Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Pei Chuzhi had only one feeling right now: if someone wants to accuse you, they’ll always find a pretext.
“Aren’t you busy with promotions lately? If you have time, you should rest more at home.”
She played with the mask in her hand and seriously rebutted, “Besides, wouldn’t you feel especially awkward watching your own movie with someone else?”
Qiao Na cast her an incredulous look from the left, as if she were looking at a monster.
Pei Chuzhi blinked blankly, not realizing what was wrong.
Anyway, she herself was like that. Even watching the TV dramas she had acted in alone felt cringey, let alone watching them with someone beside her.
Once, during a holiday at home, her parents sat in front of the TV watching a drama she starred in. She had nearly wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it from embarrassment.
Xing Ye pondered for a moment, seeming to give up discussing this issue with her. “If you get filmed, just ignore it. No need to respond personally. Just tell Tang Dong. No need to waste time on trivial matters.”
Pei Chuzhi said “oh,” thinking she had actually been quite free lately, with no work to do.
It was as if he heard her thoughts, because the next sentence was, “Are you free recently?”
“I have time. Do you want to meet?”
“Mm. I’ll tell you after I set the time and place.”
Pei Chuzhi assumed it was time for contract couple duties, so she didn’t think much of it. After agreeing, they chatted a bit more before hanging up.
Qiao Na, who hadn’t dared speak loudly just now, finally found a chance to ramble. “There’s something I don’t know if I should say.”
Pei Chuzhi put her phone back into her bag. “What can’t we say to each other? Go ahead.”
“From what you just said, Xing Ye blamed you for not watching the movie with him?”
Pei Chuzhi nodded.
Qiao Na rolled her eyes fiercely.
The light ahead turned red, so she slowed down and stopped the car, then turned to lecture her good friend.
“My dear, did you really not understand what Xing Ye meant? My male god is too pitiful, actually encountering a silly girl like you.”
“He just wanted you to spend more time with him. It’s not like he really wanted to watch a movie.”
“And you even said ‘wouldn’t it be especially awkward.’ I was the one feeling awkward just listening, okay?”
Pei Chuzhi paused, a little aggrieved. “But what I said wasn’t wrong.”
“It’s not wrong.”
Qiao Na patted her shoulder. “Every clueless straight guy thinks that before getting dumped.”
“???”
Pei Chuzhi lowered her head, looking at her obvious body curves, not understanding how she suddenly got labeled a clueless straight guy.
Qiao Na took a deep breath and suddenly recalled an old incident.
It was probably when they had just entered university. One night during dorm late-night talk, Pei Chuzhi said very few boys liked her.
Everyone’s first reaction was disbelief.
Until the second semester of freshman year, a boy from the directing department next door often used “I bought too many snacks” as an excuse to bring food to Pei Chuzhi in the acting practice room. Anyone could see he was clearly pursuing her. But one evening, Qiao Na personally heard Pei Chuzhi say something utterly despair-inducing.
She said, “I’m really sorry. Actually, I don’t really like snacks, so it won’t be convenient to help you deal with them in the future. And you’re already an adult. You should probably learn to spend reasonably. Otherwise, when you become a director, how will you help the production team save costs?”
Her sincere and earnest words made the boy’s face turn dark on the spot.
From then on, Qiao Na knew Pei Chuzhi wasn’t lacking pursuers.
She simply had an unawakened heart beneath a beauty that brought calamity.
The light turned green. Qiao Na stepped on the gas and sighed silently, thinking that by this logic, Xing Ye actually managed to enter an ambiguous phase with someone like Pei Chuzhi…
As expected of her idol.
·
Just as Xing Ye predicted, the little incident at the movie didn’t require Pei Chuzhi to respond personally.
That influencer cut out the livestream footage that same night and posted it online, also writing a text post. The gist was that if you have the nerve to come watch your rumored boyfriend’s movie, then don’t be afraid of running into people. Not very famous yet putting on airs, and even giving attitude in front of so many viewers in the livestream after being filmed.
In reality, Pei Chuzhi’s face was only captured for a few seconds, and with the mask half covering it, it was hard to tell what her expression even was.
But after the influencer’s sarcastic interpretation, her fans naturally chimed in.
Tang Dong had already made arrangements after receiving the news.
A batch of paid commenters jumped in to steer the conversation toward “artists shouldn’t be disturbed in non-work settings” and “does filming without the interviewee’s consent count as infringement?”
At this point, it was no longer just about Pei Chuzhi alone.
After the topic fermented several times, some fans came out complaining that their idol’s private itinerary was being secretly filmed, while ordinary netizens also voiced complaints, saying they had long been annoyed by influencers who livestream anytime and anywhere without respecting passersby’s wishes—like anyone actually wanted to appear in their livestream.
Seeing the backlash grow louder, the influencer had no choice but to sheepishly delete the video.
Even so, on some gossip forums, people were still discussing Pei Chuzhi going to watch Xing Ye’s movie.
In a thread titled “Anyone here to chat? Is Pei Chuzhi and Xing Ye’s relationship real or fake?”, the original poster first stated it was definitely fake.
【First, the movie thing is just ridiculous. She’s an actor watching a senior colleague’s work—what’s strange about that? Plenty of celebrities publicly book entire screenings on Weibo to show support. Does that mean all of them are dating Xing Ye?
Second, when they were photographed before and Xing Ye unusually spoke up for her, I personally think it was probably an advertiser’s marketing strategy, which is why there was so much hype during that period.】
The OP’s claim gained quite a bit of agreement:
【NSDD, now Xing Ye doesn’t mention Pei Chuzhi at all. Obviously the marketing period is over and he doesn’t want to bother anymore.】
【Better not mention her. If Pei Chuzhi stays quiet and doesn’t stir trouble, I quite like her looks. If she dares to keep tying herself to my Brother Ye, I’ll send her a plaque that says “please walk independently.”】
【Am I the only one who thinks tonight was Pei Chuzhi trying to hype things up, but it backfired when public opinion turned?】
【Some people don’t need to be so malicious toward a pretty girl, right?】
【Then what about his cameo in “Secretly Fall in Love with You”? I thought he did it for Pei Chuzhi?】
【How is that possible? Check the surname of that drama’s biggest investor.】
Just as the netizens were about to reach a consensus, a user whose avatar was a photo of Xing Ye and Pei Chuzhi at a ribbon-cutting ceremony charged into the discussion like a lone hero.
【Why don’t they mention each other? The reason is simple—because liking is reckless, but love is restraint. Our Coconut Juice CP will never surrender!】
The next second, a line of small text appeared under her name: 【This user has been muted by the OP】.
The OP coldly replied below: 【I hate CP shippers the most. I ban one whenever I see one. I advise Pei Chuzhi’s fans lurking here to coordinate with Huaxing and quit while you’re ahead. Being able to leech resources from “Secretly Fall in Love with You” is already ancestral graves smoking incense. If you keep leeching, that’s just wishful thinking.】
·
A few days later, the temperature in Yan City gradually began to warm.
The afternoon sunlight climbed over the window frame, bringing a hint of early spring into the room.
The “wishful thinking” Pei Chuzhi received a message from Xing Ye, asking her to meet at seven that evening at a private club within Yan City’s second ring road.
There was still plenty of time, so she sat at the vanity and slowly finished her makeup. After staring at herself in the mirror for a few seconds, she felt today’s eye makeup was too heavy, so she removed it and redid a few strokes.
Perhaps Qiao Na’s earnest persuasion earlier had slightly unsettled her.
Pei Chuzhi’s hands weren’t steady today. One moment she felt the glitter in her new eyeshadow was too flashy, the next she felt the lipstick color was too tacky, and in the end she even began wondering if she should change her hairstyle.
Fortunately, Xiao Zhou called in time to say he was almost there. Only then did she hurriedly apply her most commonly used bright red lipstick and rush downstairs.
“Brother Ye has been at the club talking with the director this afternoon, so he couldn’t come pick you up.”
As soon as she got in the car, Xiao Zhou proactively explained why he came alone. “But Miss Pei, don’t worry. When I left, the director was about to go. No one else will disturb you tonight.”
A faint smile passed across Pei Chuzhi’s lips. “Then thanks for making the trip.”
“Not at all, not at all. We’re all one of our own. Brother Ye’s girlfriend is my gir—”
Pei Chuzhi glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
Xiao Zhou also realized his slip of the tongue and quickly corrected himself seriously: “Brother Ye’s girlfriend is my half-boss.”
Better not.
Pei Chuzhi muttered inwardly. She didn’t have money to hire another assistant.
The road to the club was fairly smooth. In less than half an hour, the business van stopped steadily outside the club entrance.
This area was a quiet place amidst the bustle. Trees lined the surroundings, blocking most lines of sight. The street-side buildings, along with the visible door numbers and gates, all exuded a low-key air of wealth.
Pei Chuzhi got out of the car with her bag, scanned the surroundings, and concluded: Xing Ye must have deliberately chosen a more private venue to avoid being secretly photographed by random people again.
A uniformed attendant came over to verify their information, then smiled and opened the door, leading the two upstairs.
The interior of the club was decorated in a Republican-era style. The posters on the walls were all stills from many old movies. At the corner of the second floor stood a black gramophone, softly playing popular music from the last century.
Passing a brass mirror on the second floor, Pei Chuzhi glanced at her modified cheongsam and thought she had accidentally matched the theme perfectly.
The spacious second floor was almost entirely open. Xing Ye sat by a window table, looking down at the papers in his hand.
A desk lamp with a green shade sat to his right. A breeze seemed to pass somewhere; the pull cord under the lampshade swayed, its shadow blending into the faint yellow light, dimly illuminating his slender fingertips.
Hearing high heels on the wooden floor, he slowly raised his head, his gaze falling beneath Pei Chuzhi’s skirt hem—on her straight, well-proportioned calves.
The high heels elongated her leg lines. The dark green cheongsam’s trim rested just above her knees, making her skin appear snow-white, even making the hollow behind her knees look beautiful to the extreme.
A flash of admiration passed through Xing Ye’s dark eyes.
Pei Chuzhi sat down opposite him and noticed a faint smell of smoke in the air.
She subconsciously looked at the ashtray on the table. It was empty.
“Is the smoke smell strong?”
Xing Ye spoke softly at that moment. “Sorry. Director Bai likes to smoke while discussing things.”
Pei Chuzhi shook her head. “It’s fine, just a little. The Director Bai you mentioned—is it the Director Bai Ruxu I know? Are you going to film his movie?”
Bai Ruxu was someone everyone in the industry knew.
A genius director capable of perfectly balancing commercial appeal and self-expression. In his fifties this year, he had only made six films since entering the industry, yet each one was both a box-office success and sparked endless discussion among film enthusiasts.
Whether it was his fast-paced editing or artistic camera work, audiences of different levels could gain an excellent viewing experience from his works.
With a brief recollection, Pei Chuzhi realized Bai Ruxu had never collaborated with Xing Ye before.
Thinking about what kind of sparks might fly between those two, she couldn’t help but feel a faint anticipation.
However, Xing Ye replied softly, “No.”
He lowered his eyes and pushed a thick stack of printed pages onto the table.
“This is his newly written script. See if you like it.”
Pei Chuzhi froze. “Me?”
“It’s not decided you’ll be used yet. Director Bai has a big temper; my words don’t carry much weight. I met him today and talked. He’s willing to give you an audition opportunity.”
“…”
Pei Chuzhi didn’t know what to say for a moment. After a long time, she murmured, “That day… weren’t you drunk?”
Xing Ye glanced at her and frowned in dissatisfaction.
She felt a little afraid to reach for the script, and inexplicably recalled the nightmare from one night about disastrous box office results. A chill crept up her spine.
Why did it feel like that was a prophetic dream?!
After a few seconds of silence, Pei Chuzhi asked in a trembling voice, “Have you ever thought that scattering some grass on the ground and letting a sheep act would carry the box office better than me?”
Xing Ye: “…Huh?”
Author’s note: Thanks to the little angels who threw overlord tickets or irrigated nutrient solution between 2019-11-23 21:00:00 and 2019-11-30 20:11:47~
Thanks to the little angels who threw mines: Lala 6; Launching Hoof-Hoof Light Wave biu 5; Like Sweet Sweet Sweet Pig, Summer Night Breeze 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: ameng, Echo 30 bottles; Like Sweet Sweet Sweet Pig 20 bottles; 26990599 10 bottles; Launching Hoof-Hoof Light Wave biu 5 bottles; Lueluelue 3 bottles;
Thank you very much for everyone’s support, I will continue to work hard!