SM Chapter 76

Chapter 76 Extra 2 (Mr. Sheng’s Flowers)

Chapter 76 Extra 2 (Mr. Sheng’s Flowers)

(The time point of this extra is when Director Sheng and Ye Lai were secretly married)

After filming “Raw Peel,” Sheng Mingqian would never stay overnight at a hotel if he attended a banquet.

At the opening banquet for his new film, Sheng Mingqian tried to control his alcohol intake, but there were too many people at the banquet.

When he got home late at night, his eyes were still unfocused before he even entered the door. His movements were also clumsy as he changed his shoes at the entrance, and he only steadied himself by leaning his fingers against the wall.

A small lamp was on in the living room. Sheng Mingqian loosened his collar and walked inside. His breathing and footsteps were heavy from the alcohol, but he didn’t wake the person sleeping soundly on the sofa.

Sheng Mingqian’s thoughts were still on the new film he was about to shoot. He didn’t notice Ye Lai until he reached the sofa.

Sheng Mingqian’s fingers paused as he unbuttoned his shirt. The alcohol slowed down his movements and perception. After a while, he remembered that this house was now his and Ye Lai’s home.

He and Ye Lai were married.

His sluggish brain slowly turned over the thought. Sheng Mingqian calculated the time; they had been married for almost a year.

So fast…

Before this, Sheng Mingqian hadn’t felt anything at all.

He and Ye Lai had registered their marriage last winter, and now it was winter again.

This winter seemed even colder than last year. His assistant had just dropped him off, and he had seen snowflakes falling outside the window. The weather forecast said there would be heavy snow tonight.

The floor heating at home was broken. Although the air conditioner was on, the indoor temperature wasn’t high. Sheng Mingqian had drunk alcohol, so he didn’t feel the cold.

But Ye Lai, who was sleeping soundly on the sofa, looked a little cold, curling up with his legs and arms, covered only by a thin blanket that covered his chest and stomach, leaving his legs and feet exposed.

The night light beside the sofa shone on the back of his bare feet. Because of the cold, his skin was a little red, and the shadows cast on the side of the sofa were curled up as if from the cold. The scar on the back of his foot was even more noticeable.

Sheng Mingqian watched for a while, then pulled the blanket down a little to cover Ye Lai’s feet.

His touch woke Ye Lai. He opened his eyes a crack, moved his neck, and his hair obscured his vision, through which he saw a blurry and tall silhouette of light.

When he saw clearly who was standing under the lamp, his sleepiness instantly vanished. He sat up with a start, rubbed his eyes, and said, “You’re back…”

The blanket slipped to the floor. Sheng Mingqian glanced at it, then turned and walked upstairs, saying, “If you’re sleepy, go back to bed. Turn up the air conditioner.”

Only when he couldn’t hear the sound of footsteps going upstairs did Ye Lai use his hand to brush the hair off his eyelashes, then he blew a breath, making the strands of hair lift up before falling down, and he murmured, “Okay.”

Sheng Mingqian returned to his room, took a shower, and couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. He didn’t see Ye Lai come upstairs either. The chain reaction brought on by the alcohol was agitation and impatience.

Five minutes later, Sheng Mingqian put on his bathrobe and went downstairs to find him.

He had just told him to go to bed, but now he was lying on the sofa again, asleep, the blanket still not covering his feet.

A burst of anger rose to his head. Sheng Mingqian scooped up Ye Lai and carried him upstairs, finally feeling satisfied when he tossed him into the covers.

–

–

Although it was a marriage of convenience, Sheng Mingqian wouldn’t forget the date they registered their marriage.

It was almost the New Year, and he was going home more often than before.

But Ye Lai seemed to be very busy at the end of the year. He had many programs to record, mostly variety shows and commercial performances. Recently, he had gone to another province to participate in the recording of a New Year’s program.

The next day was the anniversary of their marriage registration. Sheng Mingqian called Ye Lai. Ye Lai didn’t answer the first call, but he quickly called back.

“Mingqian, did you just call me?”

The background noise on the other end of the phone was chaotic. Sheng Mingqian heard someone calling Ye Lai, saying that the next program was his turn, reminding him to prepare to go on stage.

“Are you busy?” Sheng Mingqian asked, holding the phone.

While responding to the director team’s urging, Ye Lai blocked his ear to isolate the noise, and with the other hand, he pinched the phone tightly against his ear, afraid of missing Sheng Mingqian’s words.

The noise was isolated outside. Besides Sheng Mingqian’s breathing and voice, he also heard his own chest vibrating, without rhythm.

“I’m recording a program in another province today. Did you just… call me? I was doing my makeup, and my phone was on silent. I didn’t see it. If I had seen it, I would have answered. I just saw it. Are you looking for me? Is something the matter?”

Ye Lai spoke very quickly, incoherently, emphasizing the call he had missed.

Sheng Mingqian sat on the sofa, raised his eyebrows, and said, “It’s nothing. I just wanted to tell you that the floor heating at home has been repaired.”

Ye Lai didn’t expect him to call just to say this. He was stunned for a moment before saying, “I know. The floor heating has been repaired for a while. It’s okay to walk barefoot on the floor. It’s very warm and not cold anymore…”

Sheng Mingqian frowned, thinking of Ye Lai’s frozen red toes that night. Suddenly, a chaotic force surged to his head.

“Then you go ahead and get busy…” he said.

Ye Lai still didn’t hang up the phone: “Is there… anything else?”

“Yes,” Sheng Mingqian said, “I just glanced at the calendar. Tomorrow is…”

Sheng Mingqian didn’t finish speaking. Ye Lai picked up the thread, smiled, and said, “I know. Tomorrow is the Platinum Awards Gala. I received an invitation. If you don’t want to attend with me, I won’t go tomorrow night. I… I don’t have anything to do tomorrow anyway. I’ll just stay at home. I have to record a program today, and I have to travel tomorrow, so I won’t go…”

Sheng Mingqian took a deep breath: “You’re a newcomer. You were invited, and you’re not going?”

“I… actually, I’m, I’m afraid you don’t want to be seen with me. Our agreement says…”

Ye Lai hurriedly explained, but his words stopped abruptly, cut off by the dial tone on the other end.

After the phone hung up, Ye Lai was in a daze. A hand quickly grabbed his arm: “Ye Lai, what are you still dazing off about? It’s your turn.”

Before going on stage, Ye Lai was still wondering whether to attend the awards ceremony tomorrow. After thinking about it, he decided to go.

Sheng Mingqian’s meaning just now was that he wanted him to go, right?

After the program was recorded, Ye Lai changed his clothes and left, without even removing his makeup.

The plane ticket was originally for the next day, but when he thought of Sheng Mingqian at home, Ye Lai decided to go back. He transferred trains twice and arrived home when the sky outside was just beginning to brighten.

He had been in a hurry on the way, so he tiptoed quietly when he entered the door.

Sheng Mingqian was still sleeping in the bedroom. Ye Lai stood by the bed and watched for a while before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

Sheng Mingqian was sleeping soundly when he felt the blanket on his body being lifted, followed by a rush of cold air that was uncomfortable.

Sheng Mingqian turned over and raised his arm to hug the source of the cold air, and he only felt much more comfortable when the person in his arms was completely warm.

“Go to the awards ceremony with me tomorrow night,” Sheng Mingqian said.

With almost no hesitation or pause, he heard a hoarse “Okay.”

–

–

At the Platinum Awards ceremony, Ye Lai sat several rows behind Sheng Mingqian.

Sheng Mingqian was chatting and exchanging greetings with the two actors beside him. Ye Lai, sitting in the back row, tightly interlaced his fingers on his lap, straightened his back, and stared at the back of Sheng Mingqian’s head.

Sheng Mingqian’s right shoulder was touched. He turned his head and saw that it was the screenwriter sitting in the row behind him who was chatting with him, asking him about the situation and progress of his new play.

Sheng Mingqian turned his shoulder and glanced at Ye Lai in the back as he turned his head to talk to the screenwriter. Ye Lai’s eyes were as bright as silver hooks under the moonlight.

In a sudden eye contact, Ye Lai was caught off guard, and the hooks bent again.

After a while, Ye Lai looked away first and looked elsewhere.

When the performance on stage ended, Ye Lai clapped with the others, his movements stiff like a machine.

The first award to be presented was Best Supporting Actor. Chi Wen, played by Ye Lai, was nominated. When the camera was on him, he was still looking at the back of Sheng Mingqian’s head. It took a few seconds for him to react. He hooked the corners of his lips and smiled.

Throughout the awards gala, Ye Lai kept staring at the back of Sheng Mingqian’s head. Sheng Mingqian only felt his scalp burning.

After the ceremony, Sheng Mingqian turned his head to look for him, but Ye Lai was gone.

It was snowing outside. Ye Lai hadn’t gone far. He was standing on the side of the road, hailing a taxi. The suit he was wearing was very thin. He was shivering from the cold on the side of the road, pacing with small steps, stepping on the newly accumulated snow, making a creaking sound.

Sheng Mingqian recognized Sheng Mingqian’s car, but he was still unsure. He bent over and looked to confirm that it was Sheng Mingqian. He waved his phone and said, “You go ahead, I’ll get a taxi right away.”

“Get in the car,” Sheng Mingqian said again.

Ye Lai put away his phone, turned his head and looked around, no one noticed them here. He quickly opened the car door and got into the passenger seat.

After arriving home, Ye Lai got out of the car first. Sheng Mingqian reminded him to take the flowers from the back seat.

Ye Lai opened the back car door: “They’re lilies.”

“Yeah.”

“So beautiful, so fragrant. Who sent these flowers?”

Sheng Mingqian looked in the rearview mirror at the back seat, turned off the engine, and said, “I don’t know, maybe it was a fan.”

Ye Lai took out the large bouquet of lilies. Snowflakes had fallen on the petals and quickly melted.

As soon as he entered the house, Ye Lai put the large bouquet of lilies in a vase. He looked for several places and finally placed them in Sheng Mingqian’s study.

Sheng Mingqian made several phone calls in the study. Before returning to his room, he raised his hand and gently patted the lilies. The water droplets formed by the melted snowflakes dripped down the petals. He rubbed the light yellow pollen that stained his fingertips clean before returning to the bedroom.

That night, Sheng Mingqian’s movements were a bit rough. The interwoven pain and pleasure made Ye Lai’s heart flutter, feeling that it wasn’t enough and wanting more, but also afraid of the pain and daring not to want too much.

“Today, is a year.”

Ye Lai only felt pain and didn’t hear clearly what Sheng Mingqian said: “What? What did you say?”

Sheng Mingqian suddenly stopped, turned over and got out of bed: “Nothing.”

When he came out after taking a shower, the person on the bed was already fast asleep.

The bed was a mess, the sheets and quilt, and Ye Lai’s exposed thighs were covered in white marks, making it impossible to sleep like that.

Sheng Mingqian carried Ye Lai to the bathtub for a bath, then changed to a set of clean sheets and comforters, finally feeling satisfied to sleep with the person in his arms.