Chapter 2

The sudden sound of the door closing caught the attention of the other two in the private room. The producer sitting next to Director Zhong raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Pei Qingci, asking, “Who was that? Someone who entered the wrong room?”

Pei Qingci silently stared at the closed door for a moment and let out a light “hmm.”

The producer was surprised. “Isn’t Xiao Li outside? How could someone still walk into the wrong room?”

He was referring to Director Zhong’s assistant, Xiao Li.

Pei Qingci smiled faintly, recalling the stunned expression on Sheng Qingli’s face when she realized he was there. The corners of his lips tugged slightly, and in a slow, light tone, he said, “A coward.”

“What coward?” Director Zhong was sneakily taking a cigarette from the producer’s pack and hadn’t caught the conversation between the two.

Pei Qingci lowered his gaze slightly, tapping his finger lightly on the table without directly answering Zhong Hongmao’s question. Instead, he called out, “Zhong Lao.”

Zhong Hongmao looked up and met his eyes.

Pei Qingci extended his hand and asked, “Did you forget the results from your physical exam two weeks ago?”

Zhong Hongmao was at a loss for words.

“It’s nothing,” Pei Qingci finally answered his previous question, lowering his eyes to glance at the cigarette Zhong was holding. He said helplessly, “Give me the cigarette.”

He held out his hand.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhong Hongmao pleaded, “Just one.”

He hadn’t smoked in half a month, as no one around him would give him a cigarette, and his wife had strictly forbidden anyone to pass one to him.

Today was a rare opportunity.

“Not even one,” Pei Qingci said sternly. “You haven’t even started working again, and you’re smoking already? Are you giving up on your health?”

Zhong Hongmao didn’t have many vices; he just loved smoking.

But smoking was a bad habit he developed as a director. To get a perfect shot, Zhong Hongmao would grind down the actors and the crew until late at night.

During these grueling hours, he needed cigarettes to stay alert and relieve stress. This habit had lasted for decades.

Zhong Hongmao didn’t give in.

Pei Qingci raised his eyes and said slowly, “Ms. Wu reminded me this morning—”

Before he could finish, Zhong Hongmao gave up and handed him the cigarette. “You can’t tell her.”

Ms. Wu, whom Pei Qingci mentioned, was Zhong Hongmao’s wife, the one person he feared the most.

Pei Qingci took the cigarette, twirling it between his fingers with smooth ease, and responded calmly, “Don’t worry.”

The producer on the side observed their interaction, secretly amazed. He knew Director Zhong and Pei Qingci were close, but he hadn’t realized they were this close. Pei Qingci treated Director Zhong like an indulgent elder from his own family.

And Director Zhong didn’t show a shred of the typical “big director” attitude toward him.

The producer, lost in thought, looked at Pei Qingci with even more warmth. “Do you smoke, Qingci? Care to join me for one?”

“I don’t,” Pei Qingci, who smoked less than a pack a year, replied as he watched the producer take out a lighter to light a cigarette. He turned his head slightly and asked, “Is the leading actress coming soon?”

This question was directed at Zhong Hongmao.

Zhong, snapping out of the “grief” over losing his cigarette, replied, “Ah, yes. Qingli should be arriving soon.”

After saying this, he remembered something and patted the producer on the shoulder. “Smoke later. The room is enclosed, and it’s not good for a young woman’s health to inhale too much of it.”

Since Director Zhong had spoken, the producer had no reason to refuse.

He agreed and put away the lighter and cigarettes. “Alright, we’ll follow Director Zhong’s lead.”

Meanwhile, after closing the door to the private room, Sheng Qingli stepped back a couple of paces.

Tong Tong, who hadn’t seen the people inside, looked at the door after hearing Sheng Qingli say they had entered the wrong room. She instinctively said, “Sister Qingli, we didn’t walk into the wrong—”

“We went to the wrong room,” Sheng Qingli interrupted her, pressing her lips into a tight line.

Tong Tong paused, sensing something off about Sheng Qingli, and asked softly, “So where should we go now?”

Sheng Qingli hadn’t decided yet when Xiao Li, having finished his phone call, walked over. “Ms. Sheng, why aren’t you going in?”

Sheng Qingli collected herself, trying to appear normal. “I wanted to use the restroom first.”

She asked casually, “Do you know where it is?”

Xiao Li, thinking she wanted to freshen up before meeting the director, said, “Over there. Should I take you?”

“No need,” Sheng Qingli politely declined. “My assistant and I can go.”

Xiao Li nodded slightly. “Alright, I’ll wait for you at the door.”

At the entrance of the restroom, Sheng Qingli asked Tong Tong to wait outside while she walked into the farthest stall. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and called Lin Lin.

“Hello?” Lin Lin’s voice came through the line. “What’s up?”

Sheng Qingli was silent for a few seconds before asking quietly, “Are you sure Director Zhong’s new film has cast Xu Xingyue as the male lead?”

Lin Lin was taken aback. “What?”

She hesitated, unsure of what Sheng Qingli meant by the question. “Didn’t Director Zhong say he preferred Xu Xingyue when we signed the contract last time?”

As far as she knew, Xu Xingyue’s team had been in regular contact with Director Zhong’s side, negotiating.

Sheng Qingli furrowed her brow and pressed further, “What about the contract? Has it been signed?”

“I’m not sure about that.” Sensing something unusual, Lin Lin squinted slightly. “Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Did something happen?”

Sheng Qingli pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. “Pei Qingci is in the private room.”

Hearing that familiar name from Sheng Qingli’s mouth after so long, Lin Lin didn’t immediately react. “Who did you say?”

Sheng Qingli stayed silent.

Lin Lin then realized. “Are you saying that Pei Qingci is in Director Zhong’s private room?”

Sheng Qingli responded with a hum.

“Then what about Xu Xingyue?” Lin Lin asked.

Sheng Qingli replied, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Lin Lin was puzzled.

Sheng Qingli explained, “I turned around and came to the restroom to call you as soon as I reached the door.”

Lin Lin understood then—Sheng Qingli had turned and walked away as soon as she saw her ex.

After a moment of silence, Lin Lin sorted through the current situation and asked a crucial question. “If Director Zhong switches the male lead to Pei Qingci, will you still take the role?”

Sheng Qingli fell into silence.

Lin Lin weighed the pros and cons. “You’ve already signed the contract. Given your current standing, backing out at the last minute would bring a lot of negative press, though the company will try to minimize the damage. But…”

“But this script and team are rare opportunities,” Sheng Qingli finished her thought.

Lin Lin liked Sheng Qingli’s composed appearance and whispered, “As long as you understand.”

Sheng Qingli didn’t say anything.

Sensing her frustration, Lin Lin comforted her, “Actually, I don’t think Pei Qingci will take the lead role in this script. He might just be in the private room because he happened to run into Director Zhong and decided to have a meal together.”

Sheng Qingli wasn’t sure.

Lin Lin reminded her, “There’s only a minute left until the agreed time. You decide whether to go back to the private room or leave directly.”

As Sheng Qingli’s agent, Lin Lin naturally hoped she would return to the private room. But after working together for so many years, she understood Sheng Qingli’s personality. If Sheng Qingli didn’t want to take the role, she wouldn’t be able to force her.

They were not only agent and artist but also friends who had weathered tough times together.

After hanging up the phone, Sheng Qingli lowered her gaze and pondered for a moment before opening the bathroom door.

“Sister Lili,” Tong Tong looked up at her, “So, are we going—”

Sheng Qingli: “Back to the private room.”

Director Zhong’s movie was aiming for awards, and she had fought hard to get the lead female role. How could she give it up so easily because of a man? Besides, it wasn’t certain that Pei Qingci would even play the male lead.

Even if she had to collaborate with him again, Sheng Qingli wouldn’t back down.

–

When she opened the door to the private room for the second time, Sheng Qingli’s presence immediately attracted the attention of everyone inside.

“Ms. Sheng is here,” said the assistant director, who was sitting next to Director Zhong.

Sheng Qingli stepped in and, guided by her assistant, made her way to her seat. She spoke in a warm tone, “Sorry for being late and keeping everyone waiting.”

She picked up the wine glass on the table, her expression no longer showing the confusion of someone new to the industry. “I’ll punish myself with a drink.”

Before anyone could react, Sheng Qingli tilted her head back and finished the glass of wine.

Director Zhong didn’t have time to stop her. “Qingli, sit down. You’re not late.”

He joked, “It’s just us old folks who arrived early.”

The assistant director chimed in as well.

After some brief pleasantries, Zhong Hongmao took the rare initiative to introduce some people to Sheng Qingli. “This is Producer Liu, and this is the screenwriter. You’ve probably chatted on WeChat before…”

Zhong Hongmao introduced them one by one, and the last person was Pei Qingci, who hadn’t spoken at all.

Pei Qingci was sitting in a more secluded spot, but for some reason, wherever he was, even in a corner, people couldn’t help but glance at him from time to time.

“I suppose I don’t need to introduce this one?” Director Zhong knew that the two had worked together when they first debuted.

Upon hearing this, the others couldn’t help but chuckle.

Sheng Qingli lowered her eyes and met Pei Qingci’s gaze again, who sat there with poise and grace.

In that instant, Sheng Qingli found it a little hard to breathe.

But she quickly regained her composure as Pei Qingci’s cold voice pulled her back to reality. He stood up under her gaze, looking at her leisurely and unexpectedly asked, “Did you go the right way this time?”

“……”

Suddenly, the private room fell silent at this sentence, which no one else understood.

After a few seconds, the assistant director next to Pei Qingci asked in confusion, “What does he mean by going the right way?”

Before Pei Qingci could speak again, Sheng Qingli quickly responded, “I’m not quite sure what Mr. Pei is talking about.”

She met Pei Qingci’s gaze with a faint smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Would Mr. Pei like to explain more clearly?”

Catching the threat in her tone, Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow and nonchalantly said, “Nothing, I was just lost in thought.”

He casually picked up his wine glass and took a sip to express his apology.

The others in the private room listened to their conversation, looking puzzled.

What’s the deal with these two? The atmosphere between them seemed odd. Could the rumors be true that they had dated before and now act like strangers?

As everyone speculated, Director Zhong also remembered the rumors about the two.

He glanced at the two silent people and casually asked, “Qingci, Qingli, it’s been a long time since you’ve seen each other, right?”

Sheng Qingli paused and replied, “It’s been a while.”

Director Zhong understood and joked, “So, the rumors are true?”

“……”

Sheng Qingli was stunned for a moment, pretending not to understand. “What rumors?”

The equally gossip-minded assistant director added, “The rumors about you and Mr. Pei.”

As soon as he said that, the others in the room immediately turned their eyes toward them, hoping to glean something from their expressions.

The rumors about Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci had been a hot topic on social media for years, and many people were well aware of them.

So, Sheng Qingli’s pretense of ignorance seemed a bit too fake at this point.

She calmly lifted her gaze and glanced at the silent man diagonally across from her, then softly said, “Of course it’s false.”

The assistant director was shocked. “Really false?”

“Of course.” Sheng Qingli calmly lied, distancing herself from Pei Qingci. “Mr. Pei and I are not close. During the time we were in the same production, we didn’t say more than five sentences a day.”

After finishing, she paused and threw the problem to Pei Qingci, who appeared indifferent. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask Mr. Pei.”

Very few people knew about Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci’s secret relationship.

Besides their agents and assistants, only a handful of their most trusted friends in the industry were aware. The two had agreed never to reveal their relationship to anyone else.

Therefore, Sheng Qingli wasn’t afraid that Pei Qingci would expose her in this moment.

Sensing the gazes of those around him, Pei Qingci raised his eyelids with little emotion, stared at Sheng Qingli, and responded nonchalantly. He slightly curled his lips and said succinctly, “It’s been too long. I forgot.”

“……”