CHAPTER 9: It Hurt

The camera captured a clear shot of Wen Heng shedding a tear.

After recovering from their surprise, both the assistant director and the cameraman were thrilled. This was gold!

In Wen Heng’s past works, a few of his crying scenes had become legendary—used even as textbook material in acting schools. His tears never came off as weak, but more like watching a marble sculpture crack open—stunning, tragic, and deeply moving.

But all these years, Wen Heng had never once shown real emotion on camera outside of acting.

This time, however, while recalling his time with Gu Sheng, he teared up.

—What is this? This is love!!

The expression on Wen Heng’s face could inspire a 10,000-word film critique.

As the only one present who knew the real reason, Gu Sheng held back laughter with all her might, handed him a tissue, and sighed:
“Here, wipe it.”

“…” Wen Heng took the tissue, brows furrowed.
“I didn’t want this to happen.”

The assistant director nodded like crazy,
“We totally understand, Wen God!”

All this time he’d kept it in—but in the end, the feelings just burst out!
She could barely stop herself from sending the footage to post-production immediately so the whole team could scream together!

Gu Sheng nearly laughed out loud. Oh, we understand, all right!

You didn’t want to cry—but you were in pain!

But just as she was still trying to school her expression, she felt a hand land lightly on her shoulder. She looked up—and met Wen Heng’s clear, dark eyes.

The deep lake had stilled—no more tears.

“And you?” Wen Heng asked. “Wife.”

The dog-man threw the “touching moment” question right back at her. But that one word—“wife”—completely caught Gu Sheng off guard.

The assistant director nearly clawed through the cameraman’s leg.

—She heard it! She actually heard Wen God call her “wife”! This is TOO MUCH!!

Gu Sheng couldn’t hide the surprise in her eyes. She asked the system:
“Is his bug gone and now he’s just given up all restraint??”

The system couldn’t reply—it had fainted from shipping:
“Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!”

“…” Gu Sheng knew she couldn’t count on it—but she had her own tricks.

Acting in front of a camera? Bring it on.

She immediately adopted a teary expression, her eyes turning red at the corners in a blink.
“Yes, that was the moment that moved me the most too! Sob sob, seeing you cry made me want to cry too.”

Assistant director: So heartbreaking! I just want to wipe her tears!

Wen Heng lowered his gaze. Her eyes were misty, and her peach blossom eyes shimmered faintly. He froze for a second.

Two seconds later, he came back to himself—realizing this woman was just faking it.

Their eyes met.

Wen Heng’s system:
“Countdown complete. Pain 06 and 07 cleared.”

Gu Sheng’s system:
“Pain relief for 06 and 07 successful! Reward: Your ‘Normal Styling’ has been upgraded to ‘Stunning Styling’~”

But on the surface, neither showed a hint of emotion. They each casually averted their gaze.

In the end, no one but Wen Heng and Gu Sheng knew what they were really feeling.

Yet somehow—they managed to create the most touching moment out of all four couples.

The assistant director and the cameraman wrapped up the interview session with satisfaction and got into the production team’s car, following the two leads to the magazine cover shoot location.

…

The studio was located in the suburbs.

But Wen Heng’s fans had already gotten wind of his schedule and were waiting outside the studio early on. As soon as the nanny van arrived, they screamed and surged forward.

“Ahhh Wen-ge!”

“Gege, hope your shoot goes smoothly today!”

There was no doubt about his top-tier popularity. What surprised Gu Sheng was that among the crowd, there were also a few girls waving at her like crazy. Some held banners with “WenSheng Couple” written on them, but the expressions on their faces were clearly full of fondness and support for her.

She hadn’t seen her fans in a long time. Even though there weren’t many, Gu Sheng still felt that rare, familiar spark reigniting in her.

She lifted her face and smiled brightly at them, as if to say, Watch me.

The few girls were stunned for a moment, then erupted in high-pitched screams.

— Ahhhhhh help! Jiejie’s face is a weapon!

— Wuwuwu she’s even prettier in person than on TV! I’m swooning!

Photos from the scene quickly spread online. Since The Four Laws of Happiness was still airing, “Wen Heng and Gu Sheng shooting for a magazine” was picked up by several marketing accounts, attracting tons of viewers:

[Gege looks so handsome today too!][Gu Sheng is so pretty woc]

[Ahhh my CP is finally working together again!]

[As a Hengxing, I’m only looking forward to Wen-ge. Hope someone doesn’t drag him down again.]

[So salty up there. You call looking like Gu Sheng ‘dragging down’? I wish I could drag like that.]

[It’s not just about looks, okay? If she doesn’t have camera sense, even Teacher Xu can’t save the shoot.]

Teacher Xu, Xu Ziling, a renowned photographer in China, had worked with top fashion magazines and luxury brands and held a highly respected status in the industry. He had already gained the adoration of Wen Heng fans by producing two legendary covers featuring him, hence the honorific “Teacher Xu.”

This time, VOL was shooting a dual cover—featuring not only Wen-ge but also his wife. Xu Ziling had mentally prepared himself. He had connections in elite circles, so he had already received many “helpful” old photos of Gu Sheng from well-meaning folks.

Looking at the old pics full of peace signs and pouty lips, Xu Ziling was deeply worried. His first draft of the shoot’s concept came out rather… funereal.

So he made another more conventional version, planning to go with that. But then, in some sudden moment, inspiration struck—and a third, stunning concept came to mind.

“Symbiosis” — mutual dependence, survival through each other.

Tension drawn to its limits by life and death, aggression and surrender, true love and false affection.

Inside the studio, Gu Sheng was instantly hooked after hearing Xu Ziling describe the theme. It resonated with her perfectly.

Eyes sparkling with excitement, she sincerely praised him, “Teacher Xu, you’re amazing!”

Xu Ziling hadn’t expected her to have such a great personality or to take her work so seriously. And she was just so good-looking that for a moment, Xu Ziling was a little dazed. “No, no, as long as you like it!”

He completely forgot how worried he had been about her earlier.

Wen Heng stood silently to the side, watching the two of them chatting so animatedly.

After a long moment, Xu Ziling finally remembered Wen-ge and quickly turned to him. “What do you think? If it works, we’ll go with this version and do a test shoot.”

Wen Heng glanced at Gu Sheng with a hard-to-read expression and nodded. “Fine.”

Light music started playing in the studio to help the artists ease into the mood. The fog machine was set up and began to emit a gentle white mist. Staff bustled about, moving props like dead trees and sheer drapes to arrange the set.

The styling for the shoot was bold and eye-catching. Gu Sheng wore a white gauzy gown. From the collarbone to the waist, it was almost entirely sheer, laced together with thin straps—half-revealed, half-concealed.

As she stepped out of the dressing room, she could hear sharp intakes of breath all around.

Even Xu Ziling was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Gu Sheng to own that dress so completely. Her vibe wasn’t at all tacky—instead, she lounged lazily in front of the mirror, letting the makeup artist work on her, yet the entire studio was magnetically drawn to her presence.

This spell didn’t break until Wen Heng walked out.

To match the “symbiosis” concept, Wen Heng wore a black sheer top and wide-legged dress pants that dragged along the floor. On another man, it might’ve looked too soft or feminine, but on Wen Heng’s lean, elegant frame, it only highlighted the striking beauty of his lines from shoulder to waist.

“These two… help…”

“They look so good together I think my eyesight just got cured…”

Finally, the styling was complete. Gu Sheng and Wen Heng stood in the middle of the set.

Wen Heng lowered his eyes slightly, caught sight of the neckline design on her dress, then quickly looked away and said in a low voice, “Don’t be nervous. Relax and follow his direction.”

Gu Sheng gave him a sideways glance. “You too.”

—“Teachers, if you’re ready, we’ll begin.”

Wen Heng closed his eyes briefly and entered the zone. But when he opened them again, he immediately sensed that the person beside him… had changed.

That lazy aura from before had completely vanished—and through Xu Ziling’s lens, that transformation became even more striking.

She… wasn’t afraid of the camera. In fact, she was invading it.

Originally, Xu Ziling’s plan was to have Wen Heng represent “aggression” in the symbiosis theme, while Gu Sheng portrayed “deep affection”—the simpler role.

But the moment he saw Gu Sheng through the viewfinder, he instantly changed his mind.

The aggressor in this symbiosis… was Gu Sheng.

Her brows, her lips, every movement carried a lethal kind of allure. When posing with Wen Heng, she showed zero hesitation—whether leaning against him or standing behind him, she had a presence that was never overshadowed by him.

By the end, Wen Heng found himself looking at her almost involuntarily, gaze dark and intense.

The final shot showed Wen Heng staring at Gu Sheng, while Gu Sheng looked straight into the camera. Black and white split the image in two, and in that soulful gaze, a desolate flower bloomed. Love and hate in symbiosis, blurred and shimmering behind white mist and dead branches.

Staring at the image, Xu Ziling murmured, “Well, my performance bonus this year is secure…”

Gu Sheng was not someone who would stop here.

Her soul was so heavy, yet so light—it was destined to soar into the sky.

…

During the cover shoot, the production team of The Four Laws of Happiness wasn’t allowed to film behind the scenes, to prevent leaks that could cause losses for the magazine.

All they could do was interview a few excited staff members who had just come out—and the responses were strikingly consistent.

“Holy crap! That was insane! Just insane!”

“You guys don’t even know—everyone was completely blown away in there! I’m betting this issue sells out!”

“I thought I’d be drooling over Wen Heng, but turns out I spent the whole time thinking about how gorgeous Sheng-jie is!”

The assistant director and cameraman were itching with curiosity, only wishing they had been inside.

The footage from the earlier post-interview had already been sent to the director’s team. The chief director was thrilled and showered them with praise, excitedly urging: “Keep going! Keep digging!”

So, when Gu Sheng and Wen Heng changed out of their outfits, the team brought the cameras back into the studio.

Wen Heng still couldn’t quite control his heartbeat.

It felt like he was meeting his wife for the first time—he was honestly stunned by her.

When Gu Sheng came out, her eyes immediately met Wen Heng’s. She raised an eyebrow. She was quite pleased with her performance just now, thinking: This damn man must’ve been completely floored by me.

Wen Heng slowly walked over and looked down at her. He wanted to say, You did great, but once the words reached his lips, he didn’t know how to say them.

Gu Sheng didn’t catch his hesitation—she just suddenly remembered to ask the system, “I was busy earlier and forgot—what was the bug he found in the system?”

System: 「It seems he used a part of your body as a painkiller to relieve the pain. The system didn’t detect it in time.」

“??” Gu Sheng was shocked. “That pervert? A part of my body??”

Her eyes instantly blazed with fire.

Wen Heng, who had just wanted to compliment her and couldn’t understand why she suddenly looked like she wanted to kill him: ?

The system quickly explained: 「Please calm down, Host. From my analysis, it was your hair! And it was something you dropped!」

Gu Sheng fumed, “This time it’s hair! What next, he’s gonna chop off my finger?!”

Pervert! Pervert!

System: 「Please rest assured, the bug has been fixed. Your physical body remains the male lead’s only antidote. This is essentially due to the male lead’s survival instinct resisting the system’s power. But even if he gains temporary access to certain item features, he’ll suffer even stronger backlash…」

Gu Sheng was stunned. “Items? He gets items? I don’t even have that!”

System: 「…」There’s no talking you down now!

At that moment, the two of them were standing in a corner of the studio. Staff members passing by were all sneaking glances at them, sensing that the top star and his wife were… not on the best terms.

The assistant director and cameraman, who had come to film extra footage, picked up on this too. They decided to keep their distance and just set up the camera to film from afar.

The assistant director asked Director Xu, “Did Mr. Wen and Ms. Gu just have a fight?”

Xu Ziling was still riding the high from earlier: “No way! Did you see Wen-ge’s eyes? Tsk, no way he’d pick a fight.”

Meanwhile, Wen Heng was just about to speak when he suddenly heard the system chime.

But this time, it wasn’t a direct pain report—it was a warning:
「Warning: You will experience Pain #08 in one minute.」

This was a new feature added after Gu Sheng’s hair lost its effect. The system still couldn’t predict the location, intensity, or duration of the pain, but at least… he could mentally prepare.

The male lead took a deep breath, silently counting down while reassuring Gu Sheng: “Earlier… you did really well.”

Gu Sheng was not in the mood: “I know that!”

Wen Heng was at a loss for words.

Time ticked by—soon, a minute had passed.

—「Pain #08: Knee pain.」

Gu Sheng heard the system prompt and felt sweet revenge: Yes! Get him!

This time, Wen Heng stayed perfectly calm and braced himself.

—「Pain Level: 10.」

Wen Heng: “?!”

The next second, the level-10 pain hit like a wave. It felt like his kneecaps shattered into dust. The pain cut through him like knives carving flesh. Wen Heng’s long legs gave out, and he collapsed forward—

—Slamming Gu Sheng against the wall in a classic kabedon move.

Everyone in the studio: “!!” What the hell?!

The Four Laws crew: “!!!” We’ve got a moment for the final cut!

From a distance, it looked like Gu Sheng was completely caged in by Wen Heng. The top star had one hand pressed against her shoulder, gasping for breath, head bowed low.

Everyone clutched their heads: Are we even allowed to be watching this?! AAAAH!!!

…

That night, after reviewing the footage, the entire production crew of The Four Laws—and the entire fashion circle—were buzzing with a juicy rumor:

During today’s shoot, top star Wen Heng lost control because his wife was too beautiful,

And just like a male lead in a novel,

He slammed Gu Sheng against the wall and kissed her!

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