SM Chapter 30

Chapter 30: How Do I Say I Love You? (Two Chapters Combined)

(Part 1)

The news of Li Tianfeng’s arrest quickly spread throughout the entertainment circle, and major platforms were reposting related news.

Sun Yuhao also sent the news link to Ye Lai, followed by a message saying, “Thank you, Brother Lai.”

Ye Lai could understand Sun Yuhao’s feelings right now. They were both considered lucky. He didn’t say much, only replied with a hugging bear emoji.

The drama series he had terminated his contract with last time was also reported to have halted filming. Following Li Tianfeng, the director of that drama series was also taken away.

Some people clapped and cheered, while others worried. Those who worried were the several celebrities that Li Tianfeng had openly supported. They were now trying their best to distance themselves from him, afraid that Li Tianfeng’s arrest would affect their careers.

But no more than three hours after the news broke, a long list circulated, naming people in the industry who had ties or relationships with Li Tianfeng. Everyone knew exactly what kind of relationship it was.

Originally, the arrest of an entertainment executive hadn’t attracted much attention because he was behind the scenes, and it only spread privately within the industry. But after that long list was circulated, everyone in the industry felt insecure. The list prominently included many minor celebrities. Li Tianfeng had favored young men in recent years. In the past, he hadn’t discriminated between men and women. The list included both men and women, and some of them were now first or second-tier celebrities.

Before the night was over, the people on the list had successively posted on Weibo to clarify themselves, and many also directly posted lawyer’s letters and police records. But the list had already spread, and most netizens and onlookers preferred to believe it was true. Only the fans of each celebrity came out to defend them, and everyone was extremely busy.

Although the list was quickly taken down, many people had already seen it.

Zuo Qi, with his excellent connections, forwarded the list to Ye Lai early on. Ye Lai had already seen it, and his and Sun Yuhao’s names were not on it.

Ye Lai even received many private messages from fans, some reminding him to be careful, and others rejoicing that he wasn’t on the list.

Ye Lai always felt that his and Sheng Mingqian’s trip to Finland was too coincidental. Having been in this industry for so long, he never believed in coincidences.

Just like back then, he “coincidentally” entered Sheng Mingqian’s room and “coincidentally” recorded the video of him and Sheng Mingqian that night. In Sheng Mingqian’s eyes, there must have been no such coincidence either. He probably still loathed his despicable behavior back then.

Sheng Mingqian had entered this circle at a young age, and having been in this fame and fortune field filled with various false masks, bustling with comings and goings, words like “accident” and “coincidence” had long been removed from his vocabulary. Every so-called accident and fleeting glance could be converted into an equivalent value—

Money, resources, the pursuit of fame and fortune were things that had rusted in the mouths, eyes, and hearts of people in this industry, and from a distance, you could smell the sour, moldy smell wrapped around them.

Truth and falsehood, falsehood and truth, how could there be any talk of sincerity?

So how could Sheng Mingqian believe that those were just coincidences? He might even think that from the moment he stopped him in the hallway of the audition Hotel, every detail had become a “setup” that he had planned long ago, and the few months of filming the movie afterward were just step-by-step strategies.

Until that absurd night.

And this time, he had previously thought that Sheng Mingqian brought him back was because he was worried that he would talk too much and expose their relationship.

Now, for some reason, Ye Lai had a feeling that Sheng Mingqian seemed to be secretly protecting him, not wanting him to be involved in this matter, so he simply brought him along.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, thinking of this possibility, Ye Lai immediately grabbed onto that ethereal thing, like a temporary painkiller, even if it was just to numb himself.

–

–

After coming to Helsinki with Sheng Mingqian, the weather had been good. After two days of adjusting to the time difference, on the third morning, after breakfast, Sheng Dehui tossed the car keys to Sheng Mingqian, and Yuan Ling smiled and pushed them out to play.

Autumn in Helsinki was colorful. The pines and cypresses were still verdant, the maple trees were full of bright red, and the blue and yellow leaves floated lightly in the wind. The sound of ship horns came from the distant horizon.

They left early, and there were only a few scattered figures on the street. Sheng Mingqian drove the car, and Ye Lai sat in the passenger seat.

Here, they didn’t need to hide. The chances of being recognized were not high. Ye Lai didn’t wear a hat or mask. He liked the feeling of being in the sunlight with Sheng Mingqian at this moment, the warm and cool breeze, the warm sunshine.

Everything was good, even if only temporarily.

The car window was always open, and Ye Lai’s arm rested on the window sill, reaching out to touch the wind, feeling the shape of the wind passing through his fingers. The wind messed up his hair, and Sheng Mingqian slowly reduced the speed of the car.

Ye Lai kept looking out the window, finding everything novel and asking about everything.

“Mingqian, what is that red, beautiful fruit?”

Sheng Mingqian looked in the direction of his finger and replied, “There are also in the country. We call it yew.”

Ye Lai was a little surprised: “So that’s yew. I’ve only heard of it but never seen it. It’s very bright red, really beautiful. Can you eat it?”

“That stuff is poisonous when soaked in water,” Sheng Mingqian said, holding the steering wheel, very unsentimentally, “In life, many beautiful and bright things are poisonous.”

Ye Lai still had a shallow smile on his lips, and his good mood at the moment was not affected, but he still tilted his head and said to him: “Mingqian, you are also poisonous.”

But also bright, knowing it’s poisonous, but making people can’t help but want to get close.

Ye Lai didn’t say the second half of the sentence, and asked him again: “Mingqian, can you speak Finnish?”

“Yes.”

“Then how do you say yew in Finnish?”

“The locals call it kiinalainen jnes.”

“Then, how do you say ‘I love you’ in Finnish?”

Before coming to Finland, Ye Lai had also used translation software to learn a few words, such as the simplest greetings, hello, thank you, sorry, which way to go…

He had already learned the word “I love you”, but he just wanted to ask. Sheng Mingqian didn’t pause at all and answered his question in Finnish.

“Min Rakastan sinua.”

When Sheng Mingqian spoke Finnish, his voice was low and mellow. The middle word sounded like a uvular trill. He said it with a lingering, roundabout taste. Ye Lai closed his eyes and carefully savored it once, and learned Sheng Mingqian’s pronunciation and said it again.

“Min Rakastan sinua.”

“Min Rakastan sinua.”

“Min Rakastan sinua.”

“Is my pronunciation standard?” Ye Lai said three times in a row, his peach blossom eyes filled with a lot of wind that made people’s hearts beat fast in this autumn.

Sheng Mingqian raised his eyebrows while holding the steering wheel, and the emotion in his eyes was gently shaken by the Finnish spoken by Ye Lai, rippling with traces of fluctuations, making it difficult to figure out.

In the end, he just simply commented: “It’s okay…”

Sheng Mingqian’s evaluation was not heartfelt, but Ye Lai still felt good, humming a love song softly in his nose. At first, he just hummed in his nose, and later directly opened his mouth to sing a few sentences.

He debuted through talent shows back then, and he also released a few singles after his debut, but they didn’t cause any waves. His voice was not outstanding in the music world. At this moment, his voice was clear and bright, and the long and soft melody, mixed with the wind blowing into the car, entangled Sheng Mingqian’s ears, and drilled in bit by bit.

Sheng Mingqian’s slender fingers grasped the steering wheel, supporting it hard and holding it down. The blue blood vessels on the back of his hand were more obvious.

“Mingqian, where are we going today?” Ye Lai asked.

“Going to sea?”

“Let’s go.”

Ye Lai stopped humming and asked him with great interest. He finally found a topic and told Sheng Mingqian all the places he wanted to go with him before he came.

“Helsinki has many lakes and many small islands. I heard they are all very beautiful, old buildings, small alleys, docks…”

Sheng Mingqian glanced at him out of the corner of his eye: “Have you already seen it?”

“I had already checked the guide online before I came,” Ye Lai said, “I want to go with you.”

For a week, Sheng Mingqian took Ye Lai all over Helsinki, the cathedral, scuba diving on the island, fishing at sea, ancient old buildings, flea markets in small alleys, boating at the dock, and in the afternoon, they went to their favorite cafes or bars to sit…

It was an unprecedented ease and leisure.

On the seventh night, they came out of the bar, and Ye Lai pulled Sheng Mingqian’s arm and was still recognized by two Chinese students.

Sheng Mingqian’s popularity was too high, and the two girls took out their phones and ran over to say they wanted to take a photo together, and then recognized Ye Lai, who was leaning on Sheng Mingqian, with a drunken red face.

“Ah – it’s really Director Sheng and Ye Lai. I just said I must have recognized the right person,” the girl tilted her head and communicated with her companion beside her in what she thought was a very low voice, “It’s such a coincidence.”

Only after the girl finished speaking did she remember to take out her phone to take a photo: “Director Sheng, Ye Lai, can we take a photo with you?”

Although Ye Lai was a little drunk, he still had reason. After being recognized and called by name, he stood up straight and stopped leaning on Sheng Mingqian, but his fingers were still pulling on the corner of Sheng Mingqian’s trench coat, reluctant to let go, and his fingernails hooked on his clothes.

The music and drum beats from inside could still be heard at the entrance of the bar. Only Ye Lai could feel the rustling sound of his fingernails scraping on the fabric, the route of the fingernail scratching was rugged and intricate.

Sheng Mingqian didn’t hesitate and politely smiled at them, agreeing to take a photo with them. Ye Lai nodded and said okay when he saw him agree.

The girl looked around, ran to the side of the security guard at the entrance of the bar, and asked him to help take pictures.

The two girls stood on either side of Sheng Mingqian and Ye Lai respectively, and all four of them smiled at the camera. The two girls who got the photo were a little excited.

Ye Lai narrowed his charming peach blossom eyes. His face itself was bewitching, and when he smiled, it added a bit of magic. He put his finger to his lips and leaned over to them and made a shushing gesture.

“Two little beauties, we are here in Finland to film a movie. The photos we just took can’t be spread, okay?”

The eyes of the two girls were all on Ye Lai’s face, and they nodded and agreed to whatever he said.

Sheng Mingqian and Ye Lai walked away, and the two girls were still looking at the photos on their phones. One of them looked around the bar and a little puzzled.

“Were they filming a movie just now? I didn’t see any machines or anything.”

The other girl laughed: “I said, you believe everything they say, obviously they just came to play, and they are afraid that we will talk nonsense.”

“Then they? They looked very close just now. Ye Lai was holding Director Sheng’s arm at the beginning. Oh my god, they wouldn’t be in love, would they?” The girl shook the arm of the person next to her excitedly, and her voice changed when she thought of this possibility.

“I don’t know if they are in love. After all, Director Sheng has quite a few scandals. He was also exposed to having a relationship with a male actor some time ago, but he later clarified it on Weibo.”

“Then is it the same with Ye Lai?”

The other girl laughed at her for being silly again: “The marketing account is just saying that. Director Sheng can have anyone he wants, there is no need to have a relationship with anyone. It is likely that those people took the initiative to stick to him.”

“Is Ye Lai too? But, they look really good together.”

“I also think they look good together.”

(Part 2)

When they got back from the bar, Ye Lai was still humming the tune that was playing in the bar, and he was still holding Sheng Mingqian’s hand.

Yuan Ling hadn’t slept yet and was making pottery in the ceramic room. When she heard the dog barking, she came out. Ye Lai knew that she was waiting for them. He went over and hugged Yuan Ling and said “thank you” to her.

Yuan Ling smiled and said that he was silly and patted him on the back: “Did you drink alcohol? Go upstairs with Mingqian to rest.”

“Okay, Auntie, you should also rest early.”

Yuan Ling made them two cups of honey water. Ye Lai felt warm in his stomach after drinking it, and he felt much better, and he sobered up a bit.

In the bedroom study, Sheng Mingqian took a shower and sat on the sofa with his laptop, looking at the script.

Ye Lai was behind him, wearing a bathrobe and came out too. After wiping his hair, he put down the towel and walked over, sitting on the sofa next to him. His arm, still hanging with water droplets, rested on Sheng Mingqian’s shoulder, and he leaned on him lazily.

“Mingqian, what are you looking at?”

Sheng Mingqian’s voice was lacking in interest: “Looking at the script.”

Ye Lai turned over and lay on the sofa, using Sheng Mingqian’s leg as a pillow: “Mingqian, do you think those two girls who wanted to take a photo tonight will spread that photo? I always feel that our relationship will be known sooner or later.”

Sheng Mingqian moved his eyes away from the laptop screen, lowered his head and pinched Ye Lai’s chin and lifted it up, and then turned it around: “How little do you know now?”

Ye Lai was tickled by his pinch and giggled a few times, changing the subject: “Mingqian, when are we going back to the country?”

“Want to go back?”

Ye Lai pursed his lips: “Should I tell the truth? Actually, I don’t want to…”

Here, he could walk side by side with Sheng Mingqian. He liked it here and enjoyed the family warmth that Yuan Ling and Sheng Dehui brought him. He even wanted to stay here with Sheng Mingqian forever.

But it was just a thought.

Sheng Mingqian read the script very quickly, and the mouse kept sliding down, obviously not liking the content inside, so he was just skimming through it.

Ye Lai got up and took the novel *The World on the Bough*, and lay back on Sheng Mingqian’s lap and began to read.

“That bathroom built of cement, half of the shower head was broken, I spent more and more time on showering every day, the transparent plastic bag filled with food would fall down through the small window on the iron door, the soup spilled in the bag, human’s instinctive desire to survive made me not have the right to be picky… I would pick up the bag full of soup, take the silver spoon that was also stained with soup, and mechanically send food to my mouth, and then chew in big mouthfuls, I couldn’t taste the taste of the food, it was my first change here, I started to miss the ice beer I drank into my stomach on the night of my eighteenth birthday, the ice-cold bubbles jumping in my mouth, the aftertaste also had a trace of the unique aroma of malt, tugging at every nerve on my tongue…”

Sheng Mingqian’s attention completely disappeared from the screen. He suddenly thought that Ye Lai would occasionally drink ice beer, and when he thought of him drinking ice beer on an empty stomach several times in the morning and not listening to advice, his eyebrows furrowed deeply unconsciously.

Ye Lai read one page and turned back to continue reading: “The second time I was bitten by those poisonous things, I felt that I was going to die, my vision began to blur, the 24-hour fluorescent light above my head gradually spread and enlarged, and only my own increasingly heavy breathing could be heard in my ears, I wanted to touch the newspaper sandwiched under the quilt, the newspaper with Jiang Yuanzhou’s photo on it, in my consciousness my fingers bent into an impossible angle, and my fingertips finally touched the crumpled, creased newspaper, I used all my strength to pull the newspaper out and hold it up to my eyes, Jiang Yuanzhou’s face flashed before my eyes, and then the white spot in my vision spread until it turned completely white…”

…

“Fear becomes numb in the slow passage of time, my hair grows longer day by day, at first it was only to my ears, then it grew to cover my ears and stick to my chin, then to my shoulders, the ends of my hair curved slightly outward, I hate my slowly growing hair, but I also use it to judge time, it’s been almost a year, right.”

“I don’t know when I started to have a very bad habit, I started to pull my hair, the moment it was pulled out, the pain of the scalp being pulled made my heart numb, strands of black hair fell on my body, on the floor, and on the damp pillow…”

Ye Lai was reading with concentration, when suddenly there was a weight on his head. He tried to look up, and his eyes passed through the middle of his hair and saw Sheng Mingqian’s fingers resting on his head. Sheng Mingqian’s fingers touched his hair, and the warmth in his palm gradually magnified.

Because of the content in the book, Ye Lai’s psychological discomfort brought on a scalp pain, as if the hair on his head was also being pulled out.

Sheng Mingqian’s palm stroked his hair, inexplicably soothing the pain from the scalp.

“Don’t read…” Sheng Mingqian said.

Perhaps because of the first-person perspective, Ye Lai said “I” when reading, and a strange feeling welled up in Sheng Mingqian’s heart. He automatically substituted the scene of Ye Lai pulling his own hair in his brain. Strands of hair fell, and the expression on Ye Lai’s face distorted with pain made him close his eyes and shake off those images that shouldn’t have appeared.

Sheng Mingqian closed the laptop on his knees and put it aside.

Just now Lin Han sent him several new scripts that investors had bought, asking him to screen them to see if there were any that he liked. He roughly scanned five scripts and couldn’t find a story that he liked. Perhaps his attention was all on the sound of Ye Lai reading, and he couldn’t get into it. He recognized the words on the screen but didn’t understand what they meant, but the words that Ye Lai read kept lingering in his mind.

This was also the reason why he chose this script at the beginning. A few months ago, Lin Han sent him five scripts, *The World on the Bough* was just one of them, and it was the last one he read. The four scripts in front of it were all good, they were all types he wanted to try, and stories that he liked. At that time, he had already given up on reading the fifth script.

Most investors would choose commercial scripts that catered to the market and send them to him, so it was rare that so many good scripts would come into his hands at once for him to choose from.

He never considered the market when making movies, only the things he wanted to shoot. In the past, many people said that he was too noble and would taste failure sooner or later. Perhaps he was too lucky.

He paid great attention to the quality of the films. Even if he was filming non-commercial films, the box office was always very considerable. In the end, those people had to admit that Sheng Mingqian, the director, had gradually become a box office guarantee, which was why investors would most likely compromise with him even if they didn’t like the script he chose.

After reading the four scripts, just when he wanted to discuss with Lin Han and choose one of the four scripts to film, Ye Lai hooked him up for sex after taking a shower.

He still remembered what happened that night clearly. Just thinking about it brought a surge of uncontrollable emotions to his face.

Ye Lai said he wanted to try doing it in the study. Before, they had done it in the master bedroom, bathroom, balcony, by the swimming pool, and even in the living room and kitchen, but they had never tried the study.

Ye Lai was wearing a see-through lingerie nightgown that night, the black lace trim of the nightgown was against his thighs, and two circles on his chest propped up the thin fabric. The thin muscles on his waist and abdomen were looming.

Just by touching his body, a translucent blush quickly floated on Ye Lai’s cheeks, making people can’t help but want to see more expressions on his face——

The expression that he brought to him.

During the emotional moment, the movements of the two people were too large. Ye Lai was facing him, his arms propped against the desk, and his fingers tried desperately to grab something to support himself, but he accidentally knocked over that large stack of folders and script materials on the desk.

Ye Lai heard the sound, opened his red eyes, tilted his head and looked, pointed to the floor and reminded him that things had fallen.

He just glanced at the things scattered on the floor at the time, but he just glanced at them and didn’t pay much attention. He soon pressed on Ye Lai and continued.

The next morning before going out, he looked at the study with the door wide open, and then looked at the scattered materials and documents all over the ground. He walked over as if possessed by a ghost. A few pages of the script of *The World on the Bough* were unfolded. He was attracted by the content inside at a glance. He couldn’t care about tidying up things, picked it up and read it once first, and decided at that time to give up the first four and film *The World on the Bough*.

After reading the script, he went to read the original novel. From the moment he opened the book, he always had a vague feeling in his heart, as if something was hidden behind the thick fog. For so long, the thick fog couldn’t dissipate, and he couldn’t see everything behind it.

“Mingqian, what are you thinking about?”

The pain on the scalp completely disappeared under Sheng Mingqian’s stroking. Ye Lai raised his chin to look at Sheng Mingqian, and raised his hand to touch the rolling Adam’s apple on Sheng Mingqian, and the slightly hard tip of his fingertip slid down his fingertip.

“It’s too late, it’s time to sleep, don’t read anymore.”

Sheng Mingqian grabbed Ye Lai’s finger that was making trouble on his neck, kissed it on his lips, squeezed the sour and swollen root of his nose, closed his eyes and took a breath, slowly adjusted his breathing, and directly picked up Ye Lai and walked towards the bed.