Amid the lively bustle, with flowers everywhere and people milling about, it was Old Du who had the presence of mind to bellow that Mr. Ke had brought fruit for everyone. The directing team also did Ke Yu the courtesy of making a show of it. Over the walkie-talkie came the B-unit director’s voice, announcing a half-hour break. A cheer went up, and the crowd dispersed in a rush, all swarming toward the vehicle to grab the fruit.
Ying Yin broke into a light jog, then came to an abrupt stop in front of Ke Yu before stepping in to give him a quick hug.
Although there was no one standing immediately beside them, countless pairs of eyes across the set were watching, openly or otherwise. So Ying Yin’s embrace ended with Ke Yu. As for Shang Shao, all he received was an awkward, half-hearted nod.
If we’d gone public, I could have pulled her straight into my arms right now.
The untimely thought flashed through his mind. Shang Shao narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze dark and intent as though trying to drink in every inch of her.
“What brings you here?” Ying Yin asked softly.
The question was directed at Ke Yu, but her eyes never left Shang Shao’s face.
Ke Yu coughed twice. “Do I need a reason? I missed you, so I came.”
Old Du was busy directing his crew to unload the fruit. He turned back midway and chimed in, “Mr. Ke came straight here to see Miss Ying the moment he got out of the mountains. Didn’t even stop to catch his breath. That’s why everyone in the industry says you two are the real deal.”
Ke Yu hurriedly added, “Real as friends. As friends…”
Old Du privately thought that clarification was about as unnecessary as taking off your pants to fart, but he kept smiling anyway. Making small talk, he asked, “You can’t be planning to come and leave on the same day, can you? It’s almost three already. Why not stay the night?”
Ke Yu instinctively turned to look at Shang Shao. Seeing him give the faintest nod, he nodded back and asked Old Du, “Can you arrange that?”
Old Du had worked with him too many times to count and had also spent time on Shang Lu’s productions, so he answered frankly.
“The hotel’s completely full. We originally kept two rooms in reserve, but then Director Li arrived first and took them. The other rooms have been occupied for so many days they’ve practically been steeped in cigarette smoke – you wouldn’t be comfortable staying in them. The only option is to find a couple of rooms up in the village.”
As he spoke, he kept an eye on Ke Yu’s expression. When Ke Yu once again looked toward his “assistant” for approval, and the assistant gave a slight nod, only then did he say, “That’ll work.”
“Then let’s talk as we walk?” Old Du said with a slight bow, extending an arm to lead the way. “This way, please.”
Ying Yin motioned for Junyi to come along, and the two of them followed behind.
Old Du was a born chatterbox. He had been quietly worrying that Teacher Ke would probably find him too talkative again, but to his surprise, Ke Yu was endlessly patient today, chatting with him about everything under the sun. It almost felt as though Ke Yu had traveled all this way just to visit him.
As they talked, Old Du gradually fell into step farther ahead without realizing it, leaving Ying Yin behind. Nor did he notice that the strange “assistant” had drifted to the very back, walking alongside her.
Neither of them spoke.
They simply walked shoulder to shoulder.
A gust of wind swept past. Ying Yin turned her face away and coughed twice. Shang Shao stopped in his tracks.
“Have you caught a cold?”
Ying Yin instinctively shook her head, but Shang Shao had already taken off his down jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
She was still dressed in costume, wearing her character’s simple rural clothes. Their plainness only made her delicate, clear-featured face seem even more luminous. Shang Shao gathered the collar neatly around her, smiling faintly as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Lowering his eyes, as though they could see no one but her, he teased, “We’ve been together this long, and you still haven’t called me ‘Mr. Shang’ once?”
“Mr. Shang,” Ying Yin said softly, her crimson lips parting.
“I don’t like that.”
The words had barely left her mouth before he changed his mind, casually hinting that she should call him something else.
Ying Yin’s heart fluttered wildly.
Even though she knew someone could emerge from one of the side paths at any moment – or, at the very least, Old Du might turn around – she still reached out and hooked a finger around one of Shang Shao’s. “Brother Ah-Shao.”
Her slender fingertips were icy cold.
Shang Shao caught her hand, gently rubbing her fingers with the pad of his thumb in slow, absent-minded strokes. “I’ve missed you.”
There was no dramatic emotion in his voice. It was the same calm, cool tone he always used, only the faintest trace of a sigh lingered at the end.
Ying Yin gave a quiet “Mm.”
She sniffled, her pointed chin dipping in a small nod
The tears came so suddenly that they caught her completely off guard.
Shang Shao couldn’t wipe them away for her. All he could do was say helplessly, “Don’t cry.”
Holding his jacket closed at the collar with one hand, Ying Yin wiped at her tears with the other. Apart from the cough, she didn’t seem to have any other cold symptoms. Her nose wasn’t congested at all, and she could clearly breathe in his scent – the faint aroma of agarwood and tobacco, mingled with that clean, fresh fragrance that reminded her of the morning air here.
She breathed it in with complete concentration.
Afraid Old Du might notice something amiss, they resumed walking at an unhurried pace to catch up with the others. They crossed the ridges between the fields, passed through a pear orchard, and slowly made their way uphill along the sloping path. Old Du’s voice drifted back from the front, rising and falling.
“This village only does business during pear blossom season. Hardly anyone comes the rest of the year, so the economy’s not great. I’m afraid you’ll have to make do.”
Ke Yu had already noticed as much. The walls were built from packed yellow earth, the gates were little more than woven wooden branches, and even the rooftops lacked proper rows of tiles.
They walked a little farther before stopping in front of a farmhouse.
“Huh.” Junyi was the one who recognized it. “It’s the grandma’s house where we buried the coin last night.”
Shang Shao caught that remark clearly. “Buried what coin?”
“Uh…” Junyi covered her mouth, glancing back and forth between Ying Yin and Shang Shao.
“It’s just a very old-fashioned custom,” Ying Yin explained. “You bury a coin beneath a tree, and the person you want to see will return from far away.”
Then, stubbornly adding an excuse, she said, “I buried it on the granny’s behalf. Her son works in another city.”
“And while you were burying it for her…” Shang Shao asked, using Junyi as cover to lightly squeeze one of Ying Yin’s finger joints, “…did you happen to think about the person you wanted to see?”
A faint blush spread across Ying Yin’s cheeks. “…Mm.”
“And did you see them?”
His voice dropped even lower, a subtle smile hidden in his eyes.
“I did.”
“It was Mr. Ke.”
“…”
Shang Shao didn’t bother arguing with her. He merely let out an easy, amused chuckle. Raising his hand, he gently rubbed her earlobe – the tiny finishing touch that always brought her face to life.
“I do get jealous of Ke Yu, you know.” His smile deepened almost imperceptibly. “You’re sick, so you’d better be more careful about what comes out of your mouth.
Junyi certainly wasn’t about to stay around to hear any more of this. She hurried ahead, stepped over the threshold, and escaped into the main room.
She thought to herself: Who would’ve thought Mr. Shang would say things like that too – and in such a serious, proper tone? Mr. Shang looks like he takes everything he does so seriously. Does that mean he would be just as serious and proper about… that kind of thing too?
With a sharp bonk, Junyi smacked herself on the head.
Stop. Stop thinking!
The granny who sold jujubes was in the kitchen chopping onions. In this place, winter meant not only a shortage of fruit, but also a scarcity of leafy vegetables. Tomatoes, onions, and potatoes were eaten all year round, and with hand-cut noodles and a few scattered pieces of mutton, they became a bowl of huimian – a hearty mixed noodle dish.
Junyi had bought dates from her and borrowed her kitchen quite a few times over the past few days, so when the old lady saw her, she didn’t even need Old Du to introduce them. Her toothless mouth immediately broke into a wide smile.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Old Du briefly explained their request to stay the night, and the grandmother led them to look at the rooms in the west wing.
She had two sons, one older and one younger, and these two rooms had originally been prepared for them. But nowadays, the young people had all gone to work in the cities, only returning during the busy farming seasons to lend a hand. As a result, the rooms were clean and tidy, and no one had stayed in them yet this winter.
Perhaps bundles of medicinal herbs had been stuffed inside, or perhaps dried herbs had been stored there at some point – the air in the room carried a gentle, lingering herbal scent that made people feel inexplicably at ease.
Old Du had already gone door to door throughout the village beforehand and knew the situation well. He pulled Ke Yu aside and lowered his voice. “Among the remaining households, this is one of the better options. The bed might not be the most comfortable, but it’s clean…”
Ke Yu patted him on the shoulder. “I’m not picky. This place is fine. Help me properly thank the old lady.”
Having completed his task, Old Du finally realized it was time to leave. He tossed out a quick “Get some good rest” and hurried back to the set.
Once he was gone, Ke Yu felt his ears finally become peaceful. Thoughtfully, he said to Shang Shao, “I’m going out for a smoke.”
He took Junyi with him as he left. The two of them crouched outside the door like a pair of guardian statues.
Junyi rested her chin in both hands, shuffled a little closer to Ke Yu while squatting, and asked quietly, “Mr. Ke, was the journey here really difficult?”
The cigarette rested between Ke Yu’s fingers. Hearing her question, he smiled faintly. “The person who has someone on their mind is the one who suffers more.”
Just as he finished speaking, a loud bang came from inside the room. It sounded like someone had bumped into the cabinet door.
The down jacket slipped from Ying Yin’s shoulders and fell to the floor.
Her blue-and-white floral cotton jacket was difficult to take off; the traditional knotted buttons were fastened extremely tightly. Their lips were locked in a passionate kiss, yet all four of their hands were occupied trying to undo the knots. They fumbled for a while, accomplishing nothing.
Shang Shao finally pulled away from the kiss. Half-lidded eyes fixed on her face for a moment, he pressed one of her soft hands down with his own and focused entirely on kissing her.
The wardrobe against the wall was milky white, with a full-length mirror set into the center. It was probably something the old lady had commissioned from a carpenter, made in preparation for when her sons would one day marry and bring wives home.
In the dressing mirror, the reflection showed a man in a perfectly tailored suit and a woman in a blue cotton-padded jacket. His polished leather boots pressed forward step by step against her black cloth-soled cotton shoes.
They looked as though they belonged to completely different eras.
And yet the woman was kissed until her eyelids turned red, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes and disappearing into her thick hair.
It had been a long time since Shang Shao had shared such an unadorned, innocent kiss. His thumb had nowhere else to go, so it could only press restlessly into her palm, kneading it over and over.
But even such a simple kiss was enough to stir him intensely.
The friction of their heated lips and tongues brought a rich sweetness. Ying Yin couldn’t catch her breath, her lips slightly parted as she willingly let him take whatever he wanted.
“Your makeup is smudged.”
He could not keep kissing her. His thumb brushed over the slightly swollen line of her lips.
“It’s fine.”
Ying Yin chased after his broad palm with her face, letting him hold half of her cheek. Her delicate nose pressed close as she deeply inhaled the scent lingering in his palm.
His scent.
The way she breathed him in made Shang Shao’s whole body burn. He loosened his tie until it hung almost undone, and beneath the knot, his Adam’s apple moved again and again as he swallowed.
“Just smelling me is enough to make you wet?”
He pressed close to her ear, his voice low, hoarse, and coldly teasing.
His long, slender-fingered hands had no place to misbehave, so he simply gripped her back with all his strength. The jade-like back of his hand tightened, blue veins standing out beneath the skin.
Ying Yin continued to breathe him in. She both nodded and shook her head, her eyes closed, lashes lowered over flushed cheeks. Rising onto her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Give me your perfume. Give me your cigarettes.”
Shang Shao tightened both hands, clasped behind her back. “You’re crazy.”
He said it with a faint, breathless exhale.
Then he found her ear, kissing from her earlobe all the way to her lips, lingering before moving down to her chin.
“The company still has matters to handle. I have to leave tomorrow afternoon.”
He lowered his voice.
They had only just reunited, and already he was arranging their goodbye.
He didn’t know who he was tormenting.
“Mm.”
Ying Yin tilted her chin upward, pressing her body against him.
“Tell me.”
“Do you miss me?”
Ying Yin opened her eyes.
Her delicate face was like polished jade, and Shang Shao’s fingers gently caressed it with tenderness.
She gazed up at him without looking away for even a moment. In her deep black eyes, the only reflection was his face.
“I dream about you every night.”
At a little after three in the afternoon during winter, the sun hung at its most heavenly hour. At the foot of the mountain, the assistant director for the actors was already walking around with a megaphone, urging everyone back to work.
“Come on, come on! Put down the melons, grapes, and cherries! All departments get into position. Next shot in five minutes! All extras, gather over here!”
The next scene was to film Ying Yuhua providing cultural literacy lessons for the villagers. Many of the extras had been recruited directly from the village, making everything look extremely authentic. The downside was that before every take, the assistant director was exhausted from the effort of communicating with them – the coordination alone was a huge undertaking.
Ying Yin fixed her hair and took Junyi back down the mountain right on time.
Their meeting had lasted only a little over ten minutes. Clearly, there hadn’t been enough time to say much of anything.
They had said very little.
They had kissed far more.
During those few steps back, she kept feeling as though there was something she had forgotten to tell Shang Shao. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember what it was.
Shang Shao still had meetings at his company, so he did not return to the set with her. Ke Yu also didn’t want to disturb their work, so he carried a small folding stool outside the door and sat there basking in the sun.
There would inevitably be a round of socializing that evening. What a headache.
He worried while enjoying the warmth, but he hadn’t even sat there for more than ten minutes before, as expected, Li Shan came striding over after hearing the news, accompanied by several figures Ke Yu was unfamiliar with.
Ke Yu had been sitting in the sun for quite a while and stood up a little too quickly. His vision blurred briefly. Once he steadied himself, he first respectfully greeted Li Shan with a “Director,” then followed Li Shan’s introductions and greeted each person one by one.
The last person introduced was a young woman who was clearly not someone important within the entertainment circle, merely a legal representative accompanying Liu Zong. Ke Yu politely addressed her as “Miss Yu.”
For some reason, he felt that Miss Yu’s gaze toward him was not particularly friendly.
A hater?
Ke Yu had no idea.
“When you arrived, they sent someone over to call me,” Li Shan said, patting Ke Yu on the shoulder. “You came all this way specifically to visit Ying Yin on set? Traveling such a long distance alone – it’s really thoughtful of you.”
“Not exactly alone.” Ke Yu shifted slightly to the side, revealing the view into the room behind him. “I had an assistant with me too.”
Although it was only a minor detail, the moment he said it, everyone instinctively followed his movement and looked inside.
The room was dim and cool, the deep interior swallowed by shadow. In that spacious room, the only person visible was a man in a suit standing while making a phone call.
His figure was striking. He stood side-on to the doorway, his left hand casually tucked into his trouser pocket, revealing a glimpse of white shirt cuff and an exquisitely crafted black crocodile-pattern tourbillon watch.
Yu Shasha felt as though she had suddenly fallen into an ice cellar.
Of course she recognized him.
How could she not?
Even from a distance.
The slight furrow of his brows. The contours of his profile. The presence of someone who had occupied a position of power for so long that his authority could not be concealed. And that deep, resonant voice – so pleasant to listen to even when he was only making an ordinary phone call.
The commotion at the doorway naturally caught Shang Shao’s attention. Since he had come because of Ke Yu’s favor, he could not allow Ke Yu to lose face in front of others. So he ended the call and walked out of the room.
The sunlight danced across the low doorway.
As he stepped over the threshold, he instinctively narrowed his eyes against the brightness. When he saw Yu Shasha clearly, the danger in his gaze flashed out like the killing intent of a beast preparing to pounce – brief, but terrifyingly intense.
Yu Shasha swallowed, both hands tightening around the handle of her handbag.
It really was him.
What was he doing here?
Was it just a coincidence? Was he passing by? Or…
Was it actually him who had traveled all this way to visit the set?
But Shang Shao’s gaze did not linger on her face for even a moment.
Following Ke Yu’s introductions, he addressed each person politely as “Sir.” Yet the unmistakable air of someone lowering himself out of courtesy remained impossible to erase.
Everyone present was a major figure – someone with considerable weight in the industry. And yet, apart from Li Shan, the other two people inexplicably felt a tightening in their chests in front of him, as though they could not casually treat him or test his limits.
“You’re… the Mr. Jin from the awards ceremony last time, aren’t you?” the producer asked uncertainly.
“You must be mistaken.” Shang Shao gave a polite, slight nod. “My surname is Lin. You can just call me Xiao Lin.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he still had to return to the phone call he had just paused, so he did not stay.
But as he turned to leave, Yu Shasha finally couldn’t hold herself back. “Ah-Shao.”
In front of everyone, Shang Shao stopped.
He turned around.
“Do you need something?”
Liu Zong was very fond of this newly acquired capable assistant of his. In a short period of time, he had come to regard her almost like a daughter.
He asked, “You and Xiao Lin know each other?”
“We were classmates.”
Yu Shasha looked directly into Shang Shao’s eyes.
“So coincidental? Then how come you didn’t recognize him just now?” Liu Zong asked with a half-smile.
Shang Shao’s lips curved slightly. “I still don’t recognize her now. Miss Yu, where exactly have we met before?”
Yu Shasha parted her lips, but at that moment Shang Shao’s phone rang. He answered it first, then covered the receiver and gave everyone a small nod of apology.
“Excuse me.”
The words Yu Shasha had just prepared could only be swallowed back down.
Ke Yu, on the other hand, found himself gradually piecing things together with great interest.
So this Miss Yu was actually Shang Shao’s ex – the woman who, years ago, had schemed in such a way that she pushed both him and Shang Lu into a desperate situation where they were almost forced to publicly come out.
Several years had passed since then. Ke Yu had never met her, and his understanding of what happened had been pieced together only from fragments of what Shang Lu had casually mentioned.
That year, Yu Shasha was terrified that Shang Shao would truly give up his inheritance rights for her. She was also afraid that if Shang Shao fought all the way for her, Shang Qinye might actually strip away the position of heir and establish Shang Lu as the new successor instead.
So she struck first.
She tried to force Shang Lu into publicly revealing his sexual orientation, thereby eliminating any possibility of Shang Qinye choosing him as the next heir.
She had covered her tracks flawlessly. If Shang Shao had not caught onto the traces she left behind and peeled away the layers of overseas agents she had used to shift the blame, no one would likely ever have suspected her.
Ke Yu did not know the details of how Shang Shao handled the matter. He had only heard that from the moment Shang Shao became suspicious, to confirming the truth, to setting a trap and using her own scheme against her, the entire process took no longer than the time it took to smoke a single cigarette.
Sometimes, Ke Yu felt deeply apologetic toward Shang Shao, because the reason Yu Shasha had developed such thoughts – and the reason she had been able to hurt Shang Lu – was ultimately because of him.
But sometimes, Ke Yu also felt that Shang Shao was truly frightening.
Two years together. A relationship that had progressed to the point of imminent engagement. Feelings deep enough that he was willing to defy Shang Qinye for her.
Yet when suspicion arose, he suspected her.
When a trap needed to be set, he set it.
There had not been even the slightest hesitation or struggle.
A successor like that – perhaps only he could truly become one.
Ke Yu admired Shang Shao’s decisiveness, his ability to make a clean break when necessary, and his merciless resolve.
But when he thought about it more deeply, there was also a faint chill that ran through him.
Fortunately, Shang Shao’s character was upright.
Fortunately, his character was upright.
“I think tonight, why don’t all of us have dinner together?” the chief producer’s courteous voice sounded, pulling Ke Yu back from his thoughts.
Among everyone present, Li Shan held the greatest prestige and seniority. After speaking, the producer looked toward him for his opinion.
Li Shan nodded. “That works. Call Xiao Yin as well. And bring your new assistant too. Have Old Du arrange it right away.”
“Xiao Dao, it’s been a while since we’ve all gotten together. Tonight, we should enjoy ourselves properly.”
