Chapter 51

The next morning, Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci naturally woke up and prepared to return home.

Before leaving, she felt a bit reluctant.

Knowing what was on her mind, Pei Qingci hooked her finger and softly promised, “We’ll come back when we have another break.”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

Because of their antics the previous night, all of her energy was drained. Even after resting for a few hours, Sheng Qingli still felt tired.

After getting in the car, she didn’t bother to talk to Pei Qingci and quickly fell asleep, resting her head to the side.

Pei Qingci would occasionally glance at her sleeping face, the corners of his lips curving upward, with a trace of amusement in his eyes.

They returned to the hotel smoothly, and after resting in their respective rooms for a while, they headed to the restaurant for a meal.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the two actors pretended to be surprised and greeted each other, “Ms. Sheng, what a coincidence!”

Pei Qingci gestured towards her, “Shall we eat together? Maybe run through our lines?”

Sheng Qingli stifled a laugh, and just as she was hesitating, Ye Guangyuan entered through the doorway.

“Brother Ye,” Sheng Qingli called out to him.

Ye Guangyuan looked over, smiling as he greeted them both, “Qingci, Qingli.”

Ye Guangyuan was a few years older than Pei Qingci, so it wasn’t appropriate to call him “Brother Pei.” When they joined the production, Pei Qingci had instructed everyone to call him by his name instead of “Teacher.”

The first time Ye Guangyuan called their names directly, he muttered, “Your names really are quite similar.”

It’s no wonder fans ship them so hard, saying they’re destined to be together.

“Brother Ye,” Pei Qingci said calmly, “Want to join us?”

Ye Guangyuan paused, about to decline, but Sheng Qingli added, “Join us. If it’s just me and Mr. Pei, I feel like we’ll get photographed.”

Although the hotel restaurant staff were professional and wouldn’t spread gossip, you could never be too careful.

Ye Guangyuan thought it over and agreed. “Alright.”

He sat down next to Pei Qingci.

The table was rectangular, with Sheng Qingli taking up one side on her own.

All three of them had scenes scheduled in the afternoon and evening, so they ate and chatted without any rush.

When they were almost done eating, Ye Guangyuan’s phone rang. He looked at them and said, “I’ll step out to take this call.”

After he left, Pei Qingci raised his eyes to the person across from him, chuckling softly. “Is this really necessary?”

Sheng Qingli blinked lightly. “I think it is.”

Since she insisted, Pei Qingci went along with it. He respected her concerns.

After lunch, the three of them headed to the set.

In the morning, other actors had scenes, so when Sheng Qingli arrived, the set was bustling.

In the days leading up to New Year’s, Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci’s scenes continued as usual.

On New Year’s Day, the crew was still filming.

Even after wrapping up the shoot, it was already 9 PM.

After finishing for the day, Sheng Qingli was ready to change and return to the hotel.

As soon as she changed, her co-star Cen Jie approached her. “Qingli, we’re planning to go to the rooftop nearby to count down to the New Year. Want to join?”

After working together for over half a month, Sheng Qingli had grown quite fond of Cen Jie. Though she appeared aloof on the outside, she had the personality of a young girl underneath.

Sheng Qingli initially planned to decline, but after a second thought, she realized that with everyone watching her and Pei Qingci, there was no chance they could sneak off for alone time anyway, even if they didn’t join the group activity.

It’s too late now.

Spending New Year’s Eve with the cast actually made the two of them feel more relaxed.

Without much hesitation, Sheng Qingli nodded and agreed, “Sure, are we going now?”

She looked around and casually asked, “Who else is going?”

“Brother Ye and the others.”

Cen Jie answered, “But we haven’t asked Pei yet. It seems like he’s not really interested.”

Hearing this, Cen Jie looked at Sheng Qingli and whispered, “Why don’t you ask him?”

Sheng Qingli met her gaze and smiled, “Alright, I’ll call him and ask.”

Cen Jie nodded, “Okay, I’ll go to the restroom first.”

After Cen Jie left, Sheng Qingli took out her phone and called Pei Qingci.

Pei Qingci finished work relatively early today and stayed with the crew for a while before heading back to the hotel.

He had an event livestream later, so he had to return to the hotel early.

But by now, it should have already ended.

“Hello,” Pei Qingci answered when he saw her call, “Did you finish work?”

Hearing his calm, clear voice, Sheng Qingli murmured, “Mhm, where are you now?”

Pei Qingci chuckled, “At the hotel. What’s up?”

“They asked me to go to the nearby tall building for the New Year’s countdown. Are you coming?” Sheng Qingli asked in a low voice.

Pei Qingci lifted his gaze, “Do you want to go with them?”

“It’s not about wanting or not,” Sheng Qingli muttered, “We can’t spend it together anyway.”

Pei Qingci: “…”

If they spent it together, they’d just be stuck in the hotel. While that wouldn’t be too bad, it was their first New Year’s Eve after getting back together, and Sheng Qingli still wanted to go out with Pei Qingci.

Understanding her thoughts, Pei Qingci replied softly, “Alright, I’ll come over now.”

Sheng Qingli smiled brightly, “I’ll send you the exact address.”

She looked up at the night sky and reminded him, “Mr. Pei, make sure to wrap up well so you don’t get spotted by fans before you even arrive.”

Pei Qingci smiled, “Don’t worry, Ms. Sheng, I’ll get there smoothly.”

Wherever she was, he would definitely be.

Sheng Qingli smiled, “Alright, I’m hanging up now.”

Pei Qingci: “Okay.”

After the call, Cen Jie and Ye Guangyuan were ready too.

—

The actors bundled themselves up and headed to the New Year’s Eve location.

On the way, the traffic was packed.

What was supposed to be a ten-minute drive took over half an hour without much progress.

In the end, they decided to get out and walk.

By the time they reached the building, they had to wait another half hour for the elevator.

When they finally made it to the rooftop, it was already 11:30.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Ye Guangyuan looked around, “Is Pei here yet?”

Cen Jie shook her head, “Doesn’t seem like it.”

“When was the last time you contacted him?” Ye Guangyuan asked.

Sheng Qingli checked her phone, “An hour ago.”

Pei Qingci was coming from further away.

Everyone exchanged glances, “He’s not going to miss it, is he?”

“Probably not.”

“My phone has no signal; I can’t even send a message.”

“What about calling?”

“It’s so noisy, he probably wouldn’t hear it anyway.”

“…”

They all discussed anxiously. Sheng Qingli felt the same way, but there was nothing they could do at this point. After a moment of thought, she reassured the others, “It’s fine, I think Mr. Pei will make it in time. Let’s go find a spot near the edge, and I’ll try sending him a message with our location.”

Cen Jie agreed, “I think that’s a good idea.”

The group moved toward the edge of the rooftop. On New Year’s Eve, there were a lot of people in the city, and from their vantage point on the tall building, they could see most of Shanghai’s skyline.

Sheng Qingli stood slightly to the side, wearing a mask and hat, and tried to send a message to Pei Qingci with the intermittent signal: “Are you here yet? We’re facing the tower. I’m wearing the black down jacket from this morning.”

After clearly telling Pei Qingci their location, Sheng Qingli sighed as she watched the signal spin.

She wasn’t sure if the message would go through. It was their first New Year’s Eve together after getting back together—could it be that they wouldn’t get to spend it together again?

Suddenly, Sheng Qingli felt a bit frustrated.

A few years ago, when she and Pei Qingci were dating, they didn’t spend New Year’s Eve together either.

They were both busy back then, and Sheng Qingli had been assigned to perform at a New Year’s event.

She wasn’t great at singing, but with the company’s arrangement, Sheng Qingli had no choice but to go.

Although Pei Qingci didn’t participate in any New Year’s TV events, he couldn’t fly to her city either.

The two of them didn’t even get to call each other at midnight to wish each other a happy New Year.

Because at midnight, Sheng Qingli was still on stage at the New Year’s gala.

Her phone was with her assistant, and as a low-profile actress, it wasn’t appropriate for her to be on stage video-calling her boyfriend.

Pei Qingci, meanwhile, was on set filming.

By the time Sheng Qingli got back to the hotel and called him, it was already after 1 a.m.

Pei Qingci hadn’t finished filming.

He was still on set, so they exchanged brief New Year’s wishes before hanging up quickly.

“…”

As Sheng Qingli was lost in her thoughts, someone hooked her hand.

Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but then she realized something and turned to look at the person who had appeared, “When did you get here?”

Her eyes were full of surprise.

Seeing the joy in her eyes, Pei Qingci silently smiled, knowing that running over here had been the right decision.

“Just now,” he replied to her softly, “Were you getting impatient?”

Sheng Qingli lowered her head and quietly said, “I thought you wouldn’t make it.”

Pei Qingci: “I wouldn’t.”

As long as she was here, he would do everything in his power to get there.

As the two whispered to each other, Ye Guangyuan noticed Pei Qingci’s presence and hurriedly raised his hand, “Qing—”

Pei Qingci nodded slightly, “Sorry for the wait.”

Cen Jie and the other two actors also turned around, cautiously greeting him, “It’s good that Mr. Pei could make it.”

Pei Qingci smiled gently.

In two minutes, it would be a new year.

Pei Qingci glanced at the time, using his body as a shield, and interlocked his fingers with Sheng Qingli’s. He was also wearing a mask and hat, so he wasn’t worried about being recognized.

He tilted his head slightly, talking to Sheng Qingli in the middle of the crowded scene.

As they spoke, someone in the distance shouted, “Ten seconds left!”

The people on the rooftop began to count down.

Sheng Qingli joined in, curling her fingers around Pei Qingci’s, wanting him to join her.

“Ten, nine, eight… three, two, one…” As the last word fell, Pei Qingci couldn’t help but lower his head, leaning in to whisper by Sheng Qingli’s ear, “Lili, Happy New Year.”

Sheng Qingli smiled, her eyes curving. Just as she turned to wish him a Happy New Year, Pei Qingci, catching her off guard, kissed her through his mask.

Sheng Qingli’s breath caught, and her heart jumped to her throat. “You—”

“No one saw,” Pei Qingci whispered, squeezing her fingers, “They’re looking the other way.”

Fireworks were bursting on the other side, and Cen Jie and the others had already turned their heads.

Sheng Qingli let out a sigh of relief and whispered, “You scared me.”

“No need to worry.” Pei Qingci wasn’t so reckless. He raised his hand to pat her on the head. “Want to watch the fireworks?”

Sheng Qingli: “…Mm.”

Amidst the bustling crowd, under the bright moonlight, at the start of the new year, Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci finally made up for the regrets of years past.

This year, they stood side by side, counting down together to welcome the new year.

Happy New Year.

“Should we make a wish?” Sheng Qingli whispered.

Pei Qingci agreed.

As the new year’s come, they made a wish—next year, the year after, and for many years to come, they would continue to be together. This new year, Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci would certainly find greater fulfillment.