Chapter 39

After the video call ended, Sheng Qingli put down her phone and slowly pulled up the blanket, hiding herself under the covers. She felt that Pei Qingci was being a bit intentional.

He clearly knew that saying such things would disrupt her emotions, yet he still said it.

“…”

Sheng Qingli felt a little frustrated with herself as she touched her left chest and sighed while staring at the dimly lit ceiling.-

Suddenly, the phone that had just been put down vibrated again.

Sheng Qingli opened it; it was another message from the instigator—a photo of him at a wishing Pool.

She wondered who he had asked to take the picture, as it captured his entire figure.

Staring at the photo for a while, Sheng Qingli silently saved it.

As she pondered whether to reply, the other person seemed to guess what she was thinking and said directly, “No need to reply to this message. Good night.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

She paused for three seconds, tossed her phone aside, expressionless, pulled up the blanket, and closed her eyes to sleep.

She wasn’t going to reply to his message, whether he said something or not.

The next morning, when Sheng Qingli arrived on set, Yin Yanyan glanced at her and suddenly said, “Sister Li Li, did you go for a facial after filming yesterday?”

“?”

Noticing Sheng Qingli’s surprised expression, Yin Yanyan explained, “I mean a beauty treatment.”

“No, I didn’t.” Sheng Qingli raised her hand to touch her face, “Why do you say that?”

Yin Yanyan looked at her and replied, “You look especially good today.”

Sheng Qingli blinked, “Really?”

Xu Xingyue, passing by, took a look and chimed in, “It really is good. But Qingli’s skin has always been nice, just occasionally with some dark circles.”

Sheng Qingli laughed and looked at Xu Xingyue, “You could skip that last part, Brother Xu.”

Xu Xingyue feigned surprise, jokingly saying, “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind next time.”

After chatting for a bit, Sheng Qingli and Yin Yanyan went to the makeup room.

Sitting in front of the mirror, Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but glance at her reflection. Her skin was fair and delicate, and her complexion looked pretty good.

“What are you looking at, Qingli?” the makeup artist asked when she noticed Sheng Qingli staring at the mirror.

Sheng Qingli snapped back to reality, “Nothing, just daydreaming.”

The makeup artist smiled, applying makeup as she said, “You must have slept well last night.”

Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but chuckle, “Is it that obvious?”

The makeup artist nodded, “I’m the one doing your makeup; I know your condition best.”

Sheng Qingli smiled and replied, “I did sleep pretty well.”

The makeup artist said, “If you sleep well, it makes my job easier.”

Your complexion is more important than makeup skills.

Sheng Qingli chuckled lightly and agreed, “I’ll strive to sleep well from now on.”

“Sounds good,” the makeup artist responded.

After finishing her makeup, Sheng Qingli went off to shoot.

After lunch, she took a short nap in her trailer.

Upon waking, she found two messages from someone abroad: “What are you doing?”

Ten minutes later, the person sent another message: “Ms. Sheng, I just said not to reply to last night’s message, not that you shouldn’t reply today.”

Sheng Qingli lay on her trailer bed and slightly curled her lips: “Does Mr. Pei wake up this early even abroad?”

It was just after seven in the morning there.

Pei Qingci replied: “Just took a nap.”

Sheng Qingli: “Mhm.”

Pei Qingci: “What time does filming start this afternoon?”

Sheng Qingli: “Around two, I’m not very sure.”

She rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and asked, “Are you on a flight today?”

Pei Qingci: “Tomorrow.”

After a pause, he asked, “Do you miss me?”

Sheng Qingli: “…I was just asking casually.”

Pei Qingci: “Not even willing to lie to me a little.”

He sounded quite forlorn.

Seeing that message, Sheng Qingli was amused and replied playfully, “Because Chinese people don’t lie to other Chinese people.”

Pei Qingci: “?”

He helplessly pinched his brow, “Has it already reached this height?”

Sheng Qingli: “Mhm.”

They chatted briefly on WeChat, and Pei Qingci asked if she needed him to buy anything for her.

Sheng Qingli straightforwardly asked, “Do you need a purchasing fee?”

Pei Qingci: “Yes, but not much.”

Sheng Qingli: “How much is ‘not much’?”

Pei Qingci: “A hug from Ms. Sheng wouldn’t be too much, right?”

Pei Qingci suddenly became so polite that Sheng Qingli felt a bit unaccustomed.

Just a hug—refusing seemed unreasonable.

In the moment of silence, Sheng Qingli slowly replied, “Okay, I’ll send you the purchase list later.”

She indeed had some items to buy; Li Yuwei’s birthday was coming up, and she had her eye on a bracelet that had been out of stock in the country and took too long to order.

Originally, Sheng Qingli planned to have a friend bring it from abroad, so since Pei Qingci asked, she thought it would be fine to let him help buy it.

She didn’t want to be too polite with him.

After organizing a list of a few items she needed, Sheng Qingli sent it to Pei Qingci and then went to the filming set.

---

Later that evening, after finishing work and returning to the hotel, Sheng Qingli received a message from Wu Nuanshu, asking if she was in her room.

Sheng Qingli: “I am, Ms. Wu.”

Wu Nuanshu: “Then I’ll come find you. What’s your room number?”

Sheng Qingli hesitated, “How about I come up to find you instead?”

Wu Nuanshu: “It’s fine; it’s the same either way.”

Sheng Qingli: “Okay, by the way, are you afraid of cats?”

Wu Nuanshu: “Not afraid; is it the trophy? I haven’t seen it in a long time.”

Sheng Qingli: “Yes.”

When Wu Nuanshu arrived at the room, Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but ask, “Ms. Wu, have you seen the trophy?”

Wu Nuanshu glanced at her and smiled without saying anything, “I’ve seen it. Qingci brought it to the set for a while when he was filming.”

Sheng Qingli paused, feeling that Wu Nuanshu might have guessed something.

Before Sheng Qingli could ask again, Wu Nuanshu said, “Young people’s matters are not something we older folks interfere with.”

“…”

Sheng Qingli was momentarily stunned and somewhat embarrassed as she said, “Actually, the two of us…”

“Also what?” Wu Nuanshu asked with a smile.

Sheng Qingli wanted to say that there was nothing going on, but the words were on the tip of her tongue, and she felt it would be too much to cover it up.

She paused and slowly shook her head, “It’s nothing; I’ll have a chance to share with you later, Ms. Wu.”

Wu Nuanshu replied, “Sure.”

She didn’t act like a senior, raising her hand to rub the head of the trophy, “I was busy writing the script the past few days and didn’t have the chance to discuss it with you in detail. You messaged me earlier asking about the ending, but honestly, I’m still considering it.”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback, “You haven’t written the ending yet?”

“I have,” Wu Nuanshu answered, “but now I’m hesitating whether to use the original ending.”

Mentioning this, she looked at Sheng Qingli, “What are your thoughts on this script?”

Sheng Qingli thought for a moment and replied softly, “I wouldn’t say I have insights, but I do like this script.”

Wu Nuanshu smiled knowingly, “Why do you say that?”

Sheng Qingli was silent for a moment before gently saying, “It’s a feeling.”

Hearing this answer, Wu Nuanshu was not surprised, “But filming it might be quite challenging.”

She paused and looked at Sheng Qingli, “This film has a relatively large scale; most of the intimate scenes are led by the female side. You have no problem with that, right?”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback, “Aren’t you still casting?”

Wu Nuanshu replied, “Has Qingci mentioned it to you?”

“He mentioned it briefly, saying you wanted to hold auditions for actors suitable for this role,” Sheng Qingli didn’t hold back.

Wu Nuanshu understood, “Before I come to the crew to visit and meet you officially, that was the plan. But now, I already have a candidate in mind; I just don’t know if the actor I want is willing to take the role.”

Sheng Qingli looked up and met Wu Nuanshu’s gaze as she softly asked, “Aren’t you reconsidering, Ms. Wu?”

“I feel I don’t need to reconsider,” Wu Nuanshu candidly said, “I have three reasons for choosing you.”

Sheng Qingli blinked.

Wu Nuanshu continued, “First, after watching you and Qingci in your scenes together, I felt you still possess the kind of vitality that Bian Yue had. Of course, I’m not saying the films you’ve made in recent years lack vitality; it’s just a feeling—like the vitality of a teenage girl. You should understand what I mean.”

Sheng Qingli seemed to understand, as it was similar to fans of Bian Yue who would express online that she still performed well in her other films but felt something had changed.

At first, she didn’t quite get what had changed, even though her acting had clearly improved.

This question had troubled her for a long time without an answer.

It wasn’t until she performed with Pei Qingci again that Sheng Qingli realized it might be due to the chemistry between actors.

She could feel that when acting opposite Pei Qingci, she felt very relaxed and natural.

“So what’s the second reason?” Sheng Qingli asked, curious.

Wu Nuanshu replied, “The second reason is your high compatibility with Qingci; your scenes together are fantastic, and I really like them.”

At this point, she paused, “The third reason is more practical.”

Sheng Qingli prompted, “Please, go on.”

Wu Nuanshu said, “I’m aware of the popularity of the CP between you and Qingci. If you two collaborate on a new movie, you won’t have to worry about the hype or acting skills. More importantly, since you’ve agreed to work with Qingci, he will definitely participate.”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback, “Didn’t he agree with you?”

Wu Nuanshu replied, “He hasn’t given me a definite answer yet.”

Pei Qingci was only interested in the script, but he was still considering whether to act.

Sheng Qingli realized this and hesitated, saying, “How do you know that if I agree, he will definitely agree?”

“Because I know what he is hesitating about,” Wu Nuanshu looked at Sheng Qingli, “and you should know too.”

She emphasized, “Even though I only gave you one-third of the script, you should be able to tell that there are quite a few intimate scenes in it.”

Sheng Qingli responded, “I can tell.”

Wu Nuanshu said lightly, “Others may not have noticed this, but I’ve seen the films Qingci and you have acted in over the years and found that apart from ‘Love Vow,’ which focused on romance, you haven’t really acted in pure romance films again.”

It was evident that Pei Qingci did not want to work on this kind of project with other actresses, and Sheng Qingli felt the same.

Sheng Qingli was momentarily stunned, and after thinking for a bit, she said, “It’s not only because of this reason that I won’t act.”

She was an actress and had a certain level of professionalism.

Sheng Qingli hadn’t accepted similar scripts in recent years, partly because she felt Bian Yue was a role that was hard to surpass and partly because there simply weren’t any suitable romance scripts that piqued her interest.

In the past few years, many romance scripts had been handed to her, but few were worth reading.

Sheng Qingli had always approached acting with the mindset of preferring quality over quantity; she might not be the leading lady or even the first choice, but the script and character must be good enough for her to take on the role.

Wu Nuanshu smiled knowingly, “I understand; this is likely a minor factor affecting your decision, right?”

Sheng Qingli acknowledged, “Yes, a little.”

Wu Nuanshu continued, “So we’ve circled back to this topic.”

She looked at Sheng Qingli, “Qingci is also hesitating in this regard.”

But since Sheng Qingli had agreed, Pei Qingci couldn’t possibly refuse.

Sheng Qingli understood what Wu Nuanshu meant and pondered for a few seconds before hesitatingly saying, “Aren’t you worried that we—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Wu Nuanshu said, “You’re professional actors; I’m not worried about this issue.”

She looked at her and teased her deliberately, “Didn’t you just tell me that you and Qingci aren’t what I think you are?”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

What does it mean to “move a stone to smash one’s own foot”? Perhaps this is it.

After a brief moment of awkwardness, Sheng Qingli raised her hand to touch her nose. “You want me to think it over?”

Wu Nuanshu: “No problem, I’m not in a hurry.”

Sheng Qingli nodded, thought for a moment, and asked, “Will his leg get better later?”

The character setting for the male protagonist in the script Wu Nuanshu gave to Sheng Qingli is quite special. Unlike the vibrant, healthy protagonist, this is a young man who appears in a wheelchair.

The script mentions that he can no longer walk normally due to an accident at the most carefree age of his life.

At the point Sheng Qingli read up to, he had been working hard on rehabilitation and treatment after going abroad. He wanted to recover like a normal person and return home to find the female protagonist.

What he didn’t know was that the female protagonist, when she couldn’t wait for him any longer due to various real-life reasons and family circumstances, had already married someone else.

That’s why Sheng Qingli was extremely curious about how the story would unfold.

Wu Nuanshu thought for a moment, “That’s a secret. I can only tell you when you tell me for sure.”

Sheng Qingli was dumbfounded.

Wu Nuanshu laughed at her reaction, lightly patting her on the head. “Of course, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I’m waiting for good news from you.”

After chatting for a long time with Sheng Qingli, Wu Nuanshu left.

Once she was gone, Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but take out her phone and ask the person abroad: “Do you know the ending of that story by Ms. Wu?”

Pei Qingci: “We talked about it. Why?”

Sheng Qingli: “Talked about it?”

Pei Qingci: “Are you asking whether the male protagonist lives or dies in the end?”

Sheng Qingli: “Um… you should be able to say.”

Pei Qingci: “Do you think it’s better for him to be alive or dead?”

Sheng Qingli: “?”

Pei Qingci: “Hmm?”

Sheng Qingli pondered, holding her phone: “I haven’t seen the later plot yet, so I can’t answer that question for now.”

At this point, she was curious: “You must have seen it, right?”

Pei Qingci chuckled, finally realizing why Sheng Qingli was looking for him.

He raised an eyebrow and replied, “I can only give you a rough idea.”

Sheng Qingli: “Go ahead.”

Pei Qingci: “Phone call?”

Sheng Qingli: “Okay.”

When she answered the call from Pei Qingci, Sheng Qingli didn’t bother with small talk and urged, “Hurry up and tell me.”

Pei Qingci couldn’t help but laugh, covering his mouth as he cleared his throat and told her that on the second day after the female protagonist divorced her husband, the male protagonist returned home.

They met again, but the female protagonist was no longer as bright and confident as she was at sixteen.

She felt inferior because she had been married.

Yet, for various reasons, they ended up living together again.

After that, they naturally rekindled their old feelings.

However, there were many issues between them.

The male protagonist’s legs, which could no longer stand, his family background, and the fact that the female protagonist had been married.

The story’s setting is decades ago, not in the present.

The male protagonist’s family background did not allow him to marry a divorced woman.

At that time, most people did not have such a friendly attitude towards divorced women.

After hearing Pei Qingci finish, Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but murmur, “So what if she was married?”

Pei Qingci replied softly, “It really doesn’t matter.”

He paused and added, “At least for me, it’s pretty indifferent.”

Sheng Qingli hesitated and sensed the implication behind his words. “Mr. Pei, I wasn’t talking about you; I was talking about the characters in the script.”

Pei Qingci responded affirmatively, his tone slightly softening, “I know; I just wanted to tell you my thoughts.”

Sheng Qingli fell silent.

After a moment of quiet, Pei Qingci softly asked, “Are you really that interested in this script?”

If she weren’t genuinely curious, she wouldn’t have sought him out to ask.

Sheng Qingli candidly admitted, “A bit. Mainly because there are too few good scripts available right now.”

Pei Qingci smirked and reminded her, “The later parts of the script have a bigger scale; can you handle that?”

“…” Upon hearing this, Sheng Qingli raised her hand to touch her ear and curiously asked, “How big?”

What she had seen was a scene when the male and female protagonists were still young, and they had a moment of intimacy, but it wasn’t real intimacy.

It was merely a one-sided pleasure.

Pei Qingci succinctly replied, “Do you remember that movie we watched together?”

Sheng Qingli: “Which one?”

They had watched many movies together.

Pei Qingci: “The one where you covered my eyes when the female protagonist appeared.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

After three seconds of silence, a fresh image appeared in Sheng Qingli’s mind. She opened her mouth in disbelief and said, “There’s no way… they would film something like that in the country.”

Even if they did film it, domestic theaters would definitely cut it.

“It won’t be that exaggerated,” Pei Qingci paused, his tone slightly heavy. “But there are indeed a lot of intimate scenes, and almost all are led by the female protagonist.”

What he said was exactly what Wu Nuanshu had mentioned.

Sheng Qingli was speechless, remaining silent for a moment before asking, “What about you?”

Pei Qingci: “I’m considering it.”

Sheng Qingli replied with an “oh,” biting her lip. “Then I’ll think about it some more.”

After a deep conversation, they finally hung up the phone.

After the call ended, Sheng Qingli lay on the sofa for over ten minutes before getting up to wash up in the bathroom.

After washing up, she found a message from Pei Qingci on her phone.

Pei Qingci: “If you really like it, don’t hesitate. If you want to take it, just go for it.”

He would accompany her in acting.

---

The next day, Sheng Qingli was filming as usual on set.

In the evening, she came across photos posted by overseas fans online. They showed Pei Qingci at the airport, wrapped snugly in a long light-colored coat.

Even so, he was recognized by fans at a glance.

After scrolling through Weibo for a while, Sheng Qingli sighed softly.

“Sister Li Li,” Tong Tong asked upon hearing her, “what’s wrong?”

Sheng Qingli looked up, “It’s nothing, just a bit tired.”

Tong Tong understood, “You should take a nap. Today, we might film late.”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

After staying in the RV for a while, she received a call from Mrs. Sheng.

“Li Li, are you busy?” Mrs. Sheng’s voice was still full of energy.

Sheng Qingli smiled, “No, just waiting for the scene.”

Mrs. Sheng was surprised, “Night shoot?”

“Yeah,” Sheng Qingli rested her chin on the table, “Have you eaten yet, Mom?”

“We have. How about you?”

“I’ve eaten too.”

After chatting for a while, Mrs. Sheng suddenly said, “Li Li, I saw some news the other day.”

Sheng Qingli blinked, roughly understanding what Mrs. Sheng was getting at. “Mom, I…”

She wasn’t quite sure how to say it. “I’ll tell you next time I come home.”

Mrs. Sheng gently replied, “Okay.”

She reminded her, “Be safe while filming, and take breaks.”

“Sure,” Sheng Qingli replied.

“And…” Before hanging up, Mrs. Sheng hesitated, “Whatever decision you make, your dad and I support you.”

Sheng Qingli chuckled softly, the corners of her lips lifting, “I know, don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

After hanging up, Director Zhong called Sheng Qingli to discuss the scene.

She hurriedly gathered her wandering thoughts and returned to the set.

The next morning, Sheng Qingli received a message from Pei Qingci, telling her he had landed.

However, Pei Qingci’s flight was a direct one to Beicheng; he had to return home today and would arrive in Ancheng tomorrow.

Another day of filming under the scorching sun.

By the time Sheng Qingli finished filming and was ready to head back to the hotel, it was already eleven at night.

She was exhausted, yawning sleepily as she got into the car. “Tong Tong, I’m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me when we get to the hotel.”

Tong Tong replied, “Okay, Sister Li Li.”

Sheng Qingli closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, not noticing her phone vibrating.

She slept all the way to the hotel, getting out of the car and entering the elevator with Tong Tong.

“Sister Li Li, let me take you up,” Tong Tong said, worried about her tired appearance.

Sheng Qingli shook her head, “No need, you’ve worked hard today too.”

She said softly, “All the staff are on our floor, so there’s no safety issue to worry about.”

Tong Tong relented and said, “Just let me know when you’re in your room.”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

As the elevator doors opened, Sheng Qingli lowered her head and walked towards her room, not noticing that the door across from hers was open.

When she reached her room and was about to find her key card, a short burst of laughter came from behind her.

“…”

Sheng Qingli froze, instinctively turning her head.

Seeing the familiar figure leaning against the door, she slowly blinked, “What are you…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Pei Qingci took the key card from her hand and said softly, “Your room is still my room?”

“?”

Sheng Qingli didn’t react in time before Pei Qingci had already pulled her into his room.

Hearing the door close, Sheng Qingli snapped back to reality, “Aren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow?”

Pei Qingci lowered his gaze, deeply staring at her as he said, “That was the original plan.”

Sheng Qingli: “… And then?”

“Then—” Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow at her, “I couldn’t wait to ask Ms. Sheng for the purchasing fee.”

Sheng Qingli, too tired to think clearly, asked, “What purchasing fee?”

Pei Qingci: “Forgot?”

He frowned slightly, looking a bit displeased as he pulled her into his embrace, “If you forgot, the purchasing fee doubles.”

Sheng Qingli suddenly remembered, her lips moving, “Then you’re really unreasonable as a purchaser.”

“… Who’s being unreasonable?” Pei Qingci lowered his lashes, slightly bending down to rub his forehead against hers, “Tired?”

He noticed her weariness.

Sheng Qingli nodded, “The scene took a long time tonight.”

Pei Qingci understood and reached out to pat her head, “Want to go back and sleep now?”

Sheng Qingli remained silent for three seconds, looking up at him, “Aren’t you going to ask for the purchasing fee?”

Pei Qingci smiled, “You can give it to me now?”

“… Don’t say it in a way that makes people think too much.” Sheng Qingli said helplessly, “Isn’t it just a hug for a bit?”

Pei Qingci: “That was the plan.”

Sheng Qingli: “?”

She blinked in confusion, “What do you mean that was the plan?”

Pei Qingci didn’t say anything, just looked at her.

Facing his burning gaze, Sheng Qingli’s eyes wandered, her lips moving, “Don’t… push your luck.”

Pei Qingci chuckled, bending down to close the distance between them, his voice deep as he asked, “How is that pushing my luck?”

Sheng Qingli poked his shoulder, “You know very well.”

Pei Qingci glanced at her delicate fingers.

He paused, reaching out to touch her lips with his fingertip, the implication strong, his Adam’s apple moving slightly, “Does this count?”

Sheng Qingli’s breath hitched, she opened her mouth to say, “Of course—”

Before the latter word could be spoken, his fingers slowly brushed the corners of her soft lips, lingering on them.

It was also at that moment that Sheng Qingli felt that her breath was holding her breath, and she didn’t know what to do.

Pei Qingci …… like this than kissing her, but also making her a little bit inferior and inferior.

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked at him with round eyes, “You ……”

“What am I?” Pei Qingci’s gaze was fixed on her face, and he didn’t miss the slightest change in her expression, “Is this too much, Ms. Sheng?” ”

He seemed aggrieved, “I just-“

Before he could say the rest of the words, Sheng Qingli, who had some unhealthy pictures in his mind, hurriedly raised his hand and covered his mouth.

Pei Qingci’s breath stagnated, and he felt the temperature brought by her palm.

His eyes darkened, and his thin lips moved slightly: “Ms. Sheng, you …… like this.”

There was a warm breath in the palm of Pei Qingci when he spoke, and it was a little itchy.

When Sheng Qingli instinctively wanted to withdraw her hand, Pei Qingci poked out the tip of her tongue first, leaving a wet touch in her palm.