Chapter 79

The filming contract for the Ninth Hospital in Bai Gang City had already expired, and this time, they chose a different hospital in another city to film some indoor scenes. It was far from Bai Gang City—about a four-hour drive. An Ye’s first scene tomorrow would be at eleven o’clock, so if she went back, she would have to wake up at around five in the morning and get to the set before ten to do her makeup and preparations.

It was already past four in the afternoon, quite a hassle.

But Lan Yifang was very quick, and after fifteen minutes, she had everything packed up and had An Ye on the nanny car.

“Qi Jie said there are reporters squatting in front of the neighborhood,” Lan Yifang said to Master Chen after they got in the car. “Let’s go around the back and head straight to the parking lot. After we drop off An Ye, we’ll drive away, so the reporters won’t spot us.”

An Ye sat in the backseat with an eye mask on, catching up on some sleep.

Lan Yifang had grown quickly. Now, such things no longer required special instructions from her and Qi Wei.

This atmosphere of upward movement around her made An Ye feel good, and it made her think that leaving Huanzhou and heading out on her own had been a good decision.

It also made her feel that her impulsive return to Bai Gang City earlier wasn’t wrong.

Actually, it wasn’t very good. Huanzhou was keeping a close eye on her. During this time, she had been at the set. Chi Tuo would occasionally visit her on set, but always with Qi Wei. The set managed by Yang Zhengyi was very strict, and it was rare for outsiders to sneak in, so no one had leaked any information. So, the fact that An Ye and Chi Tuo were together hadn’t been exposed yet.

But once they were outside, it wasn’t as easy to keep things under wraps.

If she did something like this while still with Huanzhou, Yan Wannen could stop her halfway, and then she’d be trapped in a tight spot by Wang Shanshan’s relentless pursuit.

But now, Qi Wei was very supportive. She said An Ye had been working nonstop for a month and deserved a break. Just don’t go out with Chi Tuo; don’t even think about going for a walk or anything.

“Stay at home. If there’s really something you need to do together, just call me.”

“Make sure the curtains are closed.”

That was all Qi Wei had instructed.

This working style, completely different from Huanzhou’s, somehow made An Ye feel like she had truly clocked out for the day. At this moment, she didn’t have to play any roles—she was just herself.

She missed her boyfriend, and so after work, she’d spent nine hours just to go see him for a brief moment.

Completely irrational, totally unreliable.

Just like being in the early stages of a relationship.

Bai Gang Airport was an hour and a half’s drive from Chi Tuo’s house. Before he left, he parked his car at the airport, and by the time he drove home, it was already past one in the morning.

He thought he’d work extra hard for a while and get everything done in advance. After An Ye’s movie finished filming and her variety show started, he would need to take at least ten days off.

Old Yuan, being a responsible capitalist, had already counted the variety show recording time as part of his annual leave. To appease him, the recording of the variety show was considered a special project, and he received a special project bonus of 20,000 yuan.

Chi Tuo had no objections.

He was just thinking that when An Ye wasn’t filming or recording for the variety show, he would likely need to take personal leave to take her on a few days’ vacation.

He really wanted to take An Ye on a trip. They had known each other for a lifetime, and aside from school-organized museum visits back when they were students, they had never traveled outside of Wangcheng.

But unfortunately, their first trip together would have to be recorded by cameras. He had seen the plan Qi Wei had written, a 100-plus-page PowerPoint with seven or eight public relations plans. That wasn’t a trip, it was more like a spy operation.

The living room lights at home were on, and An Ye’s sneakers were also placed by the entrance.

Chi Tuo paused for a moment.Lao Bai had been fed by Xiao Yao these past few days, coming once in the morning and once in the evening. It's possible that she forgot to turn off the lights when she left, but what’s up with these shoes?

Did An Ye come back these last couple of days?

She didn’t mention anything to me.

Chi Tuo took off his shoes and entered the house. The living room was empty. An Ye's room door was open, but there was no one inside.

Chi Tuo first removed his tie.

He was used to living alone, and even though An Ye had moved in, except for the two days during the Lantern Festival when Yang Zhengyi stayed over for the script revisions, she had been at the set the whole time. He didn’t really have a sense of living together yet.

So, some habits hadn’t changed.

For example, when he was exhausted, he would undress while walking. He’d hang his coat and suit jacket on the hook at the entrance, but other clothes would just get bundled in his hands, and he would casually throw them into the washing machine when passing by.

So, black clothes were great, no need to separate them, just throw them in to wash.

His mind wasn’t on it. He still had his phone in hand and sent An Ye a “I’m here” message. When he saw Lao Bai staring at him from the cat climbing frame, he sighed and tucked his phone under the cat’s belly.

By the time he entered the bedroom, he was only wearing his underwear.

Chi Tuo hesitated for a couple of seconds at the door handle, unsure whether to just lie down or take a bath first. He thought about the little human child who blew snot bubbles at him on the plane, and he fell silent. He went straight to the bathroom.

The lights weren’t even on.

Before he pushed open the bathroom door, he heard a faint sound from the mattress.

Chi Tuo froze.

The last image of him running around naked in front of An Ye for five minutes flashed in his mind like a slideshow. He stiffened and quickly turned around.

He had trouble sleeping, so the bedroom was very dark. He stood there for a minute before he could barely make out the shapes in the room. Someone was on his bed, covered with his blanket, hugging his pillow, sprawled out, sleeping soundly.

Chi Tuo: "..."

First, this person on the bed was definitely An Ye, because he could already clearly see her sleepwear—her signature camisole and shorts.

Second, what in the world was going on here?

Chi Tuo’s first reaction was that she was having a sleep disorder, but he hadn’t received any information about her having an episode again. If she really had an episode and couldn’t leave the person, it wouldn’t make sense that there was no one else at home except for her.

Lastly, he was only wearing his underwear, and all his home clothes were in the closet. If An Ye woke up, it would be troublesome.

Chi Tuo: "..."

Did she think he was a voyeur?

Twice now!

And both times when his brain was too exhausted to think straight.

He swore that from now on, when he came home, he would never take off his clothes. His shirt and suit pants would be welded to his body, tied up with a belt.

He stood there in his underwear, holding the bathroom door handle, struggling for two minutes. Then he heard An Ye turn over in bed. He cowardly dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

He was too quick, so the door closed with a sharp sound in the quiet of the night.

Chi Tuo: "..."“Chi Tuo?” An Ye’s groggy voice came through, sounding hoarse. “You’re back?”

“Mm.” Chi Tuo took two deep breaths before replying.

There was no sound outside anymore.

Chi Tuo was unsure if An Ye had fallen asleep again, so he opened the bathroom door just a crack.

She was sitting on the bed with her hair loose, dazed. Hearing the door open, she instinctively looked over.

Chi Tuo hesitated: “That...”

“Mm?” An Ye responded with a nasal tone.

“Could you... take off my sleepwear for me…” Chi Tuo closed his eyes, and just decided to go for it. “And my underwear, I didn’t know you came in all naked.”

An Ye: “…”

Chi Tuo: “I’m not a voyeur!”

An Ye: “...I didn’t say you were.”

She turned on the light, and with a rustling sound, helped him take off the sleepwear. When she grabbed his underwear, Chi Tuo heard her softly exclaim: “Chi Tuo, even though your underwear is all black, it has patterns…”

Dark patterns.

Chi Tuo: “...Don’t you have to shoot tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I have to get up at five. Xiao Lan and the others will wait for me in the parking lot at five ten.” An Ye yawned as she walked over, sliding Chi Tuo’s clothes through the door crack.

The sleepwear was light green, with little pink chicks printed on it...

Chi Tuo couldn’t help but comment on the star’s fashion sense, frowning: “Then why did you run back? Is there something with the studio?”

So much rushing around.

“No,” An Ye answered simply, leaning against the bathroom doorframe and yawning again. “I just missed you.”

Chi Tuo: “…”

“Still three and a half hours left.” An Ye glanced at the time, knocked on the bathroom door, and said, “Hurry up, I want a hug.”

Chi Tuo: “…”

He thought, he was doomed.

First, it wasn’t possible now, she had to shoot tomorrow, and he still hadn’t prepared any contraceptives.

Second, it really wasn’t the right time, he didn’t want it to happen too quickly. He was a perfectionist and felt like this kind of thing had to be done on an auspicious day.

Finally, damn, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Chi Tuo suddenly yanked the door open.

An Ye, still yawning and with tears in her eyes, was leaning against the doorframe. She looked at him with surprise, scanning him up and down, and said, “You know you’re not wearing clothes, right?”

“I know, but I have a good body.” Chi Tuo tossed the poorly made sleepwear onto the bathroom counter and pulled An Ye into the bathroom.

Half-asleep, An Ye reflexively pressed her hands against Chi Tuo’s chest. The difference between clothes and no clothes was huge, and she couldn’t help but squeeze a little.

Chi Tuo: “…”The rational string in his mind snapped completely. When he pressed An Ye against the door, he didn’t even control his strength.

An Ye let out a small sound.

She smelled Chi Tuo’s scent again. Maybe it was because they were in the enclosed bathroom, but this time the feeling of aggression was too strong, and An Ye froze for a second.

It was really just a second.

Chi Tuo's mind was back in control.

In the steamy bathroom, his face was buried in the crook of An Ye’s neck for a while. He opened his mouth and bit her shoulder gently, not daring to do it too hard, afraid it would be noticed when they were filming tomorrow.

An Ye let out another small sound.

Chi Tuo straightened up, patted her head, and in a low voice said, “Go out first, I’m taking a shower.”

“And don’t let your eyes wander,” he pointed at An Ye, whose eyes were naturally looking down, and warned her fiercely, “I’ll pluck your eyeballs out later!”

This time, he didn’t even dare kiss her.

Moreover, he realized that An Ye really liked it this way. When she saw him holding back, she would hold back a smile, and her eyes sparkled with joy.

He softened again, and when he saw her happy, all his anger disappeared.

While taking a shower, Chi Tuo hesitated for a second whether to cool off with cold water or handle it himself. He thought about how he would have to hold her to sleep later and resigned himself to turning on the hot water.

Forget it.

Chi Tuo finally reacted after a delay—what An Ye had said at the door earlier was that she came back because she missed him.

A nine-hour round trip, leaving before dawn, just because she missed him.

Like real love.

He felt like he might have some real issues with his brain.

At that moment, he even felt like he might cry.

Chi Tuo spent a bit too long in the shower, and when he came out, An Ye was already asleep again. This time, she was even more casual than before, taking up two meters of the bed, lying horizontally.

Chi Tuo: “…”

“Next time, don’t do this.” Chi Tuo first adjusted her position, tucked her back into the blanket, climbed into bed himself, and then pulled her into his arms. “It’s too far. If you miss me, just call me and I’ll come find you.”

“It’s the same,” An Ye shifted into a comfortable position in his arms, “I just wanted to do an experiment.”

“What experiment?” Chi Tuo sighed.

This feeling—being so exhausted, coming home and finding An Ye in his arms—felt like a dream.

He wouldn’t even dare dream of it.

“I want to see if you can fall asleep while holding me.” An Ye tilted her head and rubbed her forehead against his chin. “If it works, then next time when you can’t handle it, I’ll come back to stay with you.”

Chi Tuo: “…”

An Ye opened one eye and peeked at him: “Are you going to cry?”Chi Tuo: “...No, I was just thinking about what I did today to deserve such a reward.”

An Ye smiled and closed her eyes, patting his head. “Sleep.”

“You can sleep until you wake up naturally tomorrow. If it’s too late, don’t go to the set. It’s too far to go back and forth, and you’ll have to work the next day.”

She was really tired, and her voice grew slurred.

“I have to jump off a building tomorrow. You’ll watch me to make sure I don’t jump. If I can’t, Yang Zhengyi will have to jump instead...”

“Have you seen me jump off a building?” She was half asleep, holding back a lot of words. “I’m really professional with wire work. No one in the industry does it better than me.”

“Chi Tuo...”

The last word was soft and delicate, with a gentle curl in her voice.

“Hm?” Chi Tuo kissed her fluffy forehead.

“Close your eyes and try sleeping?” she said. “Let’s not take medicine and see?”

“Mm.” Chi Tuo obediently closed his eyes.

An Ye’s breathing was very light, her face close to his chest. After a few minutes, the warmth from her breath made his chest feel slightly damp, sticking to him with a soft, warm sensation.

Chi Tuo didn’t fall asleep immediately.

Exhausted, he had just spent a long time in the bathroom, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep with her in his arms. Now, with his eyes closed, he felt like his mind was full of large spots, his head pounding painfully.

But strangely, he wasn’t irritated.

Old Bai was outside, eating a late-night snack, and the sound of him gnawing on the freeze-dried food could be heard.

An Ye was disturbed by the noise. Frowning, she took Chi Tuo’s arm and used it as earplugs, lifting it and placing it over her ears.

Chi Tuo gently pinched her earlobe.

It was her left earlobe, where he could touch the cartilage piercing. She had gotten it done years ago but hadn’t taken proper care of it, so it still felt warm to the touch. It was smooth after she applied medicine.

This hole, this memory, remained in both of their hearts.

But he felt it would eventually be filled.

Just like tonight. Like two ordinary lovers in the throes of infatuation—maybe even closer than lovers—acting like fools, trying to see if holding each other could cure their insomnia.

Falling asleep was difficult.

With his eyes closed, Chi Tuo carefully recorded his thoughts in his mind.

But it was so peaceful. There was someone’s soft breathing next to him. After she fell asleep, one of her legs casually draped over his stomach.

In the end, he seemed to really fall asleep.

In his dream, Chi Tuo continued to record meticulously.

Old Bai woke up around 4 a.m. and started to inspect the room. He thought for a while and then slipped into the small gap between the two people who were embracing.

It fit perfectly.