Chapter 38

Pei Qingci’s action instantly made Sheng Qingli swallow the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

Her body trembled, and she almost lost her balance.

But the calculating person had already anticipated this.

Taking advantage of the situation, he pulled her into his arms, and then even more brazenly lingered at her earlobe. His warm, thin lips moved downward, placing one soft kiss after another on her cheek.

Sheng Qingli’s breath caught, and her body tensed up significantly.

After a while, Pei Qingci finally calmed himself and pressed his nose against hers.

His kiss didn’t land on her lips, only his breath did. But the barely touching, almost-but-not-quite there distance between them made her heart itch even more, making it even more torturous.

In this quiet stairwell, their breathing intertwined, and the sound of their heartbeats was completely exposed.

Sheng Qingli wasn’t sure if Pei Qingci was doing this on purpose, teasing her like this. She wasn’t a patient person, so instinctively, she tried to move her feet back, but Pei Qingci stopped her, asking, “Why are you backing away?”

Sheng Qingli, embarrassed and annoyed, said, “Haven’t you had enough of your fun yet?”

Pei Qingci looked at her under the light coming in from the corridor and chuckled softly, “If I said no, would Ms. Sheng give me another chance?”

Sheng Qingli didn’t hesitate, “No—”

Her refusal was in vain.

Pei Qingci was doing this on purpose. He intentionally took advantage of her saying no and sealed her words with a kiss. His fingers gently pinched the back of her neck, sending an even more electrifying sensation through her.

Fortunately, Pei Qingci knew some boundaries.

This time, he only gently bit her lower lip before pulling back in a relatively restrained manner.

“Ms. Sheng,” he called her in a slightly hoarse voice.

Sheng Qingli looked up and met his deep, dark eyes. Her lips moved slightly, “What?”

“I’ll be leaving for a few days tomorrow,” Pei Qingci said unexpectedly, “Will you miss me?”

Sheng Qingli was stunned. She finally understood why he was demanding this much attention from her today. “Where are you going?”

There wasn’t any film festival or event happening recently, was there?!

Sheng Qingli quickly ran through the possibilities in her head.

Pei Qingci lowered his lashes and said softly, “To Italy. There’s a centennial event for a brand I need to attend.”

The brands Pei Qingci endorsed, aside from the sports brand he collaborated on with Sheng Qingli, were almost all high-luxury brands, far beyond what the average person could afford.

Sheng Qingli was surprised and tilted her face up to look at him. “Tomorrow’s flight?”

Pei Qingci nodded, “Leaving at six.”

Sheng Qingli: “Leaving here at six?”

Pei Qingci replied in the affirmative.

“That’s so early,” Sheng Qingli remarked.

Pei Qingci smiled, his lips curling upward as he asked, “Are you going to miss me?”

“Who said I’d miss you?” Sheng Qingli would never let Pei Qingci have the upper hand. She muttered softly, “I was just—”

Before she could finish, Pei Qingci lowered his head and kissed her again. “Just what?”

The threat was clear.

“…”

Sheng Qingli paused, her lips moving, “Nothing.”

Pei Qingci looked a bit more satisfied and lifted his gaze slightly.

After a moment of silence, Sheng Qingli spoke, “We should go out now.”

They stayed in the stairwell for too long. If someone happened to come in and see them, it would be hard to explain.

Pei Qingci understood what Sheng Qingli meant. He paused for a moment, then calmly said, “You go first.”

As his words fell, he raised his hand and pulled the door open for her.

Sheng Qingli hesitated for a few seconds but eventually walked out. “We’ll contact each other on WeChat.”

Pei Qingci nodded slightly.

Sheng Qingli returned to her room safely.

She glanced at the script beside her and suddenly remembered something, so she sent a message to the person across the hall: “If you go to Italy, what will happen to trophy?”

Pei Qingci: “I’m not taking it with me. Can you look after it for a few days?”

Sheng Qingli: “Do I need to move its stuff over?”

Pei Qingci thought for a few seconds: “It’ll make a fuss at night, so let it sleep over here.”

Sheng Qingli blinked.

Pei Qingci: “When I leave tomorrow morning, I’ll leave the room card with you. When you’re free, just bring it over to play with it for a while.”

Sheng Qingli: “Alright.”

She stared at their chat window, lowered her eyes, and typed: “Stay safe.”

Pei Qingci: “Don’t worry.”

–

The two of them chatted briefly on WeChat before Sheng Qingli put her phone down.

She took a shower first, then reviewed the lines and plot for the scenes to be filmed the next day twice, before finally opening the script that Ms. Wu had handed to her.

The script cover only had the words “Ninth Edition.”

After flipping the cover, the title page revealed the name of the script and a lead-in line.

When she saw the title, Love for a Long Timeme, Sheng Qingli paused slightly, then continued reading the lead-in:

“Loving you made me clumsy, but also enriched me.”

Sheng Qingli’s heart trembled, and she continued reading.

The script wasn’t a complete version. What Wu Nuanshu gave Sheng Qingli was just the character setting of the protagonist and the first half of the plot.

The story was about a pair of lovers who kept breaking up and getting back together.

They stayed together because they liked each other, but they broke up because of love. In the end, after going through a lot, they reunited once more because of love.

Love made their lives vibrant and different from the ordinary.

The story wasn’t particularly dramatic, yet strangely, Sheng Qingli continued reading, and when she reached the last page, she still felt a sense of wanting more.

She wanted to know the ending of the story.

She wanted to know how the protagonists reunited after separating, and what their ultimate fate was.

But the script ended there. Closing the script, Sheng Qingli found it hard to fall asleep.

She picked up her phone and saw it was already past one o’clock.

The people on the other side, including Wu Nuanshu, were probably all asleep.

Unable to discuss the plot with anyone, Sheng Qingli sighed lightly and sent a message to Lin Lin: “Sister Lin.”

Lin Lin replied instantly: “You’re texting me at this hour? I’m really nervous.”

Sheng Qingli smiled wryly: “It’s good news.”

Lin Lin: “What good news?”

Sheng Qingli: “You might not need to search for a script anymore.”

Lin Lin: “?”

Sheng Qingli: “Do you know Director Zhong’s wife, Ms. Wu? She gave me a script tonight and asked me to take a look. If I’m interested, we’ll talk further.”

Lin Lin: “???”

Lin Lin: “Ms. Wu’s script? How is it? Are you interested after reading it?”

Sheng Qingli: “Yes, but it’s a romance script.”

Lin Lin: “Doesn’t that align perfectly with what I’ve been looking for? This is great!”

After sending this message, Lin Lin faintly felt something off in Sheng Qingli’s tone.

She thought for a moment: “Wait, do you still not want to act in a romance film?”

Sheng Qingli: “…It’s not that, but the male lead seems to have been decided.”

Lin Lin: “Who is it? An actor you don’t like?”

If that was the case, then they would indeed need to reconsider.

Sheng Qingli: “It’s Pei Qingci.”

Lin Lin: “?”

Lin Lin: “…”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Lin Lin: “How’s the script? Is it a happy or sad ending?”

Sheng Qingli: “The version I got only has half the content.”

Lin Lin: “If you’re really interested, we’ll talk about it more. I’m going to bed now.”

Whenever Sheng Qingli stayed up late, she always brought Lin Lin a “surprise.”

Lin Lin decided that from today on, she would stop staying up late.

Sheng Qingli was amused by Lin Lin’s reaction, her lips curving slightly: “Alright, go to sleep then.”

Lin Lin: “You should sleep early too, you’ve got filming tomorrow.”

Sheng Qingli: “Got it, goodnight.”

After exchanging goodnights, Sheng Qingli still wasn’t feeling sleepy.

She thought for a moment and searched for Wu Nuanshu’s previous works as a screenwriter.

Unsurprisingly, she immediately found the film Pei Qingci starred in.

After hesitating for a while, Sheng Qingli clicked on it.

In fact, she and Li Yuwei had secretly gone to the cinema to watch this movie, which was set during the Republican era, and Pei Qingci played a young military officer.

He climbed his way up from the bottom, step by step, with his hands stained in blood.

The character was complex, multi-layered, and multifaceted.

When Sheng Qingli watched it in the cinema, most of the audience was captivated by Pei Qingci’s military uniform, swooning over him.

Sheng Qingli was relatively unaffected, because… she had seen a more enticing side of him after he took off the uniform.

For that reason, she was deeply absorbed in the movie, completely immersed.

Even now, some of the scenes and dialogues still lingered vividly in her memory.

Wu Nuanshu had a stXiang Rong writing style, full of emotional resonance.

Unable to sleep, Sheng Qingli once again rewatched the movie written by Wu Nuanshu and starring Pei Qingci.

By the time she finished, it was already late at night.

Sheng Qingli’s mind was still racing, but she couldn’t message Wu Nuanshu at this hour to give her an answer.

Holding back, Sheng Qingli forced herself to sleep, deciding to contact Wu Nuanshu after waking up the next day.

The consequence of staying up late was feeling mentally drained.

The next morning, when Sheng Qingli appeared on set, she looked like all her energy had been sucked out.

Xu Xingyue came over to rehearse lines with her, and seeing her dazed expression, couldn’t help but ask, “Qingli, are you having trouble sleeping because Brother Pei left?”

“…”

Sheng Qingli snapped awake, “What?”

Meeting her gaze, Xu Xingyue rubbed his nose and lowered his voice, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret for you two.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

She stayed silent for three seconds, then calmly said, “What secret? Mr. Pei and I are just colleagues right now.”

Xu Xingyue: “Huh?”

“What do you mean ‘huh’?” Sheng Qingli pursed her lips. “I’m not lying. I just didn’t sleep well.”

Looking at her current expression, Xu Xingyue hesitated before nodding, “I see. I thought you couldn’t adjust because Brother Pei left.”

Sheng Qingli choked slightly, her lips moved, “Not to that extent.”

After speaking, she realized something, “You know about him leaving too?”

Pei Qingci had a small role in the movie, so he wasn’t on set every day.

So, no one found it odd that he wasn’t there today.

Xu Xingyue: “Yeah, I saw it online.”

He pulled out his phone. “It was trending.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

She didn’t check Weibo often or follow trending news, so it was normal for her to miss gossip and leaks from marketing accounts.

“I see.” Sheng Qingli remarked. “Let’s focus on the lines now?”

Xu Xingyue: “Sure, let’s rehearse.”

When Pei Qingci wasn’t on set, everything continued as usual.

The actors gradually got into their roles, and the filming became smoother and less difficult.

But occasionally, there would still be a scene that took ten or more takes to get right.

–

That day, after filming wrapped, Sheng Qingli returned to the hotel.

The weather was too hot, so after showering, she sneakily took the extra room card and went across the hall.

During the two days Pei Qingci was away from Taolin, Sheng Qingli would bring the trophy back to her room and play with it for a few hours before returning it.

As soon as she opened the door, the trophy came running over.

Sheng Qingli raised an eyebrow and bent down to pick it up, “You missed me, didn’t you?”

The trophy meowed.

Sheng Qingli patted its head and placed it on the sofa. “Be good. I’ll get you some food, and then we’ll head across the hall.”

The trophy understood her and wagged its tail as it followed her to the cat bowl.

After filling its bowl with food and changing the water, Sheng Qingli’s phone started pinging nonstop.

She pulled it out of her pocket. Unsurprisingly, it was from Li Yuwei: “I’m seriously impressed.”

Li Yuwei: “Your ex-boyfriend is too handsome.”

Li Yuwei: “No surprise, you’ve probably got more rivals in love now.”

Sheng Qingli sent back a confused question mark.

Li Yuwei: “You didn’t watch Pei Qingci’s event video?”

Sheng Qingli: “I just got back to the hotel. Haven’t had the chance yet.”

As soon as she sent the message, Li Yuwei quickly forwarded a video of Pei Qingci attending a brand event in Italy.

Sheng Qingli clicked on it as she walked to the sofa and sat down. The video started playing.

The event Pei Qingci mentioned was for a luxury watch brand celebrating its centennial.

The event was happening today, and there was a time difference between countries.

Sheng Qingli calculated that it was currently afternoon where he was, and the event was likely still ongoing.

The video wasn’t from an official source; it was probably shot by a fan. The quality was excellent.

In the video, the man wore a finely tailored, high-quality dark suit, his figure tall and upright, exuding grace and confidence.

Pei Qingci’s height and nearly perfect proportions—broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs—were especially striking in a suit.

His finely sculpted face added the perfect finishing touch to the expensive outfit.

In the video, he held a microphone, and even the sunlight seemed to favor him, illuminating his striking features.

The audio in the video was clear, but strangely, Sheng Qingli didn’t really hear what he was saying—her attention was completely on his face and figure.

The short video ended quickly.

Just as Sheng Qingli was about to replay it, Li Yuwei’s message pulled her back to reality: “What do you think? Handsome, right?”

Sheng Qingli gathered her thoughts: “Can I lie and say no?”

Li Yuwei: “Sure, it’s not like you haven’t been stubborn before. Neither I nor your ex will take it to heart.”

Sheng Qingli was momentarily speechless: “You’ve got too much free time.”

Li Yuwei: “Just a little more than you. What are you doing now?”

Sheng Qingli sent a picture of the trophy.

Li Yuwei: “Your ex is really sneaky, making you miss him by leaving that behind.”

Sheng Qingli: “Stop calling him my ex.”

She had intended to say that Pei Qingci had a name, and it was fine to use it.

Unexpectedly, Li Yuwei misunderstood her and replied: “So you’re telling me he’s your current boyfriend now?”

Sheng Qingli: “Would I dare keep that from you?”

Li Yuwei: “True. You’d tell me first if you got back together.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Seeing this, she suddenly found herself overthinking and asked, “Why is everyone so sure I’ll get back together with him?”

Li Yuwei: “It’s obvious.”

Sheng Qingli, confused: “What’s obvious?”

They hadn’t been in contact at all in the past few years.

Li Yuwei: “Because after you broke up with him, neither of you dated anyone else, and this time, Pei Qingci is clearly interested in you.”

Sheng Qingli rebutted: “I haven’t dated, but how do you know he hasn’t?”

Li Yuwei: “Has he dated?”

Sheng Qingli: “…He probably hasn’t.”

Actually, Sheng Qingli wasn’t sure about this either; she hadn’t discussed it with Pei Qingci.

However, she could sense that he hadn’t.

Li Yuwei: “I don’t want ‘probably,’ ask him. I want a definite answer.”

Sheng Qingli: “Why should I?”

Li Yuwei: “This concerns whether I should continue shipping you two as a couple.”

Sheng Qingli was speechless: “I’m not talking to you anymore.”

Li Yuwei: “Tsk, you really don’t love me anymore.”

Sheng Qingli: “I want to play with the trophy for a while.”

Li Yuwei: “I knew it! I couldn’t compete with Pei Qingci before, and now I can’t even compete with a cat.”

Sheng Qingli, not wanting to listen to her rambling, directly transferred her ten thousand yuan: “Hush money.”

Li Yuwei: “Goodbye! I’ll just ship you and eat pears for the rest of my life. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!”

Sheng Qingli: “……”

She genuinely found Li Yuwei amusing.

After laughing heartily for a while, Sheng Qingli picked up the trophy and casually opened Weibo.

As Li Yuwei said, Pei Qingci attracted quite a few fans today with his photos and videos.

The trending topic was about his attendance at an event.

Sheng Qingli clicked in and saw many fresh photos.

Pei Qingci’s fans were showering him with compliments in the comments.

“Ahhhhh brother you’re so handsome how can I unfollow you!!”

“Why does it feel like every time I don’t see my brother for a while, he gets even more handsome?!”

“So handsome, I’m swooning.”

“It’s so hot, why is he still wearing a suit? Take it off!”

“What kind of old perverts are Pei Qingci’s fans?”

……

Sheng Qingli looked at this and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated again.

Sheng Qingli looked at the WeChat notification and thought it was still Li Yuwei. She clicked on it and paused for a moment when she saw another familiar avatar.

Pei Qingci: “What are you doing?”

Sheng Qingli was silent for a moment and sent him the photo she had just sent to Li Yuwei.

What Sheng Qingli didn’t expect was that just after sending the photo, Pei Qingci suddenly called her via video.

Sheng Qingli was taken aback, hesitated for a few seconds, and then answered the video call.

As soon as she picked up, she saw the handsome face she had just seen on the video not long ago appear on her screen. “Why are you video calling me?”

Pei Qingci looked up: “Is it not allowed?”

Sheng Qingli fell silent; it wasn’t that it was not allowed. She bit her lip and remembered to ask: “Aren’t you at a brand event?”

Pei Qingci replied: “It’s over.”

Sheng Qingli was surprised: “So soon?”

She thought it would take all day.

Knowing what she was thinking, Pei Qingci spoke softly: “Now I’m changing venues.”

Sheng Qingli: “So you’re in the car now?”

She vaguely saw the background appearing behind him.

Pei Qingci confirmed with an “mm.”

After receiving his affirmative answer, Sheng Qingli’s eyes widened, “Then why did you—”

“The only ones in the car who can understand Chinese are Xiang Rong and Fang Li,” Pei Qingci alleviated her worries.

Sheng Qingli: “……But if they hear us, it wouldn’t be good, right?”

Before Pei Qingci could reply, Xiang Rong, sitting in the front, turned back and said, “Qingli, don’t worry. Fang Li and I are currently blind and deaf.”

“……”

“Mind your own business.” Pei Qingci shot a casual glance at Xiang Rong.

Xiang Rong shrugged, making a gesture to zip his lips.

Fang Li was beside them, laughing non-stop, his shoulders shaking.

In that moment, Sheng Qingli blushed from miles away.

Feeling a bit awkward, she bit her lip and directly hung up on Pei Qingci.

Pei Qingci was taken by surprise and was just about to send her a message when Sheng Qingli sent one first: “I think it’s better for us to chat via text.”

Pei Qingci had no retort: “Xiang Rong was just joking; don’t take it to heart.”

Sheng Qingli: “I’m not taking it to heart, it’s just that chatting in front of them makes me a bit uncomfortable.”

Pei Qingci understood her discomfort.

After a few seconds of silence in the chat, Pei Qingci asked softly: “How’s the trophy?”

Sheng Qingli: “It’s nice, very obedient.”

Pei Qingci: “And you?”

Sheng Qingli pondered for a few seconds: “What about me?”

Pei Qingci: “Is Ms. Sheng obedient?”

Sheng Qingli paused and touched her ear: “If I’m not obedient, would Mr. Pei still come to settle scores with me?”

Pei Qingci: “I wouldn’t dare.”

Sheng Qingli: “Before you ask me, you should say something about yourself first.”

Just like before, Sheng Qingli wasn’t one to easily concede.

This conversation reminded them easily of their first kiss. He had asked her if she had kissed anyone before, and she had replied by asking for his answer.

Thinking of this, Pei Qingci lowered his gaze and replied: “I’ll tell you when I come back.”

Sheng Qingli: “……Then I’ll wait for you to return before answering you.”

Pei Qingci smiled: “Alright.”

—

After chatting for a while on WeChat, Pei Qingci’s side was about to reach the destination, so he ended the conversation first.

After Sheng Qingli played with the trophy for over an hour and finished reading the script, preparing to sleep, Pei Qingci suddenly sent her a video.

Sheng Qingli opened the video, which recorded the streets of Italy that Pei Qingci had mentioned, including the sights they had talked about visiting together.

Sheng Qingli had a favorite movie, “Roman Holiday,” which she had watched many times before meeting Pei Qingci.

After they got together, she dragged Pei Qingci to watch it twice.

At that time, they had agreed to take a trip to Rome to check off those places from the movie and take photos.

Unfortunately, during their relationship, their time was limited and various constraints meant they never made it to Rome before they broke up.

After their breakup, Sheng Qingli had actually visited a few times for work.

She had walked the streets she had seen in the movie and even ate ice cream on the steps of the Spanish Steps. She often wondered if Pei Qingci had been to those places when he came to Rome.

…

After watching the video Pei Qingci sent her with rapt attention, Sheng Qingli bit her lip and replied, “Did you just record this?”

Pei Qingci: “I recorded it over the past few days.”

In addition to today’s brand event, he had also taken several photos, which gave him the chance to visit many attractions.

Sheng Qingli: “It’s beautiful.”

Pei Qingci: “Is it a good time for a video call?”

Sheng Qingli: “Huh?”

Pei Qingci: “Xiang Rong and the others aren’t nearby.”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback and quickly replied, “Okay.”

When the second video call came in, Sheng Qingli sat up from her bed and looked at the person on the other end.

Pei Qingci seemed to have changed into a different outfit. From the camera, it appeared that his shirt had changed from a neatly pressed white one to a light blue, with a more casual collar.

“What are you thinking?” Pei Qingci asked softly, noticing her gaze.

Sheng Qingli came back to her senses. “Did you finish your work?”

Pei Qingci replied casually, “There’s a dinner later tonight.”

Sheng Qingli was surprised. “Then you—”

“The dinner is nearby, so there’s no rush,” Pei Qingci reassured her. “It starts at eight.”

Sheng Qingli checked the time; it was eleven fifty-eight in China, which meant it was five fifty-eight in Rome. There were still two hours until Pei Qingci had to attend the dinner.

She said softly, “Are you out by yourself now?”

Pei Qingci replied with a yes, and then looked straight at her, saying, “I’ll switch the camera and show you something.”

Sheng Qingli blinked and agreed.

She focused on the other end of the camera as Pei Qingci switched the lens to aim at the nearby Wishing Pool. Sheng Qingli paused. “You went to the Wishing Pool?”

Pei Qingci’s voice came through the video, his gaze focused on the second hand of his watch. He spoke slowly, “Li Li, it’s almost midnight.”

Sheng Qingli froze, suddenly remembering something she had once said to Pei Qingci.

When watching “Roman Holiday,” there were many scenes that she loved.

When she saw the Wishing Pool in the movie, she had told Pei Qingci that if they went, she would definitely throw a coin into the fountain and make a wish at midnight.

Pei Qingci had curiously asked her why midnight.

Sheng Qingli had answered seriously that her grandmother told her that wishes made at midnight, when a new day begins, are the most powerful.

She had tried it several times as a child, and every wish she made at midnight had come true.

Remembering this, Sheng Qingli was momentarily stunned. “You—”

“There are twenty seconds left,” Pei Qingci interrupted her. “Remember to make a wish, and I’ll help you throw the coin.”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback and opened her mouth, “Okay.”

“…”

A minute later, Sheng Qingli said softly, “I’m done.”

Pei Qingci turned the camera back to himself and looked at her. “Did you make your wish?”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow. “That’s good.”

“Do you remember?” Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but ask.

Pei Qingci lowered his gaze, staring straight at her. “Do I have a bad memory?”

Sheng Qingli was at a loss for words. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I remember,” Pei Qingci replied plainly. “I can’t say I remember everything you said, but the things that matter, I remember.”

Sheng Qingli’s heart skipped a beat, her long eyelashes fluttering. “With you saying that, how can I—”

How could she hold on until the movie wrapped up?

She felt a little embarrassed to finish that sentence.

Pei Qingci looked up. “Hmm?”

A faint smile appeared in his eyes. “What?”

Sheng Qingli: “…Nothing.”

Pei Qingci smiled helplessly, paused for a moment, and said, “Doing this isn’t meant to make things difficult for you. I just thought of it, so I did it.”

He just wanted to make up for the regrets that lingered between them.

“I guessed it,” Sheng Qingli said softly. “But it’s getting late; you should head back. Don’t be late for the dinner.”

Pei Qingci nodded, looking down at her and saying, “Good night.”

Sheng Qingli hesitated. “Isn’t it a bit early for me to say good night?”

Pei Qingci smiled, “You could say you miss me.”

Sheng Qingli: “…Goodbye.”

Pei Qingci: “Wait.”

Sheng Qingli looked up in confusion.

Pei Qingci composed himself, his voice deep and restrained. “I miss you.”

“…”