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Qin Mingyuan came to C City alone this time. He didn’t bring his driver or assistant, only informed the production team in advance to let the staff know of his arrival, asking them not to make a big fuss over it. This wasn’t an official inspection, but rather a personal trip.
Just before leaving, he received a call from Zhou Yang regarding a company matter, which delayed him a bit. By the time he arrived, it was almost 1:00 p.m.
For some reason, when he reached the filming location, he noticed a large crowd of young girls gathered outside, all excitedly clustered together.
After parking his car and stepping out to stretch his stiff body from the long drive, he checked the time and headed toward the filming site.
The staff member dealing with the group of girls noticed him immediately and rushed over enthusiastically. He had been informed earlier by the person in charge that this was one of their investors, so he didn’t dare show any negligence.
Qin Mingyuan had always been an eye-catching presence, and the young girls couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at him. He didn’t mind the attention, gave the staff a simple nod, and walked inside. A few steps later, he vaguely heard one of the girls asking if he was an actor from the production.
He didn’t catch the response clearly, but soon after, he heard a loud round of screams and the name Liang Zichen being mentioned.
Looking back, Qin Mingyuan saw a tall man submerged in the fan crowd, politely greeting them with a courteous smile.
Qin Mingyuan had no intention of greeting him and quickly turned his gaze away, following the direction the staff had indicated earlier.
This time, the filming location was different from the last visit. The set was at an older school, and the specific scene was being shot in an art classroom, which took him a while to find.
To avoid attracting the attention of students, the production team had scheduled the school scenes to be filmed over the weekend. There weren’t too many scenes here, so time wasn’t too tight.
As Qin Mingyuan approached the classroom, he saw a group of staff gathered outside. The atmosphere was quiet, likely because filming was in progress. Even when talking, everyone was whispering.
Standing quietly behind the crowd, Qin Mingyuan used his height to peek over the heads of those in front. From this limited angle, he could only see a corner of the canvas, partially blocked by equipment, with no clear view of the person behind it.
He frowned, took two steps back, and leaned against the half-height wall along the corridor. The sunlight filtering in blurred the expression of slight impatience on his face.
He wasn’t sure if this trip to satisfy his mild curiosity was worth the time, but he genuinely wanted to know if the person with those familiar hands was someone he had met before.
Qin Mingyuan had never liked to deny himself anything once he made up his mind. Now that no one was in a position to stop him, he figured he’d wait—after all, the person he wanted to see would eventually come out once the filming ended.
Yun Yuexian exited the art classroom, his usual friendly smile plastered on his face as he greeted the staff along the way. He appeared to be in a good mood, but no one knew that inside, he was boiling with frustration.
His filming progress had not been smooth, and the director had scolded him multiple times. Although he thought he had a decent grasp of his character, he couldn’t figure out why the director was still dissatisfied.
This frustration lasted until Yun Pei arrived to film his close-up shots, leaving Yun Yuexian feeling humiliated in front of him.
Despite watching Yun Pei’s filming with indignation, all Yun Pei did was sit there painting, with only his hands visible on camera. Yet, Director Li praised him, even loosening his usual frown.
What infuriated Yun Yuexian the most was the pity in Yun Pei’s eyes when he looked at his disabled brother. That look of regret made Yun Yuexian so uncomfortable that he couldn’t take it anymore and walked away.
After greeting the staff, Yun Yuexian looked up and spotted someone who shouldn’t have been there. He paused, quickly gathered his thoughts, and smiled as he walked over.
Qin Mingyuan felt a tug on his sleeve. He frowned and looked over.
“Brother Mingyuan, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to visit?” Yun Yuexian smiled up at him, then, as if remembering the last time, joked, “Here for another inspection?”
Qin Mingyuan withdrew his hand from Yun Yuexian’s grip, nonchalantly smoothing his sleeve as he lowered his eyes and said, “Personal trip.”
Yun Yuexian’s smile widened at that, despite the makeup on his face giving him a slightly sickly appearance. His pale complexion made him look delicate, almost like a fragile flower blooming shakily—beautiful and pitiable.
Unfortunately, Qin Mingyuan’s gaze didn’t linger on him, his thoughts instead preoccupied with the ongoing filming. “I don’t have many scenes today,” Yun Yuexian said quietly, edging closer to him. “There’s just one or two more this afternoon. Brother Mingyuan, you’re not going to leave without spending some time with me, right? We haven’t had a proper chat in ages.”
Qin Mingyuan stood up straight and subtly distanced himself from Yun Yuexian.
Yun Yuexian didn’t seem to notice Qin Mingyuan’s avoidance and assumed he was merely adjusting for comfort. “Since my scenes are wrapped up for now, why don’t we head out together?”
Given that Qin Mingyuan wasn’t here for business, he must’ve come to visit him, Yun Yuexian thought. The current filming involved Yun Pei, and he didn’t want the two to meet, so he eagerly tried to lead him away.
Instead of answering directly, Qin Mingyuan commented, “I saw Liang Zichen outside when I arrived. You two seem close.”
The person next to him went silent instantly, pausing for a while before tentatively saying, “Brother Mingyuan, do you still misunderstand? Between me and him…”
Before he could finish his explanation, they were interrupted by Director Li’s booming voice from the classroom. The previously quiet atmosphere erupted into activity, with people bustling around.
The awkwardness dissipated, and Yun Yuexian breathed a sigh of relief, pretending nothing had happened. “Brother Mingyuan, we…”
This time, Qin Mingyuan didn’t let him finish. He stepped into the classroom, pushing through the crowd now dispersing.
His gaze swept over the busy staff until it landed by the window, where the sunlight bathed a figure seated in front of a canvas. The person was still focused on finishing their painting, seemingly unfazed by the surrounding chaos.
The person at the window remained unaffected, not caring whether filming had ended. They continued to perfect their work with gentle brushstrokes.
Yun Yuexian, unable to stop Qin Mingyuan in time, followed him in with a sour expression.
“Yuexian? Weren’t you going to lunch?” The assistant director turned, spotting him and calling out loudly. He glanced at the man beside Yun Yuexian, vaguely recalling him as one of their investors.
“Ah…” Yun Yuexian quickly adjusted his expression and smiled, walking over. “I bumped into someone I know, so I came in for another look.”
The assistant director smiled knowingly and didn’t ask further, though he gave Qin Mingyuan another meaningful glance.
Qin Mingyuan didn’t care what they were discussing. His attention was focused on Yun Pei, who, isolated from the noise around him, calmly continued painting under the sunlight. Qin Mingyuan’s lips curled into a rare smile—one that reached his eyes. Interesting, very interesting indeed.
Yun Yuexian finished his brief conversation with the assistant director and turned around, just in time to see Qin Mingyuan’s gentle gaze directed at the figure by the window. His heart sank, and he clenched his fists, struggling to maintain his composure.
Yun Pei remained indifferent to everything happening behind him. He added a final stroke to his painting before finally stopping, satisfied.
That morning, Director Li hadn’t given him any specific directions for the scene, simply asking him to sit and paint naturally. That was exactly what the director wanted—the most authentic state of mind.
After cleaning his brush and rinsing off the paint, Yun Pei placed the brush back in the holder and wiped his stained fingertips.
He then maneuvered his wheelchair, intending to wash his hands. When he looked up, his gaze met Qin Mingyuan’s from across the room, and he paused for a moment.
He glanced at Qin Mingyuan, then at Yun Yuexian beside him, as if understanding something. He met Qin Mingyuan’s gaze again, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Somehow, Qin Mingyuan instantly understood the meaning behind Yun Pei’s look: “Weren’t you the one who said you weren’t interested? So why are you here now?” From an outsider’s perspective, his actions did seem a bit contradictory.
“Teacher Siyu, that’s a wrap for now. The next scene will be in a different location, but we’ll have to finish up here first, which may take until the afternoon. You can rest for now. Thank you for your hard work,” Xiao Chen came over just in time, handing him a bottle of water with a friendly smile. “Even though I’ve watched your videos often, seeing you paint in person is something else. I’m honored.”
Yun Pei accepted the water with a brief nod, his response cool.
Yet, Qin Mingyuan noticed the slight redness at the tips of Yun Pei’s ears. As expected, he’s just like a shy plant.
“Brother Mingyuan, things are wrapping up here. Let’s go have lunch,” Yun Yuexian took a step forward, blocking his view of Yun Pei.
Yun Pei ignored them, maneuvering his wheelchair out the door.
Qin Mingyuan watched him leave, deep in thought, then turned to Yun Yuexian and said, “Let’s do this another time. I have some other matters to attend to.”
Before Yun Yuexian could respond, Qin Mingyuan had already turned and walked away, disappearing outside the door. Yun Yuexian’s expression darkened as he pressed his lips together.
Meanwhile, Yun Pei followed the staff’s directions to the restroom on the floor, stopping at the sink.
The old campus still had the most basic type of faucets, which creaked loudly when turned on.
The water flow was weak, but he didn’t mind, patiently scrubbing the paint from his hands at a leisurely pace.
Behind him, footsteps approached, then stopped, followed by a low male voice, “Siyu?”
Yun Pei’s hands paused momentarily, but he didn’t turn around or reply.
Qin Mingyuan didn’t seem to mind. His hands were casually tucked into his pockets as he stood straight. “When I first saw that name at the exhibition, I thought it belonged to a woman.”
Yun Pei stopped scrubbing again, pursed his lips, then resumed washing away the last bit of paint. This time, he didn’t remain silent. “So, you were the one who bought that painting?”
“I thought it was an interesting piece,” Qin Mingyuan didn’t deny it. He stepped forward, placing a hand on the back of the wheelchair. “The gallery staff said the painting symbolized light after darkness. But I saw the opposite. I wonder who’s right?”
With his fingers now clean, Yun Pei turned off the faucet and glanced up at him. “Do you have a tissue?”
Qin Mingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly and, with a cold expression, pulled out a handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it over.
It was a habit instilled in him by his grandfather.
Yun Pei took the handkerchief without hesitation, drying his hands before folding it neatly. Instead of returning it, he slipped it into his own pocket. “I’ll wash it and give it back later.”
Qin Mingyuan didn’t care much. Watching Yun Pei turn his wheelchair, he let his hand fall away and met the other’s gaze.
“So, you’re the one who spent all that money like a fool,” Yun Pei’s usually cool eyes twinkled with rare amusement.
Hearing this comment, Qin Mingyuan’s eyebrow arched higher. He was simply indulgent, willing to spend more on things he liked. “If you think I got a bad deal, you can give me a refund.”
Yun Pei didn’t respond to that, instead looking around and saying, “Do we really need to chat in a place like this?”
Qin Mingyuan followed his gaze and realized that the bathroom entrance wasn’t exactly ideal. He glanced at his watch. Having left late today and taken longer than expected to arrive due to unfamiliar roads, it was now well past lunchtime. He tapped his watch face lightly. “It’s getting late. How about we grab lunch?”
“Aren’t you worried Yun Yuexian will misunderstand if you have lunch with me?” Yun Pei didn’t say yes or no, still unsure of what Qin Mingyuan was thinking. “After you gave me a ride last time, he already seemed pretty concerned.”
“I thought I made myself clear last time. I’m not interested in him.” At this, Qin Mingyuan suddenly bent down, resting his hand on the wheelchair’s armrest.
“But you, I’m starting to find it interesting.”
Once again under Qin Mingyuan’s towering presence, Yun Pei felt uncomfortable. He blinked to hide his unease, refusing to look away as he focused on the tear mole at the corner of Qin Mingyuan’s eye, avoiding direct contact with his dark gaze.
Noticing the faint blush creeping from Yun Pei’s earlobe to his neck, Qin Mingyuan straightened up, adjusted his suit, and with a cold, handsome face asked, “So, are we going or not?”
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Eexeee[Translator]
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