Such slender fingers, tightly clutching his palm.
That solemn expression didn’t seem flirtatious and seeking pleasure at all. It was completely an expression of taking responsibility to compensate after committing a mistake.
Jia He watched his gaze shift downwards before realizing what she had said. She quickly retracted her arm to wrap herself in the blanket, intensely regretting inside. Too, too, too impulsive! What is this? Last night she only had the courage because of the stimulation from alcohol, moonlight and late night – the three great romantic elements. But now as she took peeks at Yi Wenze’s silhouette, it was broad daylight out there!
Yi Wenze suddenly put down the shirt. She immediately shuddered.
Oh no, oh no!
She stubbornly braced herself, thinking over and over whether he would misunderstand, misunderstand that she was the casual, promiscuous type who didn’t care at all. The room was too bright. And they were directly facing each other. She felt blood rushing up to her head even more intensely. She just wanted to explain she actually didn’t have any… experience. But before she could get the words out, he suddenly hugged her tightly without warning. She almost jumped off the bed. But she was wrapped up tightly like a zongzi rice dumpling, completely unable to move at all.
Oh well, might as well go all out then.
She steeled her heart. “Can you, take it slower later? Actually… I might be a bit different from what you think.”
With such bright sunlight and so close distance, why did she feel like they were doing foreplay before an AV film?
He stroked and neatened her long hair. “What do you think I’m thinking?”
Jia He wanted to cry. It was already so obvious. Yet he still asked!
“I mean, maybe, perhaps,” What is this? Just because I had one ex-boyfriend, why is it so hard to explain?! Who said girls who had a boyfriend before would definitely do that kind of thing? She retreated further into the blanket. “Actually, that stuff – I drank too much yesterday. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been so… proactive.”
Something that should be said happily and sweetly, why did it instead feel so egregiously wrong instead?
“I know,” Yi Wenze said in her ear.
After he spoke, one face grew redder and redder, while the other’s smile deepened more and more.
You really know? I was implying things in my words…
She still wanted to explain but he had already gently laid her flat on the bed. She hurriedly grabbed the blanket, desperately thinking don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. Until Yi Wenze hugged her and kissed down, she still muddledly thought, don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous… Actually she didn’t know her whole face was scrunched up from shutting her eyes tightly. Like a fish on the chopping block.
The air conditioning wasn’t turned on. Her body temperature swiftly climbed. The two people’s breathing gradually becoming an entangled mess, indistinguishable whose was regulating whose’s. A thin layer of sweat floated on her skin, sticky and humid. She didn’t know when she had already grabbed his wrist. That subtle pulse, under the sensation of her fingertips, turned so distinct.
“I need to go out at 12,” He finally propped himself up with an elbow to separate himself from being over her. Smiling he said, “One hour is too rushed.”
Unsuitable timing, unsuitable occasion. He didn’t want to be so hasty. And he didn’t need to be so hasty either.
Only then did Jia He wake up from her dreamy state. She tossed and turned, pondering over those words until her face thoroughly reddened like a tomato.
She didn’t make a peep or open her eyes.
Not until the bed sank down did she feel her surroundings suddenly become lighter. Only then did she jolt awake from her dreamy state and daringly look. He had already entered the bathroom.
Phew.
Thankfully? Disappointed? It really left her conflicted…
With just one door separating them, she could her the sound of water. She immediately crawled out of the blanket and swiftly got dressed. After formally sitting upright for one minute, she felt it wasn’t appropriate. She went to neatly tidy the bed and fold his clothes, removing any trace of an affair before she finally felt at ease.
She sat upright formally again.
Suddenly he called for her.
Jia He eagerly rushed to the door and asked what’s wrong? Can you help me grab a clean shirt and pants, he requested very normally. Shirt and pants… Jia He muttered. Very naturally she wanted to ask if he needed underwear too but hastily swallowed the words back down. She only passed him the clothes he specified.
Not until dinnertime did he mention he had to report to set the next day to start shooting a new film. So tonight he would take a red eye flight to directly depart Beijing. Jia He blankly stared at him, somewhat unable to react.
Her eyes blinked and blinked. After holding it in for a long time, she finally asked, “Why didn’t you mention it earlier?” To be kept completely unaware that filming would start and result in not seeing each other for so long.
“Didn’t you read over the work schedule I sent?”
Jia He ah-ed and immediately understood her own negligence. That’s right, she was only sweetly touched when he sent it over before without carefully checking the timing. She lowered her head to cut the dishes. The sounds from her chopping were practically rivaling her heartbeat.
“I’m sorry,” she finally took initiative to apologize when the food was almost cooked. “I didn’t read it carefully.” Then she casually grabbed a seasoning bottle and immediately went to pour a scoop into the wok.
“Wrong one. That’s sugar,” Yi Wenze kindly reminded her. He watched her flusteredly find the salt, feeling it was amusing.
Actually he had intentionally avoided mentioning it earlier to prevent her from dwelling on this thing yesterday night already.
“How long will it take this time?” Jia He finally found the salt shaker and went to scoop a large amount, wanting to sprinkle it in, but he pressed her hand down to stop her.
He poured most of the salt on the spoon back into the shaker before helping sprinkle the rest into the wok. “About two months.”
Two months ah.
Jia He absentmindedly oh-ed. After stir-frying a few times, she turned off the fire and removed it to a serving plate.
Carefully recalling the schedule, he was indeed very busy. When he filmed, he was always serious about it. She certainly shouldn’t disturb filming and give others an excuse to gossip. She desperately calculated the days. After two months would already be autumn.
In the past, she was always praised for having nice legs for wearing skirts and looking good. The previous months whenever she went shopping, she would unknowingly buy many skirts, long short ones in various colors – fantasizing about wearing them around him and wearing them for him to see over this whole summer.
Two side dishes and a soup, her cooking skills were actually very good. But clearly the flavors of the last dish had overcooked. Making the taste somewhat overwhelmingly rich.
To have the last shared meal before his departure turn out like this left her somewhat disheartened. Today afternoon she had specially taken chance while he wasn’t around to buy ingredients to last three days. Looked like it would all go to waste now. After the meal, she only asked if she should see him off? Yi Wenze went to the living room to grab his luggage. Saying that would be good. You don’t have a car in Beijing anyways, so just drive mine. Jia He watched him carry his luggage and only then noticed he must have already put it there last night. She simply failed to see it the entire time.
After seeing him off and returning home, she finally studied that work schedule carefully and surprisingly discovered he even thoughtfully marked the two months in red font to remind her there would be “more night shoots”. Normally at least one third of movie shoots had to be night scenes. So since he specially pointed this out, there would probably be even more.
But for whatever reason after mulling over those four words repeatedly for half a day, all sorts of random thoughts popped up. Like since he had just recovered, if shooting such a movie would be too taxing for him. And stuff like it would be more troublesome for her to visit the set…
Yong’an was officially hit theaters and seemed to be getting good feedback.
It perfectly happened that the script adaptation project had a rushed timeline. So she became completely immersed day and night into an intense state of work. Until one day Xiao Yu really couldn’t stand it anymore. She held up all the clothes hanging outside on the balcony and asked her, “Let me ask you, did you scalp all your newly-bought skirts? How come you’ve just been alternating between two outfits this entire month? Even I’m feeling aesthetic fatigue now.”
Jia He had only peeled her eyes away for a glance before diving back into her typing. She gave her a stern look. “You see, just one poignant line of dialogue can have so much influence. This line ‘aesthetic fatigue’ can practically enter the lexicons now.”
Then she turned back to continue typing.
Xiao Yu felt she was like a chicken conversing with a duck. She could only throw the dry laundry onto the sofa. “That show of yours is pretty popular. I overhear my colleagues discussing the plot every day at work. I’m about to split mentally. Really want to stick a post-it note on my forehead now,” She self-righteously tore open the bag of chips. “I don’t watch contrived TV dramas. So don’t talk to me about anything with Yi Wenze.”
Typing out the three words Yi Wenze, it flashed before Jia He’s eyes for a moment. She got jammed up, thoroughly forgetting what she wanted to write next.
“Haven’t heard you so much as make a few phone calls. Can’t be because of industry regulations that you forgot how to sweet talk and flirt already, right?” Xiao Yu took out a whole watermelon from the fridge and cut it in half, tossing one half over in front of Jia He.
I want to too.
Jia He felt anguished. She picked up a spoon and circled the watermelon, cleanly scooping up a neat square chunk.
“Most of his shoots are night shoots. He needs to sleep during the day and film during the nights,” Jia He took a bite of watermelon. The burst of coolness entering her mouth, but abruptly turned into a bone-chilling ache in her teeth. Oh no, time to see the dentist again. “Once I called over in the afternoon and he was at the set. Don’t even ask how embarrassing that was.”
Xiao Yu spoke with the tone of an expert patting her shoulder. “Being an entertainer’s wife isn’t easy to do. Not easy at all.”
In fact, calculating the time, she was also considering whether to visit the set to see him. But visiting set and actually visiting were completely different matters. The mere thought of appearing at the set, unsure whether she would run into acquaintances or see him filming all sorts of dangerous actions, passionate scenes… it made her somewhat dread the thought. In the end, after polishing off half a watermelon, she sent a text to him: Still in Sichuan?
After sending it, she waited somewhat apprehensively. Yet for a long, long time, there was no reply.
After a short spell of disappointment, she found a justification for herself. He must be filming, filming!
Because of that half watermelon, she smoothly gained admission to Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Actually the dentistry department here was ordinary. But it was still the closest by. Jia He took a queue ticket and sat waiting in the lobby. The hubbub of people was very noisy. Annoyed, her tooth ache intensified. She firmly held her phone the entire time waiting for a reply in case he had time to message back during breaks and she missed it.
Finally when the dentist examined her, she was still gripping her phone. The doctor helplessly looked at her, “Little miss, waiting for a phone interview?”
Jia He quickly explained it was nothing like that and put her phone into her bag before lying back on the examination bed. After a series of checks, the tooth she had been preserving for three years was finally going to be completely extracted. The doctor said all appointments were full today and asked if she wanted to set an appointment for tomorrow. And a text alert just happened to come in then.
She hurriedly told the doctor so sorry, it’s very urgent, then fished out her phone from her bag again.
Very simple reply of two words: Still here.
Jia He deliberated for a moment before replying: I want to go see you.
Waited for half a day but still no response. The doctor glanced outside and reminded her there were still other patients waiting. He told her to set an appointment with the nurse for tomorrow to remove the tooth. Since there was no reply yet, Jia He didn’t dare confirm either. She could only ask if doing it in a few days later would be possible. The doctor probably hadn’t encountered such a back and forth patient before. He no longer had a smile and coldly told her to go set an appointment with the nurse. And took chance to remind her it would definitely keep hurting the next few days if she didn’t remove it.
Of course it would keep hurting. It already hurt to death right now!
Because it was afternoon, the number of people waiting gradually decreased until finally only her and several elderly ladies remained without anyone else. Seeing it was about time for the doctor to get off work, a nurse walked over to ask everyone’s situations one by one. After some thought, Jia He still didn’t set an appointment time.
Once off work hours hit, the roads were congested as hell. She barely inched forward step by step until reaching the gas station. Right as she was craning forward to speak to the attendant, her phone started ringing. Out of conditioned reflex she wanted to pick up but the young guy quickly said, “Can’t use phones here.”
Only then did she come to her senses and hesitantly declined the call.
Not long after, a text came in: I have a media meet and greet event in Chengdu tomorrow.
Tomorrow huh… Jia He gave a sharp inhale of pain. It really was so painful: Okay, I’ll go to Chengdu tomorrow.
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