The business collaborations between Tianyu Media and Jianyue Entertainment, founded by Lu Rang, overlapped significantly, which was why Ye Xirong and Lu Rang often appeared together at events.
Now that Ye Xirong was causing trouble by trying to terminate his contract, many activities couldn’t proceed smoothly. It was rumored that the person in charge at Tianyu was coaxing Ye Xirong on one hand while quietly grooming a newcomer to replace him.
So, could this so-called newcomer be Pei Mingyang?
If that were the case, wouldn’t he have to see Lu Rang frequently at future business events?
Sure enough, Pei Mingyang’s eyes lit up. “You’ve heard of Tianyu Media too? I looked into it—it’s a big company. When the agent signed me, they said they’d give me the company’s top-tier resources.”
If any other entertainment company had said that, Luo Ying would have thought they were just making empty promises.
But Tianyu was different. They were in urgent need of promoting someone who could compete with Ye Xirong for the spotlight.
Luo Ying didn’t really want to get involved in the scheming and grudges between entertainment agencies, so he just reminded Pei Mingyang to stay cautious.
After the meal, with nothing else to do, Pei Mingyang invited Luo Ying to visit an exhibition.
Luo Ying remembered Lu Rang’s request before he left home, asking him to return early, so after some thought, he declined the invitation.
“Maybe another time. I need to get home early these days.”
“Alright,” Pei Mingyang knew that once Luo Ying refused, there was no changing his mind, so he just waved his car keys. “Want me to drive you back?”
Luo Ying hadn’t driven since he “went bankrupt,” so he nodded. “Sure.”
Once in the car, Pei Mingyang naturally leaned over to fasten Luo Ying’s seatbelt.
The sudden closeness made Luo Ying a bit uncomfortable.
“Are you going back to…” Pei Mingyang reluctantly uttered the name, “Lu Rang’s place?”
“Uh, yeah. Guangxin Tower.”
Pei Mingyang gave a half-smile. “Quite a nice place.”
The car’s heater was on full blast, and Luo Ying, who had worn a high-neck sweater to hide the hickeys, was starting to sweat.
His face was flushed from the heat, and he brushed aside the stray strands of hair on his forehead, which were already dotted with fine beads of sweat.
When they arrived at Guangxin Tower, external vehicles weren’t allowed into the underground parking garage, so Pei Mingyang had no choice but to park by the roadside.
Noticing Luo Ying’s flushed face, Pei Mingyang lowered the window a crack.
He pulled out a couple of tissues, leaned toward the passenger seat, and handed them to Luo Ying, gesturing for him to wipe his sweat.
“Thanks.”
Luo Ying took the tissues, brushed aside the hair on his forehead, and quickly wiped away the sweat.
After wiping his forehead, he moved to his neck. As he pulled down the collar of his sweater, the hickeys were inadvertently exposed. Luo Ying glanced guiltily at Pei Mingyang, relieved to see that he was looking out the window.
“Hey, Luo Ying,” Pei Mingyang turned to face him, his gaze serious.
“What?”
“Let me see the scar from your car accident. How’s it healing?”
Without waiting for Luo Ying’s consent, Pei Mingyang placed his hand on Luo Ying’s forehead. Beneath the thick strands of hair, near the left hairline, was a faint scar—thin but somewhat long. The stitches from the wound had faded over time.
Speaking of this scar, it was from when Luo Ying had just gotten his driver’s license and crashed into a highway guardrail on the day he returned to the country during his freshman summer break.
He couldn’t remember exactly how it had happened.
All he knew was that the injury had been severe, and he had spent nearly a month in the hospital.
Not only was his arm broken, but his forehead was also scraped. If the wound had been just a bit lower back then, he would have been scarred for life.
“Hmm, it’s healing well. It’s faded quite a bit.”
Pei Mingyang brushed Luo Ying’s hair behind his ear. When he noticed the faint pink mark behind Luo Ying’s earlobe, he paused for a moment, then casually rubbed it with his thumb as if he hadn’t seen anything.
“Can you stop touching me? You’re messing up my hair!”
Luo Ying irritably swatted Pei Mingyang’s hand away.
Outside, a light drizzle began to fall, and a cold wind forced its way through the car window crack.
A Bentley slowly drove past and stopped in front of their car. The consecutive-number license plate at the back hinted at the owner’s considerable wealth.
A driver stepped out from the driver’s seat, holding an umbrella. Despite the freezing weather, he respectfully bent over to open the rear door.
The person inside didn’t show their face, but a long, slender leg stepped out first.
Luo Ying and Pei Mingyang both narrowed their eyes to look.
The person who stepped out had a cold expression, sharp and handsome features, with a faint chill lurking in his deep-set eyes.
This chill pierced through the car window, sweeping over Luo Ying before zeroing in on Pei Mingyang in the driver’s seat.
Pei Mingyang raised his chin and met the gaze, his expression fearless and unrestrained.
At that moment, the wind howled outside, and the gazes of those inside and outside the car seemed to clash like drawn swords.
Even after all these years, Luo Ying could still feel the mutual disdain and animosity between the two of them.
“Stop glaring. Are you two trying to glare flowers into existence?”
“I’m leaving. Drive safely on your way back.”
Without hesitation, Luo Ying opened the door and got out of the car. He also ignored Lu Rang, as taking sides at that moment would have been inappropriate.
Lu Rang followed Luo Ying into the elevator, keeping his eyes downcast, silent, with the corners of his mouth slightly downturned, as if deeply wronged.
When the elevator reached the top floor, Luo Ying had just taken a step when a pair of hands encircled his waist. He was pulled firmly into Lu Rang’s embrace from behind.
“Luo Ying!”
Lu Rang placed one hand on his forehead, rested his chin on Luo Ying’s shoulder, and let his lips brush against Luo Ying’s cheek, intentionally or not.
Luo Ying was afraid Lu Rang might misunderstand something. He raised four fingers together and swore, “I promise, I didn’t do anything intimate! You can’t just get jealous for no reason!”
Lu Rang’s voice was low and hoarse, as if holding back his emotions. “I believe you.”
“Then why are you…” Luo Ying felt a warm liquid trickle down his cheek. He widened his eyes in shock.
Lu Rang, shedding tears?
Was he crying?
What was going on? Just moments ago, he was killing it with his gaze.
How did the esteemed film emperor turn into a little crybaby?
Luo Ying was utterly at a loss.
Lu Rang’s voice came from beside his ear. “Don’t leave me.”
Luo Ying held the hands around his waist, looked up at Lu Rang’s reddened eyes, and coaxed, “I never said I’d leave you.”
At least not for now.
That evening, Luo Ying spent a long time comforting Lu Rang. He sensed that this person seemed to have some unresolved issues, though he wasn’t sure what they were.
Perhaps it was because his ex-boyfriend had suddenly dumped him, making him so insecure now.
Downstairs at Guangxin Tower, Pei Mingyang’s car hadn’t driven away yet.
Thick white smoke drifted out from the half-lowered car window.
Pei Mingyang exhaled a puff of smoke, thinking of the scar on Luo Ying’s head. The corner of his mouth curled up with an ambiguous meaning.
Good, it’s still there.
What’s a little kiss mark? It disappears in a few days.
But the mark Luo Ying left for him—even after all these years—was still clearly visible.
The origin of this mark was now known only to him in the entire world.