Sheng Qingli looked at the fuzzy photos that were trending, then instinctively glanced at Pei Qingci, who had entered the van with Li Yuwei. His expression was neutral, making it hard to tell whether he was happy or not.

She lowered her gaze and replied to Lin Lin, “It was an accident.”

Lin Lin asked, “How accidental?”

Sheng Qingli rubbed her temples and explained softly, “Last time while filming, he did knock on my door, and we talked for a few minutes at the entrance.”

The trending topic featured rumors about Sheng Qingli and the male actor Yan Tian secretly meeting late at night.

There were a few photos of them talking at her door, which, from the angle, could easily be misinterpreted as Yan Tian hugging Sheng Qingli.

In addition to the door photos, there were also images of the two walking together outside at night, appearing quite intimate.

After hearing Sheng Qingli say that Yan Tian had indeed knocked on her door, Pei Qingci glanced over at her.

“And the walking?” Lin Lin asked.

Sheng Qingli admitted, “That was the next night. I finished filming quite late, and Tong Tong and I went to the supermarket. We ran into each other after we came out.”

She honestly explained that after they ran into each other, Yan Tian expressed a desire to speak with her privately.

She had rejected him the previous night, so when he wanted to talk now, and with his assistant not far away, it was unlikely he would do anything inappropriate, so she agreed.

They walked ahead with the assistant trailing behind.

The paparazzi captured a few photos of Yan Tian offering to carry her things. She refused, but he insisted on taking them from her for a brief moment.

However, the paparazzi are clever and edited out the bag that Sheng Qingli was holding, making it appear as though Yan Tian was holding her hand.

“…”

After hearing what Sheng Qingli said, Lin Lin responded calmly, “Got it. I’ll contact Yan Tian’s manager.”

Sheng Qingli replied, “Can I post a Weibo first?”

Lin Lin was surprised. “You want to post a clarification yourself?”

In the past, Sheng Qingli rarely dealt with these matters.

“…Yeah.”

Sheng Qingli lowered her eyes. “You can handle the follow-up communication.”

She didn’t care; she just wanted to post the clarification on Weibo as soon as possible.

Hearing this, Lin Lin paused for a moment. “You’re set to promote the movie you collaborated on at the end of the year. You can post the clarification, but don’t offend anyone.”

Sheng Qingli responded, “Understood.”

After hanging up, Sheng Qingli didn’t look at the other two in the van and quickly edited and posted her Weibo.

Just as netizens were eagerly consuming the gossip, they stumbled upon Sheng Qingli’s new Weibo post.

Pei Qingci also opened his phone, and as soon as he refreshed, he saw Sheng Qingli’s very concise Weibo content.

【Actor Sheng Qingli V: #Sheng Qingli and Yan Tian’s late-night meeting, suspected relationship exposed# Colleagues from the same crew, coincidentally ran into each other, no relationship, currently single.】

Not only did Sheng Qingli post a clarification, but she also included her trending topic.

Netizens who saw the post were stunned and left incredulous comments below:

“Did I see that wrong? My sister actually clarified herself today.”

“LOL, no wonder it’s you, Sheng Qingli. A clarification while bringing in your own trending topic.”

“Currently single? What about before?”

“Get lost, idiots! Just a few ambiguous photos and you’re spreading rumors. Aren’t you afraid my sister will sue you into bankruptcy?”

“I can’t believe it. My sister actually cares about these ridiculous rumors.”

“Ahhhh, I have to say Yan Tian really has some influence, to get my sister to personally post a clarification, hahaha!”

“Wuwuwu, so it’s really true about eating pears!!!”

“What’s going on? Sheng Qingli actually posted a clarification? Isn’t she indifferent to online rumors?”

“Why do you care so much? If my sister wants to clarify, she’ll clarify. Does it concern you?”

…

There were quite a few comments under the new Weibo post.

Sheng Qingli didn’t look at them and, of course, didn’t know that Pei Qingci had casually liked her post.

After sending out the Weibo, Sheng Qingli first informed Lin Lin on WeChat before looking at the other two.

Noticing their gazes, Li Yuwei tactfully stepped back. “I… I’ll go to the restroom. You two chat.”

She turned to leave, kindly closing the van door behind her.

“…”

Sheng Qingli looked at the closed door and then raised her gaze to the person sitting across from her, nervously swallowing. “You…”

“Many male actors knock on your door?” Before she could finish her sentence, Pei Qingci asked her first.