Chapter 28
Wen Yuhan's violent coughs pierced Pei Shaocheng's eardrums, but his legs felt like they were made of lead, and he could not move forward a step. He just stood there, staring at the other's thin back with a gloomy expression.
Wen Yuhan initially leaned over the toilet, but eventually, he was too exhausted to do anything else and had to squat down, gripping the edge of the toilet bowl with his hands. His fingertips gripped the spotless white tiles, and for a moment, he felt that the tiles were warmer than his hands.
He couldn't actually vomit anything, but he just felt nauseous. The lingering sourness of hawthorn in his mouth rushed into his nasal cavity, making it hard for him to breathe.
It was the same familiar environment and scene, and Wen Yuhan was momentarily unsure whether she had actually left this room.
He flushed the toilet, then leaned weakly against the cold wall. After what seemed like an eternity, Wen Yuhan heard footsteps stop at the bathroom door, but they didn't go in.
He slowly turned his head to meet Pei Shaocheng's eyes, and after a moment, smiled slightly, saying softly:
"I will never eat hawthorn again..."
Pei Shaocheng's heart sank with a thud at Wen Yuhan's words.
After meeting again, Pei Shaocheng had seen the other's indifference, aloofness, falsehood, absent-mindedness, and insincerity. Only at this moment did he see for the first time the brokenness deep in Wen Yuhan's eyes, like a withered rose.
His consciousness was instantly pulled back into his body, and Pei Shaocheng suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of panic.
What exactly did he just do...?
Pei Shaocheng wanted to step inside, but Wen Yuhan turned on the shower first, turned her back to him, took off her clothes, and said softly, "Even if you won't let me leave, can you allow me to take a shower first? I'm really not feeling well right now."
He paused, then turned to look at Pei Shaocheng: "Or are you planning to stay here and watch to prevent me from escaping through the air vent?"
Pei Shaocheng clenched his fist at his side and then relaxed it. In the end, he silently turned on the bathroom heater for Wen Yuhan, turned around and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
"Use the bathtub, don't just stand there."
...
The sound of running water came from the bathroom, and the living room was warm and cozy with the air conditioning and heating on.
Pei Shaocheng sat at the dining table, like a lifeless sculpture.
The floor was still a mess, with the rolled hawthorns leaving sticky stains on the table and floor.
Pei Shaocheng's hands still bore the sticky sugar stains from when he forced Wen Yuhan to eat hawthorns, constantly reminding him of his previous actions.
He lowered his head and buried his face in his hands. How did he end up like this?
He was perfectly fine when he came in, and just a second ago he was overjoyed to see Wen Yuhan leaning against him... While picking out hawthorns at the supermarket, he was still thinking about the satisfied look on Wen Yuhan's face after eating them. Why did it end up in such a messy and disorganized way...?
Pei Shaocheng let out a suppressed, heavy sigh, which trembled slightly after several times. He gritted his teeth, chewing up the hoarse sound and swallowing it back down. Then, mechanically, he bent down and picked up the hawthorns scattered on the ground one by one, putting them back on the plate and throwing the plate into the trash can.
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and when Wen Yuhan came out, she only saw Pei Shaocheng's back as he stood on the balcony smoking.
The red glow of the cigarette between his fingers flickered, his entire body shrouded in darkness, standing out starkly against the backdrop of countless lights in the distance. Wen Yuhan paused for a few seconds, then turned and went back to his bedroom.
On the beige cashmere carpet, Wen Yuhan spotted a candied hawthorn hidden among the carpets, which must have rolled down there during the argument earlier.
His eyes flickered, then he slowly squatted down, carefully picked up the hawthorn, and twisted off a bit of cashmere thread wrapped around it.
The hawthorn berries are large and plump, with an appealing color; they were clearly carefully selected.
With wisps of hair obscuring her eyes, Wen Yuhan's lips twitched slightly, forming a barely perceptible curve.
"That idiot..."
Wen Yuhan opened her mouth and put the hawthorn into it.
As he chewed slowly, it seemed as if some liquid flowed down from where it was hidden by his stray hairs, hanging on his sharp chin and rolling down into the cashmere carpet.
And throughout the entire process, not a single sound was made.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as Wen Yuhan felt his consciousness fading, the bedside gently sank slightly. Then, a pair of gentle hands covered his forehead. The movement was hesitant, pausing for a moment as if unsure if his assessment was accurate, before moving his hands to his lips instead.
Wen Yuhan's back stiffened, and she opened her eyes. She met Pei Shaocheng's unfathomable eyes under the dim light of the desk lamp.
Perhaps not expecting Wen Yuhan to be not fully asleep, Pei Shaocheng didn't even have time to withdraw the tenderness in his eyes. His tall, leaning figure froze there, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times, unsure of what to say.
Fortunately, Wen Yuhan did not resist forcefully; she simply turned over and closed her eyes again.
The person behind him remained in that position for a long time before finally reaching out to turn off the lamp, and then somewhat awkwardly lifting the covers and lying down.
Pei Shaocheng carried the scent of sandalwood shower gel, which lingered in Wen Yuhan's breath.
Whether it was intentional or Pei Shaocheng had never changed his shower gel, Wen Yuhan remembered telling him back then that she really liked the scent, as it was calming.
After many years, Wen Yuhan was lying in the same bed with Pei Shaocheng again, and she felt that her will was being slowly eroded by the night.
He curled himself up, forcing himself not to think about those details of the past anymore.
He cannot harm Pei Shaocheng; he could not in the past, and he should not now.
A rustling sound came from beside her, and then a gentle yet strong hand reached out and placed on Wen Yuhan's waist. After feeling Wen Yuhan tremble, the hand seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then chose to tighten its grip, encircling Wen Yuhan in its embrace.
A burning chest pressed against Wen Yuhan's back, and hot breath carrying the scent of sandalwood sprayed against the back of her neck, hitting that sensitive spot again and again. A thin layer of goosebumps rose on Wen Yuhan's body, and she instinctively wanted to escape the other's embrace, but she stopped herself again after hearing that almost pleading murmur.
"No, let me hug you for a moment..." Pei Shaocheng's voice was dry from the tobacco smoke as he buried his head in Wen Yuhan's neck and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Just for a moment."
Wen Yuhan was stunned for a moment, but finally relaxed her body as if she had resigned herself to her fate, no longer rejecting Pei Shaocheng's embrace.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the time on the vintage table clock by the bedside, her eyes flashing with countless emotions.
Let's give each other one last hug.
Wen Yuhan closed her eyes.
"Look, the sun has already set..." he sighed softly.
It's time to wake up from this dream, Pan.
A deep and abrupt knocking sounded from outside the house, accompanied by Lu Yanheng's polite yet undeniably firm voice.
Lu Yanheng: "Mr. Pei, please open the door."
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 29
Wen Yuhan clearly felt the hand around his waist suddenly stiffen, and then an immense, oppressive aura spread out from Pei Shaocheng, enveloping him.
The last bit of tenderness that had been building up vanished in an instant. Even though she had already anticipated what was going to happen, Wen Yuhan still couldn't help but shiver.
"You're the one who called him here."
Pei Shaocheng suppressed his anger, the question forced out between his teeth filled with disbelief, "Wen Yuhan, you were lying in my bed, and you actually dared to call another man?"
In an instant, immense humiliation and unbearable pain transformed into a heavy slap, landing squarely on Pei Shaocheng's face.
Does this person truly have no heart?!
Seeing no movement from inside, Lu Yanheng knocked harder and his tone became more serious: "Mr. Pei, I know Xiaohan is here with you." He took a deep breath and said coldly, "You should know the seriousness of illegal, unlawful, and prohibited activities."
The door was flung open from the inside with a "whoosh." Lu Yanheng narrowed his eyes, enduring the extremely aggressive aura emanating from the other side. He straightened his back, looked directly at Pei Shaocheng, whose expression was gloomy, and said calmly, "I'm sorry, I heard that Xiaohan has run into some trouble, so I've come to take him home."
The word "go home" once again triggered Pei Shaocheng, his clenched fists making a grinding sound. Lu Yanheng loosened his tie, clearly ready to strike at any moment.
I'd heard that Pei Shaocheng trained in freestyle fighting and never used a stunt double in his action scenes. I wondered how many moves I'd managed to exchange with him using the few Sanda moves I'd learned from my private tutor. But before that, I'd made thorough preparations. If I hadn't left with Wen Yuhan by half an hour, the police would be coming straight for me.
Pei Shaocheng looked Lu Yanheng up and down, letting out a disdainful snort. He used his tall figure to block the doorway, obstructing Lu Yanheng's view, and said slowly, "It seems that President Lu has been quite free lately."
Lu Yanheng remained composed and smiled faintly, saying, "Thanks to Mr. Pei."
"I heard that the second young master of the Lu family has caused you a lot of trouble, and recently he has been trying to extract shares from your group's shareholders... It seems that this is an exaggeration."
Lu Yanheng's pupils narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, but he maintained a polite smile: "I didn't expect Mr. Pei to be not only a leader in your industry, but also quite knowledgeable about the business world. So, are you interested in giving up acting to go into business?"
“I’m not interested.” Pei Shaocheng paused, “but Young Master Lu is a talented and energetic young man. I had the good fortune to meet him before and we talked about some cooperation. I wouldn’t mind giving his career a boost.”
Lu Yanheng's smile faded, knowing that Pei Shaocheng's so-called "adding fuel to the fire" was not as simple as just taking sides.
Although the other party was in a different industry, they had known many influential figures in the film and television industry for many years. Not to mention that Pei Shaocheng's own company had been thriving in recent years, if these forces were combined, their power would be considerable.
He had previously mentioned his younger brother, Lu Yanchen, to Wen Yuhan, but he had concealed much of the truth. Seeing that the Lu family patriarch, Lu Zhengqiang, was becoming increasingly frail, the power struggle between the brothers was intensifying. Although he outwardly tried to project the image of a good elder brother, he knew that the battle for control of the Lu family's future was rapidly approaching a fever pitch.
Lu Yanheng was secretly alarmed. How could Pei Shaocheng, who always kept a low profile, know so much about all of this?
“Mr. Pei…” Lu Yanheng sighed softly and rubbed his temples. “Only a child would say he’s closer to someone else all the time. Of course, you have your freedom, and I have no right to interfere. But today, I must take him away.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Shaocheng's smile widened, and he simply uttered three words: "Give it a try."
The provocation was self-evident.
At this moment, Wen Yuhan walked up behind Pei Shaocheng, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere, he raised his hand and pressed down on Pei Shaocheng's arm blocking the doorway, saying softly without even looking at him, "Let me go back."
Upon seeing Wen Yuhan, Lu Yanheng hurriedly inquired about his condition: "Are you alright, Xiaohan?"
Seeing that Pei Shaocheng remained unmoved, standing between him and Lu Yanheng, Wen Yuhan raised his head and calmly looked into Pei Shaocheng's eyes.
His next words, though spoken softly, were piercing: "Pei Shaocheng, if you've truly forgotten what I said in the past, I don't mind saying it again." He was incredibly serious, his expression even tinged with pity. "I only found you because of the role of Andrew, and being with you was to help you get closer to Andrew himself, to help me play that role well... I've never liked you. Before you, I've had many actors, and I've felt the same way about each of them as I have about you. The reason I've spent more time with you is because you happened to play my favorite role. I only liked Andrew, not Pei Shaocheng."
The air seemed to freeze; apart from Wen Yuhan's calm yet clear words, there was no other sound in the entire environment.
Lu Yanheng buried his head in wiping his glasses, naturally understanding that these words would undoubtedly be devastating to Pei Shaocheng.
For a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Pei Shaocheng. After all, in a sense, they were similar.
Pei Shaocheng stared blankly at Wen Yuhan, as if he had lost the ability to speak.
After what seemed like an eternity, he managed to regain some of his voice, and with a last glimmer of hope, he murmured a rebuttal: "But the way you look at me is different from how you look at them."
Wen Yuhan smiled faintly, then reached out and gently stroked Pei Shaocheng's face:
"Because you are my most satisfying work."
...
Raindrops hit the windshield, only to be quickly wiped away by the wipers.
This year, Yancheng has experienced far too much rain.
Lu Yanheng looked at Wen Yuhan sitting in the passenger seat, his lips moved, but he didn't ask any more questions.
The Maybach stopped outside an old residential area in the south of the city. Wen Yuhan opened the car door and got out. She turned back and nodded to Lu Yanheng with a smile: "Thank you for today."
Lu Yanheng smiled at him: "You're welcome. Drink plenty of hot water when you get back and get some rest. Call me anytime if you need anything."
"Mm," Wen Yuhan responded softly, then turned and walked towards the stairwell.