A Luo was exasperated by the other party's cunning and noncommittal reply. She took out a cigarette from her pocket, lit it, leaned against the wall, and gestured with her chin towards the outside: "The weather is particularly nice today. There's a reservoir nearby with beautiful scenery... How about we go together?"
"Later," Wen Yuhan said lazily, her eyes half-open. "I want to sleep some more."
"You..." A'Luo was about to try to persuade him again when she suddenly froze when she looked into Wen Yuhan's eyes in the daylight.
His face was excessively pale, and even when he smiled, his eyes, hidden beneath the alcohol, remained lifeless.
A Luo paused, turned back and closed the door, then dragged a chair to sit next to Wen Yuhan, flicking her cigarette ash: "Tell me, what happened to make you look like this? It'll make you feel better if you tell me."
...
There was only silence in response.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of butterflies lately.” Wen Yuhan’s eyes were a little unfocused. “They’re all different colors. There are also dandelions, growing out of the corners of tables, eaves, and cracks in the floor. When the wind blows, the seeds are blown out and fly everywhere.”
A Luo slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and muttered under her breath, "Are you sure you don't need to see a psychologist? I think you're in a terrible state right now, worse than the last time I saw you."
"Let's play some music, A'Luo..." Wen Yuhan's gentle voice echoed in the wooden house, then paused and said, "How's the afternoon, Pan God?"
A Luo pursed her lips and stared at Wen Yuhan, finally sighing and opening her phone's music player app.
As the clarinet played its enchanting and melodious tune, the two gradually stopped talking.
Aro exhaled the last puff of smoke, stubbed it out, and spoke softly in her unique, husky voice:
"Heartless, showing no pity for my drunken sobs... Let her go! Others will lead me to good fortune... Tie their braids together with the ram's horns on my head. You know, my passion is ripe and crimson... My heavy body and empty soul slowly succumb to the proud silence of the afternoon."
"Farewell, fairies..." Wen Yuhan exhaled smoke and murmured, "I will still see your shadows."
...
"Ha, this poem is fucking lewd." A'Luo chuckled.
Wen Yuhan's eyes were vacant, then she raised the corners of her lips in response to her words: "Yeah, it's pretty erotic."
The sound of broken breaths rang in my ears again.
Years ago, in that damp rehearsal hall, in the middle of the stage scorched by spotlights, the sweat dripping from the two mingled with the leaking rainwater.
Their breaths mingled with each other's names...
A fleeting glint appeared in Wen Yuhan's eyes. At that moment, he seemed to see that butterfly again, its wings burning with flames, dazzling yet carrying a dying struggle before it was consumed.
It's just like a final burst of energy before death.
"What are you thinking about?" As if noticing Wen Yuhan's distraction, A Luo asked in confusion.
"It's nothing." Wen Yuhan shook his head and smiled to himself, "Just a bunch of disgusting scenes."
Just as A Luo was about to delve deeper, the music was suddenly interrupted by a notification.
She was a little annoyed by being disturbed, turned on her phone and glanced at it casually, raising her eyebrows slightly.
"Isn't that the famous star surnamed Pei?"
Wen Yuhan's hand holding the cigarette tightened almost imperceptibly.
"They said his company was going to cooperate with the Lu Group... Lu Yanchen? Why does this guy look so flamboyant?" A Luo put her phone aside listlessly. "No fun. I thought it was a relationship being exposed. The media really has nothing good to write about these days."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Wen Yuhan again, feeling that she was more interested in knowing about the "unbearable" scenes the other party had mentioned. However, she saw that Wen Yuhan had taken her phone and was looking at the news feed, pondering something.
He gripped the sheet tightly with his other hand, his distinct knuckles turning white and protruding.
Undoubtedly, this so-called business cooperation news is far less eye-catching than gossip and movie promotions, but it still allows those with a keen eye to sense the impending storm, whether it's joy or fear.
Wen Yuhan knew perfectly well who had released this message and what their true motives were.
It has to be said that Pei Shaocheng knows himself too well. Rather than calling this news, it's more like a highly threatening "missing person notice".
Swift, accurate, steady, and ruthless, each move struck Wen Yuhan's vital point.
If it weren't for him, Pei Shaocheng might not have even had to consider the choice between Lu Yanheng and Lu Yanchen when deciding on a collaboration.
Wen Yuhan closed his eyes and pressed his bloodless lips together, feeling as if everything was a giant whirlpool. No matter how hard he tried to escape, he would only be swept deeper into the whirlpool.
In short, I absolutely cannot let Lu Yanheng be pushed into a predicament again because of myself...
He took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and whispered to A'Luo, "Let's go take a look at the reservoir you mentioned now."
...
That afternoon, Wen Yuhan stayed on the reservoir dam from sunrise until sunset.
A'Luo must have guessed that Wen Yuhan was preoccupied, so she silently stayed with him for a while before leaving on her own.
As dusk fell, Wen Yuhan watched quietly as the shimmering water shattered the setting sun.
His eyes reflected orange light and shadow, and in a daze, he saw again the abandoned railway track near the rented house in Yancheng. The whole world was full of dandelions, carried by the wind, not knowing where they would fly to...
Wen Yuhan lit the last cigarette in the pack, and by the time he finished smoking it, it was completely dark.
The night breeze ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead. With a serene expression, he pulled out his phone, dialed the number etched into his very being, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed the answer button.
...
"Shao Cheng, it's me."
...
When Wen Yuhan left, he cleaned up the little wooden house that A Luo had given him, leaving not a speck of dust behind.
He placed the key on the table, left a note, and then went to the long-distance bus station in a nearby county that night. He took the last bus back to Yancheng and bought a plane ticket for the first flight to the city where the film studio was located.
When he returned to the hotel and stood once again in Pei Shaocheng's suite, he felt as if the brief time he had experienced, as well as the cabin and the reservoir, had been a chaotic and unreal dream.
Pei Shaocheng sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, one hand propping up his forehead as he sized up Wen Yuhan. His eyes held a cold, mocking gaze.
When he spoke, his tone was tinged with mockery.
"Not running anymore?"
Wen Yuhan didn't say anything, turned around and gently closed the door.
A flicker of barely concealed anger crossed Pei Shaocheng's eyes. He chuckled coldly and said slowly, "Wen Yuhan, guess how I feel right now? Hmm?"
As he spoke, he stood up, walked slowly to Wen Yuhan, and gently touched his cheek.
"I'm happy, I feel great... and I fucking want to kill someone." Pei Shaocheng's tone suddenly turned cold. "Why is it only because of Lu Yanheng that you're willing to come back to me? If I hadn't said I wanted to cooperate with Lu Yanchen, would you have ever shown up again...?"
"I'm back." Wen Yuhan was a little breathless from the other person's pressure, but she still tried to control her tone and said calmly, "Could you reconsider the cooperation?"
Pei Shaocheng narrowed his eyes.
“Shao Cheng, you know Lu Yanheng’s abilities better than anyone. And you can completely trust his character…” Wen Yuhan whispered, trying to comfort him, “Don’t act rashly, okay?”
Seeing that Pei Shaocheng still didn't answer, Wen Yuhan pursed her lips, looked at him seriously, and said, "I'm begging you, please reconsider. I can also promise you that as long as you agree, I will never run away again. Apart from writing, which I'm really tired of, I'll do whatever you say."
"Hahaha..." Pei Shaocheng suddenly chuckled, an uncontrollable rage rising in his chest.
He stared intently at Wen Yuhan, a sinister smile playing on his lips, and exclaimed repeatedly, "Very good, very good, Wen Yuhan... For him, you're as obedient as a rabbit. I've never seen you so compliant before."
"I just don't want our issues to affect your cooperation."
"Tsk, you're quite the talker." Pei Shaocheng's laughter stopped abruptly, and he nodded, saying, "Alright, I can agree to reconsider this matter. But you must also keep your promise to me."
As he spoke, he shifted his gloomy gaze to Wen Yuhan's shirt, gently stroking the buttons with his thumb:
He said calmly, "Take it off."
...
A note from the author:
Quotation: Poem "Afternoon of a Faun" by Mallarmé, translated by Fei Bai;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 46
Wen Yuhan looked at Pei Shaocheng with a somewhat confused expression, as if she hadn't understood what he meant.
Pei Shaocheng raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you say you'd do whatever I told you to?" His tone turned cold as he said, "Take it off."
Wen Yuhan lowered her head, a hint of humiliation rising in her eyes, which were hidden by her stray hairs.
He clenched his fist, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. After a moment, his tense shoulders slowly slumped. He nodded, raised his hand, and unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, pulling it off until it slid to the ground.
As his shirt touched the carpet, Wen Yuhan saw another butterfly fly out of his sleeve, fluttering its wings around him, releasing fluorescent pollen, and blooming into a dandelion.
His eyes flickered, his attention drawn in.
Pei Shaocheng knocked a cigarette out of the pack, lit it, and sat on the bed, looking at Wen Yuhan with great interest.
Seeing him stop and stare blankly, she frowned in displeasure and gestured with her chin:
"continue."
Wen Yuhan's thin body appeared unhealthy and pale under the light.
Urged by Pei Shaocheng, he looked away and slowly moved his hand down to the belt buckle at his waist.
The metallic texture was so cold that Wen Yuhan's fingertips trembled, and she instinctively flinched away.
But after a pause, he gripped the belt buckle again, gritted his teeth, and "click" unbuckled it.
Wen Yuhan was so thin that his pants immediately sagged down as soon as the belt was loosened.
He saw the butterfly land on the belt buckle, fluttering its wings.
So, I might as well give up and stop struggling.
Wen Yuhan smiled, removed the last layer of concealment, and looked up at Pei Shaocheng with a calm expression.
Pei Shaocheng's gaze suddenly deepened, and his voice grew even lower when he spoke.
"You know what to do."
Wen Yuhan walked towards Pei Shaocheng knowingly and reached out to unbutton his shirt.
Pei Shaocheng's Adam's apple bobbed heavily as he grabbed Wen Yuhan's hand.
Wen Yuhan calmly looked up at him. When she sensed the obvious change in Pei Shaocheng, she pondered for a moment, then silently squatted down in front of him.
Pei Shaocheng suddenly became irritated and forcefully pushed Wen Yuhan away. Wen Yuhan lost her balance and fell to the ground.