TLSOTMTKOGAYWHTDI Chapter 72

Chapter 70: Two Tightly Stretched Strings

Chapter 70: Two Tightly Stretched Strings

Qi Yanwang’s sports car cut a silver streak through the rainy night, the wipers frantically trying to keep up with the downpour.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white, as if that could make the car go faster.

His pale face was reflected in the windshield, the wound on his forehead starting to bleed again, staining the edges of the bandage red.

“Damn it!”

He slammed his fist on the steering wheel, the horn blaring through the rain.

The phone screen was still lit, Zhuo Huaimo’s last message cutting at his nerves like a dull knife—”I’m not angry.”

It was too familiar.

That’s what Zhuo Huaimo had said before he left two years ago, Zhuo Huaimo had whispered “It’s okay” on the phone, and then disappeared without a trace a few days later.

The red light glared, but Qi Yanwang ran straight through it.

As the sensor lights on the villa’s porch lit up, Qi Yanwang practically fell out of the driver’s seat.

He staggered into the entrance hall, the hem of his suit still dripping, forming a small puddle on the floor.

“Huaimo?”

There was no reply.

Only a floor lamp was on in the living room, Zhuo Huaimo was curled up on the sofa looking at storyboards, his glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, and he only looked up when he heard the noise.

Qi Yanwang’s breath hitched for a second.

In the warm yellow light, Zhuo Huaimo’s eyelashes cast delicate shadows under his eyes, and the loose neckline of his sweater revealed a pale collarbone.

He had imagined this scene countless times, but now it seemed especially unreal because he had broken their promise.

It felt like his heart had been squeezed tight by a large hand and then suddenly released.

The sudden relaxation seemed to drain all the strength from his body, and he collapsed to his knees.

“You’re hurt?” Zhuo Huaimo suddenly stood up, rushing over in a few strides, his cold fingers touching Qi Yanwang’s forehead.

“Car accident?”

“No.”

Qi Yanwang grabbed his hand and pulled him into his arms.

The faint scent of Zhuo Huaimo’s body wash made his eyes burn.

He could feel the warmth of Zhuo Huaimo’s palm and the frantic beating of his own heart beneath it.

“I’m sorry, I…”

“Go change first.”

Zhuo Huaimo interrupted him, his voice soft but firm, “The wound is wet, it needs to be re-bandaged.”

The bathroom was filled with steam, and through the mist, Qi Yanwang watched Zhuo Huaimo’s profile as he lowered his head to tend to his wound.

He flinched subconsciously when the medical cotton swab touched the wound, and Zhuo Huaimo immediately stopped.

“Does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Qi Yanwang lied, it hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to the bloody hole in his heart.

He grabbed Zhuo Huaimo’s wrist. “A friend of mine ran into trouble today, I…”

“You don’t need to explain.”

Zhuo Huaimo continued what he was doing. “I said I wasn’t angry.”

“I broke my promise.”

Qi Yanwang’s voice was hoarse. “I’ll never—”

“Qi Yanwang.”

Zhuo Huaimo suddenly looked up, his eyes behind his glasses glistening with tears.

“We didn’t sign a contract to sell ourselves.”

He tugged at the corner of his mouth. “If I’m really angry, it should be that you rushed back so recklessly. I don’t want you to take dangerous roles, I want you to stay away from everything dangerous, but you still come back with injuries! That’s what makes me angry. Why, why do you always get hurt when you’re around me? What happens after you get hurt? Will you…”

Zhuo Huaimo looked at him, that string was about to break!

He had tried so hard to keep him away from all danger, but why was he still getting hurt!

This was not normal, nothing between them was ever normal!

Because he loved too much, but people under the same roof had different thoughts!

They both seemed to be living in a tightrope-walking kind of balance.

He didn’t dare to ask about the meaning of those nightmares, and Zhuo Huaimo didn’t mention why he wanted him to quit filming the movie.

They maintained a superficial peace with tacit understanding, like dancing a tango on thin ice.

Only a bedside lamp was on in the bedroom.

Zhuo Huaimo lay down with his back to him, Qi Yanwang wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, burying his face in the nape of his white neck.

“Don’t…” Zhuo Huaimo subconsciously flinched.

“Just let me hold you for a while.”

Qi Yanwang tightened his arms, his voice muffled against his shoulder blades. “I promise I won’t do anything.”

He could feel Zhuo Huaimo’s body going from stiff to slowly relaxing, finally sighing and turning around.

In the darkness, their breaths mingled, and Qi Yanwang borrowed the moonlight to look at his trembling eyelashes, unable to resist leaning in to kiss them.

“Sleep,” Zhuo Huaimo said softly.

In the middle of the night, Qi Yanwang heard Zhuo Huaimo get up.

But he didn’t dare to get up, listening as the other man tiptoed towards the balcony.

Through the half-open curtains, he saw Zhuo Huaimo light a cigarette, the spark glowing in the darkness.

The ashes from Zhuo Huaimo’s fingertips fell rustling down, breaking into gray-white snow in the night. He looked at the city lights in the distance, realizing for the first time—that what lay between them was not a misunderstanding, but a high wall he had built with his own hands.

Familiar footsteps came from behind, Qi Yanwang wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Thinking about storyboards.”

Zhuo Huaimo lied subconsciously, but his throat tightened when he smelled the scent of medicine on the other man’s body.

Qi Yanwang took the cigarette from his fingers and snuffed it out on the railing.

“Since you became a director, you’ve been smoking more and more.”

The night wind swept past, carrying the scent of rain, Zhuo Huaimo suddenly turned around, looking straight into Qi Yanwang’s eyes in the moonlight.

“Is it tiring to be with me?”

Qi Yanwang’s pupils contracted slightly, then he smiled and pinched his earlobe.

“Why are you suddenly…”

“Answer me.”

Silence spread between the two of them.

Qi Yanwang finally sighed, rubbing the dark circles under his eyes with his fingertips.

“Isn’t it tiring for you?”

His voice was as soft as a sigh. “I’d rather you lash out at me, smash things, anything is better than this… being so careful.”

Zhuo Huaimo’s breath hitched, so Qi Yanwang knew everything.

“I’m not tired.”

Qi Yanwang suddenly cupped his face. “But I’m scared.”

His thumb brushed across Zhuo Huaimo’s cold lips. “You’re right here in my arms, but I always feel like you’re going to disappear in the next second.”

These words cut through Zhuo Huaimo’s pretense like a sharp blade.

He thought of those nights when he woke up from nightmares, and Qi Yanwang was always there first thing;

He thought of how the other man indulged him without asking why when he unreasonably demanded that the movie be canceled.

“Maybe… maybe I really was wrong,” Zhuo Huaimo said softly.

Qi Yanwang froze. “What do you mean?”

The night wind tousled their hair, Zhuo Huaimo raised his hand to smooth Qi Yanwang’s furrowed brow.

“Haven’t you always wanted to know why I had to break up in the first place?”

Qi Yanwang’s body stiffened. “Are you willing to tell me? If you don’t want to, I won’t force you!”

“After ‘Early Spring’ is finished filming…”

Zhuo Huaimo took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you the reason! If… if you can really accept it, then we’ll try to be together for real!”

These words were like a bolt of lightning splitting the night sky.

Qi Yanwang’s pupils suddenly constricted, he slammed Zhuo Huaimo against the balcony railing, his voice trembling.

“What did you say? Say it again.”

Zhuo Huaimo was startled by his sudden movement, his back pressed against the cold railing.

Qi Yanwang’s body temperature was transmitted through the thin pajamas, making his fingertips tingle.

“I said after ‘Early Spring’ is finished filming…”

“Zhuo Huaimo!”

Qi Yanwang gritted his teeth and called him by his full name, his eyes red. “You son of a bitch…”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhuo Huaimo kissed him again.

This time it wasn’t just a tentative touch, but a kiss filled with two years of longing and struggle.

Qi Yanwang cupped the back of his head, deepening the kiss to the point of suffocation.

When they separated, they were both panting.

Qi Yanwang’s thumb pressed against Zhuo Huaimo’s swollen lips, his voice low and husky.

“I’m going to record this as evidence, in case some big-shot director goes back on his word after filming is over.”

He suddenly seemed to remember something and added, “But there’s one condition.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re not allowed to smoke this much anymore.”

Qi Yanwang pinched his nose. “And…”

He pointed to his wound. “This was an accident, it’s not your fault.”

Zhuo Huaimo’s nose tingled, and he suddenly raised his head to kiss him.

The kiss was very light, but it made Qi Yanwang tremble all over, gripping the back of his head and deepening the kiss!

“Promise me,”

Zhuo Huaimo murmured against his lips as they parted. “Don’t get hurt, don’t go to dangerous places.”

Qi Yanwang hugged him even tighter.

“Then you have to promise me, don’t hide from me anymore.”

His voice was muffled in Zhuo Huaimo’s neck. “That bed in the bedroom… is really empty.”

The sky on the horizon was turning fish-belly white, and Zhuo Huaimo looked at Qi Yanwang’s joyful profile in the morning light, his heart aching as if soaked in warm water.

He suddenly understood that true love was not about isolating the other person from danger, but about facing all storms side by side.

“Early Spring” finally started filming after two months of preparation. On the day the crew set off, the sun was so bright that it was hard to open their eyes.

Qi Yanwang gripped Zhuo Huaimo’s wrist tightly, his knuckles white.

“Just two months.”

Zhuo Huaimo pushed him helplessly. “Didn’t you say last week that you wanted to respect my work?”

“I regret it.”

Qi Yanwang buried his face in his neck, his voice muffled and trembling.

On the bus behind them, dozens of members of the crew were all pressed against the windows, their eyes wide like searchlights.

A girl from the props team even took out sunflower seeds, and a boy from the script team was secretly recording a video with his phone.

“I’ll have Yu Fengran watch the house, I’ll go with you.”

Yu Fengran leaned against the business car with his arms crossed, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses full of disdain.

“President Qi, if you keep delaying, we won’t get to the filming location before dark.”

He turned to the employees peeking out of the car and said, “See that? This is why the company prohibits office romances.”

Qi Yanwang suddenly raised his head. “Yu Fengran, you—”

“Me what?”

Yu Fengran sneered. “You still want me to watch the house? Should I take your cover shoot for ‘VOGUE’ next week too?”

Suppressed laughter erupted in the car.

Zhuo Huaimo’s ears were red, and he forcefully pulled his hand back. “Go back.”

“Video call every day,” Qi Yanwang insisted.

“The signal is bad.”

“Then at least—”

“Qi Yanwang!”

Zhuo Huaimo finally put on a stern face. “I’m going to work.”

These words were like pressing a switch.

Qi Yanwang suddenly became quiet. “Be careful. I’ll wait for you.”

The bus started slowly, and Qi Yanwang stood there waving, looking like a large dog that had been abandoned…

Qi Yanwang listlessly returned to the office, and as soon as he turned on his phone, he discovered a shocking trending topic:

“Sudden Explosion on the Set of ‘Fire Line,’ Lead Actor Lin Yan Seriously Injured and Hospitalized, Production Halted!”

Clearly, Zhuo Huaimo, who was on the bus, also saw the news, and his hands and feet instantly turned cold…