SM Chapter 50

Chapter 50: In the Future, Please Don’t Look for Me Again

Zhang Yihao temporarily got Ye Lai a role. After filming a long night scene, Ye Lai received a call from Li Xun as soon as he finished. Li Xun said that the production company suddenly said that they didn’t need them to pay compensation anymore and wouldn’t sue them in the future either. If he changed his mind one day and wanted to continue the authorization, he could tell them at any time. The movie preparation work for “The World on the Bough” would be shelved indefinitely. Whether to film it or when to film it was up to him.

The change was so sudden. A while ago, they were clinging to the 12 million yuan breach of contract fee and refusing to let go. If he didn’t pay the compensation, they would go through legal procedures. Now, it had turned into him being able to do whatever he wanted. How could there be such a good thing?

Ye Lai and Li Xun both thought that it wasn’t that simple.

“Ye Lai, has anyone revealed any information to you before?”

Ye Lai was also puzzled: “No, I only found out after receiving Sister Xun’s call.”

“Someone must be speaking up for you behind the scenes,” Li Xun said.

Ye Lai thought so too. As for who that person was, who had enough influence to directly settle the production company and put the initiative into his hands, Ye Lai could only think of one person: Sheng Mingqian. There was no one else.

After a thunderstorm for most of the night, Ye Lai stood on the steps at the entrance of the film set and looked up at the sky after the rain, which was high and blue.

As for the reason…

Sheng Mingqian probably already knew that he wrote the book and that Bai Yusheng was him.

Ye Lai had already prepared himself to meet Sheng Mingqian in court, but that was also the outcome he least wanted to face.

His obsession and his wishful thinking were all in that book. From the moment he signed the divorce agreement, those things were no longer related to Sheng Mingqian. He sometimes even regretted writing the book.

He had already started writing when he and Sheng Mingqian got married, and it took him two years to finish. At that time, he hadn’t thought about publishing it. Li Xun introduced him to a publishing house after reading it, and it was still published.

Later, when someone contacted Li Xun, saying they wanted to authorize the novel to be made into a movie, and the script might be sent to Sheng Mingqian, his heartbeat skipped a beat.

At that moment, the seedling buried under the thick soil in his heart broke through the ground and quickly broke through that thick barrier. What he hadn’t said, he wanted to tell Sheng Mingqian through the movie.

The novel script finally did end up in Sheng Mingqian’s hands, but in addition to his, there were four other books submitted to Sheng Mingqian at the same time. He had asked indirectly, and “The World on the Bough” script had remained untouched in the study from beginning to end. Sheng Mingqian hadn’t read it because the first four scripts were good, so he decided to discuss it with Lin Han and pick one from the first few.

That night, he deliberately told Sheng Mingqian that he wanted to do it in the study. During the intense sex, he deliberately knocked over the documents and scripts on the table. At that time, he just wanted Sheng Mingqian to take a look, even if Sheng Mingqian saw it, he wouldn’t necessarily film it.

To his surprise, Sheng Mingqian finally chose “The World on the Bough.” After it was completely finalized, Ye Lai wanted more and more, and he began to want that role, and finally opened his mouth to Sheng Mingqian.

He thought Sheng Mingqian would agree. He overestimated himself.

During the time around the director’s death, every time he saw Sheng Mingqian, he would think of what happened at noon on the day of the audition, clearly remembering what Sheng Mingqian had said to him.

Ye Lai was increasingly unable to define his past ten years, and even less able to convince himself that everything was just a fleeting dream.

People are always dissatisfied. It’s just inherent human nature.

He was also increasingly unable to face Sheng Mingqian, because the bad habits that had grown over the past ten years were not so easy to pull out. As soon as he moved, the countless branches that grew out of those bad habits would constantly pull at his nerves. From beginning to end, every time he pulled, it hurt.

In the end, not only did he not pull it out, but he also plunged himself into a deeper abyss.

–

–

“Ye Lai, can I interview you for a moment?” A sudden voice interrupted Ye Lai.

It was a reporter who had been waiting outside, rushing over when he saw him: “Ye Lai, can you respond to the news of your divorce from Director Sheng Mingqian? How are you two now? Will you still cooperate in the future? Can you talk about why you divorced?”

The heat had already passed, but someone was still lying in wait for him. Ye Lai composed himself from the earth-shattering emotions in his heart, forced a smile, and tried to smile: “You came so early to wait for me. You’ve been waiting for a long time, right? It must have been hard. I won’t say much about this matter. Director Sheng and I are already divorced. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will work hard to produce better works for everyone. Thank you. That’s all I’ll say.”

Ye Lai said empty pleasantries, his eyes without light or waves.

The reporter was still not giving up, chasing after him: “Ye Lai, Director Sheng hasn’t responded. Some people say you’re trying to gain popularity. Do you have anything to say?”

“Also, is there a third party involved in your divorce from Director Sheng?”

“Is it because of Qin Zimo?”

No matter what the people chasing him asked, Ye Lai didn’t say another word, lowering his head and quickly going to the parking lot.

Ye Lai lay on the steering wheel and took a breath, panting a few times. After the reporters outside had gone far away, he drove back.

Before getting on the elevated road, Ye Lai saw a black business car following behind his car in the rearview mirror, thinking that the entertainment reporters nowadays were really dedicated, even following cars.

Ye Lai stepped on the gas pedal and increased his speed, not getting on the elevated road in the middle, making a turn, and detouring for a while before completely shaking off the car behind him.

–

–

Ye Lai dragged his heavy legs upstairs. As soon as he came out of the elevator, he saw a person standing in front of his apartment door with his back to him. With just a vague glimpse of his back, he knew that the person was Sheng Mingqian.

After working a long night, Ye Lai was exhausted, and the corners of his forehead were still throbbing. So, when he looked at Sheng Mingqian, he felt that his back was also tired, as if something was pressing on him.

Sheng Mingqian had a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers on his right hand hanging by his side, and a breakfast bag in his left hand. Hearing the footsteps, he turned his head and saw that it was Ye Lai. Pain flashed in his eyes. Finally, he frantically extinguished the still-smoking cigarette butt: “You’re back.”

Ye Lai stood at the elevator entrance. Even though they were a few meters apart, he could still clearly hear the crack in Sheng Mingqian’s voice, as if his throat had been accidentally burned by the red light on the cigarette butt because he was in a hurry to put out the cigarette just now.

Sheng Mingqian’s hair had been tidied, but his eyes were red, even redder than his, who hadn’t slept all night. His suit was neat, but there was still mud on the hem of his suit pants. His leather shoes had obviously just been wiped. He looked like someone who had been embarrassed for a long time, trying to tidy himself up decently, but still able to reveal his haste and panic.

Ye Lai felt as if he hadn’t seen Sheng Mingqian for a long time, but counting the days on his fingers, it had actually only been a few days.

“When did you come?” Ye Lai frowned. Sheng Mingqian wouldn’t have been waiting for him here all night, right? It had rained last night, but it had already stopped in the morning.

“I haven’t been here long,” Sheng Mingqian handed the breakfast bag forward a little. “The breakfast is still hot.”

Ye Lai took a few steps forward, but didn’t take the breakfast bag from Sheng Mingqian’s hand. He walked to the door, turned his back to Sheng Mingqian, took out the key, and opened the door: “How did you know I lived here?”

The orphanage was too far from the city center. To make it easier to work, he moved out and rented this small new apartment in the city center. He hadn’t told anyone the address of the new apartment. Only Zhang Yihao knew.

But Zhang Yihao wouldn’t tell Sheng Mingqian the address.

Just as Ye Lai denied it in his heart, Sheng Mingqian said, “I asked Zhang Yihao before I came.”

Ye Lai: “…” He had to ask Zhang Yihao about it later.

As soon as the door opened, Ye Lai walked in, and Sheng Mingqian followed behind him.

Ye Lai stopped moving forward, remembering Li Xun’s call just now, and turned back to look at Sheng Mingqian. Two pairs of scarlet eyes met.

Ye Lai smiled: “Director Sheng, that’s right, I have to thank you for speaking up for me with the production company. Otherwise, I might have had to pay a lot of money.”

With one sentence, Sheng Mingqian thought of the night he signed the divorce agreement. He asked Ye Lai what he wanted, and Ye Lai said for the first time that he was short of money. At that time, Ye Lai still had a hint of insinuation, but he didn’t associate Ye Lai with “The World on the Bough” at all. Even a little bit of speculation in that direction would be hastily avoided by him, like a person instinctively wanting to avoid a devastating disaster.

Therefore, apart from the facts, it was he who cut off Ye Lai’s thoughts, again and again, time after time. He was the executioner, holding a blunt knife in his hand…

“The production company won’t bother you anymore.”

“Thank you, Director Sheng.”

The window of the fire exit on the stairs was open, and the cold wind from the spring chill blew through, penetrating Sheng Mingqian’s wet clothes, causing a stinging pain.

In just a few seconds, Ye Lai saw a storm in Sheng Mingqian’s eyes. He closed his teeth forcefully, looked away from him, raised his leg, and entered the door.

Before Ye Lai could close the door, Sheng Mingqian had already squeezed in sideways through the crack in the door. By the time Ye Lai wanted to close the door again, Sheng Mingqian was already standing on the carpet.

–

–

“I know,” Sheng Mingqian suddenly said again.

“Know what?”

Ye Lai’s eyes were on Sheng Mingqian’s toes. He subconsciously asked, but then he realized that Sheng Mingqian was saying that he knew that “The World on the Bough” was written by him.

If he knew, then he knew. It was only a matter of time.

“I know that it was written by you.”

Ye Lai casually put the car keys and door keys in his hand on the cabinet and continued to walk inside, saying “Oh” faintly, his voice without emotion.

He didn’t want to discuss this topic with Sheng Mingqian anymore. Walking to the refrigerator, Ye Lai opened the door and took out a can of ice beer from inside. He pulled open the tab, raised his head, and took a big sip. The bubbles jumped in his mouth, driving away the hopelessness in his body, but also filling in some other things.

Ye Lai raised the beer can, wanting to drink again, but suddenly his hand was empty. The beer can was taken away by Sheng Mingqian.

Sheng Mingqian put the breakfast bag on the table. Ye Lai watched as Sheng Mingqian drank his beer clean. That was the last can of ice beer in the refrigerator.

“You…” Ye Lai was speechless.

“Don’t drink ice beer on an empty stomach,” Sheng Mingqian said, pinching the empty beer can. His fingers didn’t use any force, but the can still collapsed.

The new apartment was even smaller than Ye Lai’s previous apartment. Sheng Mingqian stood by the refrigerator, scanning it back and forth with his eyes. One bedroom, the door half-open, a sofa in the living room, no separate kitchen. Ye Lai had a lot of things, and the things filled the bedroom, and several large storage boxes were piled in the living room.

“Director Sheng,” Ye Lai said, dissatisfied with Sheng Mingqian’s scrutiny, “If you came to me because you found out that I was the author of “The World on the Bough,” I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“It’s necessary,” Sheng Mingqian turned back.

“It’s not necessary,” Ye Lai said, crossing his arms, leaning lazily against the refrigerator door, and denying it again. “I’ve also been thinking about what you said during this time. In that kind of environment, Bai Yusheng only saw Jiang Yuanzhou in the newspaper. That was the second person besides the devil. Jiang Yuanzhou’s face was handsome, standing high, people had talent, and would say words that could warm people. Even if it wasn’t Jiang Yuanzhou who appeared in the newspaper, but someone else, Bai Yusheng might also fall in love. Perhaps what you said is right, Bai Yusheng’s feelings for Jiang Yuanzhou are not love, it’s an obsession.”

Sheng Mingqian stood there blankly, listening to Ye Lai’s words. The blunt knife he swung out finally cut himself.

“Thank you for your breakfast.”

Ye Lai’s eyes were empty, although they were facing Sheng Mingqian, they weren’t looking at his face and eyes. After he finished speaking, he walked to the dining table, opened the breakfast bag, and the food container was filled with dumplings. Sure enough, they were still hot.

He took out chopsticks, picked up a dumpling, and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite, his cheeks bulging. They were pork and cabbage dumplings. Ye Lai chewed hard, wanting to chew up everything in his body together before giving up, his face flushed red.

Finally chewing the dumpling into pieces and swallowing it, Ye Lai suddenly felt that the pork and cabbage dumplings didn’t seem as delicious as before. He blinked his dry eyes and slowly opened his mouth: “Mingqian, I’m ready to give up those obsessions. In the future, please don’t look for me again…”