CHAPTER 10: Pain Again

The next morning, Chang Yan arrived early at Huating Yuefu. Wen Heng had said there was something important to discuss.

At Wen Heng’s level of fame, he didn’t need to fly all over or constantly appear on variety shows to stay relevant. Although the studio was flooded with film offers, event invites, and even talent shows asking him to appear, it all depended on his own willingness. Currently, his main focus—apart from negotiating the lead role in the blockbuster historical drama Traceback—was filming The Four Laws of Happiness.

So when Wen Heng said it was urgent, Chang Yan didn’t dare take it lightly. As soon as he entered, he asked, “What’s so urgent? Don’t tell me you’re backing out of Traceback.”

Wen Heng shook his head. Auditions for Traceback hadn’t started yet, and the female lead hadn’t been confirmed. But the screenwriter had given him the script early. After reading it carefully, Wen Heng had already decided to accept the role.

But today wasn’t about work. Wen Heng led him into the living room, and Chang Yan realized Gu Sheng was there too.

“Good morning, Ms. Gu,” Chang Yan greeted with a smile, feeling even more confused.

Wen Heng sat down in front of them and took a deep breath. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, he really wouldn’t want to explain something so ridiculous—like how his body frequently suffered mysterious pain, and how only touching Gu Sheng could make it stop.

But the sudden hair loss and the Level 10 pain yesterday that felt like dying finally forced him—or perhaps it wasn’t all that forced—to admit:

He needed Gu Sheng.

Wen Heng tried to explain in as objective a tone as possible, using a more scientific-sounding approach, so as not to scare them.
“My body… may be experiencing a condition that could be understood as something similar to touch starvation.”

Chang Yan: “Huh?!”

His inner worried-mother mode kicked in immediately. Could it be that not touching a woman for too long has caused some kind of problem? You’re a married man, why are you doing this to yourself?!

Gu Sheng’s expression: just the right amount of surprise.

Gu Sheng’s thoughts: ? Hahahahaha it’s starting, it’s starting.

Chang Yan asked, “You mean like, emotionally lonely, needing to be hugged every day or something?”

Wen Heng realized how hard this was to explain. “…No.”

Chang Yan: “Then what does it feel like?”

“It’s just… occasionally,” Wen Heng said slowly, “I need to touch certain people.”

Chang Yan, being a top-tier agent, instantly sensed something off. “Who?”

Wen Heng’s calm gaze turned to Gu Sheng.

System: “AAAAAA he’s going all in! He’s saying, I need you! AAAA I’m dying over here—”

Gu Sheng’s brain worked fast. So he’s trying to get me to cooperate? No way I’m becoming his free blood bank.
Immediately, she acted out a look of shock tinged with embarrassment, and that embarrassment laced with a hint of suspicion.

Chang Yan was also stunned. “So what you’re saying is, you need physical contact with Gu Sheng?”

Wen Heng said nothing.

Putting together Wen Heng’s reaction when he pulled his hand away last time, Chang Yan translated it in his head—and shocked himself.
“So basically… you’re lusting after her body?!”

Wen Heng: “……” I’m not, I swear I’m not.

Gu Sheng quietly hugged herself.

Wen Heng looked at Chang Yan’s expression, which clearly said: You want her body. You’re shameless!

“……” He was silent for a long time.

Forget it!

–

But Wen Heng had started to figure out some patterns.

Level 10 pain really did feel like being ground to dust, but the pain relief only lasted seven seconds. Pain below Level 5, on the other hand, lasted much longer after relief.

Also, after one episode of Level 10 pain, the system would quiet down for several days.

The first full episode of The Four Laws of Happiness went live after post-production. As soon as it dropped, YuzuTV’s site got flooded with excited viewers and even started lagging.

The live footage was edited down to the highlights, with added interview clips. When the question “What moment touched you the most?” came up, the hashtag #WenHengCrying shot straight to the top of trending.

[AAAA my boy actually cried!!!]
[I’m sorry, I’ll never badmouth Gu Sheng again. Wen Heng, don’t cry 555]
[If you like her, then just like her, Wen-ge, I just want you to be happy]

Not long after, another trending topic rose up—#SoWhatExactlyMovedWenHengAndGuSheng—
That comment section was pure chaos and joy:

[Don’t ask, just know that it was touching!]
[Hahaha you guys don’t get it. Only the two of them truly understand this stuff!]
[We get it, we get it—ship it, period!]

Viewers were having a blast all the way through. Just when they thought the first episode had peaked, the director saved the biggest bombshell for last—and sure enough, it exploded across the internet.

[Holy crap! Classic wall pin kiss!!]

[Was it just camera angles?! Still, sooo swoon-worthy QAQ I wanna be pinned by Wen-ge too 555]
[CEO romance novels just got a face now AAAAA]

That night, the “WenSheng Couple” CP fandom attracted a wave of writers and fan artists. One fanfic titled “Only You Are My Cure” became the standout:

[…His eyes were red, hands gripping her waist as he pinned her against the wall, hoarsely whispering, “My life is yours.”]

The writing felt like middle-school level, but the plot made hearts race. Just imagine those two faces acting this out—it was addictive??

So the CP fans went wild. The fanfic went viral with tens of thousands of shares, and soon marketing accounts jumped in too, boosting the hashtag #WhatItFeelsLikeWhenFictionBecomesReality.
Overnight, the supertopic gained tens of thousands of new CP fans, all eagerly awaiting Episode 2 of The Four Laws of Happiness.

Seeing the buzz the “WenSheng” pairing was generating, the production team was so thrilled they couldn’t even sleep. They immediately dropped the teaser:

“Friday 8 PM, The Four Laws of Happiness Episode 2 livestream—we’ll see you at the film set location!”

“And this time, we have special guests~ Let’s welcome Golden Eagle Best Actor @Du Yanzhi and popular singer @Jiang Luwei——”

Gu Sheng: Oh? Now this is getting interesting.

Du Yanzhi was the handsome guy Gu Sheng had seen on the web earlier. She’d watched some of his shows at home, too.
Unlike Wen Heng, who did mostly films, Du Yanzhi focused on TV dramas. He had solid acting chops and had won plenty of awards. His fanbase was fierce. Gu Sheng was very interested in this kind of handsome guy.

As for Jiang Luwei…

Seeing that name, Gu Sheng casually reviewed the original novel’s plot.
Jiang Luwei and Wen Heng had quite a bit of history. The Jiang family wasn’t any less prominent than the Wen or Gu families.
She and Wen Heng had known each other since they were young. Talented and beautiful, both artistically inclined, both in the entertainment industry.
Long ago, all their friends thought Wen Heng would end up with Jiang Luwei—until the original Gu Sheng swooped in and forced her way into the picture.

Episode 2 of The Four Laws of Happiness, with Jiang Luwei’s arrival, was packed with even more drama and mess.
If the original Gu Sheng was ridiculed and humiliated in the first episode, in the second, she hit rock bottom in the social hierarchy.

Because this episode was filmed at a film base, there were segments involving costume changes and roleplay.
Song Qingzhi and Jiang Luwei teamed up to absolutely steamroll the original Gu Sheng.
One was a rising quasi-A-lister, the other a singer who had studied acting abroad for love. They weren’t top-tier, but more than enough to crush a “nobody” like Gu Sheng.

After reviewing the plot, Gu Sheng rubbed her hands together, feeling hyped.

Someone’s looking for trouble? Let’s go.

Coming after me over Wen Heng?

Then I’ll take him down with you too. 🙂

….

Ever since the announcement of the guest lineup, Jiang Luowei’s WeChat had been blowing up. She looked at all the sour and envious messages from her fake friends, along with the chatter in the group chat, and couldn’t help but smile smugly.

[Weiwei got invited to join a show with Young Master Wen the moment she returned to China?!]
[Did Wen Heng pull some strings with the production team?]
[Very likely.]
[LOL, isn’t Gu Sheng gonna lose it? Just started pushing the CP.]

Jiang Luowei waited a while before replying:

[Was just packing for the trip to X City, thank you all [heart emoji]. Honestly, I was a little worried I might end up being a burden to Wen Heng.]

That seemingly humble response instantly convinced everyone, and the messages of comfort came flooding in:

[A burden? Please. If anything, it’s Gu Sheng who’s been dragging Wen Heng down.]
[We’ll definitely watch this episode! Weiwei, you’re our only hope~ Save Young Master Wen from the flames~]

Thinking about Wen Heng’s face from her memories, Jiang Luowei felt a little flutter in her chest. Truthfully, when she first heard Wen Heng and Gu Sheng were going on a romance variety show together, she wasn’t the least bit worried. No one knew better than her that Wen Heng and Gu Sheng were in an arranged marriage, and their contract was set to end soon anyway.

But then, in the first episode, Wen Heng—who was famously a clean freak—actually touched Gu Sheng. That gave Jiang Luowei a sense of urgency.

Still, it didn’t matter. She was here now. She would make Wen Heng, and the whole internet, see that in every way, she was better than Gu Sheng.

…

Amid all the anticipation, the couples and guest stars of The Four Laws of Happiness set off for the film base in X City.

Chang Yan brought the team to see Wen Heng and Gu Sheng off at the airport.

Gu Sheng currently didn’t have her own management team, and Wen Heng had quietly instructed his team to handle all her affairs according to his own standards.

Also… the system had been unusually quiet these past few days, which made Wen Heng a little uneasy.

Thankfully, Gu Sheng was right next to him.

Being a top-tier celebrity, Wen Heng’s travels were always followed. Aside from fan sites and paparazzi, fans would also show up with gifts and letters to see him off. His fandom had been around for years and was well-managed.

Inside the terminal, even though the Hengxing fans were excited to see Wen Heng, they stayed orderly and didn’t rush forward.

His security team was solid too, with Gu Sheng walking inside the formation. A few fans even handed her gifts, and she smiled and thanked them.

But as they headed toward the boarding gate, suddenly another crowd surged over, followed by the constant clicking of camera shutters.

“Who’s that?”

“Is there another celebrity on this flight?”

“Hey, I think that’s Jiang Luowei—”

The crowd split in two. Jiang Luowei took off her sunglasses and strutted over in heels, confidently walking toward Wen Heng and Gu Sheng.

“She came over here?!”

“Heard she and Wen-ge have known each other since they were kids…”

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow. That was fast.

Jiang Luowei had good looks, a sharp-featured beauty. Her gaze carried a certain pride, but when she looked at Wen Heng, her eyes softened unintentionally.

However, when her eyes turned to Gu Sheng, that softness turned into scrutiny. The two had never gotten along in the elite circle—Gu Sheng’s predecessor had a terrible reputation, while Jiang Luowei had plenty of supporters.

“Wen Heng, Miss Gu, long time no see!” Jiang Luowei looked at them with a surprised expression. “I just happened to bring you two gifts from abroad. Didn’t expect to run into you here~”

Wen Heng nodded, his expression still carrying that cool detachment Jiang Luowei remembered so well—the kind that made people addicted.

“Long time no see.”

Jiang Luowei waved her hand for her assistant, who came over with a paper bag. She took it and handed it toward Wen Heng, her eyes full of shy anticipation.

The fans watching from both sides thought they were witnessing a wholesome celebrity friendship.

But Wen Heng lowered his gaze to glance at the bag, then turned his head toward Gu Sheng.

If this gift was for both him and Gu Sheng… why was there only one bag?

Gu Sheng looked totally unfazed, like none of this concerned her.

She was thinking—she’d mostly figured out how the CP system worked by now. If she guessed right, scenes like this where a CP got “challenged” usually triggered something.

Heh.

Jiang Luowei saw this and joked, “Take it already? It’s just a little something. Gu Sheng wouldn’t get jealous, right?”

Well, damn. She really was a seasoned player. Jiang Luowei had just publicly hinted in front of all of Wen Heng’s fans that Gu Sheng was the jealous type—which, given her rumored past threats to blacklist Song Qingzhi, wasn’t exactly far-fetched.

The mood at the scene began to shift.

But just then, Gu Sheng suddenly curved her lips into a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not jealous.”

I’m just here for the drama.

She clearly heard the beep— of her CP system, more indignant than usual.

At the same time, Wen Heng also heard a system warning:

“You will experience the 09th wave of pain in 3 seconds.”

Wen Heng: “!” The warning times were random now?!

A moment later, the system alerts echoed in both their ears:

“Pain of Love #09: Like taking a blow.”
“Pain Level: 8.”

Completely unaware, Jiang Luowei extended the bag toward him.

In the next second, Wen Heng suddenly lurched backward like he’d been punched!

Gu Sheng: Dodge!

Everyone at the scene: WTF?!

From the outside, it looked like Jiang Luowei had straight-up punched Wen Heng in front of everyone!

The Hengxing fans lost it: “Jiang Luowei, what are you doing?! Did you just hit our brother?!”

The whole place descended into chaos.

When the airport security finally restrained Jiang Luowei, she was still in a daze.

“I—I didn’t do anything!”

“I’ve been framed!!”

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