Chapter 27: Like

Shen Xici had been filming all day, and with his emotions rising and falling dramatically, his sleepiness didn’t follow his will at all. He had only been in bed for a short while before he started dozing off.

The reading light by the bed was dimmed by a pair of well-defined hands. The dim, warm light was like a thin layer of quicksand, making everything in the bedroom hazy and blurred.

It wasn’t Sheng Shaoyan’s first time in Shen Xici’s bedroom. The last time Shen Xici suddenly had a fever in the middle of the night, he had also stayed by his side until dawn.

But it was still different.

Leaning against the headboard, Sheng Shaoyan was wearing a pair of black, front-opening pajamas. Because the person beside him was already asleep, he could look at him even more unrestrainedly.

A pale, slender arm rested on the thin quilt. Shen Xici’s face was turned towards him. His thin eyebrows, as if meticulously drawn, a narrow and straight nose, and thin lips of a lighter color, made one wonder if rubbing them with a finger would add a touch of crimson.

The gentle breathing and drowsiness made Shen Xici look like a rose placed on velvet, alluring and beautiful.

Sheng Shaoyan’s hand rose uncontrollably. From a few centimeters away, he traced the outline of Shen Xici’s temples, earlobes, and jaw. The shadow of his fingers under the light finally rested on Shen Xici’s closed lips.

He thought, Why is he so unguarded with me? Letting him into the bathroom, showing his bare back, opening his mouth to him, and now lying beside him like this, sleeping peacefully.

The strong displeasure he had once felt for his pre-amnesia self now intensified, stirring up an irritating and restless anger like a mountain fire. It wasn’t until he saw the circle of crystal blue on Shen Xici’s wrist that it was suddenly soothed, as if by a timely rain from heaven.

It was like a private mark had been placed.

Vaguely aware that his hand was being held up, Shen Xici struggled to open his eyes, his voice laced with sleepiness. “A’Shao, can’t you sleep?”

In his impression, Sheng Shaoyan had many quirks, one of which was not liking to sleep in the same bed with others.

Shen Xici’s tired mind thought, Going up and down the mountain must have been very physically demanding, and then getting caught in the heavy rain, this kind of stacked debuff, even someone with Sheng Shaoyan’s excellent constitution was knocked down, forcing him to squeeze into the same bed with me.

In the first few days, he had actually considered whether he should buy a single bed for Sheng Shaoyan to sleep in, but this idea was quickly dismissed—

Buying it for just one month was too wasteful. Poor people couldn’t afford it. The difference between a sofa and a single bed wasn’t that big anyway, just a little shorter.

After a slow turn of his gaze, Shen Xici finally knew why his hand felt itchy. Sheng Shaoyan wasn’t sleeping well in the middle of the night, but was admiring the bracelet he had just made, appreciating each crystal stone one by one.

Shen Xici didn’t pull his hand back, letting him hold it, and looked at the bracelet with him for a while. “It’s very beautifully made.”

“Like it?”

“I like it very much.” Feeling that this expression was not enough, Shen Xici, his face half-buried in the pillow, repeated, “I like it very much.”

Shen Xici’s voice was soft with sleepiness. Sheng Shaoyan held his wrist and didn’t move, nor did he let go. “What else do you like?”

“I don’t want anything else…” The end of his sentence was just a breath of air. Shen Xici’s eyelids gradually closed. He didn’t see that in the dim light, the eyes of the person holding his wrist seemed to hide a reef at the bottom of the sea.

The mountain road was treacherous, the cave dangerous and remote, the rain terrifying. The hands were only lightly injured. The collected rainwater rushed down from the mountain, flooding up to his calves. Several times, because the soil and rocks under his feet were loose, he almost fell off the cliff, only managing to climb up by grabbing onto the old roots of the vines beside him.

But what did any of that matter?

The person beside him’s breathing became steady again. The shadow on the wall moved. Sheng Shaoyan leaned down, his lips brushing against the cool crystal stones, and placed a goodnight kiss on Shen Xici’s wrist.

He had gotten the benefit he wanted.

---

When Shen Xici woke up, he raised his hand and stared blankly at the bracelet on his wrist for a while. In the sunlight from the window, the crystals looked even clearer and more beautiful than last night. None of them were round, but each one was a different shape, which made it even more special.

After looking for a while, he remembered that someone else had slept in this bed last night. Shen Xici turned his head to the side. There was no one there. The quilt was folded over, very neat.

Slipping on his slippers, he went out of the bedroom and saw Sheng Shaoyan with a laptop on his lap, most likely looking at stocks. Shen Xici lazily walked over, bent down, and placed his palm on Sheng Shaoyan’s forehead. After a while, he tried his own. “No fever. Praises to your immune system for winning another tough battle.”

His gaze swept past Shen Xici’s drooping collar. Sheng Shaoyan asked him, “What do you want to eat for lunch?”

His just-activated brain was a bit slow. Shen Xici threw himself onto the sofa and sat down, as if two of his three bones were broken. After a while, he replied, “I want to eat at that restaurant at the very end of the street on the edge. I want to eat shaved ice, I want to eat sticky rice, I want to eat fried chicken, and I also want to eat—”

“Let’s go.”

His recitation of dishes was interrupted. Shen Xici was in a dilemma. “There are too many things I want to eat. I don’t know what to choose.”

“Order them all. I can eat what you can’t finish.”

Shen Xici looked at Sheng Shaoyan in shock. A life of poverty really does train a person. Sheng Shaoyan is even willing to eat leftovers!

The spring sun was not aggressive. It made one feel warm and lazy. Shen Xici wore a simple, light-colored casual outfit. The road they were walking on was very remote, almost on the outskirts of the county town. There were no other pedestrians in front or behind.

Just as he pulled down his mask, a leaf was handed to him from the side.

Shen Xici was surprised. “How did you know what I was going to do?”

Sheng Shaoyan: “What else?”

He couldn’t help but touch his own face. Shen Xici almost suspected that the words “I’m going to start practicing blowing leaves” were written on his face.

He practiced the little tune he needed for filming a few times, and then they had almost arrived at the place he was looking for. The restaurant was a renovated local residence with a courtyard. Since it was a sunny day today, the owner had placed the dining tables directly in the courtyard. Shen Xici chose a table under the shade of a tree. After sitting down, he found that besides their table, there was also someone sitting on the other side of the flower trellis behind them. And their identity didn’t seem to be simple.

“I’ve already gotten Zhong Yue’s specific departure time. Tomorrow at 8:30 AM, we’ll meet at the hotel entrance. You’ll watch my hand signals, you know?” a young male voice said. “I’ll go and stop Zhong Yue, ask him to take a look at my script. Zhong Yue most likely won’t be willing. At this time, watch my signal, and you immediately rush up and say loudly, ‘Director Lu! Director Lu, I’ve finally found you! I went back and thought about it for a few days. I shouldn’t have turned down your script. The story of the script you showed me is very good. Even if it doesn’t win an award after filming, it can still get into the top three of the summer box office! Give me a chance, let me take another look at the script, Director Lu!’ That’s roughly the line. Got it?”

Another more mature voice sounded. “The lines are quite simple. We extras, what shameful lines haven’t we said? But are you sure the staff guarding Zhong Yue will allow us to put on this show there?”

The young male voice became unhappy. “Old Wei, how can you call them shameful lines? You have to show genuine emotion!”

“Fine, you’re paying, you’re the boss. I’ll show genuine emotion!” Old Wei asked that question again. “These lines are a bit long. I reckon by the time I finish saying I want to see the script, all that’s left of Zhong Yue’s car will be the exhaust fumes.”

The young male voice pondered. “You have a point…”

Shen Xici politely did not look behind the flower trellis, but smiled and whispered to Sheng Shaoyan, “That extra teacher is right. The lines are a bit shameful, and long. I wonder how this Director Lu will change it.”

Seeing his eyes shining and actively eavesdropping on the gossip, Sheng Shaoyan poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Shen Xici.

Before long, Director Lu’s voice sounded again. “Then let’s do this. We’ll aim for something earth-shattering, to strike first. You rush up to me and shout, ‘Director Lu, you heartless man! Are you abandoning our child?'”

Shen Xici was about to drink water when his hand slipped, and he almost had to pay the owner for the cup.

The extra teacher was also shocked. “How did the script jump from the workplace to an emotional drama? Also, whose child is it, yours or mine? How can two men have a child?”

“Good question! You’re puzzled, and the onlookers will definitely be puzzled too! With this puzzlement, even a passing mosquito will stop to watch this scene unfold!” Director Lu made the final decision. “Aren’t these kinds of ridiculously melodramatic short dramas popular right now? You can improvise later. As long as you can keep Zhong Yue in place for two minutes, giving me a chance to explain the general content of the script to him, everything will be fine! I’ll definitely pay you every single cent of your salary!”

Hearing this, Shen Xici felt that this Director Lu was simply a genius. If he were at the scene, he would also watch this scene unfold before going to work. Thinking this, he couldn’t help but turn his head, wanting to peek through the gaps in the flower trellis to see who this Director Lu was.

In his previous life, he didn’t know many directors with the surname Lu, but there were two. He didn’t know—

A rough, tangled beard, large black-framed glasses held together with transparent tape, and hair that was already almost down to his shoulders. Perhaps the owner found it troublesome and had just randomly cut it with scissors a few times. The result was disastrous.

Add to that a wrinkled plaid shirt with two holes washed into it, and he looked like a wild man who had just set foot on land after surviving on a deserted island for five months.

The wild man Director Lu met his gaze, his eyes lit up. He said a few words to the person at his table, then quickly walked around the flower trellis and stood in front of Shen Xici’s table. His eyes were fervent. “As soon as I saw you, I knew you were the most suitable person for that role in the script!”

He then turned to Sheng Shaoyan, who was sitting beside him, quickly sized him up, and rubbed his hands together. “I didn’t expect there to be another one here! As soon as I saw you, I immediately knew you were the perfect choice for another role in my script!”

It was as if a thousand wild rabbits were jumping around in Director Lu’s heart. He thought to himself that he had really chosen the right place to eat today. Not only was the food cheap and the rice free, but he had also run into these two gods!

With this kind of luck, why would he still be looking for Zhong Yue!

Sheng Shaoyan waited for him to finish. Seeing that Shen Xici didn’t seem to be repulsed, he spoke up, “Hello, Director Lu, is it? I’m his manager.”

With such good looks, he’s actually a manager? But catching even one was a huge win. Director Lu didn’t feel the slightest bit of awkwardness for having mistaken someone. He said enthusiastically, “Hello, hello! So what do you two think? Shall we sit down and talk? If it’s possible, we can even sign the actor contract today!”

Sheng Shaoyan didn’t take his bait. “You said my artist is very suitable for a role in your script. Is it convenient for you to let me see the script?”

Director Lu pulled out a chair and sat down, picking up the pen for writing down orders. “How about, I write it now?”