"Shh, that's right." The person called Sister Wang quietly gestured with her chin to Yi Li and whispered, "Didn't you see the shackles on your feet?"
"Sister Wang, Xiao Li really..."
"Hmph, you can know a person's face but not their heart. You're still young!"
The older plainclothes officer glanced at them, his hawk-like eyes carrying the coldness of his profession. The two women immediately shut up and hurriedly left the dressing room.
"Officer Sun," Yi Li said, his back to the plainclothes officer, a gentle smile on his face reflected in the mirror, "Could you please call my assistant over? I'd like to ask him about the invitation."
Where is he?
"It's right at the door."
The policeman surnamed Sun looked Yi Li up and down, and after a moment he turned to the young policeman next to him and said, "Xiao Li, go make a trip."
Officer Li nodded, glanced curiously at Yi Li, and then turned and left the dressing room. A moment later, he returned with a hesitant-looking man.
Upon seeing the man, Yi Li stopped what he was doing and turned around to ask, "So, did you confirm that the invitations were sent to them? Did they receive them?" To the young Officer Li, his expression was like that of an innocent and harmless child.
The man lowered his head and stammered, his hands hanging limply as he nervously rubbed them together, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to.
Yi Li looked at the man's expression, his eyes gradually dimming. Finally, he gave a bitter smile and turned his head away: "It's alright, it was expected."
"My husband is abroad and can't come back, and my wife... she said..." What the man actually wanted to say was that after receiving the invitation he sent, Yi Li's mother tore it up without hesitation and kept calling Yi Li a "failure." But he swallowed hard several times and couldn't bear to say it.
Yi Li twisted the lipstick and calmly applied it to her lips, which, though slightly pale, were still delicate and beautiful, without saying a word. After a long while, she asked again, "Then, what about him?"
The man quickly replied, "Oh, Mr. Pei has arrived and has been arranged by the director to rest in the VIP room. His fans are so crazy; since they couldn't get tickets, they all stood outside the theater and wouldn't disperse until the performance was over."
“I was referring to…” Yi Li narrowed his eyes slightly, “Mr. Wen.”
Upon hearing this, the two policemen behind him immediately straightened up and stared at Yi Li warily.
The man's expression changed, and he hesitated, saying, "Mr. Wen hasn't replied, but I think he might..."
"Don't worry, he'll come." Yi Li smiled. "Once he arrives, everyone will be here."
The clock on the wall was ten minutes away from the hour, at which point the curtain would rise and the performance would officially begin.
⚹
Wen Yuhan arrived at the theater the moment the lights went out.
He hadn't worn formal attire in a long time, or rather, he hadn't been in a formal performance theater for far too long.
The black, sharp suit he wore completely transformed his usual lazy and casual demeanor, highlighting his tall and slender figure and handsome features, exuding a dazzling air of nobility.
If the indoor lighting hadn't been dim, most of the audience's attention would likely have already shifted from the stage to him.
This morning, Wen Yuhan picked out an exquisite envelope from the paper bag of pan-fried buns delivered by the delivery guy. It was clearly not a five-yuan voucher. Inside was a guest ticket to the now extremely rare and valuable show "Sinking Lake," along with a small card.
The author's elongated brushstrokes made no attempt to conceal their meaning, openly revealing to Wen Yuhan who wrote the sentence.
—I will rest my head side by side.
Wen Yuhan remained silent, staring at the string of characters. Xiao Yang leaned closer, and upon seeing the ticket, immediately recognized who it belonged to. He frowned in disgust and said, "What is he trying to do?! Who wants to be buried alongside him?!"
Seeing Wen Yuhan still staring intently at the ticket, her hand clenching tightly, Xiao Yang sensed something was wrong and quickly warned, "Teacher, you absolutely mustn't go over there! Yi Li is cunning and treacherous; who knows what he might do to you then!"
Wen Yuhan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to admit that Yi Li was really good at winning people's hearts.
He was currently in Wancheng, and no matter what, the person he wanted to sleep with wouldn't be him. Even though he understood that Yi Li probably wouldn't really want to hurt Pei Shaocheng, he still didn't dare to gamble, especially since that man was a madman.
Even now, Wen Yuhan still helplessly accepts his fate. As long as the stakes in this world are Pei Shaocheng, he will always be the loser.
When he opened his eyes again, a resolute determination had risen in his eyes: "Book me a ticket for the next train to Yancheng." Wen Yuhan said as he quickly got up and dressed.
"No, you can't go!" Xiao Yang stood in front of Wen Yuhan and shouted.
Wen Yuhan looked up and met Xiao Yang's gaze. Xiao Yang was stunned the moment she saw the other's eyes.
How can one describe that expression? In short, it was as if he couldn't refuse anything Wen Yuhan asked of him.
Xiao Yang sighed heavily, clenched his fist, then angrily slammed it down, finally gritting his teeth and saying, "I'll go with you."
There is only one ticket.
"Then I'll wait outside!"
Wen Yuhan paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."
...
The opening melody began with a slow and mysterious clarinet. As the curtain rose, amidst swirling white mist, Yi Li, dressed in a light and sheer white gauze dress, stood in the center of the stage and slowly raised her head.
This outfit is quite daring, with only a thin layer of fabric covering the bare body, allowing you to see the beautiful texture and every part of the body through the sheer fabric.
The perfect curves are faintly visible in the haze, appearing both pristine and alluring, inspiring endless imagination.
A collective gasp of amazement erupted from the audience, who momentarily forgot their initial purpose of coming to see gossip and became completely absorbed in the moment.
"I am the master of this lake, and they call me king." The lake nymph king, played by Yi Li, raised his slender arm, his face showing a hint of arrogance as he looked down at the front. "From that huge reef to this continuous seaweed, everything you can see is my territory... Apollo's carriage passes through here every day, and this is the place where the sun shines earliest."
Wen Yuhan quickly looked around in the dim blue light. He wanted to find an inconspicuous seat, but the entire theater was packed. Come to think of it, otherwise a single ticket wouldn't be selling for nearly twenty or thirty thousand yuan.
He glanced at the people on the stage, his eyes darkening. Then, he slowly walked towards the first row, to the seat that Yi Li had "specially" reserved for him.
That's one of the best angles to view the stage, and a spot that's easy to spot.
Pei Shaocheng was also sitting in the front row, next to the director of the play. From their earlier conversation in the VIP lounge, it was easy to see the director's barely concealed excitement. After all, Yi Li's current special status had become the biggest selling point of the entire play, and the level of attention it received far exceeded the director's expectations.
He clicked his tongue in dismay at Yi Li's passing, yet inwardly he felt immense relief. Pei Shaocheng looked down on such people, and so when the director tentatively invited him to a new role, he promptly declined with a few words.
"Sigh... Xiao Li could have stood even higher." The director started shaking his head again.
Pei Shaocheng crossed his legs, one hand supporting his chin, his face cold and sullen as he stared at the stage. The director had wanted to exchange a few more words with him to build rapport, but seeing Pei Shaocheng's unapproachable demeanor, he swallowed his words.
At this moment, Pei Shaocheng's mind was filled with Wen Yuhan. He didn't know what Wen Yuhan was doing, whether the pain in his wound had returned, or whether he would make up some lies to send Xiao Yang away and secretly go to the rooftop to smoke.
Recalling those beautiful eyes that would slightly narrow when lying, a barely perceptible tenderness flickered in Pei Shaocheng's eyes.
Minor Cold...
Someone suddenly sat down beside him, bringing a cool breeze and a faint scent of mint tobacco. Pei Shaocheng's pupils constricted abruptly, and he looked at the other person in disbelief, momentarily wondering if he was hallucinating from his intense longing.
Wen Yuhan raised her index finger to make a shushing gesture at him and said softly, "I'll explain later." Then she stared intently at the stage.
Pei Shaocheng stared blankly at the person who had suddenly appeared before him without warning, as if he were truly a beautiful and alluring water fairy walking on ripples from the depths of a lake. Countless doubts in his mind were replaced by his dazzling appearance the moment he saw him, and Pei Shaocheng could hear his heart pounding rapidly and frantically.
Yi Li had obviously noticed Wen Yuhan in the audience as well. His gaze lingered between Wen Yuhan and Pei Shaocheng for a moment, and a self-deprecating smile gradually appeared on his face.
Wen Yuhan and he stared at each other silently until Yi Li turned around and walked to the side of the stage to continue his lines.
“I met him at dusk, deep in that forest. He is said to be the ruler of sex, love and art, leaning against a cedar tree, playing his reed flute alone… I have never seen a god like him, not as aloof as other gods, nor as pretentious as he pretends to be merciful. He is so lonely, yet so captivating… I long to take him back to my lake, and I want him to be my king.”
Throughout his speech, Yi Li's gaze never left Pei Shaocheng. His eyes, burning with longing and affection, shone brightly, and his face wore a devout and innocent smile.
"But just as I was about to approach him, that nymph who lived nearby appeared!" Yi Li's tone suddenly turned cold, and the chilling aura made the hearts of those below the stage tremble. "That lowly nymph used his despicable magic to enter Pan's dream... I had long heard that these flirtatious creatures liked to use their songs to attract the attention of humans, and then drag them to the bottom of the lake when they lost their minds. I would never allow this inferior being to defile my god... However, why, why... that dream filled with conspiracy was actually etched into the heart of my god Pan, and those foolish poets and composers wrote songs and hymns for them, they had another story, their own story... My dear god Pan, you must have been bewitched by him! It's alright, I will help you find your heart, and through this clear lake, see the nymph's original ugly form... For this, I am willing to offer everything..."
"Ha, what a fine play, completely ruined by the changes." Pei Shaocheng snorted coldly, which immediately made the director next to him shudder.
Director: "Ah, this... is actually..."
"Isn't it great?" Wen Yuhan said lightly, "The alluring Pan, the pure and selfless Lake King, and the despicable Water Nymph... it's a classic story that will never go out of style."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Yuhan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
A cold, electric gaze came toward him from the side.
Like a flying insect being targeted by a venomous spider, Wen Yuhan's body began to tremble involuntarily, and she stiffly turned her head to follow the gaze...
What met his eyes was an enlarged, undisguised smiling face.
Han Shu.
...
A note from the author:
Nymphs are a term used in Greek mythology to refer to fairies or nymphs, including water nymphs, wood nymphs, and so on.
I wrote 4000 words today! Is this really me?! I have to give myself a shout-out—
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 77
Wen Yuhan had actually anticipated that he might run into this person today, but when their eyes met, his heart felt as if it had instantly fallen into an icy abyss, uncontrollably tightening and becoming filled with panic.
The other person clearly caught the emotion in his eyes, and the smile on his lips widened. He even slightly raised the play promotional booklet in his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture in front of his own neck.
Even though he had never faced Han Shu directly before, that face was still imprinted in Wen Yuhan's mind through various media such as television and mobile phones, stimulating every cell in his body from anger to despair and now to fear, tormenting and destroying his spirit day and night for many years.
Suddenly, a hand landed on Wen Yuhan's shoulder. He shuddered and turned his head in a daze, his pupils trembling violently.
Instead, she was met with Pei Shaocheng's dark and deep eyes, which carried a reassuring aura that only the powerful possess, penetrating deep into Wen Yuhan's soul.
The hand on Wen Yuhan's shoulder clenched, then followed his gaze to Han Shu behind him, like a lion occupying a high ground, arrogantly narrowing its eyes.
The two stared at each other silently from a distance. In the end, Han Shu suppressed the glint in her eyes and politely smiled and nodded to Pei Shaocheng as a greeting.
Pei Shaocheng ignored the other party's overtures and turned his gaze to the nearly fifty-year-old man sitting next to him, Liu Zhengju.
At this moment, Liu Zhengju had his head down, his hands clasped in front of his knees, nervously rubbing them together. His face flushed red and then turned pale, clearly not expecting Wen Yuhan to appear here.
Yi Li on stage took it all in. A cryptic smile played on his lips as he raised his chin like a king surveying his kingdom. He paced back and forth a few times, then pushed aside the actress who was supposed to be acting opposite him and declared loudly:
"No one could have imagined that the vile nymph would possess such powerful magic, making everyone yearn for him, love him, follow him, and even fear him... My dear Pan, do you really think this water sprite truly loves you? No, he only wants to use you to take revenge on those hunters who once imprisoned him in this lake and stole the golden scales from his body!"
As Yi Li spoke, he glanced at Han Shu and Liu Zhengju, smiling as he repeated, emphasizing each word, "That's right, revenge... Otherwise, why would he suddenly appear in front of you?"
When Yi Li noticed Han Shu's face quickly turn cold, and his hand gripping the armrest tighten with anger and worry, veins bulging, he burst into laughter, his words growing faster and faster: "Hunters! Grab your hunting rifles and kill this nymph! It's either him or you!! His appearance is a blatant provocation; possessing the power of Pan, he will destroy the entire forest!! Then, you will all be homeless!!"
The director, wiping sweat from his brow with tissues, pushed up his glasses and leaned forward toward the stage, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, what is he saying?! This isn't even in the script!"
Wen Yuhan's face grew paler and paler. He had no intention of confronting Han Shu and the others again, and his visit was solely out of concern for Pei Shaocheng's safety.
Unexpectedly, Yi Li intended to use this performance as a prelude to a storm, constantly provoking Han Shu and Liu Zhengju's murderous intent and forcing Wen Yuhan to confront it.
At this moment, he was like a crazed big player. After finally breaking away from any side, he spared no effort to stir up trouble, making the pool even muddier, forcing the people in the water to fight each other, and everyone would face either survival or destruction.
And it was clear he had succeeded. Wen Yuhan felt the piercing gaze behind him carrying a bloodthirsty murderous intent, as if it wanted to tear him apart, skin him alive, and devour his flesh and drink his blood. He desperately needed a cigarette to calm himself down, but he didn't want to attract any more attention by getting up at this moment.
"Don't be afraid." A deep, magnetic voice suddenly came from above, calmly saying, "No one can hurt you."