Chapter 32

“……”

Unexpectedly, when Pei Qingci’s words fell, the tension that had just surged within Sheng Qingli dissipated.

She paused slightly, looking up at the person in front of her, unsure of how to respond.

Noticing her dilemma, Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow and said casually, “Is this question difficult to answer?”

“……” Sheng Qingli wanted to say it wasn’t difficult; there were indeed quite a few male actors knocking on her door.

And not just male actors.

The entertainment industry is chaotic, and it’s not just talk from the outside; most people’s private lives are indeed quite messy.

Couples and lovers in the crew are also very common.

Sheng Qingli’s first production was “Love’s Vow.” At that time, she was an inexperienced newcomer, clueless and had never witnessed any “big scenes.”

Thus, when she and Pei Qingci finished a scene and walked out of the room, she foolishly told him that one of the male actors was in a scene with another actress.

At that moment, Pei Qingci looked at her with hesitation but didn’t respond.

Two days later, she saw the male actor walk out of the actress’s room again. This time, he was only wrapped in a towel, revealing his bare upper body. Sheng Qingli stared at Pei Qingci in shock, “They—”

“What about them?” Pei Qingci asked her.

Sheng Qingli widened her eyes, wanting to look closer, but Pei Qingci covered her eyes and brought her back to the room.

They exchanged glances for a few seconds, and Sheng Qingli asked in surprise, “…Is it what I think it is?”

Pei Qingci smiled at her, “What are you thinking?”

Sheng Qingli glared at him.

Pei Qingci curled his lips in a slight smile, not answering her directly. Instead, when he sent her back to her room, he softly reminded her, “Don’t open the door if someone knocks.”

“……”

That night, Sheng Qingli’s mind was greatly shaken.

The next day, when she saw those two actors, she felt uneasy, as if she were the one who had been caught in a hotel scandal.

Ultimately, it was Pei Qingci who noticed her abnormal behavior and teased her for a while before she managed to compose herself.

By the time Sheng Qingli joined other productions, she had become quite accustomed to such matters.

Of course, being used to it didn’t mean she accepted or approved of it. So when her door was knocked for the first time and she received such implications, she was still somewhat stunned.

Once there was a first time, there would be a second.

As Sheng Qingli’s status in the industry rose, she collaborated with both veterans and newcomers. Those looking to take shortcuts naturally came knocking at her door.

Moreover, since everyone was in the same industry, even if they were rejected, they wouldn’t worry about Sheng Qingli spilling the details.

Thinking of this, Sheng Qingli looked up at Pei Qingci, not answering his question directly but instead asking, “Are there really not many actresses knocking on Mr. Pei’s door?”

That was impossible.

Given Pei Qingci’s looks and physique, it was no surprise that even as a top-tier actor, there would be plenty of people wanting to be with him, even among newcomers.

Pei Qingci: “……”

He fell silent for a few seconds, a silent smirk appearing, filled with deep resentment.

Feeling his intense gaze on her, Sheng Qingli’s breath hitched, and she turned her head to look elsewhere.

The car became quiet, a subtle tension filling the air.

Just as Sheng Qingli was contemplating how to break this silence, her phone rang—Lin Lin was calling.

“Hello.” Sheng Qingli answered, “Sister Lin, what’s up?”

Lin Lin, exasperated in the office, gritted her teeth and asked, “Does Pei Qingci know what he’s doing?”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback, looking up at the person facing her, who was meeting her gaze openly.

“What did he do?” Sheng Qingli asked Pei Qingci.

Lin Lin was surprised. “You don’t know?”

Sheng Qingli glanced at the calm person across from her and whispered, “I haven’t checked Weibo.”

Lin Lin closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. “Then you should look at it now.”

“……”

After hanging up, Sheng Qingli hadn’t even opened Weibo when Pei Qingci’s phone rang.

He answered expressionlessly and hung up.

A series of smile emojis popped up from Xiang Rong.

Pei Qingci pretended not to see, raising his eyes to look at Sheng Qingli, “What do you want to say?”

“……Nothing.” Sheng Qingli didn’t ask why he hadn’t answered the call; she lowered her eyes and logged into Weibo.

Unsurprisingly, she was still trending.

However, this time the topic was no longer #Sheng Qingli and Yan Tian’s late-night rendezvous, suspected relationship exposed#, or #Sheng Qingli clarifying her relationship#, but rather #Pei Qingci liked Sheng Qingli’s clarification post#.

Staring at that line of text for three seconds, Sheng Qingli looked up in shock, “You…”

She finally understood why Lin Lin had been so troubled. “Did you accidentally tap it?”

Pei Qingci remained indifferent, curling his lips slightly, looking somewhat speechless. “Am I really so prone to accidental taps?”

Sheng Qingli choked, “……Why did you like it?”

She felt faint along with Lin Lin.

Did he think she hadn’t been trending long enough? Did he want to add fuel to the fire?

“Can’t I like it?” Pei Qingci didn’t answer her question directly.

His question left Sheng Qingli speechless.

After a few seconds of silence, she decided not to get entangled in the issue of whether he could like it.

She first replied to Lin Lin: “I didn’t know he liked the post.”

Lin Lin: “I guessed.”

Sheng Qingli: “……Let’s just ignore it.”

There was no way to respond to Pei Qingci’s like, nor was it necessary to.

Lin Lin: “There’s also nothing to be done; it was Pei Qingci who liked it. If anything needs handling, it should be Xiang Rong.”

Lin Lin: “I genuinely feel a bit sorry for Xiang Rong now.”

She was certain that Pei Qingci hadn’t discussed the like with Xiang Rong.

Sheng Qingli refrained from commenting.

Holding her phone, she glanced at Pei Qingci, who was also looking at his phone, and awkwardly changed the subject. “What did Yan Tian say?”

Lin Lin: “He will cooperate with your clarification post for the statement.”

Sheng Qingli: “Okay.”

After chatting with Lin Lin for a bit, Sheng Qingli exited WeChat and, almost instinctively, opened Weibo again.

Unsurprisingly, Pei Qingci’s like on Sheng Qingli’s clarification post had a huge impact on both their dedicated fans and the casual observers, as well as the CP fans.

The former was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend, the bystanders were watching the excitement, and the CP fans were celebrating.

Sheng Qingli clicked on the trending topic and saw a marketing account posting a screenshot of Pei Qingci liking her Weibo, filled with question marks—what’s going on?!

The comments on this Weibo post surged, and within ten minutes, there were already thousands.

“Shocking.jpg”

“??? Is the world ending???”

“Wait, when did my CP get back together behind my back???”

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!”

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I thought Pei Qingci sharing Sheng Qingli’s endorsement post was already a bold move, but this like today… I honestly don’t understand it.”

“What’s there to not understand!!! Sisters, let’s celebrate, isn’t it obvious? Pei Qingci clearly wants to chase after her!”

“Did anyone notice? Sheng Qingli’s Weibo was posted just before Pei Qingci liked it, meaning he’s been waiting for her to post. Didn’t he say he didn’t like using his phone or checking Weibo? So why was he guarding Weibo today? Obviously for love!”

“Pei Qingci, this quiet and reserved man is making his intentions known.”

“Tsk… Is Pei Qingci going crazy?”

“It’s just a like, CP fans, go enjoy your own fantasies.”

“Enjoy my foot, Pei Qingci took the initiative to like it and still wants us to enjoy? Why not let Pei Qingci enjoy?”

“Every time I go on Weibo, it feels like the world is exploding! I’m going insane, does Pei Qingci know what he’s doing?!”

“Is there anyone who can analyze Pei Qingci’s recent series of bold moves? What’s the current status between him and Sheng Qingli? Are they really together?”

……

–

The comments online had become chaotic, with fans arguing endlessly.

After watching for a while, Sheng Qingli set her phone down.

“Not looking anymore?” Just as she set it down, the silent person across from her suddenly spoke up.

Sheng Qingli: “……”

She pretended to be calm and looked up. “I was just chatting with Sister Lin.”

Pei Qingci replied, “Is that so?” in a tone that clearly showed disbelief.

Sheng Qingli felt a lump in her throat, wanting to say something to him, but instinctively felt it was inappropriate.

The two exchanged a glance and fell into silence together.

After a moment, Pei Qingci put away his phone and stood up. “You don’t need to worry too much about the online stuff. You’re handling it well; there shouldn’t be too much negative impact.”

Sheng Qingli responded with a soft “Mm.”

Pei Qingci said, “I’ll go out first.” He had been in for a while, and if he stayed any longer, the staff would start spreading all kinds of rumors.

“…”

Shortly after Pei Qingci left, Li Yuwei came up.

She walked up to Sheng Qingli and waved her hand to get her attention. “Are you still alive?”

Sheng Qingli glanced at her. “You traitor.”

Li Yuwei was speechless. “Both of you are looking at me, and I’m not leaving? I must really be clueless.”

Sheng Qingli said, “I was hoping you’d stay.”

“I know,” Li Yuwei replied, not oblivious to the look Sheng Qingli gave her. “But Mr. Pei’s gaze is telling me to leave.”

She squeezed in beside Sheng Qingli, sounding a bit helpless. “Young lady, you need to consider my situation.”

Sheng Qingli was at a loss for words. “This is my trailer.”

“Mr. Pei has a strong presence,” Li Yuwei always had a reason.

There was a brief silence before Li Yuwei poked Sheng Qingli’s arm. “What did you two talk about? Anything you can share?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “We didn’t talk about anything.”

Li Yuwei widened her eyes in disbelief. “Nothing at all?”

Sheng Qingli affirmed, “Mm.”

Li Yuwei was speechless, her frustration evident. “So I just stood out there for nothing.”

Sheng Qingli said, “It was less than ten minutes.”

“Do you have any idea how hot it is outside?” Li Yuwei shot her a sideways glance.

Sheng Qingli smiled and leaned against her shoulder. “Thanks for your hard work, Ms. Li. When your next drama airs, I’ll personally promote it for you.”

Li Yuwei and Sheng Qingli had different career paths; Li Yuwei acted in more dramas. They had known each other before debuting, and their fans were aware of their close relationship.

Li Yuwei raised her brows. “You said it.”

Sheng Qingli affirmed, “A promise is a promise.”

After some idle chatter, Li Yuwei sighed. “You know that Pei Qingci liked your Weibo post, right?”

Sheng Qingli said, “… I saw.”

“You didn’t ask him about it?”

“I did.”

“What did he say?” Li Yuwei was curious.

Sheng Qingli replied, “… He asked me back, ‘Can’t I like it?'”

Li Yuwei was taken aback. “…”

After staring at each other for a few seconds, Li Yuwei commented, “Pei Qingci has really become thick-skinned?”

Sheng Qingli suggested, “Why don’t you go ask him?”

Li Yuwei choked, thought for a moment, and refused. “I’m not going.”

After a moment of silence, Li Yuwei couldn’t help but ask, “What do you think?”

Pei Qingci’s intentions were already quite clear.

Sheng Qingli said, “I don’t know.”

She hadn’t made up her mind yet.

Understanding her hesitation, Li Yuwei nodded. “No rush. You’ll be filming this movie for several months, so you might as well take this time to get to know him again.”

After all, it had been five years since they last contacted each other.

Rekindling old feelings was easy.

But considering what comes next, getting back together wouldn’t be that simple.

Of course, both of them could act impulsively again, but they were no longer in their early twenties; they couldn’t just be reckless anymore.

Now, they had much more to think about than before.

Sheng Qingli lightly hummed in agreement. “Let’s not talk about this. I’ll take a nap for a bit.”

She had to shoot in the afternoon.

Li Yuwei said, “You should sleep on the bed. I’ll read the script here.”

“Okay.”

—

In the afternoon at the filming location, Sheng Qingli could clearly feel many staff members’ eyes shifting between her and Pei Qingci.

Fortunately, everyone maintained a professional demeanor and didn’t rush over to ask what their relationship was.

After finishing the afternoon shoot, Sheng Qingli, Director Zhong, and screenwriter Xu Xingyue had a small meeting to discuss the script.

In the evening, Pei Qingci had two scenes.

When she saw him come out in a costume change, Li Yuwei leaned closer to Sheng Qingli and whispered, “Why do I feel like Pei Qingci is even more handsome than a few years ago?”

Sheng Qingli didn’t respond, but inside she agreed with Li Yuwei’s words.

However, it wasn’t just about being handsome; it was because a person’s aura and demeanor change after going through experiences.

Of course, being in the spotlight also nurtures people.

Now, Pei Qingci was more composed and calm than he had been years ago. He naturally possessed an air of elegance, and as he aged, his noble demeanor became more pronounced. He appeared more self-assured, cool, and collected.

Noticing Sheng Qingli’s gaze, Pei Qingci looked over.

Their eyes met for a second.

Sheng Qingli calmly averted her gaze and said, “Don’t stare; we’ll get caught.”

Li Yuwei observed, “…”

Seeing Sheng Qingli’s profile, Pei Qingci slightly raised his brows, the corners of his lips curving up.

“Qingci,” Director Zhong called.

Pei Qingci responded and walked over.

Since there were no scenes for Sheng Qingli that night, and because Li Yuwei wanted to watch Pei Qingci’s performance, she had to stay with her.

Pei Qingci only had two scenes, and once they were done, he was finished for the day.

His scenes were always shot quickly; he was a naturally talented actor, effortlessly embodying any role.

He gets into character quickly; as long as his scene partner doesn’t mess up, he can usually nail it in one take.

At most, it won’t take more than three.

After the shoot, Sheng Qingli and Li Yuwei are in the car heading back to the hotel.

Once they’re in the car, Li Yuwei can’t help but exclaim, “Pei Qingci’s acting is even more shocking than watching in a cinema.”

Before Sheng Qingli can respond, Li Yuwei continues, “I really envy his fans; they get to ride his coattails.”

Hearing this, Sheng Qingli pauses and glances at her. “Then maybe you shouldn’t envy them.”

Li Yuwei blinks. “What do you mean?”

Sheng Qingli looks at Tong Tong in the passenger seat and the driver, then softly says, “Being his fan requires a strong heart.”

Li Yuwei replies, “That makes sense.”

She assumes Sheng Qingli is referring to Pei Qingci’s likes on Weibo or something similar.

Sheng Qingli doesn’t elaborate; while she trusts Tong Tong and the driver, discussing this kind of thing in a public place like the car feels too risky.

As they share their thoughts, Sheng Qingli’s phone suddenly dings.

There’s a new text message.

She opens it immediately, and as expected, it’s from Pei Qingci: “Do you want to see the trophy?”

Sheng Qingli replies: “Yes. We’re on the way back to the hotel; can you let me know when you arrive?”

Pei Qingci responds: “Okay.”

—

Half an hour later, Sheng Qingli and Li Yuwei are the first to return to the hotel.

“I’m so tired.” As soon as Li Yuwei enters the room, she collapses onto the sofa and lazily says, “Why is visiting you more exhausting than filming?”

Sheng Qingli shoots her a glance. “I’m not taking the blame for that.”

Li Yuwei replies with an “oh,” indicating, “I want some water.”

Sheng Qingli rolls her eyes and gets up to grab a bottle of mineral water from the kitchen. When she brings it to Li Yuwei, she politely asks, “Li, do you need help opening it?”

Li Yuwei doesn’t bother being polite. “Yes, Sheng.”

Just as Sheng Qingli opens the cap, there’s a knock at the door.

Li Yuwei sits up from the sofa, takes the water, and walks toward the inner room. “I’ll just wait in there for half an hour.”

She’s perceptive enough to give them space.

Sheng Qingli thinks to herself that half an hour isn’t even necessary.

Pei Qingci is just coming over to drop off a cat.

To Sheng Qingli’s surprise, the person at the door isn’t Pei Qingci but Yi Yehua.

“You…” Sheng Qingli collects her thoughts and asks, “Are you looking for me?”

“Qingli, are you busy?” Yi Yehua asks, scratching his head nervously.

Sheng Qingli pauses and replies softly, “What’s up?”

Yi Yehua looks at her with sincerity. “Could you help me run lines?”

If it were yesterday, Sheng Qingli might have agreed.

But right now, she doesn’t hesitate and gently refuses, “I might not be able to today.”

She thinks for a moment. “How many scenes do you have tomorrow?”

She hasn’t checked the schedule yet.

Yi Yehua replies, “Three in the morning.”

“Then I’ll come to the set tomorrow to help you, okay?” Sheng Qingli asks.

Yi Yehua is taken aback for a moment, then smiles broadly, giving off a pure and innocent vibe. “Great! Thank you, Qingli!”

Sheng Qingli smiles slightly. “No problem.”

Just as they finish speaking, Yi Yehua turns to head back to his room when the elevator doors open nearby, and Pei Qingci walks out.

Upon seeing the two of them in the hallway, he squints his eyes slightly and walks over leisurely. “Ms. Sheng.”

Meeting his gaze, Sheng Qingli feels an unexpected nervousness and bites her lip. “…Mr. Pei.”

Pei Qingci nods slightly, glancing at the script in Yi Yehua’s hand, and says calmly, “Looking for Ms. Sheng to run lines?”

Yi Yehua nods slowly. “Yes.”

He can’t quite explain it, but he feels that Pei Qingci’s gaze is a bit intimidating.

Pei Qingci raises an eyebrow. “It seems Ms. Sheng is quite busy tonight as well.”

Hearing the underlying meaning, Sheng Qingli decides to address it directly. “Mr. Pei, are you busy tonight?”

Pei Qingci replies, “Hmm?”

Sheng Qingli gets straight to the point. “I have something to do tonight and can’t help Yi Yehua with his lines. If you’re free, could you assist?”

Yi Yehua exclaims, “Ah?”

He instinctively looks at Pei Qingci, wanting to refuse. He acknowledges Pei Qingci’s great acting skills, but he knows that Pei teaches acting differently than Sheng—she’s gentle and polite, while Pei’s presence is overwhelming. He stutters and gets nervous just seeing him.

Just as the words are about to leave his mouth, Pei Qingci speaks first. “Sure.”

He looks at Yi Yehua and says in a deep voice, “Do you need me to help with running lines, Yi Yehua?”

Both of them stare at him, and Yi Yehua finds himself in a tight spot, forcing a smile. “If it’s not a bother, I’d love that, Brother Pei.”

“It’s no bother.” Pei Qingci responds lightly. “I have more free time than Ms. Sheng, so feel free to ask me for help.”

After saying this, Pei Qingci adds, “You can head back to your room for now; I’ll come by later to run lines after I take a shower.”

Yi Yehua secretly breathes a sigh of relief and hurriedly says, “Okay, Brother Pei, take your time; I’m not in a rush.”

He truly isn’t in a rush at all.

Watching Yi Yehua head to his room at the other end of the hallway, the two of them instinctively shift their gazes back.

Their eyes meet.

Sheng Qingli’s lips move as if she wants to say something, but before she can find the right words, Pei Qingci coldly remarks, “Seems like there are quite a few people knocking on Ms. Sheng’s door.”

Sheng Qingli is speechless.

Hearing his sarcastic tone, she looks away and replies somewhat resignedly, “If Mr. Pei wants, I can give you all of them.”

Pei Qingci is momentarily taken aback and glances at her. “If that’s the case, I don’t need it.”

Sheng Qingli instinctively replied, “What kind do you want?”

The moment she said this, she felt something was off.

At the same time, Pei Qingci refocused his gaze on her. His eyes were a lighter color, sometimes resembling amber, which was quite captivating.

They stood in the dimly lit hallway, waiting for the other actors to return; the corridor was very quiet.

It was so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing, quiet enough for Sheng Qingli to sense the warmth in Pei Qingci’s gaze as he looked at her, seemingly trying to see right through her.

His eyes held emotions that were obscure and deep, like a bottomless pool.

When their gazes collided, Sheng Qingli’s long eyelashes trembled, and her heart skipped a beat.

“You…” Sheng Qingli opened her mouth to remind him, “You should go get the trophy for me.”

If she kept looking, she felt as if his gaze might set her on fire.

Upon hearing this, Pei Qingci visibly restrained the emotions swirling in his eyes and swallowed hard before answering, “Got it.”

He paused for a moment and slowly turned to open the door.

The trophy had long since heard their voices in the hallway and was sitting by the door. As soon as Pei Qingci opened the door, it dashed over to Sheng Qingli without him having to bend down to pick it up.

Watching its swaying tail, Pei Qingci pinched the bridge of his nose and couldn’t help but say, “Ungrateful little thing.”

The trophy: “Meow.”

Pei Qingci: “…”

Listening to Pei Qingci’s somewhat resentful tone, Sheng Qingli silently smiled. She bent down to pick up the trophy, saying, “Say goodbye to him.”

The trophy didn’t even glance at Pei Qingci, burrowing itself into Sheng Qingli’s arms.

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Pei Qingci watched this, his brow twitching slightly, and he gently reminded her, “Don’t spoil it too much.”

Sheng Qingli: “Oh.”

After a brief silence, Sheng Qingli lowered her gaze. “I’ll go in first then.”

Pei Qingci responded with a hum and suddenly said, “Next time it comes to knock on your door, have it come find me instead.”

“…”