Chapter 33: “How Did You Know I Live Here?”

“Lying isn’t good, Yu Xiao Chi.” Sheng Li hooked her finger under his chin, squinting as she looked at him. “Don’t lie to me again.”

Yu Chi leaned back, and her hand slid naturally onto his shoulder. He stared at her quietly: “And how many times have you lied to me, Sister?”

Sheng Li leaned closer, wrapping her arms around his neck, pretending to have amnesia: “Really? Then tell me, what exactly have I lied about? I don’t remember.”

“This very sentence is a lie.” Yu Chi frowned at her. He didn’t know if she was his first love, but he was sure that no one else had been with her before him. He didn’t care about her past or the physical evidence of virginity; what puzzled him was why, if she was willing to make love with him, did she still call him her treasure? A famous actress like her, who even risked being photographed to see him, patiently appeased him when he was jealous and angry—what did she want from him?

No one had ever treated him this way or been so kind to him.

It felt like she had given him so much, and he should be content.

But he wasn’t. On the contrary, it felt insufficient, utterly insufficient.

This feeling of insecurity had existed from the start, and Yu Chi despised it, yet he was powerless to change it. He knew why—he liked Sheng Li, liked her a lot, loved her deeply, and wanted to possess everything about her.

She was the one who had seduced him first, yet she didn’t seem to like him as much.

If they ever broke up, he would probably be the only one suffering.

Sheng Li’s phone buzzed a few times. Without looking, she knew it was Yuan Yuan.

Ignoring the phone, she leaned in and lightly kissed his lips, raising an eyebrow with a bright smile: “Baby, I’ve worked hard all night. Normal couples would cuddle a bit more, right? Who starts digging up old accounts in the morning?” Still unsatisfied, she cupped his face and said, “It’s daytime now. Can the little wolf dog log off and switch to the little puppy mode?”

Yu Chi: […]

He frowned and stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly flipped her over, pinning her to the sofa. One leg knelt beside her, the other planted on the floor. He pressed his hand against her waist, looming over her with a smirk: “Sister, who said we couldn’t go to bed during the day?”

This house was cursed—even the sofa wasn’t sturdy. The legs of the sofa scraped against the floor with a loud “squeak.” Sheng Li stared blankly at Yu Chi, her thighs still sore from the previous night, the marks of his bites lingering on her skin. She swallowed nervously and reminded him: “Yuan Yuan should already be on her way to pick me up. We don’t have enough time for anything but foreplay.”

Yu Chi leaned down to kiss her, but Sheng Li turned her head away. She hadn’t brushed her teeth yet.

Yu Chi’s weight pressed down on her, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, rubbing against her delicate, fair skin like a puppy. His voice was muffled: “Sister, stop lying to me and stop playing with me. I can’t keep up with your games.”

Sheng Li froze. Was this him being affectionate?

Had he really switched to puppy mode?

Delighted, she patted the back of his head and cooed softly: “I’m not playing with you. If I were, would I be this tired?”

Yu Chi lifted his head, gazing deeply into her eyes. He asked earnestly: “Then why are you dating me? Do you really like me?”

“Of course I do,” Sheng Li thought his question was a bit silly and couldn’t help but pinch his ear. “Do you really think I’m that casual, throwing myself at every young guy I meet? I’ve told you—I found you as my treasure, and you’re my type.”

Yu Chi stared at her for a few seconds, cupping her face so she couldn’t avoid him. He leaned down, biting her lips repeatedly, his voice muffled: “You said it yourself—it’ll only be me dumping you. I’ll remember that.” Sheng Li widened her eyes and made soft protesting noises, but she lacked the strength to fight back. All she could do was pinch his back and waist, but he didn’t mind the pain or the tickling. Her legs could move, but she couldn’t kick him where it hurt, nor did she want to. She could only lie there and let him bite her.

Thankfully, Yuan Yuan’s call saved her.

Yuan Yuan was extremely nervous making this call. Sitting in the car, she timidly asked: “Lili, you can come down now, but make sure you’re well-covered.”

Sheng Li was still pinned under Yu Chi, and since he was close, he also heard the voice on the phone. He pulled her up, sitting them both upright. Sheng Li exhaled and said: “Give me a few minutes. I’ll brush my teeth and wash my face, then come down.”

Yuan Yuan quickly replied: “Okay, hurry up! It’s almost 8:30.”

After hanging up, Sheng Li looked at Yu Chi: “Do you have a toothbrush and towel?”

“Yeah, inside.” Yu Chi tilted his chin toward the bathroom.

Sheng Li went to freshen up. When she came out, she put on her coat and hat, picked up the disposable food container and skim milk from the coffee table, and looked down at Yu Chi, who was lazily sprawled on the sofa. Smiling brightly, she said: “I’m leaving now. See you later at the set.”

“Mm.” Yu Chi watched her. “Sister, when will you come next time?”

Sheng Li raised an eyebrow: “I don’t have scenes early Saturday morning, so I’ll come Friday night.”

Yu Chi hummed in acknowledgment, sitting up straight to look at her. In a low voice, he said: “I won’t walk you downstairs. Be careful.”

This obedient demeanor softened Sheng Li’s heart, and she couldn’t help but add: “Maybe not Saturday. If I’m not too tired, I’ll come earlier.”

Three minutes later, Sheng Li, fully concealed, descended the stairs and slipped into the car.

Yuan Yuan sat in the driver’s seat, glanced back, and quickly drove off. Nervously, she said: “Lili, next time, let’s leave at 5:30 again. It’s too bright at 8 AM, and I was so scared.”

Sheng Li sat in the backseat, opened the food container, and took a bite of the egg pancake. It tasted just right—better than what the hotel chef made. Satisfied, she took another bite and smiled: “Alright, alright, next time I’ll listen to you.”

In the afternoon, Sheng Li filmed a wire-suspension scene. Her waist ached, and the places on her thighs where she had been bitten stung from sweat, making her utterly miserable.

—

The days of filming passed quickly, and the calendar flipped to August.

Yu Chi’s scenes wouldn’t wrap up until the end of the month, and if they followed the normal shooting schedule, he wouldn’t be able to attend military training. Adjusting a few days’ worth of scenes might be manageable, but half a month would be nearly impossible.

After all, there were plenty of actors in the production with higher status than him. As a newcomer, the crew wouldn’t accommodate him that much.

Yu Chi applied for military training the following year. For art exam candidates, it would be much simpler, as taking leave for filming was common at the Film Academy. If it weren’t for Jiang Nan’s mishap, according to Yu Chi’s original plan, he would already be a student at the Film Academy and wouldn’t need to worry about these issues.

After resolving this matter, Qixi Festival was approaching.

Yu Chi wanted to buy Sheng Li a gift but hadn’t decided on what yet. His paycheck hadn’t arrived, but he had 20,000 yuan from his scholarship for getting into Peking University and another 20,000 yuan saved up. Together, it was enough to buy her a decent gift.

That afternoon, after finishing his scenes before 4 PM, he went home to change clothes and prepared to head downtown to look around.

Just as he stepped out of the building, he saw Jiang Dongmin and Yu Manqi standing downstairs.

When they saw him, their expressions were somewhat unnatural, especially Yu Manqi. She tried to act like a loving mother, but Yu Chi towered over her. After not seeing him for some time, he seemed even more mature and composed than before, and better-looking too. Previously, he had just been a handsome high school student, but now even his demeanor had changed, making him feel more distant and unapproachable.

Yu Manqi smiled: “Xiao Chi.”

Yu Chi stood emotionlessly at the stairwell, his voice cold: “How did you know I live here?”