Chapter 39
The sky outside the window gradually dimmed.
On the soft, large bed, Shen Wu was sound asleep.
He didn’t react even when a hand was lifted. That hand, lacking its owner’s control, had its five fingers hanging limply.
Meng Huaizhi took the ring Shen Wu had taken off before bed from the bedside table and slowly put it back on its original position.
He thought silently for a long time, and finally, a restrained kiss lightly landed on that ring.
With the double effect of the fever-reducing medicine and the IV drip, and after sleeping for a long enough time, Shen Wu’s young and healthy body recovered quickly.
He was fully awake in the evening, and Meng Huaizhi was still there.
The moment Shen Wu opened his eyes, before he could say anything, Meng Huaizhi’s hand was on his forehead again.
He felt as if his ability to speak had been sealed by that hand.
Then he heard the voice by his ear, which had recovered from its hoarseness to its clear and cool tone, “The fever has gone down.”
After a long while, Shen Wu asked with a nasal voice, “Can you tell by touching?”
Meng Huaizhi: “It seems not.”
Shen Wu couldn’t help but chuckle. His laughter also had a nasal tone, like a sneeze. He tried his best to hold it back and took the thermometer Meng Huaizhi handed him.
After taking his temperature, the fever had indeed gone down.
Except for his nose being a little stuffy, Shen Wu felt that he was no longer uncomfortable, so he asked, “Should I go to the Meng family with you tomorrow?”
“We’ll see how you recover first,” Meng Huaizhi was noncommittal. “There’s no hurry. If you’re not feeling unwell, you can go over for dinner.”
Shen Wu closed his eyes in relief, “Mm.”
Meng Huaizhi looked at that peaceful sleeping face and found it amusing, “You haven’t had breakfast or lunch. Aren’t you hungry? Get up and eat. It’s time for dinner.”
“Is my brother here?” Hearing this, Shen Wu did not get up, but clutched the quilt hesitantly. “I don’t really want to eat with him…”
Just then, there was a knock on the room door.
Shen Wu immediately fell silent.
The person who pushed the door open was Shen Ping. He came in with a tray, his expression blank, and placed it on the bedside table.
His gentleness was as always, “Xiao Wu, since you’re awake, have some porridge first to fill your stomach, and then take your medicine.”
Shen Wu looked at the bowl of porridge, which seemed familiar, and asked, “Did Auntie Jiang make it?”
Auntie Jiang was a maid who had worked in their family for more than ten years and was like half a family member.
“Mm,” Shen Ping’s calm tone was tinged with an expectant desire for credit. “I asked her to come over. Don’t you like her cooking? You finally came back for the New Year this time, but you haven’t had any of it.”
“She went home for the New Year, right?” Shen Wu was unconcerned. “I can eat her cooking anytime. It’s the first day of the New Year. You should have let her spend it with her family.”
“…She’s already gone back now,” Shen Ping lowered his eyes. “I was not thoughtful enough. I’ll give her a red envelope later.”
Meng Huaizhi glanced at the bowl of porridge and chimed in, “I also ordered porridge for you.”
Shen Wu immediately turned his head, “Mm?”
Meng Huaizhi looked at his phone, “I ordered it in advance. I just sent a message to have them deliver it. It will probably take about twenty minutes. It’s the lean meat congee from Longfeng Restaurant, and some Cantonese dim sum.”
Shen Wu sighed, “They’re open on the first day of the New Year.”
“Mm, many people choose to spend the New Year outside now. It’s not important where you spend it, but who you spend it with,” Meng Huaizhi was talking to Shen Wu, but his words seemed to have a hidden meaning.
Shen Ping was still standing by the side.
Only then did Shen Wu remember him. After a few words with Meng Huaizhi, his attitude was no longer as resistant as before. He raised a smile and said politely, “Thanks, Ge. Sorry to trouble you.”
“…Mm,” Shen Ping’s expression was unclear. “Then I’ll go out first.”
Longfeng Restaurant had accepted the order from a distinguished guest and had sent a special person to deliver it urgently. In just twenty minutes, the freshly made dim sum was delivered to the Shen family.
Shen Wu had woken up not long ago, and his stomach was already growling. Even so, he did not touch the bowl of porridge Shen Ping had brought.
With a bowl of porridge that he could see but did not want to drink in front of him, when the delivery from Longfeng Restaurant arrived, he, who was so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back, couldn’t wait to get out of bed and take the steaming hot food.
He helped Meng Huaizhi uncover the lids and noticed the ring on each of their ring fingers.
But Shen Wu was puzzled, “…Did I not take off my ring when I slept?”
Meng Huaizhi’s expression did not change, “Mm.”
Shen Wu touched the ring with the embedded diamond. It was mostly smooth and did not affect his movements much, otherwise he would not have noticed it until now.
“Then I’ll just wear it.”
He held the bowl with his left hand, which had the ring on it, and under Meng Huaizhi’s gaze, he sipped the hot porridge in small mouthfuls while blowing on it.
After dinner, Meng Huaizhi left.
The next morning, Shen Wu had fully recovered and sent him a message.
The two of them arranged to go to the Meng family for a New Year’s call and dinner together in the evening.
Shen Wu took the prepared gift and also a messenger bag, which contained the script for Racing Heartbeat and a newly bought iPad for studying.
The Racing Heartbeat crew would start work on the third day of the New Year, in line with the director Wen Qiehua’s “king of involution” style.
And Shen Wu, who had been having a smooth run, had recently encountered a problem on the set.
Wen Qiehua had chosen him mainly because he fit the character of the second male lead. The career-related scenes were a piece of cake for him, and he could get them done in one take, his progress even faster than that of experienced veteran actors.
However, Racing Heartbeat was being filmed in reverse chronological order. The workplace scenes, which were filmed first, were the main stage for the male and female leads, and Shen Wu was a relaxed bystander. When it came to the school portion, which was filmed later, his scenes with the female lead increased.
He could play a high school student who had no interest in studying as himself, and he could also take the female lead for a ride. He seemed to be born with the knowledge of how to attract people, but he didn’t know how to act out the infatuated gaze of being attracted by the female lead.
He had no dating experience in the first place and lacked a deep understanding and knowledge of the feeling of being in love, let alone having to act it out in front of a friend.
Shen Wu brought these troubles to the Meng family.
Considering the number of people and the gossip, among the two large families, the only ones who knew about their marriage were Shen Wu’s parents and older brother, and Meng family’s grandfather, Meng Zhenshen.
Meng Huaizhi’s parents had passed away early, and he was not very close to his uncles, aunts, and other relatives. There was naturally no need to tell them these secrets. Shen Wu had often gone to the Meng family as a child, and it was the same after he got married. He could just go openly.
Shen Wu greeted the Meng family’s relatives with familiarity. When no one was paying attention, he uncharacteristically hugged his iPad and quietly found a corner to hide in, looking very much like a socially anxious person avoiding social interaction.
But an enthusiastic little kid came over and was welcomed by him.
He hadn’t seen this little girl for three years either. Unexpectedly, she still recognized him. On the contrary, he had to look at her a few more times to recognize her.
A three-year-old girl and a six-year-old girl were completely different.
The little girl’s name was Meng Xuyin, the daughter of Meng Huaizhi’s cousin. At a young age, she was already a beauty in the making.
“Wuwu-gege,” Meng Xuyin leaned against his arm affectionately and stretched her head over. “What are you watching?”
Seeing that the ambiguous atmosphere between the male and female leads had reached its peak and they were about to kiss, Shen Wu quickly pulled the progress bar back to the beginning and pointed at the title on the screen, “A TV series called Fated to Fall in Love with You.”
“Why are you watching this kind of thing?” The little girl showed a disdain that was not in line with her age, her wrinkled little face as if to say: We in the senior class of kindergarten don’t even watch this.
“Do you know this jiejie?” Shen Wu skipped the progress bar and paused at a close-up of the female lead. This drama happened to be starring Lin Yanran. “I’m filming with her now. I’m watching how she and this gege act, to learn.”
“Filming with this jiejie?” Meng Xuyin’s little face wrinkled even more. “Why don’t you film with Xiao Shushu?”
Meng Huaizhi was simply too famous. Meng Xuyin had known that her cousin-uncle was a big star since she had just started kindergarten and had even gotten autographs for a bunch of little kids in kindergarten.
“Because your Xiao Shushu is a singer, he sings,” Shen Wu explained.
“I’ve seen a movie he was in!” The little kid’s memory was pretty good.
Shen Wu was very magnanimous and did not argue with the child.
But Meng Xuyin would not let go of this topic. “Don’t film with this jiejie. Isn’t it good to film with Xiao Shushu?”
Shen Wu was thinking about how to introduce the complex entertainment industry to a six-year-old child when the TV series that was playing unexpectedly came to the kiss scene he had just skipped.
This kiss scene was obviously a borrowed angle, but the six-year-old child believed it to be real, tightly clutching his arm and hiding behind him, letting out a “yuck—” that was not suitable for children.
Shen Wu first paused the TV series, returned to the iPad desktop, and thought of finding a game for Meng Xuyin to play.
Meng Xuyin was not concerned at all and shook his arm, “Wuwu-gege, you should film with Xiao Shushu, okay?”
Shen Wu found it amusing and switched back to the paused kiss scene, deliberately scaring the innocent child, “You want me to film this with him?”
“Mm!!!” Meng Xuyin covered her eyes and didn’t dare to look, but she nodded very hard.
“No way. You call him shushu and me gege. How can I film a kiss scene with him?” Shen Wu had no proper form in front of the child and joked freely. “This is against public order and good morals.”
Meng Xuyin peeked at him through her fingers, “What’s against public order and good morals?”
Shen Wu: “It’s… uh, a kind of crime?”
“Oh,” Meng Xuyin took it seriously, wrinkled her little brow, and thought for a long time. Finally, she proposed a solution, “It’s okay, Xiao Shushu has money.”
It’s okay to break the law, because he has money.
Shen Wu: “…???”
The Meng family’s upbringing definitely had some problems.
Meng Xuyin once again stretched her fluffy little head over, as if she wanted to take another look at the kiss scene on the screen.
To protect the mental health of a minor, Shen Wu quickly hid the iPad in his arms and dodged back. He turned his head and, by a stroke of luck, met Meng Huaizhi’s gaze.
Shen Wu: “…”
He didn’t know how much Meng Huaizhi had heard.
Meng Huaizhi didn’t comment on the child’s wild words, but instead found an excuse to help Shen Wu get away, “Come with me for a moment.”
Shen Wu quickly shook off Meng Xuyin and ran away with the iPad.
When there was no one else on the stairs, Meng Huaizhi finally asked, “What are you watching?”
“I’m watching Lin Yanran’s old drama, to learn.”
The two of them avoided all the relatives downstairs and hid in the deserted study.
Meng Huaizhi didn’t quite understand and asked again, “Why are you watching her old drama?”
“Mm… to see her scenes with other male actors. I’m having a bit of trouble getting into character,” Shen Wu said as he placed the iPad on the table and opened it. The screen was still on the kiss scene he had just used to tease Meng Xuyin.
Shen Wu: “…”
The surprise in Meng Huaizhi’s eyes flashed by. “…A kiss scene?”
“No, no, there isn’t,” Shen Wu said quickly. “I’m just the second male lead. I don’t have a kiss scene with the female lead. The most intimate scene… is probably a ‘kabedon’?”
“Mm, have you filmed it yet?”
“It was supposed to be filmed before the New Year, but I got stuck on it several times,” Shen Wu was quite dejected. “So Director Wen told me to find my state, and we’ll try again when we start work the day after tomorrow.”
Meng Huaizhi glanced at the iPad again and saw that the kiss scene Shen Wu was using to study was indeed a “kabedon.”
The male lead had one hand on the wall, pressing the female lead into an ambiguous and cramped corner, and leaned down.
Although it was just a borrowed angle kiss scene filmed from a distance, the ambiguous atmosphere brought by the height difference and body type difference was enough to make the audience blush and scream.
“Actually, Yan Chuan and Ruan Zheng like each other,” Shen Wu was already very familiar with the names of the main characters and briefly introduced the plot he knew by heart. “But the second male lead’s personality is like a free wind. He can’t settle down and confirm his relationship with the female lead and take responsibility. Just like this scene, he forces the female lead into a corner and keeps getting closer. But in the end, he doesn’t kiss her and just laughs it off.”
Meng Huaizhi grasped the key point from Shen Wu’s long speech, “How did you get stuck on this scene several times?”
“Because this scene…” Shen Wu hesitated. “It requires a close-up of me, and Director Wen was never satisfied with my gaze.”
Wen Qiehua was famous for being a nitpicker.
Shen Wu recalled it and found it amusing himself. “…He said, I look at a motorcycle with more affection than I look at the female lead.”
Meng Huaizhi was not amused and only asked, “Do you have the outtakes?”
“Yes,” Shen Wu nodded. “Director Wen gave them to me. He told me to go back and watch them myself. Actually, now, I also think he’s right…”
Meng Huaizhi watched the video he had pulled up. After a while, he nodded in agreement, “Mm.”
He really did look at the motorcycle with more affection than the female lead.
Shen Wu could laugh and repeat Wen Qiehua’s complaint, but that didn’t mean he was willing to let Meng Huaizhi see this embarrassing scene. He quickly put away his phone and continued to study Lin Yanran’s representative work. “Alright, I’ll watch some more…”
Meng Huaizhi was quite attentive and asked again, “It’s about to be filmed. You’re just watching and not practicing?”
“I’ve practiced many times before and have caused a lot of trouble for Sister Yanran,” Shen Wu replied while seriously watching the video. “I’ll find my state first.”
“I’ll practice with you?” Meng Huaizhi suggested from behind.
“Huh?” Shen Wu turned his head in a daze. “Oh right, you’ve acted before too…”
But it seems he’s never been in a romance scene. At most, he’s made a friendly guest appearance in a friend’s movie.
Meng Huaizhi seemed to have seen his doubts and said again, “I’ll have to deal with relatives if I go out. I have nothing to do here. You can just treat me as a stand-in. What pose do you need me to be in?”
Since Meng Huaizhi had said so, Shen Wu was no longer polite. He immediately stood up and guided the stand-in on the spot, “You just need to stand against the wall.”
“Okay,” Meng Huaizhi did as he was told.
Shen Wu walked over.
But with every step he took, the well-memorized script would become a little more blurry. By the time he was a step away from Meng Huaizhi, his mind was already blank.
He was used to Meng Huaizhi’s features, the unreachable white moon, his eyes deep and lonely, like a lake in winter.
But Shen Wu remembered that during the embrace in the first episode of Wonderful Adventure, the breath Meng Huaizhi had exhaled by his ear was all warm.
He got closer and closer, and subconsciously held his breath.
The distance was compressed to a mere twenty or thirty centimeters. His vision could only accommodate Meng Huaizhi’s face, but until this moment, he had not smelled that clear and cold scent again.
Because Meng Huaizhi had also held his breath.
With his breath held, his chest felt even more uncontrollable, and his ears were ringing.
Shen Wu’s mind was blank, and all his attention was focused on the sweat in his palm.
He opened his sweaty hand and pressed it against the wall behind Meng Huaizhi.
Now, he needed to lower his head, trap the “petite female lead” in his shadow, and continue to compress the distance.
Finally, their lips were only a few centimeters away from touching, their hot breaths intertwined. The female lead closed her eyes, but he pretended to be cheerful and smiled, then immediately retreated to his original position, his hand on the wall also withdrawn into his pocket.
“No,” Shen Wu suddenly released his hand and retreated in advance. “Acting with you is even more out of character than acting with Sister Yanran. You’re too tall.”
Meng Huaizhi felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
His breathing returned to normal.
“Too tall?”
“Mm,” Shen Wu averted his gaze. “I don’t need to lower my head at all. I can’t act the rest of it…”
Meng Huaizhi looked at him thoughtfully.
Shen Wu looked to the side. Meng Huaizhi, who was outside his peripheral vision, made a move and suddenly turned around.
Just as he had pulled him into the room in the abandoned school, he forcefully pressed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall.
In the next second, the “kabedon” scene was replayed, but the roles were reversed.
By the time Shen Wu reacted, a very close face of Meng Huaizhi was in front of him.
That face was backlit and hidden in the shadows, but his dark eyes were shining, with a strange emotion.
“You see, it’s not impossible.”
That person spoke, his voice unusually magnetic and deep, no longer as clear and cool as usual.
Shen Wu: “…”
It was all because, the moment Meng Huaizhi had pressed over, he had unconsciously slid down.
“Wait, wait, there’s no kiss scene,” seeing Meng Huaizhi getting closer and closer, Shen Wu quickly said. “Not even a borrowed angle one!”
Meng Huaizhi seemed not to have heard and stopped a few centimeters away, the distance compressed to the limit, and sized him up.
Shen Wu’s breathing stopped, and his heart skipped a beat.
His mind was like a galloping horse, crazily shouting and waving flags.
After calming down a little, his pupils slowly dilated, and his nervousness and retreat were replaced by more disbelief.
Isn’t this a plot that only happens to the main character shou in the novel?
Not to mention this, he would never have dreamed that the one-and-a-half-meter tall Meng Huaizhi could actually kabedon the one-and-a-half-meter tall him.
…How embarrassing
