Chapter 28

The surrounding air seemed to grow thin.

Sheng Qingli pretended not to notice Director Zhong’s subtle gaze on the two of them, calmly finishing her recent performance. “Thank you, Director Zhong. You’ve worked hard.”

“…”

Zhong Hongmao smiled, “Feeling reassured?”

Sheng Qingli felt a little shy and quickly flattered him, “Director, your judgment is really good.”

“Are you complimenting me or yourself?” Zhong Hongmao chuckled at her words. “Go, go, go. Take a break; we’ll start the next scene soon.”

Sheng Qingli smiled brightly, showing none of her earlier sadness. “Okay, Director.”

As she slipped away from Director Zhong, Tong Tong ran over to hand her some water.

The weather had gradually warmed up, and after a short while without drinking, Sheng Qingli felt like a fish about to die of thirst. She loved drinking water so much that sometimes she suspected she must have been a fish in her past life.

Suddenly, she recalled some rather unhealthy conversations.

When she was dating Pei Qingci, he often teased her that she was made of water, no wonder she loved drinking so much. In bed, he would deliberately whisper things that made her blush.

Like how she had made the sheets wet again, and his hands couldn’t contain it all.

Help.

The thought flashed through her mind, and Sheng Qingli shyly shoved the thermos back to Tong Tong. “I… I’m not thirsty right now.”

Tong Tong looked confused and replied, “Really not thirsty?”

They exchanged glances for three seconds.

Sheng Qingli forcibly deleted the instigator from her mind and said with a straight face, “I need to go to the restroom.”

Watching her hurriedly leave, Tong Tong pondered for a moment before pulling out her phone to message Lin Lin: “Sister Lin, I feel like Sister Lili is acting very strangely today.”

Lin Lin replied quickly: “She always does on the first day of filming; it’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Tong Tong: “Really?”

She had been present when Sheng Qingli’s movie started filming before. Although there had been some odd behavior, it was nothing like today’s exaggeration.

Lin Lin: “Yeah, her ex-boyfriend is here today, so she’s piling on the weirdness. Just try to understand.”

Tong Tong: “Oh right, I completely forgot about Mr. Pei.”

Lin Lin: “How’s her performance? Did they start filming the first scene?”

Tong Tong: “They did, and it was a one-take.”

Lin Lin: “Nice. Is there a dinner tonight?”

Tong Tong: “Yes, Director Zhong said he would treat everyone to dinner to celebrate the start of filming.”

Lin Lin: “Keep an eye on her. Don’t let her drink water or beverages after nine, or she’ll be puffy tomorrow.”

Tong Tong: “Got it!”

Just as Tong Tong finished chatting with Lin Lin, a shadow fell over her.

She looked up to see Pei Qingci and quickly put away her phone. “Pei… Mr. Pei.”

Pei Qingci responded, “Where did she go?”

“To the restroom,” Tong Tong answered honestly.

Pei Qingci nodded, “Thanks.”

Tong Tong blinked, not having time to react, and then saw Pei Qingci, having gotten the answer, turn toward the restroom.

For a moment, Tong Tong couldn’t decide if telling him where Sheng Qingli had gone was a good or bad thing.

---

On the other side, Sheng Qingli didn’t expect to run into Pei Qingci while going to the restroom.

The two were entering and exiting at the same time.

Their gazes unintentionally collided, and Sheng Qingli was about to walk past him expressionlessly when he called out, “Ms. Sheng.”

Sheng Qingli paused slightly and politely said, “Mr. Pei.”

Pei Qingci asked, “Are you prepared for that scene later?”

“… Yeah.” Sheng Qingli hesitated for a moment, vaguely aware of his concerns. She opened her mouth and said, “I’m not nervous anymore.”

Hearing her confirmation, Pei Qingci nodded lightly and replied in a clear tone, “That’s good.”

Sheng Qingli blinked slowly.

The two stood in the corridor, the afternoon light casting shadows on them, making their silhouettes intersect as they communicated face to face.

Sheng Qingli lowered her gaze to glance at the shadow on the ground and slightly pursed her lips. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head over first.”

Whenever they spoke privately, the atmosphere was always inevitably awkward.

Pei Qingci responded.

Sheng Qingli stepped out, meeting the crew members head-on. She smiled slightly as she brushed past them, returning to the set.

In the second scene, Sheng Qingli had two NGs—once due to her lines and once because her emotions weren’t strong enough.

After Sheng Qingli’s part, it was Pei Qingci’s turn.

They didn’t have any scenes together today, but the backdrop remained the same.

Her master stopped where she had stood, lingered, reminiscing about her existence, and feeling her presence.

Knowing it was Pei Qingci’s turn, Xu Xingyue, who had finished her makeup, also came over to watch.

Sheng Qingli sat next to Director Zhong, looking at the man who had emerged in a long robe.

He was truly tall, with a slender and upright figure, an elegant demeanor, composed and dignified—he looked exactly like a character from a script.

Sheng Qingli instinctively felt that Pei Qingci would benefit from this role.

Next to her, Xu Xingyue had similar thoughts. The moment he saw Pei Qingci walking over, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Oh no, I’m going to be crushed to bits by Mr. Pei.”

Sheng Qingli: “…No, Brother Xu, you need to have a bit of confidence in yourself.”

Xu Xingyue: “I will, for sure.”

After saying this, he added, “Fortunately, we don’t have many scenes together.”

Sheng Qingli hummed in agreement, just about to respond, when Xu Xingyue continued, “Even though there aren’t many, all our scenes are intense confrontations.”

In the script, after Sheng Qingli’s character descends the mountain for revenge, she meets Xu Xingyue’s character, the young swordsman Murong Chao, who falls for her at first sight and persistently wants to follow her.

Sheng Qingli’s character, Xin Xiao, is not someone easily bound by worldly concerns. After being rejected by her master, she finds Murong Chao to be quite good as well.

Gradually, the two begin to partner up.

They truly get together when Xin Xiao overhears people in the tavern talking about rumors that her master, Lian Hui, is going to get married.

That day, Sheng Qingli happens to run into a group of marauding bandits. Feeling frustrated, she starts to act heroically.

However, being outnumbered, she nearly loses her life.

Murong Chao blocks the most lethal blow for her, and that act of bravery moves Xin Xiao, leading her to agree to be with him.

The first time Murong Chao meets Sheng Qingli’s master is after they become a couple. She takes him back to the mountain to introduce him to her master.

…

Thinking about this plot point, Sheng Qingli struggles to find words to comfort Xu Xingyue.

After a moment of silence, she vaguely said, “That scene won’t be filmed so soon; don’t get too tense ahead of time.”

Xu Xingyue gazed at her, devoid of hope, “Qingli, are you trying to comfort me?”

Is this how you comfort someone?!

Sheng Qingli: “…”

As the two whispered to each other, Pei Qingci finished his scene and prepared to start filming.

When Sheng Qingli looked up, he happened to cast a glance in her direction.

How should she put it?

The gaze seemed unfriendly.

But it didn’t seem directed at her.

Sheng Qingli thought this and calmly met his gaze.

A few seconds later, the sound of the script supervisor quieted the set. The atmosphere and expressions of the people in front of the camera shifted instantly.

In that moment, Pei Qingci transformed into Sheng Qingli’s master, Lian Hui, a person even more detached, reserved, and stern than himself.

The only hint of softness and kindness he possessed was given to his disciple, Xin Xiao.

Not surprisingly, Pei Qingci nailed the scene in one take.

Director Zhong was extremely satisfied, his face beaming with smiles. “I knew it was right to have you play the master.”

Pei Qingci smiled slightly.

Director Zhong turned to Sheng Qingli and said, “Do you know how many times I asked him to play your master?”

Sheng Qingli was surprised and shook her head. “I didn’t know.”

She thought it was Pei Qingci who wanted to take on the role.

What she didn’t know was that Director Zhong had repeatedly sought out Pei Qingci.

Just as Director Zhong was about to explain, Pei Qingci narrowed his eyes and called out, “Director Zhong.”

Normally, even if they were familiar, they would still address the director formally.

Pei Qingci was even more so; he liked to separate work from life.

Now, he actually called Zhong Hongmao “Director Zhong” in front of everyone, clearly hinting at their unusual relationship.

Realizing this, Sheng Qingli’s curiosity was piqued about why he stopped Director Zhong from continuing.

“How many times?” She hadn’t planned to ask, but now she suddenly did. “Director Zhong, if you tell me, I absolutely won’t leak it.”

Hearing her, Zhong Hongmao raised his hands in resignation. “He won’t let me say.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

She looked up at the person standing nearby and whispered, “Mr. Pei, is this a secret that can’t be revealed?”

Pei Qingci shot her a glance. “If I say it is, you won’t ask?”

Sheng Qingli: “Of course I will.”

She would definitely ask.

She was indifferent to things she wasn’t curious about, but once she was intrigued, she had to get to the bottom of it.

Pei Qingci smirked. “You all chat; I’ll go change.”

Zhong Hongmao watched their interaction with an ambiguous smile. “It’s fine to tell you; it was no less than five times.”

Sheng Qingli was astonished. “So many times?”

“Yeah,” Director Zhong sighed. “After the last rejection, I completely gave up and started looking for new actors. Then he suddenly told me he would take the role. Isn’t that strange?”

Hearing this, Sheng Qingli nodded in agreement. “Strange.”

Zhong Hongmao didn’t chat with Sheng Qingli for long; it was soon Xu Xingyue’s turn to act, and he promptly redirected his thoughts back to her.

Everyone was preparing, and after sitting with Director Zhong for a while, Sheng Qingli stood up and returned to the makeup room.

---

Back in the makeup room, she couldn’t help but recall what Director Zhong had said.

He had asked Pei Qingci so many times, and he had refused each time.

So why did he finally agree?

Did he refuse initially because he knew she was the leading lady? Did he still not want to see her?

If Director Zhong’s words today had been spoken while Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci were reuniting in the private booth, she would have unhesitatingly thought he just didn’t want to see her.

But she wasn’t foolish.

Based on Pei Qingci’s behavior lately, he didn’t seem to dislike seeing her that much.

Was there some misunderstanding?!

Sheng Qingli frowned in thought when a knock sounded at the door.

She looked up and paused slightly when she saw who was at the door. “What are you doing here?”

Pei Qingci lowered his gaze, his dark and deep eyes resting on her, his tone low. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Why are you back in the makeup room?”

Sheng Qingli didn’t think much of his implication and replied blandly, “It’s hot; I came in to rest for a bit.”

“That’s it” Pei Qingci stepped into the makeup room and casually asked, “Aren’t you going to watch Xu Xingyue’s performance?”

Sheng Qingli instinctively replied, “I’ll see it later.”

With her answer, Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow slightly, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “That makes sense.”

“?”

Sheng Qingli felt that Pei Qingci’s tone was a bit strange. She tilted her head to look at him. “You—”

“What about me?” Pei Qingci took a seat in the empty chair beside her. “Want to see the trophy later?”

Meeting his gaze, Sheng Qingli relaxed her breathing and responded absentmindedly, “If the dinner ends early.”

If they got back to the hotel early, she could play with the trophy for a bit.

Pei Qingci replied, “Okay.”

They hadn’t talked long in the makeup room, just exchanged a couple of sentences, when a staff member entered.

Sheng Qingli quickly stood up, attempting to cover up, “Mr. Pei is here to remove makeup, right? Here’s the makeup remover; take your time. I’ll go change my clothes first.”

There wouldn’t be any scenes with the two of them later; that was Pei Qingci misleading her.

Once Xu Xingyue finished shooting his scene, they would wrap up for the day and have dinner.

However, what was somewhat disappointing was that Xu Xingyue’s scene didn’t go smoothly.

Perhaps it was due to the contrast with Pei Qingci’s earlier performance, but Director Zhong could only give him a score of sixty.

When Sheng Qingli arrived at the set after changing, she found Xu Xingyue looking dejected, reflecting on himself.

“Brother Xu.” Sheng Qingli picked up her script. “Shall I help you rehearse this scene?”

A flash of defeat crossed Xu Xingyue’s face. “Qingli, was my performance really that bad?”

“No.” Sheng Qingli replied earnestly, “I watched your performance just now; it was fine. It’s just that Director Zhong has high standards for actors, and since Mr. Pei performed before you, there’s a noticeable contrast, so naturally, Director Zhong will have higher expectations of you.”

She reassured Xu Xingyue, “Relax a bit. You don’t need to be too tense; being overly nervous can lead to mistakes. Just act naturally and with a calm mind.”

Xu Xingyue replied, “How can I be calm? That’s Director Zhong!”

Sheng Qingli paused for a moment, then said, “Think of it this way.”

“What way?”

“You’ve already signed with Director Zhong, and the movie has started shooting. No matter how poorly you perform, he can’t just replace you on a whim.” Sheng Qingli looked at him. “Doesn’t that make it a bit easier?”

Xu Xingyue pondered for a moment and replied, “…Not really.”

As long as Director Zhong wanted to, he could still replace him.

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Great, she was at a loss too.

Just then, Pei Qingci approached. “You go to Director Zhong; I’ll talk to him.”

Sheng Qingli was taken aback but quickly agreed.

Ten minutes later, Xu Xingyue’s first scene was about to start filming.

Miraculously, after Pei Qingci’s “guidance,” Xu Xingyue’s performances improved each time.

When he finally got it right on the thirteenth take, Sheng Qingli was quite curious about what Pei Qingci had said to Xu Xingyue for such good results.

She decided to ask Xu Xingyue later.

---

After wrapping up, everyone headed to the only nearby high-end restaurant for dinner, with Director Zhong having reserved a table in advance.

Sheng Qingli had already changed her clothes and removed her makeup, preparing to head over directly.

Just as she got in the car, someone knocked on the window.

Sheng Qingli rolled down the window. “…What’s up?”

Pei Qingci looked at her. “Is there still room in the car?”

“There is…” Sheng Qingli didn’t ask why he wanted to know about the empty seat. She opened the door, and after Pei Qingci bent down to get in, she asked, “Where are your assistant and driver?”

A couple of days ago, Pei Qingci’s assistant, Fang Li, had come by.

He had been there during the filming’s kickoff.

But after the opening ceremony, Sheng Qingli hadn’t seen him again.

Pei Qingci replied, “He went to the city.”

He explained softly, “To get something.”

Sheng Qingli understood and didn’t ask further.

Once Pei Qingci got in the car, the driver and the co-driver, Tong Tong, were very quiet.

The two listened intently to the conversation between the two in the back, but they only exchanged a few brief words before both fell silent.

Suddenly, Sheng Qingli’s phone vibrated. She opened it to see a message from Li Yuwei: “Do you know who I ran into in Ancheng?!”

Li Yuwei had originally planned to attend the kickoff ceremony of Sheng Qingli’s crew but was delayed for a day and only arrived in Ancheng in the afternoon.

Sheng Qingli had invited her to stay the night and arranged for a driver to pick her up the next day.

Seeing that message, a name briefly flashed in Sheng Qingli’s mind: “Fang Li?”

Could it really be that coincidental?

Li Yuwei: “How did you know?”

Sheng Qingli: “…I just heard Pei Qingci say his assistant went to the city to get something. What a coincidence that you ran into him.”

Li Yuwei: “Yeah, I went to the hospital to get you some ointment since you were bruising everywhere from the fight scenes. The ointments prepared by the crew definitely wouldn’t work. But I didn’t expect Fang Li to be there; he even knows me.”

Sheng Qingli: “Fang Li also went to the hospital?”

Li Yuwei: “Yeah, why?”

Sheng Qingli stared at that message, instinctively turning to glance at the person beside her.

Noticing her gaze, Pei Qingci turned his head. “Is there something you want to say to me?”

Sheng Qingli paused for a moment, then quietly said, “Yuwei ran into Fang Li at the hospital. He was there to get something?”

“Hmm,” Pei Qingci lifted his eyelids and casually replied, “I asked him to pick up some medicine.”

Seeing Pei Qingci’s indifferent demeanor, Sheng Qingli softly acknowledged him. She still wanted to say something when her phone vibrated again.

Li Yuwei: “That’s true. He said he’s going back to Taolin County tonight. Do you think I should go with them?”

Sheng Qingli thought for three seconds and turned to the person beside her. “Did Fang Li go with just the driver?”

Pei Qingci nodded. “What’s up?”

“Yuwei wants to hitch a ride with them, so I’m checking if it’s convenient,” Sheng Qingli explained.

Pei Qingci replied, “It’s no inconvenience.”

He added calmly, “Do you need me to call Fang Li?”

Sheng Qingli thought for a moment. “No, I’ll let Yuwei talk to him.”

Pei Qingci nodded.

After finishing her conversation with Li Yuwei, Sheng Qingli put away her phone.

There were still twenty minutes to the restaurant, and the car fell into silence again.

Sheng Qingli turned her head to look out the window, noticing the sunlight outside.

The summer sun around five o’clock was as dazzling as ever, with all sorts of hurried people bustling along the roads.

Just as she was about to look away, she noticed the person sitting beside her suddenly turn to glance at her.

His gaze settled on her.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Sheng Qingli counted silently and couldn’t help but turn to meet his gaze. “What are you looking at?”

Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow, looking completely at ease, without the slightest hint of embarrassment at being caught staring. “How did you know I was looking at you?”

“…I just know,” Sheng Qingli replied.

Pei Qingci responded with an “Oh,” his long, deep gaze lingering on her fair, delicate face. He said slowly, “I thought you had a question for me.”

Sheng Qingli froze.

There was an unspoken understanding as she recalled what Director Zhong had said to her on set.

She wanted to ask, but she feared the answer wouldn’t be what she hoped.

It was strange.

Sheng Qingli considered herself a brave person, yet in front of Pei Qingci, she felt increasingly timid.

Sometimes, she really disliked this version of herself.

“If I ask, will you answer?” She hesitated but ultimately couldn’t hold back and spoke.

Pei Qingci paused slightly, looking at her as he said something thought-provoking: “You can try.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Given the situation, not asking would be too cowardly.

She bit her lip and raised her eyes to look at him. “Why did you agree later?”

Pei Qingci averted his gaze, not directly answering her question, and simply said, “I agreed on April 21.”

That date… stunned Sheng Qingli.

If she remembered correctly, the day she signed for the lead role in Director Zhong’s new movie was April 20.