Chen Yuebai hung up the phone and looked at He Zhi, his expression unusually soft. “He Zhi, there’s something going on with the crew. I need to head over.”
The new drama was set to start filming in a month. The script had already been polished, but the director had just contacted him through Bai Lian, saying a character needed a bit more work. In the screenwriting industry, there were no fixed working hours. Everyone knew that Chen Yuebai, as a screenwriter, was more unpredictable than most actors, with a proud temperament and a rather peculiar personality. But one thing was certain: he was dedicated to his work. So it was no surprise that the old director, who happened to share a similar temperament with Chen Yuebai, contacted Bai Lian at night for this matter.
He Zhi, however, thought Chen Yuebai was just going to help Bai Lian with something again. He lowered his head slightly, a bitter smile appearing on his face. His expression was hidden in the shadows, making it hard for Chen Yuebai to see.
“He Zhi,” Chen Yuebai stood up, picked up his suit jacket, paused for a moment, and then reached out to ruffle the young man’s soft hair. “You should rest well. I’ll come back to see you after I’m done.”
He Zhi felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He wanted to force a smile and remind Chen Yuebai to be careful on the road, but for some reason, he reached out and gently tugged at Chen Yuebai’s sleeve.
Chen Yuebai paused in his steps, turning around in surprise to look at the young man.
“Chen Ge,” He Zhi felt breathless, his voice trembling, but he still mustered the courage to say, “I’m not feeling well…” This was true; although he felt somewhat better, his whole body still ached, his throat was both sore and scratchy, and he had a dull pain at his temples.
“Can you stay with me for a bit?”
The young man’s voice was a bit hoarse and soft. Chen Yuebai’s heart felt like it had been scratched by a kitten’s paw. The image of the young man from last night flashed through his mind. Chen Yuebai pinched He Zhi’s earlobe gently. “Be good, I’ll be back soon.”
He Zhi let go, a bitter smile resurfacing on his face hidden in the shadows. He had already used up all his courage; he couldn’t ask Chen Yuebai a second time. His pride wouldn’t allow it—sometimes he found it amusing that he had lowered himself to the dust in front of Chen Yuebai, yet he still couldn’t completely let go of his crumbling pride. The saying “even after being a fool, one still wants to save face” probably described him perfectly.
“Okay.” Chen Yuebai heard the young man reply. He instinctively felt something was off about the young man’s attitude but ultimately brushed it aside and left without looking back.
……
Tianxing conference room.
Director Fang entered the conference room, about to call Chen Yuebai, when Bai Lian approached him with a smile. “Director Fang, I just happened to hear you say you wanted to contact Yuebai Ge. I’ve already reached out to him; he’s on his way.”
Director Fang was taken aback, nodded, and smiled. “Great, it’s good that he’s coming. You two are familiar, so it’s easier to coordinate.”
Bai Lian nodded with a smile.
……
After Chen Yuebai left, the hospital room fell into silence. The cold liquid from the IV drip dripped steadily, flowing through the tube into He Zhi’s body.
He had been receiving the IV for quite some time, and the liquid was almost gone. On the bedside table sat the chicken soup that Chen Yuebai had brought him, which he had barely touched. It was now completely cold, with a thick layer of oil floating on top.
A nurse entered the room to remove the IV needle. He Zhi said, “I’m fine now; I’d like to check out.”
The nurse hesitated. “But you…” His temperature had just come down; it would be better to observe for a while longer.
He Zhi interrupted her, saying, “I’m sorry, but I have things to do. I really feel fine now.”
The nurse sighed. Discharge was the patient’s choice, and there was nothing she could do. “Then please follow me.” Since this patient had no family present, he had to handle the discharge paperwork himself.
……
He Zhi hailed a taxi after leaving the hospital and arrived home just past eleven at night. The villa was located in the suburbs, and upon entering, he found that not even his pet dog or cat was there to greet him. The dining table still held the completely cold dinner, and the entire house felt even more empty and eerie than the hospital room.
This was Chen Yuebai’s house. Although He Zhi was infatuated with Chen Yuebai, he was clear-headed enough to know that Chen Yuebai would eventually leave him. That was why he hadn’t gotten any pets or planted any flowers; he deliberately left the least amount of traces of himself in this house.
He Zhi hadn’t eaten dinner yet. It seemed a waste to throw away the food on the table. He took a deep breath, preparing to heat up the dishes, when suddenly his phone chimed with a text message.
He opened his phone to find a message from the bank: a deposit of 200,000 had just been made to a certain bank card, bringing the total to a substantial amount. He Zhi stared at the number in shock: Chen Yuebai had already transferred money to this card this month, and now this was…
But soon he felt relieved. He hadn’t touched a single cent of the money in this card; he would eventually have to pay it back to Chen Yuebai. It wasn’t that he lacked money, but his useless pride always got in the way. Even though outsiders and Chen Yuebai saw their relationship as pathetic, he didn’t want to use money to demean the already scarce connection between him and Chen Yuebai.
When the day came for Chen Yuebai to part ways with him… He Zhi took a deep breath. He would return all this money to him, cutting ties completely, and that would be his way of giving closure to this unrequited love.
“Buzz”
His phone rang again, and He Zhi was taken aback when he saw the name on the screen, but he still answered the call.
“Hello, Xiao He.” The voice on the other end was boisterous and lively.
He Zhi was startled, a smile appearing on his face. “Wang Ge.”
“Hey,” the other party replied, then continued, “There’s a new film starting soon, and they’ll need quite a few extras. Are you coming?”
He Zhi nodded. “Sure.” Aside from the voiceover work with Bai Lian, he had been living off doing extra roles for the past six months. He happened to know a coordinator for extras, and they had a good relationship. The guy was sociable and had connections in many crews, so whenever a film was about to start, he would ask He Zhi. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Which film?”
“Alright, I’ll arrange it for you.” The other party said, “It’s Director Fang’s film.” After a pause, he added, “It’s the one that your Chen Yuebai is writing. He’ll be there to look out for you!” There was a hint of teasing in his tone.
He Zhi’s pupils constricted, and he fell silent for a long time before finally agreeing.
Director Fang was a well-known director in the industry, and he had a strong influence over the screenwriter’s script. Chen Yuebai had a very strong desire for control over his scripts, and even Director Fang wouldn’t be allowed to make arbitrary changes. So he would definitely be on set the entire time for this film.
He Zhi sat at the dining table, staring at the cold food, and sighed wearily. He forced a bitter smile and pinched the bridge of his nose. The reason he agreed to join that crew was simply that he wanted to see Chen Yuebai more often.
Even knowing that Bai Lian would be in that film, and that Song Shifeng, who had always looked down on him and would definitely cause him trouble, would also be there.
Song Shifeng was the most dazzling movie star in the industry. He had become very picky about the roles he accepted, and he took this film partly for Bai Lian. Bai Lian was a rising star, currently in a crucial transition period, and although Song Shifeng was the male lead in this film, he had given up a significant portion of his role, only taking a supporting position—naturally, it was a shared role with Bai Lian. He was actively helping Bai Lian’s career.
Even knowing how awkward things would be for him, He Zhi still agreed, simply because he wanted to see Chen Yuebai a few more times.
How pathetic, He Zhi thought to himself. But once this thought arose in his mind, it spread like wildfire, and he couldn’t control it at all.
He pushed himself up and was about to take the food to heat it up when he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock at the door. He froze, his pupils dilating, a hint of wariness creeping onto his face. This was the suburbs, with hardly any neighbors. Logically, the security system of this villa was quite reliable, but what if something unexpected happened…
The sound of the key turning in the lock ceased, followed by the sound of footsteps. He Zhi’s body tensed up. He grabbed a glass from the table with one hand and, with the other, opened the dialing page on his phone, preparing to call the police, when he suddenly widened his eyes, instinctively loosening his grip on the glass. The cup rolled to the floor with a crisp sound—though it didn’t shatter into powder, it broke into several pieces, the sharp edges glinting quietly under the light.
“Chen, Ge?” He Zhi’s eyes widened, his throat moving as if he couldn’t believe it. “Why are you back?”
Chen Yuebai had already hung up his coat in the outer room and was now wearing only a white shirt, no tie, with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing his alluring collarbone. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and he paired it with pristine black trousers. He leaned lazily against the wall, arms crossed, tilting his chin up towards He Zhi with a smile. “Did you not want me to come back?” As he spoke, his beautiful eyes sparkled with a roguish charm, utterly captivating.
He Zhi’s face turned completely red. He stammered, “I… I did want…”
“Haha.” Chen Yuebai found the young man’s reaction particularly amusing. He stepped forward, pinning He Zhi against the corner of the table. He Zhi’s cheeks burned intensely, and he instinctively took a step back, but his foot, clad in slippers, accidentally brushed against the glass shards.
He Zhi’s brow twitched slightly. After the cold sting of pain, he felt warm blood gradually oozing from the wound.
But Chen Yuebai seemed not to notice, or perhaps he simply didn’t care to. He gently lifted the young man’s chin as if teasing an interesting toy. He gazed into He Zhi’s eyes, which seemed to hold a heated desire, the elegant line of his jaw appearing even colder under the light.
He Zhi stared blankly at him, seemingly unable to get enough of the sight, even the pain from his wound felt numbed by Chen Yuebai’s face.
Chen Yuebai looked at the young man’s clear eyes, filled with focused and sparkling admiration. His gaze deepened, and he forcefully pressed He Zhi’s body against the table corner, leaning down to cover the young man’s lips with his own.
“Mmm…” He Zhi’s back hit the edge of the table painfully, but he wrapped his arms around Chen Yuebai’s neck, unable to help but close his eyes and savor this rare kiss.
The pain, the bleeding, and all the discomfort in his body seemed to be numbed by this kiss.
He Zhi tightened his grip around Chen Yuebai’s neck—he loved Chen Yuebai so much…
After the kiss, He Zhi’s lips were unusually red, his gaze dazed, and his face was burning. He fell into Chen Yuebai’s embrace, breathing lightly.
Chen Yuebai had just deliberately turned off the lights in the dining room, and now the space was enveloped in a dim, ambiguous hue. The young man in this darkness seemed even more alluring, adding a touch of mystery.
This was seduction, the kind that Chen Yuebai loved the most.
Chen Yuebai simply picked up the slender young man in his arms and walked towards the bedroom.
He Zhi clutched at Chen Yuebai’s clothing, as if in a dream, and softly said, “Chen, Ge… shower…”
The water in the bathroom was always at a constant temperature, ready for use at any time. Chen Yuebai leaned down and gently bit the young man’s lip. His voice was low and husky, filled with a terrifying desire. “As punishment for not telling me you were coming back, shall we shower together?” He leaned closer to the young man’s ear, his voice even more sultry than before. “…let’s not turn on the lights while we shower.”
He Zhi’s body trembled as if electrified. His throat felt blocked, rendering him speechless. He buried his face deep into Chen Yuebai’s embrace, clutching the fabric of his shirt tighter as if betting everything on this moment.
“Heh…” Chen Yuebai chuckled softly, striding into the dimly lit bedroom with the young man in his arms.
The cold food remained quietly on the dining table, and beneath it lay the bloodied glass shards. There were scattered bloodstains on the floor, trailing all the way to the bedroom door.
No one knew.