Chapter 123: The Bai Chenxi of the Past

Wang Yehong watched the interaction between the two of them, and there was nothing left for him to misunderstand.

Looking at Bai Chenxi, he said with a sigh, “When I first met Chenxi, she was still teaching at a university. I never imagined that nearly two years would pass in the blink of an eye.”

“Oh! So our Chenxi used to be a teacher? Brother Wang, you have to tell us all about it.”

Wei Tian was the host currently enjoying the greatest popularity, and he understood his role perfectly. He brought up the subject at just the right moment, making sure the atmosphere did not grow cold.

Wang Yehong leaned back against his chair and began to reminisce. “Back then, I visited quite a few film academies while casting for The Empire and the Beauty, but I never found anyone suitable.”

Gao Yuan said, “And then you found Sister Chenxi at the university. The moment you saw her, you knew she was perfect, right?”

Wang Yehong smiled. “More or less. Actually, when I went to their university, I had no intention of looking for actors. An old gentleman was holding a calligraphy and painting exhibition there, and I went to see the artwork. That was where I saw Chenxi.”

“When I spotted her, she was looking at the paintings and calligraphy. I truly knew at first glance that she was the Miss Lan I was looking for—clever, courageous, and carrying the air of someone steeped in books.”

Lan Tian continued with another question. “And then the two of you happily began working together?”

At that, Wang Yehong burst out laughing. “My collaboration with Chenxi was anything but smooth. Chenxi, do you remember what you said when I told you I wanted you to act in my film?”

Bai Chenxi smiled sheepishly. “I thought Brother Wang was a scammer. I even told him that if he followed me again, I would call the police.”

Everyone at the table laughed. Even Wei Tian chimed in, “Did you get so deeply absorbed in Brother Wang’s villain role that you mistook him for one in real life?”

His words were not entirely unfounded. Wang Yehong’s breakthrough role had been that of a villain, and the character remained a nightmare for many people to this day. Back then, some people had even burst into tears at the sight of Wang Yehong.

Bai Chenxi waved her hands. “That wasn’t it. Brother Wang was wearing a hat and a mask, along with a completely black outfit. There was no way he looked like someone who had come to see a calligraphy and painting exhibition.”

Wang Yehong joked, “So you’re still blaming me for that?”

“Of course not, of course not.” Bai Chenxi immediately poured him a glass of water.

Even Chu Muyun rarely spoke up. “Then how did you eventually agree?”

Wang Yehong set down his glass. “That story deserves a proper telling. It certainly wasn’t easy!”

“After I finished speaking with Chenxi that day, she left before I even learned her name. I went to great lengths to find out who she was.”

“I waited at the university for several days before I ran into her again. To persuade her, I went looking for her every day. I talked until my lips were practically worn through.”

Even recounting it made Wang Yehong feel that his mouth had gone dry again. He picked up his glass and took a sip.

Wei Tian asked curiously, “Why didn’t Chenxi agree at the time?”

“I had just graduated, and I only wanted to teach and settle into a proper job. I wasn’t interested in acting or anything like that.”

Lan Tian could hardly wait to ask, “Then what made you change your mind?”

Bai Chenxi thought for a moment. “Brother Wang asked me to visit the film studio. I figured I could treat it as a trip, so I went.”

“I sat there and watched for an entire day. Then, all of a sudden, I felt that it was actually quite interesting, and I wanted to give it a try. So I agreed.”

Wang Yehong continued, “At the time, I had truly run out of ideas. My wife suggested that I let Chenxi experience it for herself. She said Chenxi would make her own decision.”

Only then did Bai Chenxi realize. “So it was our boss’s wife who really saved the day!”

Wang Yehong beamed. “Of course my wife was the clever one.”

Bai Chenxi suddenly covered her teeth. “Ow! Why do my teeth suddenly feel so sore?”

The others played along at once. “We shouldn’t have eaten so much earlier. A whole basin of couple sweetness just landed on us, and now we’re stuffed!”

Usually, a conversation like this would naturally turn toward romance. But everyone at the table was single, and not one of them wanted to bring up relationships.

The only person who was genuinely looking forward to such a topic was still a minor. Everyone tactfully skipped over it.

It grew late, and everyone went off to rest. Bai Chenxi sat alone on the swing in the courtyard, rocking aimlessly back and forth.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

Bai Chenxi turned around. “Brother Chu, what brings you here?”

Chu Muyun draped the blanket in his hands over Bai Chenxi’s shoulders. Feeling his presence so close, Bai Chenxi’s face flushed despite herself.

Fortunately, he could not see it. Otherwise, she would have been too embarrassed to face anyone. Even so, she still glanced around guiltily.

“Stop looking. The staff have all gone to rest. I also had them turn off the cameras in the courtyard.”

Only then did Bai Chenxi relax. Seeing how visibly relieved she looked, Chu Muyun could not help feeling somewhat defeated.

“Are we really so shameful that you have to be this nervous whenever we’re together?”

She understood what he meant, but somehow the wording sounded strange to her.

Bai Chenxi explained, “No, it’s just that the rumors about us had finally begun to die down. Everyone seems to believe that we’re only friends now. If something else gets reported, it won’t be good for your reputation, Brother Chu.”

What she was really thinking was: If anything else gets out, won’t your fans tear me to pieces online?

“Oh? So friends aren’t allowed to drape blankets over each other?” There was a faint note of hope in Chu Muyun’s voice. Had she finally realized his feelings?

Who would have thought Bai Chenxi would immediately continue, “That’s not what I mean. Our brotherly friendship is perfectly aboveboard. I’m just worried that people might see us and misunderstand.”

Chu Muyun grumbled inwardly: Then why don’t you ever misunderstand anything?

Feeling somewhat dejected, he sat down beside her and looked at her profile. “Why are you unhappy?”

Bai Chenxi lifted her head toward him and smiled. “I’m not unhappy.”

Chu Muyun said nothing. He simply looked at her.

Under his gaze, Bai Chenxi felt as though she had nowhere to hide. It seemed that all the things she concealed became transparent the moment she faced Chu Muyun.

“All right. I really am feeling a little down.”

“Why? Is it because of acting? Don’t you like it?”

Chu Muyun had noticed that her mood had remained low throughout the conversation about her acting career.

Bai Chenxi leaned her head against the swing’s rope, looking utterly helpless.

“How could I not like it? What Brother Wang said today wasn’t the whole story. When I went home, full of excitement, to tell my parents about it, we had a huge argument.”

“Your parents objected?” Chu Muyun could actually understand. Without his elder brother and grandmother, he probably would not have been free to do whatever he wanted either.

Bai Chenxi nodded. “For the first twenty years of my life, I did everything my family told me to do. Staying on at the university as a teacher after graduation was, in their eyes, a respectable career. I thought it was what I wanted too.”

“It wasn’t until I spent that day at the film studio that I began to wonder whether I could live a different kind of life.”

“Actually, I didn’t like acting at the time either. I was simply curious about it. Perhaps it was a delayed rebellious phase. Since my family opposed it, I became even more determined to do it.”

Chu Muyun asked, “Then how did your family finally agree?”

Little Theater

One night, Bai Chenxi suddenly began crying in her sleep.

Chu Muyun woke her, and Bai Chenxi threw her arms around him and sobbed. He comforted her gently. “What is it? Did you have a nightmare? It was only a dream. Don’t be afraid.”

Buried in Chu Muyun’s arms, Bai Chenxi cried as she said, “I dreamed that Brother Wang came to ask me to act in a film, but I refused. Then I went on living my ordinary life, and I never met you again.”

Holding her close, Chu Muyun said, “Don’t worry. Whether you agreed or not, I would have found you and fallen in love with you.”

Bai Chenxi gazed at him through tear-filled eyes. “My love…”