Chapter 34

Why would he protect her? The answer was clear on the white paper; Sheng Qingli didn’t need to ask more.

Staring at the message from Pei Qingci for a few seconds, she put away her phone and walked toward the person who had been watching her.

Pei Qingci could see the longing in her heart.

As she approached, he also put away his phone. “Waiting at the entrance of the shop shouldn’t be a problem.”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

They both tacitly avoided mentioning the words that had crossed the boundaries of their relationship.

The two walked side by side.

After a few steps, Sheng Qingli remembered to say, “Yuwei likes to eat meat.”

Pei Qingci: “Does she have any food restrictions?”

Sheng Qingli: “No, she’s not picky, but she doesn’t like it too spicy.”

Pei Qingci replied, then paused to say, “That’s the opposite of you.”

“…” Sheng Qingli pursed her lips, adjusted her mask slightly to reveal her bright eyes, and muttered softly, “I’m not that picky, am I?”

Pei Qingci glanced at her, his meaning clear.

Before meeting Sheng Qingli, Pei Qingci knew some people were picky eaters, but he didn’t realize anyone could be so particular. Sheng Qingli would eat meat, but she wouldn’t touch even a tiny bit of fat—she couldn’t even accept the slightest fat in hot pot beef.

Besides that, she would eat meat and fish but not the skin, except for fried chicken skin. She wouldn’t eat scallions, ginger, garlic, or cilantro; she could accept them in a dish but not in her mouth.

……

These rather peculiar preferences left Pei Qingci astonished and amazed when he first learned of them.

However, he quickly adapted and became accustomed to it.

Receiving Pei Qingci’s accusing glance, Sheng Qingli was momentarily at a loss for words and didn’t argue.

She was just that picky; what could she do?

When they reached the barbecue shop, it was still quite crowded inside.

Pei Qingci lowered his gaze, “I’ll go buy it. Wait for me here for a bit?”

Sheng Qingli nodded, “You go ahead.”

Watching Pei Qingci enter the shop, Sheng Qingli took out her phone and, unintentionally, saw that message from him again.

She momentarily lost her focus, then thought about messaging Li Yuwei: “I want to ask you a question.”

Li Yuwei: “Aren’t you going to bring me some barbecue?”

Sheng Qingli: “… How can I casually ask to add someone on WeChat without it seeming forced?”

Li Yuwei: “?”

Sheng Qingli: “What does the question mark mean?”

Li Yuwei: “Why does it have to be casual and not forced? Are you worried about being rejected?”

Sheng Qingli: “… Not really.”

She didn’t think Pei Qingci would reject her if she actively suggested adding him on WeChat. It’s just that she had blacklisted and deleted him before, so now proposing to add him felt a bit awkward. She suspected that Pei Qingci hadn’t brought up WeChat for a while because he still harbored some resentment.

Li Yuwei: “Add Pei Qingci?”

Sheng Qingli: “Yeah…”

Li Yuwei: “You had him blacklisted and deleted; now you’re in a tough spot, huh?”

Sheng Qingli: “If we broke up and I didn’t blacklist him, do you think I want to keep my ex’s WeChat for New Year?”

Li Yuwei: “You’re clearly afraid that if you don’t blacklist him, you’ll be unable to stop checking his updates.”

Sheng Qingli: “Just tell me the solution directly.”

Li Yuwei: “I need to think.”

As they were chatting, a familiar presence approached. Sheng Qingli instinctively hid her phone and even took a step back. “Uh… are we done?”

Pei Qingci noticed her reaction and raised his gaze slightly, his eyes landing on her face. “We’re done.”

He paused, lowered his eyes, and said, “Let’s go.”

The two turned back toward the car.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the hotel.

With Pei Qingci around, Tong Tong didn’t need to escort Sheng Qingli to her room.

After saying goodbye, Tong Tong left the elevator.

Once Tong Tong was gone, only Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci remained in the elevator.

After a moment of silence, the elevator doors opened again.

As they walked down the hallway to her room, Pei Qingci handed her the barbecue. “Don’t stay up too late.”

He reminded her softly.

Sheng Qingli took it, her lips moving slightly. “Thank you.”

Pei Qingci smiled. “Good night.”

“… Good night.”

---

As soon as she entered the room, Sheng Qingli met the gaze of the person sitting on the sofa.

She glanced at her, changed her shoes, and handed her the barbecue. “Eat up; I’m going to take a shower first.”

Li Yuwei blinked. “Aren’t you going to chat with me for a bit?”

Sheng Qingli: “About what?”

“What were you two talking about at the door just now?” Li Yuwei asked, curious. “You looked a bit down.”

Sheng Qingli frowned. “Did I?”

Li Yuwei nodded.

Sheng Qingli: “… You must have seen it wrong.”

Li Yuwei wanted to say more, but Sheng Qingli interrupted, “Let me shower first, then we can talk.”

“… Fine.” Li Yuwei gave in.

Half a minute later, Sheng Qingli rushed out of the bathroom, halfway through removing her makeup. “I thought of something!”

Li Yuwei, just opening the barbecue, asked in confusion, “Thought of what?”

“How to naturally bring up WeChat with him,” Sheng Qingli said.

Li Yuwei raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“The barbecue you’re eating now was paid for by him,” Sheng Qingli reminded her.

Li Yuwei understood. “You mean you want to use the excuse of transferring him money to add him back on WeChat.”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

“… Then I suggest you don’t do that.”

Sheng Qingli: “Why not?”

Li Yuwei thought for a moment. “With that excuse, I think he might reject you.”

Sheng Qingli was puzzled.

Li Yuwei: “You should remove your makeup first; we can talk after your shower.”

However, when Sheng Qingli finished her shower, her most urgent concern was no longer adding Pei Qingci on WeChat.

During her shower, Lin Lin had called her several times.

Seeing the caller ID, Sheng Qingli’s heart sank.

As she answered, she sighed, “I shouldn’t have gotten out of the car.”

Li Yuwei: “…”

“Sister Lin.” Sheng Qingli immediately apologized, “Did Pei Qingci and I get photographed?”

Lin Lin replied, “Nothing to apologize for; I’m your manager specifically to handle these matters.”

Sheng Qingli fell silent.

“And it’s not just about whether you went to buy barbecue tonight,” Lin Lin told her.

Sheng Qingli froze, suddenly sensing something was wrong. “Then what is it…?”

“You two have been photographed before,” Lin Lin said, currently looking at news online. “Just now, paparazzi released some photos, and a few were taken when I was with Fang Xiangrong.”

With just the two of them buying barbecue, Lin Lin wouldn’t be so urgent to call her.

The paparazzi had been following Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci.

In the recently exposed photos, there were some of them buying barbecue together, some in the parking lot, and even a blurry photo of Sheng Qingli stealing a kiss from Pei Qingci.

With so many interactions, the public wouldn’t buy the excuse. Moreover, the two had a large fanbase.

Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci were already high-profile actors with many fans and followers.

As a result, when the paparazzi released these photos, both their fans and curious onlookers became excited.

“WTF, WTF, WTF!!”

“What kind of late-night chaos is this?????”

“Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci?? After all these years, they finally got photographed????”

“No way, the paparazzi finally did something right!”

“Ahhhhh, I knew Sheng Qingli would be a thing!!!”

“Grandma!!! The CP you ship is real!”

“WTF, I knew staying up late had its perks.”

“Putting everything else aside, these two really look good together, sob sob sob, dreaming back to love vows.”

“I’m shocked.”

“They’re actually together… So they were avoiding public appearances to prevent rumors?”

“In my lifetime, these two have finally been caught in private together. I don’t know whether to cry or laugh. I just left the fandom, and now they show up—what does that even mean?!”

“Ahhhhh, I’m shipping them, I’m shipping them, I’m shipping them so hard. So much sugar, so much sugar; tonight, the person eating pears will be the happiest.”

“@Sheng Qingli Studio, come and do your job.”

“@Pei Qingci Studio, come and do your job.”

“Honestly, you two are meant to be. Even your fans say the same thing.”

…

When Sheng Qingli made it onto Weibo, the trending topics were already exploding.

Even though it was late at night, there were plenty of night owls. Especially with Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci possibly dating.

Netizens perked up immediately and rushed to join the gossip.

Sheng Qingli looked at the grid of photos released by the paparazzi and felt a slight headache. Some were easy to explain, but others… Perhaps it was the angle, but they looked like they were hugging.

“When was this photo taken?” Li Yuwei pointed to one of the pictures. “Isn’t it recent?”

Sheng Qingli focused, “No.”

She thought carefully, “If I remember correctly, this photo is from a few years ago.”

Li Yuwei: “Did the paparazzi hide this photo for so many years?”

“…It might not have been the paparazzi who hid it.” Sheng Qingli stared at the picture, lips slightly pursed. “It could have been submitted by someone, or maybe someone deliberately gave it to the paparazzi.”

Li Yuwei was stunned, glancing at her. “Do you have someone in mind?”

Sheng Qingli replied softly, “No evidence.”

As they were discussing, the doorbell rang.

They exchanged glances, and Li Yuwei blinked, asking, “Should I go to my room?”

“No need.” Sheng Qingli said, “I’ll put on a jacket.”

Both put on their jackets, and Sheng Qingli went to open the door.

Standing outside was none other than Pei Qingci.

“Did you see the news?” Sheng Qingli asked.

Pei Qingci nodded, his expression calm and deep. “It’s not a big deal.”

He paused and added, “I just talked to Director Zhong.”

Sheng Qingli asked, “About what?”

“The movie hasn’t been officially announced yet.” Pei Qingci replied gently. “Tomorrow should be a good day.”

Sheng Qingli realized, “Director Zhong isn’t angry, right?”

Pei Qingci lowered his eyes. “What’s there to be angry about? If the heat comes, it should be used.”

Sheng Qingli was speechless. “I understand.”

She pressed her lips together. “But can we really do this?”

Pei Qingci replied, “More or less.”

Those who want to believe will believe; those who don’t, no matter how much the two clarify, they won’t believe it.

A moment of silence passed.

Pei Qingci checked the time. “It’s getting late; go to sleep, and it’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Sheng Qingli nodded but still looked a bit worried. She hesitated and reminded him, “In the photos exposed by the paparazzi, there’s one…”

Before she could finish, Pei Qingci interrupted, “I know.”

Sheng Qingli looked up in surprise.

Pei Qingci’s gaze was deep as he looked at her, his voice low. “Just say you were acting together.”

“…Okay.” Sheng Qingli exhaled in relief, opening her mouth. “So we’re settling this matter like this?”

Pei Qingci nodded. “Go to bed.”

---

After closing the door, Sheng Qingli immediately told Lin Lin about the agreed solution.

Lin Lin: “Xiang Rong already told me; the movie will be officially announced at ten tomorrow morning, and the rumors will break themselves.”

Sheng Qingli: “Mm.”

Lin Lin: “But I still want to ask, one of the photos in the paparazzi’s grid doesn’t seem recent.”

Sheng Qingli: “…Pei Qingci said that if anyone asks about that photo, just say we were acting together.”

Lin Lin: “That’s not the main concern; I’m more worried about whether the paparazzi has any other photos of you two.”

Sheng Qingli: “I’m not sure.”

Normally, given the high profile of Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci, if the paparazzi had captured even slightly intimate photos of them, they would have been exposed.

After all, anything related to Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci, even baseless rumors made up by marketing accounts, can generate considerable heat, earning those accounts a lot of money.

Let alone a joint photo of the two.

Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci have been together and apart for so many years, and there have always been rumors, but no solid photos have been presented to the public.

Thus, netizens have always been skeptical about whether the two ever dated. Of course, most netizens believe they did.

If they didn’t date, there wouldn’t be any need to avoid suspicion.

Seeing Sheng Qingli’s words, Lin Lin felt a bit of a headache: “This small matter today shouldn’t be taken too seriously; what I’m most worried about is whether they have any backup plans.”

Sheng Qingli pondered for a moment and replied: “We’ll face whatever comes.”

Lin Lin: “Alright, you should rest early; I’ll keep an eye on the online discussions.”

Sheng Qingli: “Okay.”

After chatting with Lin Lin, Sheng Qingli tossed her phone aside and sighed softly.

Li Yuwei followed with a sigh. “Thinking about that old photo?”

Sheng Qingli: “Mm.”

Li Yuwei turned her head. “The one from the love vow shoot?”

“Not that one.” Sheng Qingli glanced at her. “It’s from when Pei Qingci was filming ‘The End of the Road.'”

Li Yuwei blinked. “The one from when you visited him on set?”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

Li Yuwei frowned. “After you got together with Pei Qingci, didn’t you have to be extra careful during visits? Not many people know, right?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “Yes.”

She lightly tugged at her lip. “But a few people do know.”

Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci’s secret relationship was really quite well-kept. However, no matter how cautious they were, it was impossible to avoid their managers, assistants, and close friends they chatted with every day.

Sheng Qingli used to be the kind of person who would open up completely to a friend. She would treat the other person unconditionally well, thinking of them whenever she saw something she liked and buying it for them. If she had something delicious, she would think of them too.

Li Yuwei once told her that she was too easy to deceive because of this.

Sheng Qingli didn’t argue; she believed that if she treated others sincerely, they would treat her sincerely in return.

Back then, she truly hadn’t experienced much, like a naive and innocent girl just starting out.

“There are a few people,” Li Yuwei recalled. “Didn’t Pei Qingci film ‘The End of the Road’ with someone?”

Li Yuwei suddenly turned to her. “Was it Yin Miaojing? She knew you were on set, right?”

Sheng Qingli nodded. “Yes.”

The three of them had even had a meal together.

Li Yuwei’s expression turned cold. “It’s her again.”

“Not necessarily,” Sheng Qingli said, picking up her phone again and opening the photo from earlier. “This photo was taken in Pei Qingci’s trailer.”

Li Yuwei exclaimed, “Huh?”

Sheng Qingli explained that she visited the set to see Pei Qingci but couldn’t be seen on location. To spend more time with him, she stayed in his trailer. While he was filming, she rested in the trailer, watching dramas or reading scripts.

As soon as Pei Qingci finished work, he would rush back to the trailer.

The scene in the photo was likely from the evening. That day, Pei Qingci had night scenes, so after finishing in the afternoon, he returned to the trailer. They secretly shared a simple dinner together.

Sheng Qingli let Pei Qingci sleep for a while since he had to film until two or three in the morning.

Pei Qingci insisted she stay with him and not leave.

Sheng Qingli had no choice but to agree.

They sat in chairs, one sleeping and the other reading a script, with a harmonious atmosphere.

The trailer door was closed, so normally, no one would enter.

It became quiet inside.

During that time, Pei Qingci had heavy filming responsibilities and was quite exhausted, quickly falling asleep.

Gradually, Sheng Qingli felt sleepy too.

Just as she debated whether to take a nap, she received a new message from Pei Qingci’s assistant, asking if she and Pei Qingci were in the trailer, as he was bringing something over.

Sheng Qingli quickly replied: “Yes, but he’s asleep. When you reach the door, just let me know, and I’ll come open it.”

The assistant responded, “Okay.”

A few minutes later, Pei Qingci’s assistant delivered two cups of coffee and some fruit.

Sheng Qingli opened the door to receive them and then returned to the trailer.

She wasn’t sure if she had properly closed the door after opening it, but she could definitely confirm that after getting the fruit and turning back inside, she had stolen a kiss from Pei Qingci.

He was in a deep sleep, his features softening, losing some of their aloofness.

Sheng Qingli rested her chin in her hand for a while, unable to resist kissing the corner of his lips.

Pei Qingci didn’t react.

So, she kissed him again.

On the third time she stole a kiss, Pei Qingci suddenly pulled her into his arms, his voice low and husky as he said, “Now it’s my turn.”

Before Sheng Qingli could refuse, he grasped her chin and kissed her.

…

“So… you don’t know if there are any photos of you kissing afterward?” Li Yuwei pressed.

Sheng Qingli raised her hand to touch her nose, feeling guilty as she murmured, “I’m not sure.”

Li Yuwei asked, “Could it be his former assistant?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “I don’t know.”

The two of them exchanged glances for a moment.

Li Yuwei felt a headache coming on. “Forget it, don’t think about it. Just like you said, let’s deal with whatever comes. If it comes to it, admitting to having been together isn’t a big deal.”

Sheng Qingli said, “I really think there aren’t any.”

If someone were secretly taking photos, they wouldn’t be lurking by the door for that long. Moreover, if they had captured photos of them kissing, the images released today would be of that kiss, solidifying their relationship and leaving them no chance to clarify or defend themselves.

Li Yuwei thought for a moment. “Right.”

She agreed with Sheng Qingli. “So let’s not worry for now and wait until tomorrow.”

At this point, she had lost interest in watching a movie. “Shall we go to sleep?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “… Okay.”

–

After washing up and lying in bed, Sheng Qingli opened Weibo. As she expected, the trending topic about her and Pei Qingci remained at the top, still very hot.

Looking at the number of comments on the post revealing their photos, she didn’t have the courage to click on it.

She stared at it for a while when suddenly something clicked, and she was about to message the person across from her when a WeChat notification popped up.

It was a message from Lin Lin: “Pei Qingci asked me for your WeChat. Should I give it to him?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “… Yes.”

A minute later, she received a verification message reminder from Pei Qingci.

Before receiving it, she hadn’t considered that he would actively add her on WeChat.

After accepting the request, Sheng Qingli felt an inexplicable nervousness as she pressed her lips together.

She stared intently at her phone, hesitating about what to say.

Suddenly, the phone vibrated.

The message from the other person read: “Can’t sleep?”

Sheng Qingli replied, “… You’re asking because you already know. You’re not asleep either, are you?”

After thinking for a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you suddenly add me on WeChat?”

Pei Qingci responded, “No choice.”

Sheng Qingli: “?”

Pei Qingci: “My phone has run out of credit.”

Sheng Qingli: “???”

Sheng Qingli was momentarily speechless: “Do you think I’d believe that?”

Pei Qingci didn’t explain.

He couldn’t tell her that he thought it might take until next year or the year after for her to bring up adding each other on WeChat.

While he could wait, he didn’t want to anymore.

Pei Qingci: “If you don’t believe it, that’s fine.”

Sheng Qingli: “… You added me just to say this?”

Pei Qingci: “That photo wasn’t taken by Mao Jianyuan.”

Mao Jianyuan was Pei Qingci’s former assistant.

Sheng Qingli was stunned: “You asked him?”

Pei Qingci: “Yes.”

Pei Qingci then asked her: “Do you want to handle this yourself, or should I take care of it?”

Sheng Qingli: “I’ll handle that photo.”

Pei Qingci: “Okay.”

The chat went quiet for a few seconds.

Sheng Qingli hesitated, then decided to tell him: “I was planning to add you anyway.”

It was a random comment that slipped out.

Pei Qingci: “And then?”

Sheng Qingli: “Then we both ended up trending.”

Pei Qingci: “Got it, go to sleep early.”

Sheng Qingli: “Goodnight.”

After sending the message, Pei Qingci replied with a voice message.