BDB Chapter 46

The city’s nightscape was magnificently splendid.

He had a head of dark, tousled hair, leaning against a luxury car, with a smile that was barely visible at the corners of his mouth, making him appear extremely noble and composed.

Feeling Qiao Yan suddenly gripping her hand tightly, Jiang Rao turned to look at Qiao Yan, who then said, “Fuck, fuck! A man who sounds so good, smiles so well, has such nice hands, and even speaks sweet words—does such a person really exist? Am I dreaming? This dream is amazing; even such a perfect rich and handsome guy is here. If only I could erase the tiring day I had doing makeup earlier, it would be even more perfect.”

Jiang Rao: “…”

She turned back to face the front, but it was undeniable that he had a unique charm with his impeccably dressed appearance. Leaving aside the essence and focusing on appearance and wealth, he truly deserved the description of ‘perfect.’

Qiao Yan’s cheeks were slightly flushed. She leaned in and whispered in Jiang Rao’s ear, “Jiangjiang, pinch me, so I can tell whether this is a dream or reality.”

Jiang Rao also wanted to figure out if this was reality or a dream. Pinching herself was a bit painful, and since someone else had this need and could help her confirm, she could only comply.

After a while of doing this, she heard Qiao Yan gasp and then say, “Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

Jiang Rao’s heart sank; it really was the male lead, but what was he up to now?

He called her… “sweetheart”?

She wasn’t as delicate as the original owner and wouldn’t blush and have a racing heart just because of such a term.

She hadn’t accepted the so-called compensation from the male lead, and there was no need for her to go over just because he asked.

After confirming that this was indeed not a dream, she tugged at Qiao Yan’s arm. “Let’s go, we’re catching the subway.”

Even though Qiao Yan was usually thick-skinned, she understood that if this wasn’t a dream, it was impossible for her to have anything to do with this man.

The studio used for the shoot was actually two connected rooms in an office building. They were leaving earlier today than they had the day before, and the office workers who were leaving work were pouring out of the building.

After walking about ten steps with Jiang Rao pulling her along, Qiao Yan’s curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to know who the “sweetheart” mentioned by this perfect man was. She looked back and saw that the distance between them and the man was now only about two meters.

She hesitated and saw the man grab Jiang Rao’s hand. “I was calling you, why are you always so heartless?”

The closer proximity made his voice even more adrenalizing.

Qiao Yan’s mouth fell open as she glanced at Jiang Rao’s profile and then shifted her gaze to the man.

After swallowing, she quickly said, “Someone’s here to pick you up, Jiangjiang. See you tomorrow, see you tomorrow.”

After walking far away, she thought—was she out of her mind? Who in that office building could be better looking than the girl beside her? Since ancient times, handsome men and beautiful women have always been paired together!

At that moment, Qin Han said, “Last night I left in a hurry and didn’t get a good look at his face. I glanced several times just now and suddenly felt that he looked a bit familiar.”

“Who?”

“The luxury car guy.”

“Why does he look familiar?”

“He looks like the real estate big shot whose face appeared in the top right corner of the promotional brochure when I was buying a house.”

“I also think he looks a bit familiar,” the male model said.

Qiao Yan turned to ask, “Who else?”

“The boss of our company once rode the elevator with the behind-the-scenes boss. I saw the boss from a distance and recognized him.”

“What’s the surname of your behind-the-scenes boss?”

“No need to ask the surname. I know the name.”

With a few taps and swipes on the screen, the male model’s phone loaded a 2G network photo. The man’s clothing style in the photo was similar to what they had seen today, and his face was also identical.

They exchanged glances, and Qiao Yan covered her chest, “Li… Li Group’s President?”

She was friends with Jiang Rao.

Li Group’s President had called Jiang Rao “sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart” = pursuit, admiration.

Heaven! If you rounded it up, she and Li Group’s President were practically related now! Amazing!

…

Jiang Rao couldn’t believe Qiao Yan’s mind could twist so much. At that moment, looking at the man who followed her every step, she turned back helplessly and said, “Didn’t you say you were weak? After catching a cold wind and getting wet in the rain, how come you’re not sick?”

It was almost June.

People on the street were no longer dressing randomly; short sleeves and shorts had become the norm.

To save time and effort, Jiang Rao wore a white cotton and linen dress that reached her knees, exposing her slender and pale legs to the air.

She had just finished a shoot and was walking with her companions. The safety level was quite high, so there was no need for a mask to cover her face.

Although her tone was impolite, given her appearance, he couldn’t get angry at all. Instead, his heart raced and, like a fool, he asked, “Are you concerned about me?”

Jiang Rao firmly denied, “No. I just hoped you would get sick so you wouldn’t keep harassing me.”

She was very honest. If she were his subordinate, he would surely appreciate her attitude.

But given their relationship, he genuinely wished she could lie to him.

Unfortunately, that was all he could do.

He really didn’t understand what he had done to deserve such disdain from her.

He had never treated her poorly. He hadn’t blamed her for deceiving him as a substitute, for leaving without a word when he caught her, or for hitting him on the head with an IV bottle.

He held no grudges against her, so why couldn’t she accept him?

Thinking this, he asked, “Jiang Rao, what would it take for you to possibly fall for me?”

Jiang Rao was momentarily stunned.

When he asked this, his eyes were sincere. It was clear he wasn’t just teasing her, and she, like a little butterfly fluttering its wings, hadn’t taken the story to the point of emotional and physical torment. Logically, she shouldn’t still harbor grudges against the male lead.

For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to answer.

Facing his dark eyes, she replied after a while, “Li Jueyan, what would it take for you to let me go?”

“I will never let you go, even in death.”

“Then I will never fall for you, even in death.”

Almost as soon as his words fell, her response came.

The night was beautiful, and her eyes were beautiful too, with the stars reflecting the neon lights.

Li Jueyan’s lips curled up slightly. “Sweetheart, let’s die together. Then you’ll fall for me.”

Jiang Rao didn’t want to follow this melodramatic plot, but she didn’t want the romance to turn into a horror story either.

She shook her head, no longer giving a dismissive answer, and instead presented the facts and reasoned with him. “Li Jueyan, I’ve told you many times before. I’m really not that great, and there’s no reason for you to cling to me. If you’re in love with my face, I’ve suggested before that there are plenty of people willing to undergo plastic surgery to be your perfect match. We don’t have that much destiny binding us. Why must it be me?”

What she said was indeed reasonable, but she didn’t know—“Jiang Rao.”

Jiang Rao responded with a light “Mm.”

He leaned closer to her, one hand lifting a soft strand of hair from her temple. “Whether you believe it or not, our fate was decided long ago. For hundreds and thousands of nights, you were all I dreamed of. Your every frown and smile, your knitted brows, even this strand of hair…”

Jiang Rao’s heart was already stirred by his words “you were all I dreamed of.” Standing in front of him, she met his gaze and saw his lips slightly parted. “I’m so familiar with you.”

Jiang Rao’s mind exploded like fireworks, leaving her stunned for a moment. After the fireworks faded, only the scraps remained, turning into a whirl of thoughts that made her mind a bit chaotic.

What did the male lead mean?

Did he dream too?

Had he dreamed of her?

Were his dreams similar to or even the same as hers?

…

Various questions surged through her mind for a moment, but due to her nature, her expression didn’t change much.

After a long while, she pretended to calm down and said, “So you fell in love with me because of your dreams? Dreams and reality are opposites. The me in your dreams should be completely different from the me in reality, right?”

Li Jueyan curved his lips into a smile. “Not completely different.”

So it was just a similar dream?

Li Jueyan let go of the strand of hair. “Although the you in my dreams is more rebellious and I’m more reckless, whether in dreams or reality, you are always my ‘sweetheart.’”

I don’t care about your sweetheart! Why not use the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or call it ‘sweetie pie’ instead?

So were they completely identical dreams?

Jiang Rao brought her slightly trembling fingers close to the seam of her dress and said, “Li Jueyan, do you know what message I received before I went to Yan Lake Coast in City Z to find you? It was an MMS audio message, where a woman was moaning continuously, as if performing some passionate scene with you. Madam Bai wanted me to go to City Z to catch you cheating because you had gone to a large entertainment venue, the Red Mansion Club, right after leaving the ancient castle. She was afraid you would be ‘wild and unruly’ in City Z.”

Seeing that he wasn’t getting angry and his lips were even slowly curling into a smile, Jiang Rao took a deep breath. “If you can’t even handle your own relationships properly, stop constantly calling me ‘sweetheart’, ‘sweetheart’ all day long, okay?”

The evening breeze lifted the hem of her pure white dress, and her hair fell neatly over her shoulders, making her look exceptionally well-behaved.

Though her tone remained soft, it was tinged with a noticeable breathiness, as if she was a bit angry.

Li Jueyan smiled, “Are you jealous?”

Jiang Rao was now completely certain of the male lead’s straightforwardness and his slightly abnormal thought process.

She couldn’t argue with him; he was the type to pretend to be clueless while fully understanding the situation.

Moreover, she had too much on her mind, so she said, “Believe what you want. Goodbye.”

She had said goodbye, but she knew he wouldn’t let her go so easily.

Sure enough, on her way to the subway station, she could always catch glimpses of his eye-catching blue Maserati following her closely, keeping pace with her.

When she emerged from another subway entrance, she unexpectedly locked eyes with him, who was propping himself up on the car window with one hand.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

Under his persistent following, she finally returned to her rented apartment.

After washing up, Jiang Rao was about to lie down on her bed when, on a whim, she pulled the curtains slightly aside to look downstairs.

Seeing the striking blue sports car parked motionless below, she brought the still steaming milk to her lips.

She had only one thought in mind.

She should shorten her preparation time to go abroad.

The male lead loved her face and fell for her because of the memories shared between the original female lead and him in the dream.

In summary, the male lead still loved the original female lead.

If he knew she wasn’t the original owner, with his twisted and perverted nature after turning dark, she truly had no idea how she’d end up.

She might end up turning a romantic drama into a supernatural ghost-hunting series.

However, after Jiang Rao counted all the cash in her bag, she felt disheartened.

With her current savings of 20,000 yuan, she wouldn’t be able to afford even a month of traveling abroad, let alone studying abroad!

The job of Taobao models made money quickly.

But she had only made around 4,000 yuan a day a few days ago, and today it was just over 2,000.

This line of work was too unstable. Even though it was the peak season with summer clothes about to hit the market, and she had earned a good income by dedicating all her spare time to photos, if the off-season came or if she slacked off, saving up the two or three hundred thousand yuan needed for studying abroad would be incredibly difficult.

Thinking too much gave her a headache, so Jiang Rao decided to stop.

But from then on, every day she saw that striking blue Maserati on her way home from work.

One week later, she received a bouquet of flowers in the photography studio.

The flowers were vividly beautiful, but instead of a confession card, there was a recording pen.

With everyone watching curiously, during the lunchtime break, Jiang Rao found a private spot and turned on the recording pen, holding it to her ear.

After a burst of static, a slightly familiar female voice came through.

“I am Fang Anna. I sent that unpleasant multimedia message, but in the afternoon of that day, I was at the military district compound. Young Master Li was at the Li Group’s building the entire time, so there was no possibility of us meeting. I made the mistake just to make you jealous.”

Jiang Rao recognized the name Fang Anna. She was a supporting character who would appear later in the story, a third or fourth female lead who had grown up alongside the male lead from childhood. Her personality was quite similar to Jiang Tang’s before her illness—both were pampered young ladies who acted without much thought.

Another burst of static followed, and then another female voice slowly emerged from the recording pen.

“Hello, Miss Jiang. I am Nie Hong, the PR manager at the Red Mansion Club. Every private room in the Red Mansion Club strictly maintains guest privacy and has no surveillance. However, surveillance cameras are installed in the corridors, lobbies, and elevator floors. I have sent you all the surveillance footage from when Young Master Li first entered the Red Mansion Club six years ago up until his last visit in February this year. This should prove that Young Master Li did not do anything to let you down in the Red Mansion Club.”

Jiang Rao frowned deeply.

What was the male lead up to now?

Soon, she found out.

After another burst of static, the male lead’s voice came through.

“Can I call you now, sweetheart?”

It was already early summer in June.

The camphor trees behind her rustled with the summer breeze.

Once, twice, then again.

Just like her restless heart.

Her phone, which had been silenced in her palm, suddenly buzzed.

She looked down to see an unlisted number.

If it were the male lead calling, no matter how many times she hung up, he would persistently call back.

If it were someone else, she didn’t have to ignore the call.

So after thinking for only two seconds, she pressed the answer button.

Holding the phone to her ear, she heard a light cough on the other end. “Miss Jiang.”

Feng Ke, unable to let go of her stunning face and the script he had painstakingly revised, said, “I’m making one last offer. 11 million yuan in remuneration, with a shooting period not exceeding two months. Although some scenes will be shot in the mountains, I will hire bodyguards to ensure the safety of the actors. Lastly, will you take on the role of Ruan Li?”

Jiang Rao pondered for a moment. “What kind of mountains? Are there shortages of water, electricity, or the internet?”

Feng Ke knew that today’s young women were quite delicate, especially the beautiful ones, who were cherished wherever they went, whether in school or society.

But although he would bow to capital, he would not compromise on principles.

One of his principles was honesty. “There will be some shortages of all three, but I can guarantee normal living water and showers every two days. Candles will be fully provided. As for the internet… most of your scenes will be shot in the city. You will only be in the mountains for at most half a month. We will shoot the mountain scenes first, and I’ll get some offline games for your laptop to pass the time. A bit of hardship before comfort; half a month should be manageable, right?”

“Mm.”

As the sun was setting, she glanced at the staff sitting together in the distance, occasionally stealing glances at the bouquet on her rest chair.

She whispered, “Alright.”

——