With the director's permission, Yi Li got up, dragged a chair to the middle of the conference room, and sat down. Pei Shaocheng glanced at Wen Yuhan, only to see the other man raise his lips at him, make a "go ahead" gesture, and then turn his head to talk quietly with Xiao Yang, not looking at Pei Shaocheng again.
Pei Shaocheng tightened his grip on the script, took a deep breath, and tossed it aside. He forced himself to calm down and immerse himself in the role as quickly as possible, but his mind was in turmoil; something like this hadn't happened to him in a long time.
Finally, he lifted his foot and walked towards Yi Li. Wen Yuhan stopped twirling his pen, turned around and silently gazed at Pei Shaocheng, his eyes as gentle and focused as they had been back then.
However, Pei Shaocheng did not see it.
He opened his arms and pulled Yi Li into his embrace, resting his chin on the other's head as he breathed heavily.
No matter how professional Yi Li was, he couldn't suppress his excitement when facing his idol, whom he had always dreamed of. His body stiffened, and the beauty mark at the corner of his eye tinged red in the sunlight.
Pei Shaocheng slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with madness, a stark contrast to his previous deep expression.
He tightened his grip on Yi Li, but the reflection in his eyes was of someone else.
“Teacher, you are so beautiful…” Pei Shaocheng sighed, his hand reaching towards Yi Li’s delicate, fair neck, and cupping his Adam’s apple.
“Especially when he’s asleep, he won’t say those damn things anymore, and he won’t look at me like that, like I’m a disgusting fly.” Pei Shaocheng’s hand, with veins bulging, lightly touched Yi Li’s neck, without applying any force.
"You won't push me away, you'll stay quietly in my arms like this..." Pei Shaocheng murmured softly, as if he were chatting with his beloved in the dead of night.
“I’ve always wondered, teacher… what exactly are my feelings for you? When I was little, I thought of you as a father; when I grew up, I wanted to make you my lover; and later, I even felt that you were a god, high above me. But I just wanted to blaspheme against the divine, to tear off your spotless robes and your cold mask, and to stain you with the most wanton colors…”
"You said death is the only way to achieve eternity..." Pei Shaocheng looked up at the ceiling, his eyes vacant as he sighed, "Teacher...maybe I should just kill you..."
A vintage clock hangs in the conference room, and when it suddenly quiets down, you can hear the ticking of the seconds.
Pei Shaocheng's chest heaved up and down. After releasing Yi Li, he braced himself against the back of the seat with his hands, leaning forward slightly as if he were exhausted.
Cheng Liangxian led the applause again, and Pei Shaocheng led him into the locked studio, where he was still not completely separated from it.
"Perfect, absolutely perfect!" Cheng Liang shook his head in genuine admiration. "It's decided, fixed shots, fixed camera positions! Absolutely no cuts!"
Yi Li excitedly reached out and hugged Pei Shaocheng: "Senior brother, you are a genius."
Pei Shaocheng's gaze passed through the crowd and landed on Wen Yuhan under the window.
Seeing the other person's slightly furrowed brows and thoughtful expression, Pei Shaocheng knew that Wen Yuhan was actually just as dissatisfied with his performance as he was.
Yes, he just used a technique. The first step for an actor to get into character is to eliminate all distractions.
But he didn't.
He didn't know if Cheng Liang and Yi Li really hadn't noticed, but in this line of work, it seemed that no one liked to tell the truth.
Wen Yuhan, who is used to lying in life and relationships, maintains an eternal sincerity and devotion to "acting".
Sure enough, when Pei Shaocheng went to the rooftop for some fresh air, Wen Yuhan followed him out without saying a word.
This was the second time they had stood here side by side, speechless, each smoking a cigarette in silence.
"What is it?" Pei Shaocheng finally spoke first.
Wen Yuhan pursed her lips and pondered for a moment before asking gently, "Do you want to hear the truth?"
Pei Shaocheng snorted upon hearing this: "You chased after me just to tell the truth, didn't you?"
Wen Yuhan nodded, smiled, took another puff of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled the smoke.
...
"Out of sorts, Shao Cheng?"
Pei Shaocheng's heart sank for a moment. No matter how much time had passed, Wen Yuhan's words "Shaocheng" could still easily break him.
Pei Shaocheng bit his tongue, using the pain to bring himself back to his senses, and said in a deep voice, "Where do you think the problem lies?"
“You haven’t truly become an assassin; all your emotions are just techniques.” Wen Yuhan looked at Pei Shaocheng seriously. “I admit that you’ve mastered your techniques, but an assassin’s love and hate for a painter are real. Before you become him, you have to believe in his emotions.”
"Ah, his emotions..."
Pei Shaocheng laughed, his voice low and deep. He felt as if a huge glacier was pressing down on his chest, cold and heavy, and the vibrations in his lungs made it hard for him to breathe.
Wen Yuhan stood still, silently waiting for Pei Shaocheng to finish laughing.
When Pei Shaocheng spoke again, his voice had become hoarse. He nodded and looked at Wen Yuhan with a smile, "How could I not believe his feelings... Hmm? Wen Yuhan."
Pei Shaocheng's eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept much last night.
Wen Yuhan felt uncomfortable under his oppressive tone and gaze. Just as she was about to turn her head away, Pei Shaocheng grabbed her chin and turned her back.
Wen Yuhan felt like his jaw was about to be crushed, and he could even hear the sound of bones grinding together. He reached out to pry Pei Shaocheng's fingers off, wincing in pain.
“I couldn’t believe it more than I could.” Pei Shaocheng stared intently at Wen Yuhan, saying each word clearly, “Don’t you know in your heart… I really want to ask you, Wen Yuhan, what exactly was your mindset when you wrote this character? Art imitates life, right? This person is truly pathetic and laughable; you were laughing while you were writing it, weren’t you…”
Wen Yuhan's face had turned deathly pale, and a layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. The scenery in front of him kept changing between reality and illusion.
He forced back his splitting headache and whispered, "I'm just talking about acting, don't overthink it."
What a performance...
Wen Yuhan once used the phrase "acting" to pronounce the death sentence on their relationship, denying the authenticity of all the tenderness, cherishing, affection, and the little things in their lives.
All those past details that Pei Shaocheng was afraid to waste even a single one of, every time he thought about them, were fake from beginning to end in Wen Yuhan's eyes; it was just an act.
Pei Shaocheng finally grabbed Wen Yuhan by the throat, his eyes red and his voice hoarse as he said:
"Xiao Han, I really want to kill you..."
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 26
The oxygen gradually thinned out as Pei Shaocheng tightened his grip.
My body felt like it was falling into water, and all I could hear was a buzzing sound. The scenery before my eyes became increasingly blurry, and my head throbbed with a sharp, excruciating pain, as if it were about to explode.
Before his consciousness completely sank into chaos, Wen Yuhan saw Pei Shaocheng standing on the street in the dead of winter that year, taking him home.
Snowflakes were falling from the sky, landing softly on Pei Shaocheng's broad shoulders. The tense lines on his face softened when he saw me. He then quickly stepped forward, took off his coat and wrapped it around me, frowning as he reprimanded me in a low voice.
So... what exactly were they blaming?
I've relived those memories so many times that I can't recall them now.
Wen Yuhan smiled. She was too sleepy and decided to take a nap.
...
When he opened his eyes again, the sun had just set. The room was bathed in a reddish glow, and the cawing of crows came from outside the window.
The headache seemed to have lessened, and the veins in his arm felt cool to the touch. Wen Yuhan looked up and saw an IV drip hanging beside the bed, the needle attached to the back of his hand.
Wen Yuhan narrowed his eyes and recognized the place as Pei Shaocheng's apartment in the city. He sat up, rubbing his forehead with his other hand, his mind racing through the events of the day.
"You have a fever, why did you still go to the meeting?"
A hoarse whisper came from the shadows. Wen Yuhan looked up and saw Pei Shaocheng sitting on the black leather sofa, backlit, his usually straight back slightly hunched forward.
In the dim light, apart from a tall silhouette, only a pair of reddened eyes could be seen.
Wen Yuhan looked down at the blanket covering her, and after a while, she pursed her lips and said softly, "Is that so?"
Pei Shaocheng couldn't stand seeing him act like he didn't even care about himself, but considering that Wen Yuhan was sick, he took a deep breath, stood up, poured Wen Yuhan a glass of water, and brought it to his lips.
"I'll do it myself."
Wen Yuhan wanted to take it, but Pei Shaocheng stubbornly refused to let him, coldly saying, "Be good."
Wen Yuhan's hand paused in mid-air, then slowly lowered, and she drank half a cup of water from the cup Pei Shaocheng handed her.
He was indeed thirsty, and the lukewarm water flowed down his throat, relieving his discomfort considerably.
After he finished drinking the water, Pei Shaocheng went to get him his medicine. Watching the other person busy taking care of him, he was momentarily reminded of how the two of them used to be together.
Wen Yuhan quickly suppressed the surging of her thoughts.
Now that you're awake, you should continue to do the right thing.
He reached for his phone from the bedside table and sent a message to Xiao Yang. The call came in immediately. Wen Yuhan noticed Pei Shaocheng's figure stiffen slightly, but he still answered the phone.
"Teacher Wen, how are you?!" Xiao Yang's anxious voice came through the receiver. "You collapsed on the rooftop today, and Pei Shaocheng took you away while I was calling 120... Did he do anything to you?!"
Wen Yuhan glanced at Pei Shaocheng, who was holding a medicine pestle beside her, and said to Xiao Yang in a soft voice, "Don't worry, the fever has gone down."
The person on the other end of the phone finally breathed a sigh of relief: "How could you suddenly have such a high fever! It's my fault for not noticing in time. Teacher, where are you now? Do you want me to come pick you up?"
Just as Wen Yuhan was about to answer, Pei Shaocheng snatched the phone away, hung up, and left it aside.
He put the medicine into Wen Yuhan's mouth and said expressionlessly, "When you're sick, you should talk less and rest more."
Wen Yuhan knew it was best not to provoke Pei Shaocheng at this moment, otherwise his newly bought phone might be ruined again. So she obediently finished her medicine and quietly leaned against the headboard, looking at the night view outside the window.
While Pei Shaocheng went to the balcony to smoke, he sent another text message to Xiao Yang, asking him to take the kitten to the vet for a check-up.
In the blink of an eye, the IV drip was empty. Pei Shaocheng returned from the balcony, walked to Wen Yuhan's side, and bent down to help him remove the needle.
Pei Shaocheng had just finished smoking, and a faint scent of tobacco lingered on him, mixed with a woody, leathery men's cologne, making him appear composed and mature. Wen Yuhan remembered that Pei Shaocheng used to never wear cologne; he only smelled of simple laundry detergent. It seemed that this industry had truly changed him a lot.
"You still have work to do." Wen Yuhan watched Pei Shaocheng press the injection site with a cotton swab and then re-apply it with tape, and sighed, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Pei Shaocheng didn't even look up: "It's nothing important." He paused, then asked Wen Yuhan, "Are you hungry?"
Before the other person could speak, he had already walked to the refrigerator and opened the door.
It contained only bottled mineral water, and nothing else.
Pei Shaocheng pursed his lips, took out his phone to call Emily to ask her to send some groceries over, but was worried about traffic delays. So he took off his mask and hat, turned his back to Wen Yuhan, and said, "I'll go downstairs to buy some things and come back up."
"good."
Pei Shaocheng paused for a moment: "You are not allowed to go anywhere."
"Um."
Pei Shaocheng changed his shoes in the entryway, opened the door, and went out.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of the door being locked came from outside.
Wen Yuhan closed her eyes and leaned against the ceiling in the dark room.
A moment later, she smiled faintly.