QKYJ - 22

Hua Zichen didn’t come alone.

Besides him, there were several people from film investment and television stations.

They weren’t exactly strangers, but they only met at social events and for work.

“We were in the middle of business,” Hua Zichen said, “so we just came together. You’re all old acquaintances anyway, right?”

Shen He was non-committal.

On the way, Shen He continued to browse the custom bouquet interface.

“Is that for Shen Zhi?” Hua Zichen asked with a smile.

As a senior decision-maker at Liangyi, and having worked with Ding Yaocai for many years, Hua Zichen naturally knew the details of Shen He and Shen Zhi’s marriage.

But there were some things that smart people knew how to talk about and handle.

Hua Zichen said, “She seems to like flowers quite a bit.”

Shen He replied without looking up, “How do you know? Have you been sending my wife flowers behind my back?”

In reality, they had just chatted briefly about flowers when they were arranging them for the company’s annual meeting.

Since they knew it was a joke, no one took it too seriously. Hua Zichen also laughed, “Why didn’t you ask her to come and swim with us?”

After a brief pause, Shen He nonchalantly lied, “She can’t swim.”

Shen Zhi’s hometown was by the sea. She had played by the beach since she was a child and was an excellent swimmer.

He showed no expression, simply not wanting Hua Zichen to ask any more questions.

After the day’s activities were over, they didn’t have dinner together. Shen He and his assistant returned home.

“That’s too bad, we were going to a restaurant with a great atmosphere,” Hua Zichen pretended to try and get him to stay.

Shen He waved his hand with his back to him: “We’re not friends. Why would we go to a restaurant with a great atmosphere?”

Once in the car, the car radio played light music, and the fatigue from the swimming pool came rushing in. Shen He fell asleep, and his assistant, understanding his need for rest, deliberately drove around the neighborhood a few extra times.

He didn’t have any dreams.

He was wide awake when he woke up.

The assistant said, “Bro, I’ll pick you up tomorrow.” He nodded normally, even calmly instructing, “Drive slowly on your way back.”

When he entered the door, the house was empty.

The lights turned on automatically, so it wasn’t completely dark. Shen He didn’t go straight upstairs. He walked to the front door and lay down right there. The stairwell was covered with a soft wool carpet, which the renovation company had bought on their own initiative. Neither he nor Shen Zhi had objected. Thinking about it now, it was a very smart decision.

He lay there without moving, ready to sleep again, since no one was there to bother him. Just then, the pocket on his waist vibrated.

Shen He didn’t plan on answering.

But then, the phone rang several times in a row.

Finally, he had no choice but to take it out and unlock it. He saw a message from a contact he hadn’t spoken to in a long time.

Zhang Qingyue said, “Are you free right now?”

“What’s wrong?” he replied with one hand, his eyes half-closed.

“My tire is flat, and I just got back to the country. I don’t have a spare. I’m not even sure if I have insurance—”

She left a long pause at the end of her message. Shen He read it once, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then got up as he opened them again.

“Where are you?” he texted back, simultaneously contacting the assistant who had just gotten off work.

Shen He drove from his house and arrived first. Zhang Qingyue’s car was parked on the road, its hazard lights flashing. No one stopped to help, as no one knew that the one who had gotten into an accident was the famous Ms. Zhang Qingyue.

When he arrived, Zhang Qingyue unbuckled her seat belt and was about to get out of the car, but Shen He, who was passing by, held her car door. He inspected the car, then went back to his own driver’s seat and rolled down the window a little.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

They chatted through the two windows. Zhang Qingyue shook her head: “It’s not that serious.” She even had the energy to give a bitter smile.

“I’ve already called. You should tell Old Zhang so he doesn’t worry.” In fact, even if she didn’t say anything, he was already prepared to contact Zhang Jiangnan. Shen He said, “My assistant will be here soon to take you home.”

Zhang Qingyue sat in silence.

“You must have a lot of reporters following you now, right?” she asked slowly.

Things were different now.

When she left, he was still an upstart in other people’s eyes. In the blink of an eye, he had rooted himself in the film industry, and becoming a top-tier actor was only a matter of time.

And she, on the other hand, had been on a backward slide.

Thinking of this, Zhang Qingyue couldn’t help but sigh.

On her phone screen, Zhang Jiangnan had already sent a long message. Without having to read it carefully, Shen He could guess what it said. The things that had happened on the other side of the Pacific weren’t what she wanted either. She had been adored by thousands and had managed to stay grounded, but when she finally allowed herself to feel something, she ended up in this situation.

The hand gripping the car door paused for a moment.

“If there’s anything you need help with, just ask. I’ll do my best to help,” Shen He said. Normally, he would have just said this as a formality. But after so many years of kindness, he was uncharacteristically serious, “If you want to go to Liangyi and learn anything, Shen Zhi would be happy to help.”

She had been out of the spotlight for so long and had completely left the mainland market. It wasn’t exactly a dead end, but even if she didn’t have to worry about not having work, she would worry about the quality of her work declining and losing her former glory. As an actress, Zhang Qingyue’s stress was understandable.

Suddenly, upon hearing such intimate words, a wellspring of vulnerability gushed forth.

Zhang Qingyue lowered her head.

After a long time, she breathed heavily, suppressing the cracks in her heart, and tried to say, “Sigh. Tell me, why did I—”

He didn’t want to hear anyone’s grievances today.

Shen He interrupted her, saying calmly, “It’s okay. It’s not like you’re starting from scratch. Many people are waiting for you.”

They had met in school. At first, in her eyes, Shen He was no different from anyone else. But they say that appearance is the key to social interaction, and that was absolutely true. He was so handsome that she couldn’t help but be a little lenient with him.

Later, they became more familiar, but her perception of him was the exact opposite. Was he always this difficult to talk to? She felt more and more like a stranger to him.

Zhang Qingyue said, “...Are you waiting for me, too?”

Are you waiting for me, too?

Shen He was silent, recalling the film that had won an award at the Cannes International Film Festival, in which Zhang Qingyue’s character, a young woman, cried like the wind. Such skill, such talent.

“You should get yourself together,” he said.

Her heart became a stone that had hit the ground.

Zhang Qingyue buried her face even more, but her tears stopped flowing on their own. She said, “Okay.”

Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Shen He felt relieved. He opened the car door and got out. The urging call came again, and he finally got a response. In the end, things proceeded as planned.

Before she left, Zhang Qingyue looked at him through the car window. Her eyes were a little red.

Without saying goodbye, Shen He simply said, “Take good care of your father. He’s very worried about you.”

Shen He drove home alone.

He looked at the burning orange-red sunset through the car window for a few moments, with no extra expression on his face.

After review and multiple considerations, the promotion and broadcast name of Clear Dreams was changed to A Door of Discontent.

“A Door of Discontent” was a perfect name.

During filming, she didn’t feel it, but when she was sitting next to her peers from the drama for the promotional posters, she realized how interesting the setting of this drama was.

The legitimate wife was surrounded by her concubines, and Shen Zhi, who was sitting in the middle, was the youngest.

The younger generation, who were standing or squatting, were about the same age as Shen Zhi.

She stood out.

The reason could be explained in a single word: a big female lead drama.

Shen Zhi was more than capable of handling it.

On the filming schedule, Shen Zhi’s vacation had arrived.

She couldn’t actually rest. She had other work, but at least she could catch her breath.

She had a scene to film during the day. Shen Zhi was looking at the script, head down, mumbling and pacing back and forth like she was possessed.

She heard a series of footsteps outside the door.

She felt that it had nothing to do with her and didn’t care or want to pay attention. However, the noise continued all the way to her door, and no one stopped it. Then she looked up and, before she could react, was pulled into a pair of arms. Shen He turned his deceptive charm up to the maximum: “Did you miss me?”

The calm was shattered. Even though she was surprised a second ago, the next second, Shen Zhi’s expression became one of deep affection. Her eyes were a mix of delight and helpless amusement. No one could tell if it was real or fake.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

At the same time, his question overpowered her voice: “You seem to have lost weight again.”

After one minute of them being in a loving embrace, the staff left, and they pushed each other away without another word.

Shen Zhi ruthlessly walked over to the side to drink water, her eyes peeking out from over the rim of the cup, sizing him up from head to toe: “What are you up to?”

Shen He leaned against the table, looking extremely comfortable. The assistant automatically came over with a glass of water. He took a sip and said, “Nothing. I’m just here for a bit. We can go back together later.”

She nodded, not pursuing the matter any further.

But he suddenly gnashed his teeth in resentment: “You actually dared to scheme against me.”

When he had just entered the set, the production assistant came over and worked on him for a while. The person was being polite and couldn’t be direct, but Shen He hated being talked in circles. He endured for a long time before he learned about Shen Zhi’s “pollen allergy” in the middle of winter.

The script supervisor came to greet them, and Shen Zhi walked out. Through the long corridor, she walked to the others. Shen He’s desire to perform flared up again, and he clung to her like a piece of gum. Shen Zhi was happy to play along. They walked as one, only separating when they reached the scene.

To show others, they immediately straightened their backs, keeping a few feet of distance between them. They didn’t hold hands but occasionally looked at each other with an air of propriety, creating a perfect sense of distance.

This kind of behavior, however, felt more genuine. People were more interested in what they happened to glimpse than what others showed them.

“Senior.” Cheng Ruiyi was the first to react.

“Hey,” Shen He responded with one word.

He was very generous, bringing luxurious慰问品 (comfort items). The meals were exquisite business-class food, the desserts were yogurt ice cream, and there were also hand warmers and wafers.

“Thank you all for your hard work these past few days.”

Shen He’s smile was open and honest. Those who knew knew he was an actor’s spouse, and those who didn’t would have thought he was one of the producers.

Everyone thanked him.

The director tried to get closer with a heartfelt comment: “You guys are torturing us single people without even saying hello.”

Shen He and Shen Zhi both laughed. One was wearing a dark ancient costume, while the other was dressed in a very common modern T-shirt and jeans. He hooked his arm around her neck, and she rested her head on his shoulder. It wasn’t overly intimate, but it was incredibly natural.

Shen Zhi and Shen He were both wearing black. White might be more noticeable, but only black reflects no light. No matter what color shone on them, it would be completely absorbed, like a black hole swallowing everything in one gulp.

They stood under the eaves, rehearsing the script.

Shen Zhi said: “‘A heartless person may at most cause physical harm, but I am now heartbroken. What is it but foolishness for one to insist on taking this broken heart?’“

After only reading it once, Shen He could already recite it perfectly, as if he had always belonged to this crew and this drama. He had that kind of ability.

“‘How could I not know your heart is broken?’“ he said.

She looked up and met his gaze.

The look in their eyes, the atmosphere—even a simple rehearsal could easily reach this level of quality.

“‘Whether it is foolishness or not, it is one’s own business. What others say does not count,’“ he said. “‘Take care, madam.’“

Shen Zhi replied to him in a low voice: “‘You, you.’“ Her expression was calm, telling him that it was time to change their positions. Shen He took a step back, gesturing for the character to leave.

A young woman who married at a young age and quickly became a widow meets a man who captures her heart in a life destined to be one of loneliness.

However, she cannot speak, nor can she act on her feelings.

The unspoken words “forget me not” twist and turn in her heart, unable to be spoken. So, she continued, quoting the script exactly: “‘Thank you—’“

This scene ended here, and Shen Zhi was very satisfied. She had to admit, Shen He was different from everyone else.

The atmosphere during rehearsal, the professional attitude, the control of his acting.

She turned around and continued to look at her notes. He, on the other hand, climbed onto her waist, resting his chin in the hollow of her neck, his expression calm and collected: “Shall we do it tonight?”

Shen Zhi felt a lazy, scattered feeling. She thought about it for a moment with a blank expression, and finally accepted the proposal: “Yes.”