Although he didn’t like lively places.
There were still unavoidable social obligations when necessary, like right now. A friend came from Hong Kong to Chengdu, coinciding with the production crew returning to Chengdu to prepare for a media meet. Naturally he couldn’t escape getting dragged along. Luckily the boss accompanied the entire time, the table picked was good, but still unavoidably drew some shrieks. Yi Wenze deliberately pressed down on the brim of his hat, but still stole quite a bit of the limelight on stage.
He had just sat down when the boss asked if he wanted a few girls called over, the fun-lovers around him were naturally happy to, the few actress’ faces went dark… “Teacher Yi, can I sit next to you?” A new actress to the crew got squeezed until she had nowhere left, she could only pathetically look at him.
He scooted over, “Have a seat.”
Then positioned himself right at the edge. A true gentleman.
The big man on stage hugged his guitar, lowered his voice, ambiguously complimented that Chengdu beauties lived up to their reputation. Screams instantly erupted below. He couldn’t help shaking his head with a smile, this brat still loved kidding around no matter where. The woman beside him asked, Teacher Yi isn’t using Wu Ti today? I heard you hurt your arm? Yi Wenze smiled a little, not too serious.
His phone suddenly buzzed. It was Jia He: I’m booking plane tickets, when’s good?
The meet was 3pm in the afternoon. He calculated the time, looked up flights online, then directly sent a flight number over.
Not long after, a text message came back: So touched~ This one then~
Under the dim ambiguous lighting, a teary-faced emoji swayed on the screen.
A scene from over a month ago flashed through his mind. She held up her chopsticks, hesitating over asking him if the stir fry was overcooked, should she make something else. That morning, she had practically…in the blankets taking the initiative to ask, really…only knew how to start fires, not put them out.
A trace of a faint smile spilled from the corner of his mouth as he sent back a message: If you’re touched no need, give yourself to me tomorrow night then.
After successfully sending, a long time passed with no reaction.
Must’ve scared her good and proper. He casually took up his wine glass, drank a mouthful. The wine wasn’t bad, thick and smooth texture. Though the wine that night was even better, just Au Lun kept teasing her, messing around until the end.
“Teacher Yi, is it your girlfriend?” The person beside him asked.
He neither confirmed nor denied. The young woman gave an envious sigh, “I saw your interview that day. If I was your girlfriend, I’d definitely be loved to death.”
He smiled faintly, “She doesn’t seem to have much reaction.”
Or rather, she had to be drunk before daring to say it.
The young woman gave an ah, her big eyes were even brighter with color contacts, “Teacher, indulge my gossip, what’s your girlfriend like? So indifferent?”
“She’s a screenwriter.” He put down the wine glass on the table.
“A talent.”
The woman sighed in admiration, just as she was about say something, the one who was performing on stage earlier suddenly flashed over, casually pulling off Yi Wenze’s hat, “What’d you think, of me earlier?” Yi Wenze made a very good gesture with his hand, smiling lowly, “Out of tune.” That person was greatly embarrassed. Just about to sit down, he glanced at the young woman, and she politely stood up, “Have a seat.”
“Thanks,” he sat down, putting an arm around Yi Wenze’s shoulder, “I really don’t know why Tian Chu divorced, you’re completely an oddball. I see this young miss is about to stick to you, yet you still have the mind to play on your phone.”
This person was a northerner, speech blunt and efficient. He suddenly thought of how Jia He would occasionally make calls home to family, speaking rapid Beijing dialect. Felt that little tongue really was something.
He didn’t know who it was beside him, discovered the next table was also a crew, immediately suggested combining tables. Things got even livelier.
His little sister called yesterday. Over there someone was calling uncle in a soft, glutinous voice. A kid’s tender voice always made someone completely relax. Until he started blurrily asking where auntie was, he felt a little helpless. Could only coax and say auntie was still busy with work in Beijing, when less busy she’d come to New Zealand to see him.
Must be Wen Run who taught him. Ever since she found out about Jia He’s situation, she’d call every day to hound for details, saying she wanted to gossip about how he learned to raise a loli. Raise a loli? Seemed she really was spoiled rotten by her husband, learning this kind of stuff lazing around at home all day. Maybe she did have some common topics with her…
He gently swung the wine glass, looking at his phone again. Could it have broken from the fall?
A text suddenly came in: Just now…my phone dropped.
As expected.
He stood up, wanted to find a quiet place to call back. Unexpectedly behind him was a sudden shattering. Glancing back, the young woman from before had actually smashed a mirror to pieces with a wine bottle. Everyone around was a little dumbfounded. While one man near the mirror’s face was bright red. Seemed he drank quite a bit, swaying as he took two steps forward, “What is it, I just said a couple sentences to you, too embarrassed to even look at me?”
Swords were drawn in an instant. People from tables nearby quickly crowded around to watch.
Yi Wenze knitted his brow watching. He didn’t recognize this person, likely from the table that combined with theirs. A few people beside that man hurriedly pulled at him, babbling about why make things difficult for a young girl. But the more they advised, the more fired up he got. About to hike up his sleeves and start something.
“Alright, what’s a man arguing with a woman for.” Only then did Yi Wenze speak up.
Then, complete silence.
Really because he was sitting in the corner earlier with a hat. Dark and ambiguous in the bar. Now speaking up, the group that combined tables finally saw this side unexpectedly had…Yi Wenze.
That man looked just about ready to smash his own glass to apologize. Yi Wenze smiled, patting his shoulder. He promptly plopped back down where he was. “As compensation,” he took out 3000 yuan from his wallet, handing it to the relieved boss beside them, “Sorry about that, everyone drank too much lost some sense.” Boss M hurriedly tried to refuse but the money was stuffed into his hand nevertheless.
The people at the next table’s eyes were still shining. He simply lowered his head to look at his phone. It had automatically turned off.
Have to take leave first, something came up. You guys keep going. He told the friend who had been watching the fun nearby. His friend promptly stood up as well, also made an ok gesture, saying in a low voice, out of tune. Made you liven up the place. Yi Wenze gave him a vague smile. Raising his chin to point out that actress, said take care of things a bit. His friend laughed equivocally. What now? Finally clued in? Yi Wenze was too lazy to say more to him. Tossed out going back to sleep now as a married man, you take care of things.
Yi Wenze didn’t reply to the text.
This seemed like a big deal. Jia He sat on the windowsill, taking big gulps of air, the toothache making her irritable. Holding her phone, she debated whether to send another text. Wasn’t he already back in Chengdu today? Shouldn’t be filming right?
Could it be mad because she didn’t reply agreeing to give herself?
She suddenly remembered Yi Wenze’s perfectly smooth, flawless silhouette that morning. Just like that went into the bathroom…Her nose felt a little hot. Crap, couldn’t be having caught something following him right? She pressed on her cheeks. A line from the fanclub association suddenly popped into her mind: If one gets Yi Wentze, shall be cherished beauty locked away– instantly gorgeously embarrassed herself.
So when Xiao Yu came back, what she saw was her half swollen face, baring teeth at her phone smiling…she walked over looking at her face, “Didn’t you go see a dentist? When are you getting it pulled?”
“I’m going to Chengdu tomorrow. Let’s talk when I get back.” It was even hard for her to talk.
Xiao Yu was surprised a moment before shaking her head with a laugh: “Not easy being a star’s wife, not easy.”
Supposed to arrive at 7, but kept getting delayed until almost midnight. Getting out, Chengdu was pouring rain.
The swarms of people waiting for luggage was packed. When Jia He got off the elevator, she secretly rejoiced at not bringing any luggage. Because of the heavy rain, even more people packed the arrivals hall. Most holding phones, either calling or messaging, all waiting for people. She took out her phone, looked at the plate number Yi Wenze sent, started silently praying it wouldn’t be too eye catching.
But when she found it, it was actually the crew’s commercial vehicle.
Commercial vehicle? Yi Wenze? How did those two things match.
“So amazing, I can’t believe you could drive this kind of car too.” She mumbled after closing the car door.
“What happened to your face?” He reached over, holding her chin to make her turn to look. Jia He didn’t expect to give herself away so quickly. Could only bare her teeth in pain, swatting his hand, “Gently, toothache.”
People all say absence makes the heart grow fonder. From the plane landing she was already feeling slight quick heartbeat, slight tension, slight delight. But she really didn’t expect the first words upon meeting would be so…mundane. Jia He thought again about those words of a beauty locked away in a golden house. She felt even more embarrassed and wanted to say some of the small talk she practiced beforehand to set the mood. But she saw his brow seemingly knitted: “Swollen this badly, let’s go to the hospital first to take a look.”
“Can’t we skip it?” Sistah didn’t come to Chengdu for the hospital…
The outcome was obviously an invalid rejection…And so, her planned production set visit trip first turned into a Chengdu hospital one night tour. The doctor on shift swayed his head side to side, said it was her wisdom tooth coming out that caused this. Jia He was confused, pointing to her bad tooth, “Wasn’t it this one?” The doctor examined again before continuing to shake his head: “It’s definitely the wisdom tooth, growing behind this tooth of yours. We’ll hook you up on a saline IV first.”
Jia He rolled her eyes. That quack dentist yesterday actually just went along with what she said, to pull the tooth.
Pulling teeth, pulling teeth! Is it commission-based?!
But saline IV…what about Yi Wenze? Jia He thought a moment, “Can you prescribe some medication first?”
“This bad, aren’t you in pain?” The doctor crossed his legs. Felt this young lady rather interesting.
In the end, medication was still prescribed.
She angrily recounted her disdain of yesterday’s dentist and praise for today’s doctor’s ethics. Yi Wenze took her patient notes, looking it over carefully a couple times, asked another couple questions about the treatment plan. Jia He just vaguely glossed over with her excuse of not being able to speak much.
Back at the hotel, it was past midnight already. Jia He followed him into the room, before covering her face to ask if her room was next door. Yi Wenze picked up a bottle of mineral water, twisting it open to pour into the electric kettle, “No vacant rooms tonight.”
……
She just about cried mournfully. After a long time, she sidled over, tugging at his shirt.
“What’s up?” He methodically pressed the switch, starting to look through medication bottles for their dosage instructions.
“My tooth hurts.” Jia He hemmed and hawed half the day, not managing to say what she wanted.
He gave an uh-huh: “I’m boiling water for you, take medication and sleep soon.”
Take medicine and sleep…she dejectedly thought, so travelled all this way, just to take medicine and sleep in a different location. Not even a hug from the plane ride over…
Just as she was a mess inside, the door was suddenly lightly knocked twice. She jolted in fright, accidentally nudging her wisdom tooth again. Biting her lip watching Yi Wenze. Two in the morning? A ghost…
“Teacher Yi, are you sleeping?” Woman’s voice. Very gentle.
The room gradually quieted down. Only the sound of boiling water, distinct to the point of being irritating. Jia He covered her face, poking his arm. Gesturing for him to open the door.
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