SM Chapter 13
by VolareYe Lai didn’t know the specifics of how Sheng Mingqian handled it, but after that phone call, that number never sent him any messages again. No one threatened him with photos, and no one exposed him and Sheng Mingqian online.
Although Ye Lai had secretly hoped for the last possibility in his heart, it ultimately didn’t happen.
Ye Lai even regretted being so honest in forwarding those two messages to Sheng Mingqian. If he hadn’t, maybe someone would have already broken the news about them being together, and he was curious to know Sheng Mingqian’s reaction.
But Ye Lai could only think about it. What would Sheng Mingqian’s reaction be? There were only two possibilities: to admit it or deny it. What if he denied it?
Sheng Mingqian had never cared about such things, except for the last time when he denied the rumors of unspoken rules. He’d had so many rumors with others, what difference would one more make?
If he admitted it, then what? Would they continue to be secretly married, or would they end the agreement marriage early?
It was foolish to worry about something that hadn’t happened yet. Ye Lai frowned at his naked body in the mirror, tilting his head. He looked like a clown who had just taken off his makeup. Although the exaggerated paint was gone, it still left the marks of a clown.
The clown in the mirror stopped guessing and pulled a bathrobe from the hanger, wiping the water from his hair.
Sheng Mingqian’s news reappeared, announcing his new movie was about to wrap up filming. Then, entertainment accounts in some obscure corners rehashed old news, dredging up Sheng Mingqian’s past gossip.
Sheng Mingqian was a Director, but his entertainment news was constant, all thanks to his face that captivated people. Every year, when entertainment accounts ranked the most popular directors, Sheng Mingqian was always at the top and had never been shaken. His fans were truly from all ages. Whether it was skill or popularity, Sheng Mingqian had both, so entertainment accounts naturally wouldn’t let him go.
Lin Han had even said that it was a pity Sheng Mingqian’s face wasn’t used for acting; if he acted in movies, he could win awards too, but he only wanted to work behind the scenes.
From the end of filming to the eve of release, a movie couldn’t do without promotion. Ye Lai knew that in the next few months, Sheng Mingqian’s name would probably pop up frequently in his phone’s notifications.
But what Ye Lai didn’t expect was that the next time Sheng Mingqian popped up on his phone, it was news of him being injured on set.
#Sheng Mingqian Injured on Set, Suspected Blindness#
#Explosion Scene Accident, Sheng Mingqian Injured by Explosion#
#Accident on Sheng Mingqian’s New Movie Set, Three staff Injured, Sheng Mingqian Hospitalized#
Ye Lai’s fingers trembled as he clicked on the news. The news had a few distant pictures, confirming it was an explosion scene. In the photos, billowing flames soared into the sky, and black ash pressed against the clouds. In the last photo, Sheng Mingqian was lying on the ground, only showing a blurry profile, with several broken wooden planks pressing on him, and his clothes and hair were covered in dust.
Ye Lai didn’t care about whether the news was true or not. He grabbed his car keys and went out, calling Sheng Mingqian as he walked, but the call didn’t go through. Ye Lai then called Lin Han.
Lin Han only answered on the third call. Before Ye Lai could speak, Lin Han said, “Mingqian is injured, he’s at Guangming Hospital. Ye Lai, come here, take the back door and go up to the sixth floor.”
Ye Lai’s teeth chattered as he forced himself to calm down: “Is everything in the news true? How is Mingqian? Is his injury serious? How is he now?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not as serious as the news says. It’s all superficial injuries. Mingqian was injured protecting a staff member on set. I’ll tell you more when you get here.”
“I’m going there now.”
Guangming Hospital was a private hospital that specialized in ophthalmology. The hospital’s director was also a good friend of Sheng Mingqian. Ye Lai thought of the striking news headline and suddenly had a bad feeling.
A crowd of reporters with cameras had already gathered at the hospital’s main entrance, and some were even live-streaming the scene on their phones.
Fortunately, the private hospital had good security measures, so the reporters probably couldn’t get in.
Ye Lai drove directly to the back door and into the parking lot, quickly going up to the sixth floor according to Lin Han’s directions.
Lin Han was already waiting for him at the elevator entrance. Ye Lai followed him quickly down the hallway and into the innermost VIP ward.
As soon as the door opened, Ye Lai saw Sheng Mingqian sitting on the bed with his head down, his hands touching the white blanket. What stood out the most was the gauze wrapped around his eyes.
Hearing the door open and the familiar breathing, Sheng Mingqian stopped his movements and looked up at the door, his eyebrows furrowed deeply.
“Mingqian, what’s wrong with your eyes?” Ye Lai’s legs felt weak, and his voice was as soft as a mosquito’s, as if speaking louder would worsen Sheng Mingqian’s injuries.
“Don’t cry yet,” Lin Han patted Ye Lai’s shoulder from behind. “Don’t worry, he’s not blind. The smoke and ash from the explosion damaged his eyes, it’s just temporary blindness. The doctor said he’ll recover after some rest. You know, the director of this hospital is an ophthalmology expert and Mingqian’s friend, if he says it’s okay, it’ll definitely be okay.”
Although Lin Han said that, Ye Lai still didn’t feel much relief, and cautiously walked to the bed.
Sheng Mingqian had a long, thin cut on his forehead that had stopped bleeding. The surrounding area was red, with a ring of reddish-brown disinfectant. The corner of his mouth was also swollen, a bandage was on the bridge of his nose, and his hands were covered in small cuts.
Sheng Mingqian’s injuries seemed contagious, and Ye Lai felt like he was in pain too. His forehead hurt, his nose bridge hurt, the corner of his mouth hurt, his hands hurt, and his eyes hurt the most, with a burning sensation from the explosion.
“Are there any injuries on your body or legs?” Ye Lai asked softly.
“No, just the eyes,” Sheng Mingqian replied.
Ye Lai gently picked up the phone next to the blanket: “Were you looking for your phone just now?”
Sheng Mingqian raised his hand and groped twice before finding Ye Lai’s hand, his fingers sliding down the back of his hand and finally pulling the phone from his hand: “Lin Han told you?”
The temperature on the back of Ye Lai’s hand was scalding, he hummed in agreement: “I saw the news and called Brother Han, Brother Han told me you were at this hospital.”
“Busybody.”
Lin Han leaned against the door and whistled at Sheng Mingqian: “I say, Director Sheng, Ye Lai is now your legal partner. Luckily your eyes don’t need surgery, otherwise the only ones who could sign the surgery consent form, besides your parents overseas, would be Ye Lai. Who else would I call if not him?”
Ye Lai’s legs were still weak after being in the ward for so long, and he stood blankly by the bed, his eyes never leaving Sheng Mingqian, his gaze fixed on the white gauze wrapped around Sheng Mingqian’s eyes. He only felt that the pale white gauze was too glaring, but he couldn’t bear to look away.
“Does it hurt?” Ye Lai reached out several times but didn’t dare to touch him, only daring to touch the air a few times.
Sheng Mingqian tilted his chin, his face towards Ye Lai: “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”
“How did this happen? How did your eyes get hurt?”
Before Sheng Mingqian could speak, Lin Han began to curse: “Damn, there was only one last explosion scene left, and we could have wrapped up filming. The safe distance calculated by the explosives technician was wrong, or maybe it was a problem with the explosives. The other two staff members only had superficial injuries, but Mingqian got hurt in the eyes. Those bastards, how can they make mistakes in this kind of work? It could have cost someone’s life…”
“I also have a problem, after all, I’m the Director,” Sheng Mingqian interrupted him.
“It’s useless to say this now,” Lin Han sighed. “Don’t think about anything else now, take good care of your eyes, that’s what’s important.”
Ye Lai nodded: “Yes, resting is the most important thing now. Why is it always the eyes that get hurt?”
Lin Han echoed: “That’s right, why always…”
He paused before finishing, looking at Ye Lai: “Ye Lai, did you know Mingqian’s eyes were injured before?”
Ye Lai’s heart skipped a beat, his consciousness briefly disappearing. The images in his memory were like an old, faded movie, slowly flashing before his eyes frame by frame. He reached out and grabbed them, and those moving images and sounds would automatically play, even after ten years, he still clearly remembered everything.
“Ye Lai, what are you spacing out for? How did you know Mingqian’s eyes were injured before? It’s been ten years.” Lin Han asked again.
Ye Lai came back to his senses and refocused on Sheng Mingqian’s eyes, smiling and saying, “I saw it in the news before, I was still young then, I saw it in the news.”
Lin Han didn’t suspect anything and continued, “Yeah, it’s been so many years, I almost forgot if you didn’t mention it.”
Ye Lai breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the table, and picked up a glass of water: “Mingqian, I’ll pour you some water.”
Sheng Mingqian sat on the bed, turning slightly to follow Ye Lai’s movements.
Ye Lai looked back, inexplicably feeling two penetrating gazes looking at him through the gauze. Ye Lai felt uncomfortable being “watched” by Sheng Mingqian and touched his neck: “Mingqian, what’s wrong?”
Sheng Mingqian’s face was still facing Ye Lai: “Add two slices of lemon to the water for me.”