Chapter 50
Inside the film set's dressing room, Pei Shaocheng stood tall and broad by the window, his deep, magnetic voice echoing in the room.
"Academic fraud..." He squinted, a cigarette dangling from his lips, "Are you sure?"
"Confirmed," the person on the other end of the phone said respectfully and confidently.
Pei Shaocheng's lips curled into a cold smile as he said calmly, "Continue the investigation. Make sure to thoroughly investigate the entire fraudulent line, including teachers, students, and the leadership."
"Yes, Mr. Pei."
Pei Shaocheng hung up the phone, his eyes darkening as he looked out the window.
Just now, the person he arranged to investigate the secretary of the chairman of the Federation of Writers returned a message, indicating that the secretary of the chairman of the Federation of Writers, a man surnamed Mao, was suspected of academic fraud when he was a student.
This one point alone, if exposed, would completely ruin this person's career. However, after a brief moment of thought, Pei Shaocheng decided to refrain from alerting him for the time being.
He always felt that this matter might be related to Wen Yuhan's "plagiarism incident" back then, and that the real instigator behind it might also be responsible for a certain link in this academic fraud.
Pei Shaocheng stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, a ruthless glint in his eyes...
At the same time, the phone next to me rang again.
He glanced at the caller ID, his heart sank, and he quickly pressed the answer button.
Immediately, Aunt Feng's panicked voice came through the receiver.
“Mr. Pei…I…I…”
"What happened to Wen Yuhan?" Pei Shaocheng asked as soon as he opened his mouth.
Aunt Feng's voice was trembling with sobs, and she couldn't utter a coherent sentence:
"Mr. Wen... Mr. Wen, he..."
"explain!"
"Just now... just now I took Mr. Wen for a walk as you instructed... but... after turning a corner, Mr. Wen... he... he disappeared!"
Thump—
Pei Shaocheng slammed his fist against the wall.
The white ash fell in a flurry, and he actually smashed a crack into the wall.
Aunt Feng on the other end of the phone was clearly terrified; all she could do was cry and apologize.
Pei Shaocheng suppressed the surging anger welling up in his chest, gritted his teeth, and ended the call. He then dialed Lu Yanheng directly.
The call went through, but no one answered.
Pei Shaocheng dialed repeatedly, but eventually the line was busy.
The answer I feared most was now almost certainly the one I feared most...
Pei Shaocheng's eyes gradually changed from gloomy to filled with dangerous killing intent. He felt a surge of blood rushing from his throat to his brain, as if it would explode in the next second.
He strode quickly out of the lounge with a sinister expression. He walked briskly through the chaotic and busy film set and got into the Rolls-Royce parked at the door.
I stepped on the gas, and sped away in a cloud of dust...
As dusk fell, the city lights began to illuminate the night.
Outside a private winery located by the river, Xiao Yang was lying on the marble riverbank, a cigarette between his fingers, staring blankly at the ferry restaurant in the middle of the river.
Ever since that time he called Lu Yanheng for help from a hotel near the film studio, he had taken up smoking. He just hadn't dared to tell Wen Yuhan.
After returning from her hometown last week, Xiao Yang immediately went to Wen Yuhan's rented apartment in Nancheng, only to find that the apartment had already been vacated.
A bad feeling welled up inside him, and he quickly contacted Lu Yanheng again.
When he saw Wen Yuhan again near Pei Shaocheng's villa, his eyes almost instantly filled with tears.
If Mr. Wen was merely thin and frail in the past, he can now be described as sickly and fragile.
The moment Xiao Yang grabbed Wen Yuhan's wrist, she even worried that she might accidentally crush Wen Yuhan's bones.
If he hadn't been in such a hurry to help the other person escape and reunite with Lu Yanheng, he probably would have collapsed to his knees and cried uncontrollably.
His teacher, Wen, who, even with her aloofness, still maintained a smile and treated people with gentleness, now had unfocused eyes and was lifeless. She was like a beautifully crafted but soulless glass object, which would shatter into powder at the slightest touch.
Xiao Yang rubbed his face vigorously and took two deep drags on his cigarette.
After his inner resentment was repeatedly replaced by the powerlessness of reality, he finally made a choice not long ago.
As long as Teacher Wen is well, I am willing to be his little follower for the rest of my life.
With the most sincere piety and worship, I stood silently behind him, watching his radiant light.
Xiao Yang gave a bitter smile and turned to look at the winery behind him.
He knew that at this moment, that person was more capable and qualified than him to bring happiness to Teacher Wen...
Meanwhile, inside the winery, Lu Yanheng frowned, staring at Wen Yuhan, who remained calm and composed opposite him.
Her lips moved slightly, and she asked softly, trying to soften her voice, "Xiao Han, what are you looking at?"
Several seconds passed before Wen Yuhan finally reacted.
He had just been watching a butterfly, a blue butterfly that had landed on a wine bottle and was fluttering its wings.
"nothing."
Wen Yuhan pursed her lips and silently looked away.
Lu Yanheng took off his glasses and wiped them with a velvet cloth he always carried. He wiped faster and faster until finally, somewhat annoyed, he threw the glasses aside and rubbed his sore temples.
"How..." Lu Yanheng paused, sighed deeply, his eyes filled with heartache, "How did you become like this?"
Wen Yuhan gently stirred the ice cubes in the wine glass with her pale fingers, making a soft sound.
He raised his glass, took a sip, smiled, and then asked, "How is your collaboration with Pei Shaocheng going?"
“I knew it.” Lu Yanheng’s tone turned cold. “He used this to threaten you, didn’t he?”
"No," Wen Yuhan said softly, "I suggested it myself."
Lu Yanheng gripped his wine glass tightly, his brows furrowing even deeper. "Xiao Han, you know this is the last thing I wanted to see." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "This is between Lu Yanchen and me. Who Pei Shaocheng and Shen Wei ultimately choose to cooperate with is none of your business. You don't need to..."
Lu Yanheng paused, then said firmly, "I'll take you to a safe place in a bit, and I guarantee Pei Shaocheng won't find it. Don't worry about the rest; I'll handle it. More important than anything else right now is to get your health back in order."
Wen Yuhan continued to drink quietly, remaining silent.
Lu Yanheng raised his voice slightly, "You'll listen to me on this matter, okay?"
“I promised Pei Shaocheng that I wouldn’t run away again,” Wen Yuhan said gently. “Actually, I didn’t plan to come out with you today, but it’s been a long time since we last met, and I wanted to know how your cooperation is going.”
"Don't try to use the same methods you used on Pei Shaocheng on me," Lu Yanheng interrupted. "I know what you're thinking. You just don't want your issues with Pei Shaocheng to affect me, right?"
"Control of the Lu family is very important to you."
"You're important to me too!" Lu Yanheng slammed his hand on the table, making a dull thud.
But he immediately realized that his attitude might frighten Wen Yuhan, so he pursed his lips, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said slowly, "Sorry, I got a little excited."
"Could I have another glass of wine?" Wen Yuhan asked, looking up.
"Don't always change the subject at crucial moments." Lu Yanheng remained seated, staring intently at Wen Yuhan, and asked seriously, "Tell me, why did you return to Pei Shaocheng's side—was it because of me or..."
His Adam's apple bobbed, and finally, steeling himself, he asked the question that had been hidden deep in his heart, one he had never dared to utter:
"You still love Pei Shaocheng even now."
Wen Yuhan's long-dormant gaze finally showed a slight ripple at this moment.
He lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Lu Yanheng looked at Wen Yuhan quietly, feeling his heart sinking little by little with the other's silence.
He closed his eyes, drank the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp, and slammed the glass down on the table.
The bitter taste stimulated his sensitive taste buds. For the first time, Lu Yanheng realized that even the best wine would still burn when it went down his throat.
The other party's answer was self-evident.
From beginning to end, he still couldn't truly enter Wen Yuhan's heart and occupy the position that he had tried every means, even his whole life, to desperately want to obtain.
Lu Yanheng gave a wry smile, then stood up, supporting himself on the table: "I'll go get you some wine."
After speaking, he gently patted Wen Yuhan's shoulder and slowly walked towards the wine cabinet.
...
In the blink of an eye, there were already quite a few empty bottles on the table.
Lu Yanheng's eyes went from clear to somewhat unfocused. But he still maintained his good manners, pressing his hand against his forehead and gently massaging his temples.
"Don't drink anymore, Mr. Lu," Wen Yuhan said in a low voice. "You still have a lot of work to do tomorrow."
"Could you... please stop calling me President Lu?" Lu Yanheng looked up at Wen Yuhan, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
“Uh…” Wen Yuhan was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes, Yanheng.”
Lu Yanheng pursed his lips and stared intently at Wen Yuhan, then staggered to his feet and walked to Wen Yuhan's side.
"May I kiss you once?" Lu Yanheng asked.
Upon hearing this, Wen Yuhan's pupils contracted instantly, and his body visibly tensed up.
"Mr. Lu has had too much to drink."
Noticing the change in Wen Yuhan's emotions, Lu Yanheng paused for a moment, then shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.
He bent down, reached out and brushed aside the stray hairs on Wen Yuhan's forehead, meeting her eyes, which, though dim, were still undeniably beautiful.
"Just kidding." Lu Yanheng ruffled Wen Yuhan's hair.
“Yanheng…” Wen Yuhan looked up at Lu Yanheng and smiled sincerely, “Thank you, I’m really happy to see you.”
"Don't give me that look anymore, Xiaohan. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself and will force you to stay by my side." Lu Yanheng sighed and chuckled helplessly, "In the end, Pei Shaocheng and I are not much different... You can be really infuriating sometimes."
Upon hearing this, Wen Yuhan lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. She raised her wine glass and gently clinked it against Lu Yanheng's, saying, "Isn't that right? Selfish, boring, and cold-hearted."
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky outside, and then winter rain began to fall. This is a rare sight in the north, where the sky had been clear and blue all day.
Lu Yanheng called a driver, and only after he arrived did he lead Wen Yuhan out of the winery.