SM Chapter 37

Chapter 37 He Loves Him

Chapter 37 He Loves Him

(First Update)

The audition hotel wasn’t far from the hospital. Ye Lai got into the car, his thumb crooked because of the pain, and his other fingers were shaking uncontrollably.

A few minutes later, Ye Lai realized that he was not in a fit state to drive, so he took a taxi directly to the audition hotel.

The audition time was at three in the afternoon, but Ye Lai arrived at a little after ten.

Lin Han didn’t expect Ye Lai to come so early, so he asked a staff member to take him to Sheng Mingqian’s rest room to wait. After Lin Han finished speaking, he waved to Ye Lai and left in a hurry, looking as if he had something urgent to attend to.

Sheng Mingqian’s rest room was a suite, with a dressing room and changing room in addition to the bedroom.

Ye Lai reached into his pocket, wanting to call Sheng Mingqian, but his pocket was empty.

He then remembered that he had been too hurried when he left the hospital, and had left his cell phone on the cabinet next to the hospital bed when he was peeling the apple.

Ye Lai circled around the suite. Other than some documents and books on the table, Sheng Mingqian’s things hadn’t been moved over yet, so he probably hadn’t come back yet.

Ye Lai randomly found a chair to sit on, propped his elbows on the tea table, and rubbed his eye sockets. His already red eyes became even redder, and the blood vessels were obvious. His usually bright peach blossom eyes lacked their usual fullness and charm, and now they were filled with more confusion and frustration, as well as a sense of Depressed of not being able to control everything.

It wasn’t until more than ten minutes later that Ye Lai calmed down his mood slightly. Work had to continue.

The director of the orphanage had just happily introduced him to others. Only he himself knew that the time when he didn’t have work was no different from being unemployed, and the anxiety produced by the unknown followed him like a shadow.

Zhang Yihao was trying desperately to contact the crew for an audition for him. He had already given up another opportunity, so the audition in the afternoon could not go wrong in any way.

There were several scripts stacked on the table in front of him, all for “The World on the Bough”. They looked very new, probably just printed.

Lin Han had already given him the script and character biographies before, and he had already prepared for the scene to be auditioned in the afternoon many times.

It was still early, so Ye Lai reached out and picked up the top script, flipping it open to read, wanting to shift his attention.

He was too familiar with the plot and lines, so he only casually flipped through a few pages and saw that the new script had been slightly modified, but there were no major changes. Only individual plot points and lines had been changed, probably for the convenience of review in the later stages.

When he flipped to the last scene, Ye Lai only glanced at it twice, and his breathing instantly froze.

At first, he thought he was seeing things and had misread it. Finally, he read those paragraphs of text from beginning to end several times.

Sheng Mingqian had also changed the ending in the original script. In the original script, Bai Yusheng and Jiang Yuanzhou ended up together. They went on vacation together, but the new script completely overturned the original plot.

Bai Yusheng went abroad, and Jiang Yuanzhou sent him to the airport, where the two said goodbye and sent each other blessings.

Scene 348.

Setting: Airport lobby.

Time: Tentative (evening, sunset).

Characters: Bai Yusheng, Jiang Yuanzhou, extras.

Content:

Bai Yusheng held his suitcase, smiling brightly in the crowded airport lobby: “I’ve already let go of my obsession with you. Yuanzhou, I’m so lucky to have met you. See you later…”

Jiang Yuanzhou’s eyes were full of blessings for Bai Yusheng. He raised his hand and touched Bai Yusheng’s head: “Have a safe trip, see you later…”

…

Looking at the “end” on the last page, Ye Lai stubbornly flipped to the next page.

Nothing, there was nothing behind.

Perhaps the breath he had just held in had been held for too long, and Ye Lai’s ears buzzed a few times, as if someone had thrown a smoke bomb in his body. The thick smoke made his brain stop working.

But the last sentence of the script, “See you later,” kept circling in front of his eyes, and he couldn’t shake it off no matter how much he shook his head.

A wave of physical nausea surged to his throat. Ye Lai suddenly stood up, staggered into the bathroom, and leaned over the sink, retching.

He hadn’t eaten anything since morning, so he couldn’t throw up anything. The physical nausea forced tears to flow from Ye Lai’s eyes, and his legs trembled weakly, on the verge of collapsing.

Ye Lai grabbed the edge of the sink with both hands, propped up his body, took a few breaths, turned on the faucet, and splashed water on his face, until the cold water washed away the buzzing in his ears.

When he was completely awake, he found that the gauze wrapped around his thumb was already soaked with water, loosely Set in on his finger, about to fall off.

The nurse had just told him that it was best not to get water on his finger these few days. At this moment, the soaked gauze was against the wound, and Ye Lai’s forehead throbbed a few times from the pain.

He directly tore off the bloody gauze and threw it into the trash can next to him. The deep cut was still bleeding. Ye Lai flushed it under the faucet for a long time, then went out to ask the staff for a band-aid and barely stuck it on the wound.

–

–

Because he had just thrown up once, the dizziness was still continuing. Ye Lai couldn’t sit or stand steadily after returning to the rest room. In the end, he couldn’t hold on any longer, so he dragged his legs into the bedroom and got into bed.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, there was a “ding” sound outside the door, the electromagnetic induction sound of swiping the room card.

The bedroom door was half open. Just as Ye Lai was about to get up and call Sheng Mingqian, he heard a series of staggered footsteps outside, not the footsteps of one person.

“Mingqian, how have you been considering the script I showed you last time?”

Ye Lai frowned. The speaker was a man, and his voice was very unfamiliar. He had never heard it before.

“I’m considering it.”

This time it was Sheng Mingqian’s voice.

“Then after you finish filming “The World on the Bough”, do you want to work with me again? I, I miss that time…”

After the man finished speaking, Sheng Mingqian was silent.

Ye Lai lay on the bed, holding his breath and daring not to make a sound. The buzzing sound swept over again. His intuition told him that the “missing” the man said was not just about cooperation. That tone was more like the murmuring of lovers.

He probably guessed the man’s identity. He should be the person who had rumors with Sheng Mingqian some time ago, the screenwriter Qin Zimo.

Sheng Mingqian finally spoke: “We’ll see when the time comes.”

“Mingqian, are you afraid?”

“I’m not.”

“When we were together before, we were both too strong, and neither of us would compromise with the other. In the end, we drifted further and further apart, and were only superficially together. So many years have passed, and I still can’t let you go. The time I spent with you was the happiest time for me. I’ve already learned to compromise… because of you…”

Sheng Mingqian interrupted Qin Zimo: “The past is in the past.”

“Mingqian, you don’t have to rush to answer me. You can consider it for a while before replying. Besides, I’m just saying we should work together, after all, we were very compatible in all aspects when we were together before, weren’t we? Mingqian, I also miss your body…”

“Enough.”

Qin Zimo smiled: “I’ll go first. You rest first. I’ll wait for your reply.”

Ye Lai already understood. It turned out that those weren’t rumors. Now he even heard Sheng Mingqian’s old lover’s confession.

He had seen so much news about Sheng Mingqian through various channels before, separated by a screen and an unknown distance, and there were always countless fantasies.

This was the first time he had encountered it so closely. It turned out to be this feeling: panic, helplessness, disappointment, embarrassment.

The embarrassment was for himself.

Ye Lai covered the part of his chest that was hurting, wanting to press it down. His injured thumb pressed against his chest. In the end, his finger hurt, and his chest also hurt.

“Who?” Hearing a heavy breathing sound, Sheng Mingqian turned around, staring at the half-open bedroom door. It was very dark inside, but he was sure someone was in there.

The door opened, and Ye Lai pretended to have just woken up, sitting up and rubbing his eyes: “Mingqian, you’re back.”

Sheng Mingqian didn’t expect it to be Ye Lai, and his expression changed: “Why are you here? Who told you to come?”

Ye Lai smiled bitterly: “The audition is in the afternoon. I came early. Brother Han asked me to come in and rest.”

Sheng Mingqian stood at the door, with his back to the light. Ye Lai couldn’t see the expression on his face, but he could feel the coldness on his body, as if he was blaming Lin Han for taking it upon himself.

“Just now, did you hear everything?” Sheng Mingqian’s hand was still on the door frame, and his fingers pinched the door.

He heard everything.

But Ye Lai still pretended to be stupid: “What? Hear what?”

His heart was in a mess. He hadn’t figured out how to calmly deal with the current situation. It seemed… he didn’t have the right to question Sheng Mingqian either.

Sheng Mingqian let go of the hand holding the door, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt to let some air in, and rolled his sleeves to his elbows, revealing a section of his arm. He turned the watch on his wrist and didn’t say anything else.

(Second Update)

Ye Lai endured the discomfort in his body and got out of bed. As he got closer, Sheng Mingqian raised his eyes and saw the band-aid on Ye Lai’s finger, grabbing his wrist.

The band-aid was too small, and the wound on Ye Lai’s thumb was still exposed, the bright red on both ends was very glaring.

“What happened to your hand?”

Ye Lai pulled his hand back: “I cut it with a fruit knife.”

“An actor’s face and hands, you have to pay attention.”

“I know.”

The wound on his finger was nothing. What Ye Lai wanted to ask was something more important.

After leaving the bedroom, Ye Lai picked up the script on the table and flipped to the last scene: “Director Sheng, is this the new script? Why did you change the ending of “The World on the Bough”?”

Sheng Mingqian was stunned by Ye Lai’s address, and his eyebrows furrowed: “I think the new ending is more reasonable and more in line with the characters.”

“Why?” Ye Lai’s voice became more and more hoarse, like a broken string that had been forcefully pulled apart. No matter how skillfully it was plucked, it couldn’t play beautiful music.

“Ye Lai, how much do you understand the characters?” Sheng Mingqian asked him.

“Everything,” Ye Lai replied without thinking, staring into Sheng Mingqian’s eyes, revealing a rare stubbornness, “I understand everything about Bai Yusheng.”

Sheng Mingqian looked at the last ending again, and said unhurriedly: “Ye Lai, do you think what Bai Yusheng feels for Jiang Yuanzhou is love? No daylight, darkness, fear, poisonous insects, filth. In that extreme environment, Jiang Yuanzhou is just a person who appears in the newspaper. Bai Yusheng needs a redemption, a reason for himself to live. In that situation, anyone who appears in the newspaper, Bai Yusheng may fall in love with, because that person is a life-saving straw, he has to grab it. As for who he grabs, that doesn’t matter, he just needs a straw…”

“No, it’s not a straw.”

Ye Lai retorted sharply, as if he had experienced a catastrophe, and his voice broke at the end.

“Jiang Yuanzhou is a light in Bai Yusheng’s dark world. Is there anything wrong with chasing the light? Bai Yusheng worked so hard for Jiang Yuanzhou for so many years, just to be able to get closer to him. In the end, he became a financial reporter. He could stay up for several nights in order to interview him. When he saw Jiang Yuanzhou, his heart would beat, a joyful beat. For him, he crawled forward, for him, he tried to climb out of the mud. Isn’t that love?”

“Bai Yusheng loves Jiang Yuanzhou, he loves him, Sheng Mingqian, he loves him.”

Ye Lai’s voice was broken, shattered into Scratch on the ground. The rebuttals had used up all his strength.

“You don’t have to be so excited, it’s just a script.” Sheng Mingqian said lightly.

Ye Lai asked again: “You’re not planning to change the ending of the script, are you?”

There was still a last bit of expectation.

“I’m not changing it, they’re not suitable.” Sheng Mingqian was like an executioner, announcing Bai Yusheng’s ending.

Ye Lai’s legs were filled with lead, and he couldn’t move. His body leaned against the table, and the hard edges knocked against his side waist through his clothes. The sharp pain drilled into his bones, and Ye Lai’s face was pale after the disillusionment.

“I understand…”

Ye Lai looked at Sheng Mingqian, took a step forward, and looked up at Sheng Mingqian: “Director Sheng, I’m giving up the audition opportunity this afternoon. I don’t want the role of Bai Yusheng.”

“What?”

Sheng Mingqian didn’t quite understand. Ye Lai was becoming more and more difficult for him to see through.

He only changed the ending, and Ye Lai gave up the audition opportunity.

“I won’t participate in the audition this afternoon. Maybe you’re right, this kind of ending is what a normal person should have. That’s not light, it’s just a straw. Bai Yusheng’s feelings for Jiang Yuanzhou are not love. That kind of feeling that comes from the darkness is just an obsession, a twisted obsession.”

After Ye Lai finished speaking, he turned and left the rest room.

–

–

“Mingqian, you’ve finally answered the phone. I’ve called you several times, why didn’t you answer?” Lin Han was panting on the other end, unable to find Sheng Mingqian anywhere.

“I was talking to someone just now, and my phone was on silent.”

Lin Han gasped for breath and reminded him: “Ye Lai came in the morning, and I asked him to go to your rest room. Don’t bring Qin Zimo back later.”

Sheng Mingqian: “…”

Hearing the unwarranted silence on the other end, Lin Han gritted his teeth: “Damn, did they run into each other?”

“The reminder came too late.”

“Then what about Ye Lai?”

“He’s gone, he’s not participating in the audition this afternoon.”

“He’s gone? He wanted that role so badly before.” Lin Han was also puzzled.

“He’s not suitable.”

Lin Han thought of a possibility: “You weren’t going to give Ye Lai that role in the first place, were you? Even if I let him participate in the audition, Ye Lai wouldn’t be able to get it, would he?”

“He’s not suitable for that role.” Sheng Mingqian still said the same thing.

Coming out of the hotel, Ye Lai’s legs were empty. The sunlight outside was dazzling, but the wind blowing on his body was cold.

It was late autumn, and the air was filled with the smell of all things withering.

Fortunately, his wallet was still on him. Ye Lai took a taxi directly to Zhang Yihao’s place.

“Brother Hao, I want to go to the other crew. I rejected that audition opportunity before. Is there still a chance to participate again?”

Ye Lai’s tone was as calm as possible. He crossed his hands on the table, clenching and releasing them.

Zhang Yihao looked at his empty eyes and knew that something was wrong. He asked him what was wrong, whether the audition on Sheng Mingqian’s side was unsuccessful.

Ye Lai’s Adam’s apple rolled a few times, and the voice he spoke was like a car wheel rolling over, just coming out of the mud and hard soil: “I don’t want the role in “The World on the Bough”. Sheng Mingqian changed the script, that’s not Bai Yusheng. I don’t want to fight for that role anymore. The director of the orphanage is also sick, with terminal lung cancer. Brother Hao, I can’t even get a job.”

His words were incoherent and disjointed.

Zhang Yihao could see that Ye Lai’s expression was a bit dazed, and knew that things were worse than he thought.

Zhang Yihao directly called the casting director of the other movie. The other party had a good private relationship with him and had drunk with him a few times, so he readily agreed to let Ye Lai go to the audition.

“The other party agreed,” Zhang Yihao hung up the phone and poured a glass of hot water for Ye Lai, “Drink some water first, did you eat lunch?”

Ye Lai held the glass of hot water, the nauseous feeling in his stomach was still there: “My stomach is a little uncomfortable, I won’t eat for now.”

“What happened? You didn’t even bring your cell phone.”

“I was in the hospital this morning, and I left my cell phone in the hospital. Sheng Mingqian changed the script. I don’t like that ending. Brother Hao, do you still have the script for “Waiting for a Sunny Day”? I want to familiarize myself with the characters and lines again.”

“I have it in my phone,” Zhang Yihao didn’t continue to ask, took out his phone and found the electronic document, “It’s an electronic version, take a look.”

–

–

As soon as Ye Lai arrived at the hospital in the afternoon, he told the director of the orphanage about the audition: “The audition for “Waiting for a Sunny Day” was very successful. The director said there were no problems.”

The audition in the afternoon went smoothly. The director asked him to go back and wait for notification, but the casting director had already informed Zhang Yihao in advance, saying that the role of the male second would be Ye Lai’s without any surprises, and told him to wait to sign the contract and join the crew. However, filming wouldn’t start so soon, probably not until before the New Year.

“Concentrate on taking care of your body in the hospital.”

“I’m not sick, I don’t need to always stay in the hospital. There are still so many children in the orphanage.”

The doctor had already prescribed medicine, and the nurse came in to give him an injection and hang a drip. Ye Lai tidied up the corners of the blanket on her bed: “You still have to do other tests. Listen to me and stay in the hospital first. There are still many people in the orphanage, and I will help too.”

Ye Lai didn’t leave the hospital until the director of the orphanage fell asleep at night. He drove directly back to the villa, packed up his things, still took the jade lock that Yuan Ling had given him, and left without lingering.

The weather in autumn changes quickly. Before he even got to the apartment, it started to rain.

At first, it was just drizzling rain, but later it got heavier and heavier. The raindrops hit the glass window, one drop overlapping another, and slowly blurred and slid down. Ye Lai turned on the windshield wipers, which swayed from side to side, scraping away the colorful shadows of the neon lights splashed on the glass window.

In the end, all that was reflected in Ye Lai’s eyes were blurred and incomplete traces.

Sheng Mingqian’s call came in the middle of the night, asking him where he was and why he wasn’t coming home.

Ye Lai yawned, tears streaming from sleepiness, blurring his face. He pinched the quilt and pressed it hard against his eyes, smiling bitterly: “Director Sheng, what are you talking about? I’m sleeping in my own home now.”

The wound on his thumb throbbed with pain from holding the phone, affecting his auditory nerves and breathing. His tone was filled with annoyance and helplessness at being disturbed from a good dream.

Sheng Mingqian didn’t ask any further and hung up the phone directly.

The sound in his ears disappeared, and everything from the past ten years floated through the black air in front of Ye Lai’s eyes, so long, so long. Everything was negated and erased with just one sentence.

Ye Lai originally thought that the place in his heart that had been compacted was already full of colorful flowers in bloom, but the result told him that it was just his illusion. It was still desolate, with only the darkness that covered the sky and could never be penetrated.

That wasteland had never gone away, and the pair of hands in the shadows had always been there, only temporarily suppressed by that light. At this moment, they were grabbing his feet tightly, wanting to nail him to the abyss forever.

Nothing he did was useful. A person full of maggots deserved to live in filth forever.

Sheng Mingqian was right, how could that kind of feeling be considered love?

Ye Lai couldn’t help but laugh out loud, his laughter cold. He laughed at himself for being too ridiculous, for understanding it too late, for being absurd for so many years…

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