“I don’t know. Let’s just take it one step at a time.” Lin Chenghuan walked over and sat down on the sofa.
“Alright.” Lu Zhiwei sat down not far from her and poured her a glass of lemon water.
“At least when we’re filming, I won’t have time to overthink. If it really gets unbearable, we can always start a scandal,” Lin Chenghuan continued.
“…”
Lu Zhiwei’s eyes flickered. After a moment of silence, she hummed in agreement and picked up her glass to take a sip.
Leaning back on the sofa, Lin Chenghuan wondered why she had come here in the first place. Just to play on her phone somewhere else? Sitting face-to-face with Lu Zhiwei like this, unable to do anything, only made her more restless.
She opened Bilibili and soon found a video filmed by fans during a recent visit to the set. In it, she and Lu Zhiwei seemed to share a natural chemistry. Most of the comments praised Lin Chenghuan, while a small portion were shipping the two of them. As expected, celebrities always had an easier time gaining fans.
Still, once the drama they were filming aired, Lu Zhiwei’s popularity was bound to skyrocket.
Lin Chenghuan showed the video to Lu Zhiwei, who watched it with a smile. “I searched for it on Weibo a few days ago but couldn’t find anything. I thought your fans hadn’t leaked any on-set footage.”
“It’s hard to find on Weibo. The information flow there is too chaotic. Some people share it on Bilibili instead.”
“The view count on Bilibili is high, but there aren’t many comments.”
“Yeah, since there’s no need to inflate numbers here, most of the engagement is from real people.” Lin Chenghuan smiled slightly and gave the video a triple interaction like, coin, and favorite.
Lu Zhiwei quickly found the same video on her own phone. After triple-interacting with it, she left a comment: “So they really get along this well, haha.”
After posting, she noticed Lin Chenghuan glance up at her, so she quickly picked up her water glass and took a sip, pretending nothing had happened.
Lin Chenghuan clicked on the profile of the person who had just commented, wondering if it was Lu Zhiwei. Why were there no collections of finance-related videos, only folders like “Hilarious Clips,” “Drama Marathons,” and “Entertainment Gossip”?
It was almost as if she were as fond of leisure and fun as Lin Chenghuan herself, nothing like the President Lu she knew. However, there were two other folders: “Mental Health” and “Performance Art.” The former contained many videos related to depression, while the latter featured absurd antics from various art schools…
She had only ever explained performance art to Lu Zhiwei, so this had to be her account. Lin Chenghuan chuckled to herself and continued browsing for a while before shifting her attention back to Lu Zhiwei.
Clearly, Lu Zhiwei couldn’t focus on her phone either. Today was Friday, and there were still six days until next Thursday. If every time they met during this period was going to be like this… it would be quite troublesome.
No, even after filming that scene, their interactions would likely remain subtle.
The drama would take about four months to film. For the next three months, they would see each other almost every day. Could they really go on like this? Being together day and night, yet stuck in this ambiguous state, it was truly unbearable.
After a while, Lu Zhiwei had to attend to work matters and went over to her laptop to handle some documents. Lin Chenghuan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, once again taking in the night view of Hengdian.
It was really more of a small town, with somewhat chaotic street layouts. But thanks to the presence of numerous film studios, the nightscape had its own charming appeal.
Lin Chenghuan gazed at the distant lights and suddenly recalled the moment a month ago when she had first checked into this hotel. Lu Zhiwei had appeared behind her out of nowhere, startling her.
She couldn’t help but smile at the memory. After a while, footsteps sounded behind her, and soon Lu Zhiwei stood by her side.
Lin Chenghuan glanced at the person beside her, feeling an inexplicable restlessness spreading in her heart or perhaps it was a long-lost flutter of affection.
“The weather is getting colder,” Lu Zhiwei remarked.
“Yes, filming for several months means we’re bound to encounter both extreme cold and heat,” Lin Chenghuan nodded slightly.
“I’ve heard that only Qing Dynasty costumes are loose enough to wear down jackets underneath.”
“Right. For this production, we can only bundle up in coats after wrapping up the shoot. So, President Lu, you’ll have to endure the cold with us.”
“Not a problem. Going through these experiences with you feels quite fulfilling,” Lu Zhiwei replied with a faint smile.
Lin Chenghuan turned to look at her, a meaningful glint in her eyes. Had her own tolerance lowered? Why did it seem like the other woman kept saying things that stirred her heart? If that was the case, why hold back any longer?
Under her intense gaze, Lu Zhiwei grew slightly uneasy, her mind in turmoil. Just as she was wrestling with her thoughts, Lin Chenghuan spoke calmly.
“By the way, it seems like… getting used to it a few days earlier won’t make much difference now.”
“Ahem, true,” Lu Zhiwei nodded after a moment’s thought, a hint of regret flashing across her face.
“Actually… there’s another way,” Lin Chenghuan shifted the topic, smiling leisurely.
“What way?” Lu Zhiwei’s internal alarms went off, suspecting Lin Chenghuan had some mischievous plan.
“If something as simple as a hug feels unnatural, then why not do something beyond that? That way, the smaller things won’t seem like a big deal anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
Lin Chenghuan smiled without answering, walked over to the side, and pressed the remote control for the curtains. The drapes behind them slowly closed.
After the initial shock, Lu Zhiwei quickly grew angry, her flushed face unclear whether from embarrassment or irritation. Lin Chenghuan raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to herself that she had finally managed to provoke her, it had been so long since she’d last seen Lu Zhiwei lose her composure…
“Are you joking?” Lu Zhiwei asked resentfully.
“Why not?” Lin Chenghuan moved closer, grinning like a mischievous rogue.
“N-no… you can’t.” Lacking confidence, Lu Zhiwei took two steps back, frowning. “What… is this supposed to mean?”
Lin Chenghuan feigned innocence, thinking it best not to tease her too much, and quickly replied, “It means we’re together.”
“…”
“I like you too, so let’s be together.” Lin Chenghuan smiled softly. Though she had already made up her mind earlier, she still felt a little nervous.
Lu Zhiwei stared at her in a daze, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden joy. When she finally regained her senses, she whispered, “Am I dreaming?”
Lin Chenghuan nearly laughed aloud, but Lu Zhiwei quickly closed the distance between them, making her tense up again as she watched the other woman draw nearer.
“How do you like me?” Lu Zhiwei asked softly, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s hard to explain,” Lin Chenghuan replied with a smile, amused that she still had the presence of mind to ask such a question.
“Can you say it again?”
“…I like you.” Lin Chenghuan obliged, repeating the words once more.
“I love you.” Lu Zhiwei’s soft murmur ignited a spectacular fireworks display in Lin Chenghuan’s heart, nearly overwhelming her senses.
As Lu Zhiwei embraced her and kissed her, Lin Chenghuan responded fervently, wrapping her arms around the other’s neck amidst the sensation of endless falling and weightlessness. The tenderness of their intertwined lips and the sound of Lu Zhiwei’s hurried breaths left her utterly captivated.
Lu Zhiwei held her tightly, gradually pressing her against the wall, tirelessly exploring unfamiliar territory. Lin Chenghuan could barely keep up, occasionally letting out incoherent sounds, feeling as though she were on the verge of suffocation.
When they finally parted, both were breathing heavily as they gazed at each other. Lin Chenghuan, still slightly dizzy, thought to herself, No wonder she kept her feelings hidden for two years, this is pure madness.
In the mingling of their breaths, Lu Zhiwei continued to stare at her blankly. Lin Chenghuan soon noticed something off about her expression, it almost looked as if she were about to cry.
How did it come to this? It seems the aftermath of our previous separation still lingers… Lin Chenghuan sighed inwardly, pulling Lu Zhiwei into a comforting embrace, to which Lu Zhiwei responded by holding her even tighter.
“Let’s go to the sofa… I can barely stand,” Lu Zhiwei said.
Lin Chenghuan couldn’t hold back a laugh as they made their way to the center of the living room, only to collapse onto the couch and resume their passionate kissing. After what felt like an eternity, they finally broke apart again. Lin Chenghuan glanced at the TV screen and exclaimed in surprise, “It’s already ten o’clock.”
Lu Zhiwei checked the time as well, reluctantly sitting up with some effort, her expression tinged with regret. “So soon.”
Lin Chenghuan straightened up, smoothing her clothes as she gradually came back to her senses. She felt a little embarrassed when she looked at Lu Zhiwei, who also seemed somewhat shy but couldn’t tear her eyes away.
They had known each other for over six years, yet she never imagined they would become lovers… Of course, for the first two years, they were practically strangers living under the same roof, and then they spent another two years apart. It wasn’t exactly a case of friends turning into lovers. Still, being with her boss was something she had never anticipated.
“By the way, I’ve already reported my relationship history to the company, so you know about mine. What about you?” Lin Chenghuan began to ask.
“I only dated during college. All the rumors after I started the film company are false.”
“I thought so. President Lu wouldn’t go after so many artists in her own company,” Lin Chenghuan mused, though she was still surprised that Lu Zhiwei had only dated during her student years. Those rumors really were baseless.
“Yeah, the gossip has been ridiculous,” Lu Zhiwei replied with a smile, gazing at her with a somewhat infatuated, dazed expression.
Lin Chenghuan leaned in, planting a kiss on Lu Zhiwei’s neck before gently pushing her back onto the sofa.
“Since I’ll be leaving soon, I’m going to get back at you for pinning me down earlier,” Lin Chenghuan said playfully. Lu Zhiwei, breathless, let her take the lead.
Another half hour passed, and the clock showed 10:30 when Lin Chenghuan returned to her room. Although she had come back around the same time as usual, she found it impossible to sleep, feeling too exhilarated as she scrolled through online updates.
So, the ‘Lin-Wei’ ship is real now. I’m really with President Lu, but I’m not some kept woman… We can play up the CP for publicity, but we can’t let the relationship be exposed. Being an artist really leaves you with little freedom sometimes.
As she browsed through Weibo, Lin Chenghuan’s mind wandered, until she finally gave in and sent Lu Zhiwei a message on WeChat to chat for a while.
When she saw Fang Yuan’s chat window, she casually pondered the matter of reporting her whereabouts. There was no rush for that, she could bring it up when she had time. In Fang Yuan’s mind, it probably felt as though they had already been operating under the assumption of being together even before they officially were.
After enduring a restless night, the next day on set, they had to exert more effort than usual to pretend they were just ordinary friends. It was almost enough to make them feel stifled to the point of internal injury.
Yet, when Lin Chenghuan called out “President Lu,” it somehow felt more intriguing than before. Every time, Lu Zhiwei would meet her gaze, a knowing smile in her eyes that only the two of them understood, making Lin Chenghuan feel utterly fulfilled and amused.
That day, both of them wrapped up their night scenes early and were driven back to the hotel by their assistants. Lu Zhiwei intentionally asked her assistant to drive a little slower, allowing her and Lin Chenghuan to walk one after the other. Upon arriving at the hotel, they waited together for the elevator to go upstairs.
The elevator stopped on their floor, and as they stepped out, they wordlessly headed straight for Lin Chenghuan’s room, which was closer to the elevator. Lu Zhiwei followed behind, and as she entered, she closed the door behind her, inadvertently losing the upper hand and ending up pressed against the door.