Chapter 59: Memo

The next morning, Shen Xici, wrapped in his blanket, drowsily slept through two more naps before finally replenishing about seventy to eighty percent of the physical and mental energy he had exhausted over the past few days.

He rolled over, his face toward the wall shared with the study. Holding his breath, he listened intently for a moment, only to be disappointed by the fact that the house’s soundproofing was too good; he couldn’t hear any movement from Sheng Shaoyan in the study at all.

The sprained ankle had some bluish-purple bruising, but the swelling wasn’t severe. It should fully recover in the next couple of days and not delay his return to the film set.

Touching his ankle, Shen Xici couldn’t help but recall the scene from last night: Sheng Shaoyan kneeling before him, applying an ice pack.

And those words.

Something about having the highest priority. It was far too good at bewitching people’s hearts.

Forcibly pushing the image out of his mind, Shen Xici fell back onto the bed, holding up his phone and opening Bilibili.

The creator Dongyu was still maintaining a steady output, releasing new videos every month. He clicked on the latest edited video. The transitions and beat drops were as smooth as ever, and the background music and visuals were a perfect match, making him marvel at how the creator’s editing skills were becoming more profound.

On his second watch, Shen Xici deliberately turned on the previously disabled bullet comments. To his surprise, a dense wall of text instantly obscured the screen, rivaling a mosaic. He had to search through the cracks to find his own face.

Shen Xici carefully read the bullet comments and found that aside from comments like “Tenth rewatch! Creator, please make more, I love watching!” “Ahhh Shen Xici, I’m here, I’m here to see you again!” and “Creator Dongyu’s divine hand! You’re too good at editing! Another full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast!” the most spammed comment was surprisingly, “Xici, Wu River, three thousand li; Dongyu, border mountains, twelve peaks.”

The couplet was very well-structured, but… him and creator Dongyu?

Shen Xici was shocked. People could even ship this?

Creator Dongyu’s profile picture was pitch black, very distinctive. Shen Xici clicked on the profile picture and, on behalf of his personal studio, sent a message inviting them for a collaboration.

While waiting for a reply, Lu Jiming called, his voice sounding dreamy, “Right now, I feel like I’m floating at an altitude of ninety thousand meters, with the stars and the moon dancing for me. Am I dreaming because I went to bed too late last night?”

Shen Xici found it strange. “What did you dream about?”

“Someone contacted me, asking when I want to film at Jiezhou Garden. They said they can coordinate the time in advance and even sent me detailed text and image資料 of the garden. They said they would cooperate with our filming needs and that I could communicate any ideas I have with them. Their attitude was incredibly good!” The more Lu Jiming spoke, the more suspicious he became. “This has to be a dream, right? I couldn’t even dream of something this good!”

He pretended to sob twice. “On top of being so cooperative with the crew, they’re not even charging money! Did you hear that? Did you hear it clearly? No money! No money! From now on, I am Mr. Sheng’s loyal supporter! When the movie is released, I’m going to write a huge line of text in the special thanks section of the credits to express my feelings!”

Shen Xici hadn’t expected Sheng Shaoyan’s “as soon as possible” to be so fast. He was amused by Lu Jiming’s tone and asked curiously, “What are you going to write?”

Lu Jiming pondered, “How about, ‘Mr. Sheng, the most handsome domineering President in the world!'”

He immediately had another idea. “Or maybe, ‘Sincere thanks to Mr. Sheng for his strong support. Every member of the crew offers you a line of praise! Wishing you happiness, longevity, and great wealth!'”

Remembering that Mr. Sheng was twenty-seven, not seventy-two, Shen Xici stifled a laugh and said tactfully, “He’s still very young. He probably doesn’t need phrases like ‘happiness and longevity.’ Let’s save that for fifty years from now. Just a normal thank you in the credits will be fine.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll listen to you!” Lu Jiming said, then added with admiration, “That high-end group you joined has some serious connections. It’s definitely much more impressive than my fake socialite group. Not only can they get some kind of identity code for top clubs, but they can even contact Mr. Sheng to borrow his garden for filming!”

He hadn’t expected Lu Jiming to still remember the excuse he’d made up almost half a year ago to get into the club to find Cheng Mingye. Not knowing how to explain, Shen Xici gave a vague affirmative sound and then asked, “So when should I return to the set?”

“We’re filming the supporting characters’ scenes these two days. Today is the 6th. How about you come back on the 9th? Consider it a long vacation for you!” Lu Jiming said, then added with relief, “This break was quite worth it. Although, directors always hope that their actors can get into character during filming, preferably to the point where they can perform with ease, thrill, and touching subtlety. But to be honest, in the first two or three months, I was quite worried that you wouldn’t be able to get out of character. You might not have noticed it yourself, but when you talked to me on set, your tone, wording, and sentence breaks all had a strong Gu Changsheng vibe.”

Shen Xici truly hadn’t noticed. “The way you put it sounds a bit like I have multiple personalities.”

Lu Jiming said profoundly, “Yes, exactly, multiple personalities. When we chatted, three personalities would come online randomly. One was Shen Xici, another was a poor young man from the bottom of society in the Republican era, and the third was a young master from a great family who grew up abroad a hundred years ago. Tsk—that multiple personality vibe was really strong! You have no idea how scared I was!”

Shen Xici saw right through him. “You were afraid that if I couldn’t get out of character after we wrap, I’d ask you for medical expenses and compensation for mental distress for a work-related injury, weren’t you?” He then asked, “And now?”

“Now? Your word choice is occasionally a bit influenced, but no more multiple personalities. That’s why I said this break was good. At least it ensured the physical and mental health of our male lead!” Lu Jiming then sought his advice. “What method did you use? Tell me. I can pass it on to other actors in the future to reduce the probability of work-related injury compensation!”

What method?

The first thing that appeared in Shen Xici’s mind was the scene of him opening the door and seeing Sheng Shaoyan standing there. He could even smell the faint scent of mountain forest and moonlight on his nose.

He kept trying to find other reasons. Perhaps it was because he had been too busy after returning to Ningcheng, meeting many people and doing many things, so he had temporarily stepped out of the role and the character.

But he couldn’t deceive himself.

In the instant he saw Sheng Shaoyan, it was as if he had been pulled out of the painted scroll of the decadent 1930s and dropped into reality.

He had turned from Gu Changsheng back into Shen Xici.

The other man was like his anchor to this world. No matter how he drifted and struggled in the fates of others, as long as he touched him, he could break through the fog and find his footing in the real world.

But it couldn’t be like this.

After hanging up, Shen Xici curled up on his side and zoned out for a while, his mind a mess, until a notification popped up on his phone.

Startled awake, realizing he had unconsciously started thinking about Sheng Shaoyan again, Shen Xici gave a helpless tug at the corner of his mouth. He opened Bilibili and saw that creator Dongyu had already replied.

Dongyu: [Are you from Shen Xici’s personal studio?]

Shen Xici quickly typed: [Yes, I’d like to ask if you accept business collaborations or online part-time jobs? The pay is generous. You would only need to provide videos and edited content for the studio’s promotion, no need to work in an office.]

The other person seemed to think for a moment, or perhaps got busy with something else. They replied a few minutes later: [I can. This is my email. Contact me through this email from now on.]

They agreed just like that?

Didn’t even ask about specific remuneration or anything?

Shen Xici tentatively sent another message: [Okay, then I’ll have our legal team send the contract to this email later, is that alright? If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, we can discuss and revise it.]

Dongyu: [Okay, I trust you.]

Just as Shen Xici thought the conversation was over, creator Dongyu sent another message: [Please tell Shen Xici that the new movie is very good, and his performance in it is stunning.]

Creator Dongyu was one of his very first fans. Receiving this praise, Shen Xici felt a leap of joy. He maintained his persona and replied: [Thank you for your support, I will pass it on. Shen Xici will definitely be very happy to hear you say that!]

It was almost noon. After getting up and changing, Shen Xici hopped on one foot from the bedroom to the living room. As soon as he sat down on the sofa, Sheng Shaoyan walked out of the study where he had been working. “Why didn’t you call me?”

That heart-fluttering sensation appeared again. Shen Xici resisted the urge to look away. “Hopping on one foot is fast. It’s so close from the bedroom to here.” He quickly changed the subject. “I think I heard the door open. Was it a delivery?”

“I had my family’s chef make lunch. There’s a medicinal soup that’s good for promoting blood circulation and reducing bruising. It’s already been delivered. We’ll eat it after it cools down a bit.” As he spoke, Sheng Shaoyan rolled up his shirt sleeves, sat down on the edge of the sofa with a prepared ice pack, and placed Shen Xici’s foot on his lap. He carefully examined the injury. “It hasn’t gotten worse. Does it hurt a lot?”

While asking, he placed the ice pack on Shen Xici’s ankle with one hand and naturally held Shen Xici’s calf with the other, gently patting it as if to soothe him, in case the initial cold was too stimulating.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt much.”

Shen Xici opened his mouth, but couldn’t bring himself to say the words. But not saying them made him all the more conscious of it.

The palm on his calf was warm, the other person’s body heat seeping in, spreading.

It was too intimate.

His entire leg didn’t feel like his own anymore. Shen Xici didn’t dare to move.

After fifteen minutes of icing, Sheng Shaoyan got up to dispose of the ice pack. Shen Xici finally relaxed and quietly moved his stiff leg. Unexpectedly, Sheng Shaoyan, who was only a few steps away, suddenly turned back. “Are you nervous?”

“What’s nervous?” Shen Xici was like a student caught fidgeting in class; his back stiffened. “No, why would I be nervous!”

Sheng Shaoyan looked at him for a few seconds, then turned and continued toward the kitchen, a faint smile on his lips.

Hopping on one foot to the dining table, Shen Xici pulled out a chair and sat down.

When Sheng Shaoyan also sat down, Shen Xici picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of meat, sighing contentedly in his heart. The skills of the highly-paid chef were truly superb. He had missed this taste so much!

In his previous life, he had coveted Sheng Shaoyan’s family chef. Every time he ate, he wanted to poach the person to cook for him every day. But whenever he thought of the exorbitant salary Sheng Shaoyan paid, he would silently dismiss the idea.

After the meal, they took the dishes to the kitchen. Sheng Shaoyan produced a tea set from somewhere and began to brew tea with a calm and easy grace.

He had learned the art of brewing tea from Old Mr. Sheng. He handled the pot and warmed the cups unhurriedly, his movements fluid and smooth. Shen Xici admired it for a while, then tentatively asked, “How are the workers from the mine accident? Have they been rescued?”

“Be careful, it’s hot. Drink it after it cools down.” Placing a cup filled to seventy percent in front of Shen Xici, Sheng Shaoyan let out an “mm” sound. “They’ve been rescued. None of them were injured. They have already been compensated financially according to precedent.”

“What about the public opinion situation?”

“Sheng Junhong made a move, but the public relations department of Shenghe can’t be paid for nothing. They’ve suppressed it all, don’t worry.”

In that case, Sheng Shaoyan hadn’t gone to the company this morning and would most likely work from home this afternoon as well.

“I see, that’s good.”

Shen Xici was a bit conflicted.

It was indeed nice to have another person in the house, but Sheng Shaoyan’s presence was too strong. Even when he was just sitting quietly and not speaking, Shen Xici couldn’t help but be distracted, unable to do anything else.

“By the way, didn’t I go to talk to creator Dongyu about a collaboration? He agreed!”

Sheng Shaoyan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nonchalantly, “Isn’t that great?”

Shen Xici nodded. “It is great. But I didn’t ask about creator Dongyu’s profession or age. I’ll ask when we get more familiar. If everything is suitable and creator Dongyu is willing to work full-time at the studio, that would be even better!”

Sheng Shaoyan: “What kind of person do you think he is?”

“Creator Dongyu?” Shen Xici recalled the feeling of their chat. “I only talked to him for a few sentences, not in depth. My feeling is that creator Dongyu is a bit like a pure-hearted university student, who holds goodwill and trust towards people and doesn’t seem to care much about money. His speech lacks superfluous social niceties, internet slang, or emojis. His major is probably more in the science and engineering field. However, he only gave an email as a contact method, perhaps to protect his privacy? Being cautious is a good thing; it reduces the possibility of being scammed.”

Sheng Shaoyan thought to himself that at least he got the major right. His double major at Princeton was indeed in the sciences.

The two chatted for a while longer. The teacups were emptied and refilled two or three times without them noticing. Suddenly, Shen Xici heard Sheng Shaoyan ask, “To the bedroom or the study?”

Shen Xici thought that the study and living room were definitely out. He wanted to read the script in the afternoon and needed to be very focused.

“To the bedroom.”

“Okay.”

Before he could react to why Sheng Shaoyan had asked that, Shen Xici saw the man sitting opposite him stand up and walk towards him. As he bent down, he reached out to grab his wrist.

Shen Xici’s hand subconsciously dodged to the side.

“What are you dodging?”

Along with the faint question, his wrist was grasped and placed firmly on the other’s shoulder. The next moment, Shen Xici felt his whole body lighten, and his vision lifted—

He was being carried in Sheng Shaoyan’s arms!

His body’s instinct made him cling tightly to Sheng Shaoyan’s shoulders, his fingertips wrinkling the fabric of the shirt, and his body pressed against Sheng Shaoyan’s.

Only a thin layer of cloth separated them. He could feel not only the body heat and firm muscles but also the beating of the other’s heart.

Shen Xici’s mind went almost blank. It took him a while to realize that if he could feel Sheng Shaoyan’s heartbeat, then could the other person also feel his chaotic and intense heartbeat?

This can’t happen…

Shen Xici struggled a little. “You don’t have to go to such trouble. I can—”

Not only did Sheng Shaoyan not let go, but his arms holding him even tightened. “Alright, don’t move. Your foot is injured, you can’t use force.”

Shen Xici pressed his lips together, clutching the fabric of the black shirt, his body incredibly stiff, as if using all his strength to create some distance from Sheng Shaoyan.

It was only a few steps to the bedroom. Sheng Shaoyan stopped by the bed, bent down, and slowly put him down, deliberately asking, “Why are your ears so red?”

The two were too close. The oxygen around them seemed to have been sucked away by Sheng Shaoyan. Shen Xici felt a dizzying sense of oxygen deprivation. His ears were indeed hot and burning. He couldn’t deny it, so he hurriedly lowered his eyes and mumbled, “It’s too close, A’Shao—”

His tone was hurried and revealed obvious panic, making one suspect that if there were a crack in the floor, he would surely hide in it.

But Sheng Shaoyan didn’t give him a chance to escape.

“Close?”

After placing him on the bed, Sheng Shaoyan didn’t immediately stand up. Instead, he propped his hands on the bed, his arm muscles flexing into smooth lines, maintaining an extremely oppressive and controlling posture as he leaned over. He asked in a hoarse voice, “Then what about this?”

The voice sounded right next to his ear. The shell of Shen Xici’s ear was sensitive. As his breath brushed past it, a tickling sensation made his whole body tremble slightly.

He had to endure it strongly to not let out a muffled groan.

His entire being was enveloped under Sheng Shaoyan. Every second was stretched to an extreme length. Amidst his own increasingly loud heartbeat, Shen Xici was at a loss for what to say or do.

He should push him away, should refuse. He should have refused when Sheng Shaoyan picked him up.

But, wasn’t the reason for this situation because…

He wanted to be close to him, wanted to get closer to him.

Reason was like a fortress before a battle, collapsing one after another under the assault.

Just then, the ringing of a phone broke the silence, and the air vibrated with it.

His gradually hazy thoughts suddenly became clear. Shen Xici’s voice was also a bit hoarse. “A’Shao, don’t you want to answer the phone? It must be something urgent.”

At the negotiating table, Sheng Shaoyan knew perfectly well when to press his advantage and when to stop, not to push someone to the limit all at once.

Beneath him, Shen Xici’s eyes, which usually held a touch of coldness when he wasn’t smiling, were now misty with moisture.

Bending his knuckles, Sheng Shaoyan gently brushed the corner of Shen Xici’s eye. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Not long after, the sound of the door closing came from outside. Shen Xici lay limply on the bed, reached for the pillow next to him, and covered his face with it.

The call was from Yu Zhou. There was an urgent matter at the company that required Sheng Shaoyan’s presence.

Before leaving, Sheng Shaoyan told him to wait for him to come back for dinner together.

Shen Xici couldn’t tell if the emotion welling up inside him was relief or regret.

After an unknown amount of time, Ge Lanjing called.

“I’ve already found a handyman to fix the aging wiring in that villa. Why do you sound so listless and lacking in energy? Are you not feeling well?”

“No,” Shen Xici truly had no energy. He didn’t have the strength to hide it. He paused. “Sister Lanjing, if—”

The words stopped there, and he gave up again. “Never mind, it’s nothing.”

There was no need to ask this question. He had always known clearly in his heart what he should do.

He raised his hand and looked at the ring he always wore. Even when he had to take it off for filming, he would emphasize to Lan Xiaoshan that it must be kept safe and absolutely not lost.

In the gleaming texture on the ring’s surface, a star carved by a knife trailed a tail of light.

Perhaps, to him, Sheng Shaoyan was that star, streaking across the sky above him, illuminating the entire night sky before disappearing over the horizon.

It was lucky enough to see a shooting star once.

He could cherish the memory for a lifetime.

Closing his eyes, Shen Xici made up his mind and said into the phone, “Sister Lanjing, can I ask you for a favor?”

The sky had not yet completely darkened. A rose-red arc of light lay across the horizon. A black Maybach was parked at the entrance of the residential complex.

The streetlights lit up one by one. Yu Zhou went up to meet it, his face calm, but his heart was exploding with curiosity.

This morning, for the first time ever, the President hadn’t gone to the office. After the meeting, the boss had instructed him to go home, pack up the dinner made by the chef, and deliver it to this address. Nothing else mattered except for the fact that the chef had made a meal for two!

This residential complex could only be considered mid-range, completely outside Sheng Shaoyan’s real estate scope, so the speculation of him keeping a mistress in a golden cage was immediately ruled out.

But from the moment the boss arrived at the company, his mood had been extremely low. During the meeting, his lethality was at maximum. If anyone wasted time with a few extra words, his gaze was like an icicle, capable of piercing people.

He was obviously preoccupied with something, annoyed that everyone present was wasting his time.

Could it be that the person living here was that mysterious person who was playing hard to get, toying with his boss’s emotions, and stringing him along?

How exciting!

Sheng Shaoyan got out of the car and took the food box from Yu Zhou. “Thank you for your hard work. You can get off work now.”

Yu Zhou’s face was calm.

“Yes, Mr. Sheng.”

Mr. Sheng, please go in quickly!

“If there’s anything else you need, just let me know anytime.”

Packing late-night snacks is fine, packing breakfast is also fine. Of course, it would be best if you let me deliver the food box to the door and allow me to take a peek inside!

Walking along the winding path of the complex, Sheng Shaoyan remembered Shen Xici’s expression before he left, looking as if he wished he could push him out the door. But his ears had remained red, not fading, and his expression was completely different from usual. Every time their eyes met, it never lasted more than three seconds.

All this made him look forward even more to stripping away the icy shell and seeing if the inside was as soft and moist as he imagined.

Opening the door, a smile appeared on Sheng Shaoyan’s lips. He said, “I’m back.”

The early autumn wind blew in from the balcony, lifting the thin gauze curtains. The lights in the house were on, but no one answered.

Putting down the food box, Sheng Shaoyan was about to go to the bedroom to see if Shen Xici was asleep. As he passed the dining table, his footsteps stopped, and his gaze suddenly froze.

On the table was a memo, very conspicuous.

There was only one sentence on it—

“A’Shao, there’s an emergency on set. I’m heading back to the set first.”

The handwriting was relaxed and well-formed. The signature was Shen Xici. Just like the first memo he had left him, there was a smiley face drawn after the name, with the last stroke curving upwards.

Pinching the thin piece of paper, reading the sentence over and over from beginning to end, Sheng Shaoyan loosened his tie with one hand.

He was so angry he laughed.