Li Qianxing glanced back and forth between Jiang Lin and the roses, gradually furrowing his brow.
“Is this the important matter you mentioned earlier?”
Jiang Lin took another half step forward, his gaze filled with tenderness.
“Once the wrap party is over, the crew will disband.”
Li Qianxing: “So?”
Jiang Lin: “So, the principles that applied to the crew are no longer valid.”
He slightly extended the large bouquet of roses, his gaze growing more focused as he stared at Qianxing.
“Teacher Li, do you think we can start a relationship now?”
In an instant, Li Qianxing’s mind echoed with his brother’s words—”Whenever you act in romance scenes, you attract admirers” and “Outside of filming, try to avoid contact with Jiang Lin.”
Over the three months of shooting, he hadn’t noticed Jiang Lin exhibiting the unusual behavior of previous co-stars. He thought Jiang Lin would be the sole exception. But now, it seemed the romantic film had affected his judgment too deeply.
Li Qianxing met Jiang Lin’s eyes.
Jiang Lin’s eyes were deep, a rare color close to pure black. Being gazed at for long by such profound eyes made it especially easy to be infected by the emotions within.
Looking only at his eyes, Li Qianxing even had the illusion that he was still Ji Ming’an from the film, being lovingly gazed at by Cheng Yue.
His heart fluttered for a moment.
But Li Qianxing took a deep breath, suppressing it.
He looked up at the security camera in the hallway. Seeing this, Jiang Lin followed his gaze.
Li Qianxing took out his room key. “Let’s talk inside.”
Jiang Lin, however, reached out to stop him. “I want to hear your answer first.”
Li Qianxing looked at him again and calmly said, “You’re just influenced by the film. You haven’t moved on yet.”
Jiang Lin seemed to have anticipated this response, his expression unchanging. “That cigarette this afternoon took Cheng Yue out of me, and Ji Ming’an out of you. I’m very clear that I’m not Cheng Yue, and your personality is vastly different from Ji Ming’an’s.”
At this, Jiang Lin’s smile deepened.
“I like you. Jiang Lin likes Li Qianxing. This isn’t an illusion.”
Li Qianxing was silent for a moment, then sighed softly.
However, just as he was about to speak, Jiang Lin interrupted him.
“You once said that love only needs to make you happy. And I, for the person I like, can have no limits. See, isn’t my lid a perfect fit for your pot? So why not give it a try with me, see if I can make you happy?”
Li Qianxing: “I have no plans to fall in love right now.”
Jiang Lin: “Love always appears quietly when least expected. I think you’re a bit biased towards me, though you might not have noticed it yourself.”
Li Qianxing was taken aback, thought for a moment, then said, “If you’re referring to that livestream…”
Jiang Lin interrupted him, “No, not that.”
Li Qianxing couldn’t help but look puzzled.
Jiang Lin stepped forward again, the roses now pressed against Li Qianxing’s chest.
He leaned in slightly, his voice lowered like a lover’s whisper. “That day in the mountains, when you suddenly had stomach pain. If it had been someone else with you, would you have let them warm your stomach like that?”
Li Qianxing was taken aback again, unconsciously following this train of thought.
If it were someone else… Without even thinking deeply, Li Qianxing had to admit he definitely wouldn’t have accepted such an intimate gesture. Stomach pain was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.
Li Qianxing considered explaining it as being in character, but he couldn’t deceive himself.
Because he often attracted admirers, he was actually very careful about maintaining distance from his co-stars after filming.
It was the same with Jiang Lin at first. Even though he had sought out Jiang Lin to practice kissing scenes, even though Jiang Lin had made him lunch, their relationship had merely progressed from initial unfamiliarity to slight cordiality.
So, when did he stop consciously maintaining that distance?
Li Qianxing suddenly felt a bit lost.
Jiang Lin gazed at him intently, not missing even the slightest change in his expression.
He pressed the flowers forward again, his eyes tinged with a hint of bitterness. “These flowers surely don’t want to end up in the trash. Could you accept them?”
Li Qianxing snapped back to reality, looking down at the full, dewy roses, then back up to catch Jiang Lin’s concealed hurt expression.
He’s an award-winning actor with excellent skills—Li Qianxing told himself.
But at this moment, with his mind already in turmoil, facing Jiang Lin like this, he truly couldn’t bring himself to outright refuse.
Li Qianxing closed his eyes, took another deep breath, then slowly opened them.
He raised his arms to embrace the roses that were practically being pushed into his arms.
In that instant, a spark of light burst in Jiang Lin’s eyes.
Li Qianxing felt as if something soft had gently poked the tip of his heart.
However, he cleared his throat and emphasized, “I need to think about it.”
Jiang Lin smiled, his eyes crinkling. “I’ll wait for you.”
Li Qianxing nodded, turning slightly to swipe his card and unlock the door.
He turned his head to Jiang Lin and said, “I’m going in. You should go rest too.”
But Jiang Lin seemed rooted to the spot. “A few more moments won’t hurt. I’ll watch you close the door.”
It was such an ordinary statement, yet for some reason, Li Qianxing suddenly felt his ears might be burning.
He said nothing more, pressed down on the handle to open the door, stepped inside, then turned to look up. “Go back now.”
Jiang Lin waved. “Good night, sweet dreams.”
Li Qianxing: “Good night.”
*
The door clicked shut, but Li Qianxing didn’t immediately move away. Instead, he stood behind the door, waiting for a moment.
However, the hallway carpet was too sound-absorbent, and the door’s soundproofing was too good. In short, he couldn’t hear any movement outside.
Li Qianxing glanced at the video intercom screen by the door but ultimately didn’t activate it to check. He turned and walked into the living room.
He placed the large bouquet of roses on the coffee table and first took out his phone to call Qi Jingnian.
Qi Jingnian answered quickly, asking with a smile, “How was the wrap party?”
Li Qianxing: “It was good. Ge, does Sister-in-law’s family have shares in this hotel I’m staying at?”
Qi Jingnian asked curiously, “They do. Why?”
Li Qianxing: “Could you help handle the hallway surveillance footage?”
He briefly explained about Jiang Lin coming to deliver flowers and being caught on camera.
Li Qianxing himself didn’t mind such things. Besides, with Xingyi behind him, even if the video leaked, people wouldn’t dare to spread rumors easily.
But Jiang Lin was different. He had just won an international Best Actor award, making him a target of envy. His foundation wasn’t solid yet, and he was the one actively delivering flowers. If ill-intentioned people got hold of this, they could immediately fabricate a lot of negative news.
Qi Jingnian listened, fell silent for a moment, then sighed, “See? You’ve attracted another admirer. Alright, I’ll tell your sister-in-law.”
Li Qianxing then heard his muffled voice speaking to someone else.
After a moment, Qi Jingnian returned, “Your sister-in-law is getting someone to handle it. He just delivered flowers on camera? He didn’t enter your room?”
Li Qianxing: “He didn’t come in.”
Qi Jingnian: “At least that young man knows to consider your reputation. Did you accept the flowers?”
Li Qianxing glanced at the bouquet on the coffee table. “I did.”
Qi Jingnian couldn’t help but laugh. “That Best Actor has some skill. Are you really falling for him?”
Li Qianxing unconsciously raised his hand to his stomach, his voice tinged with uncertainty, “I don’t know… I’m not sure…”
Qi Jingnian clicked his tongue, feeling as if his little brother was about to be swept off his feet.
However, he only said, “Then let him pursue you for now. Just follow your feelings. If it feels good, try dating for a while. If it doesn’t feel right, refuse him. Your apartment complex has good security; he can’t harass you at home. If anything happens, contact me anytime.”
Li Qianxing thought for a moment, then asked, “Ge, was this how Sister-in-law felt when you were pursuing her back then?”
Qi Jingnian’s voice faltered, then he laughed and scolded, “What are you doing, bringing up my past!”
Li Qianxing gradually relaxed, chatting and laughing with his brother for a bit before hanging up.
He put away his phone and was about to get up when his gaze involuntarily swept over the large bouquet on the coffee table.
Each rose was a vibrant red and delicate, displaying its most beautiful form.
Li Qianxing hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked around the suite, retrieving a vase from the bedroom.
If guests needed, the hotel could replace fresh flowers daily. But Li Qianxing didn’t require this, so the vase only contained some dried flowers, which he now removed.
Li Qianxing filled the vase halfway with water, unwrapped the roses, and placed them in the vase. He counted them – 29 in total. He wondered if there was any meaning to this number, or if it was just his age.
After arranging the flowers, Li Qianxing took a shower and lay down on the bed.
He had a WeChat message from Xiao Zhu, confirming tomorrow’s return trip schedule.
Li Qianxing read it and suddenly remembered that Jiang Lin had mentioned they were on the same flight.
Moreover, since his driver would stay behind to drive the RV back, he could still take them to the airport tomorrow. Originally, Jiang Lin had already agreed with him to share his ride.
But now, with their current relationship…
Li Qianxing’s fingers hovered over the screen, hesitating whether to ask Xiao Zhu to change to a different time.
Just then, a message from Jiang Lin came through.
[Jiang Lin: Li-ge, I forgot to tell you something earlier. We’re on the same flight back tomorrow. There are only a few first-class seats on domestic flights. If you don’t want to see me for now, just let me know, and I’ll change to another flight.]
Li Qianxing was quite surprised after reading this message.
The next sentence followed immediately.
[Jiang Lin: You can tell me anytime, even right before departure.]
Li Qianxing stared at this sentence for a few seconds, then exited and locked the screen.
◇◆
The next morning, Li Qianxing woke up a bit early.
After filming for over three months, finally wrapping up, he would normally sleep until after 10 a.m. But now, he was awake at 7 a.m.
Last night, he seemed to have been dreaming constantly, but the dreams were chaotic. Upon waking, he had forgotten them all, just feeling like he hadn’t slept well.
He closed his eyes and turned over. But he couldn’t fall back asleep for a long time.
Li Qianxing felt a bit irritated and simply got up to wash and called for room service to bring breakfast. After eating, he began packing his luggage.
With everything packed, Li Qianxing turned around and saw the vase of roses in the bedroom.
He would definitely not take the flowers with him on the afternoon flight. If left behind, they would probably be thrown away as trash.
Unexpectedly, Li Qianxing recalled Jiang Lin’s words from yesterday, “These flowers surely don’t want to end up in the trash.”
He looked at the vase of flowers again—still blooming so beautifully, it would indeed be a shame to throw them away…
However, no matter how much Li Qianxing thought about it, he couldn’t figure out how to handle them properly.
In the end, perhaps due to lack of sleep, he actually became a bit annoyed—it was all Jiang Lin’s fault, if he wanted to confess, why send flowers!
Li Qianxing took out his phone and messaged Jiang Lin.
[Li Qianxing: We’re flying this afternoon. What should be done with that bouquet of flowers?]
After a pause, he added.
[Li Qianxing: You sent them, you deal with them.]
Jiang Lin replied quickly.
[Jiang Lin: I was just about to go somewhere. Would you like to come along? Those flowers can be…]
Li Qianxing looked at Jiang Lin’s reply and started typing “Come over and take the flowers away.”
But Jiang Lin’s next message came quickly.
[Jiang Lin: Those flowers are yours now. I think it’s best if you go personally.]
Li Qianxing’s fingers paused.
Then another message came.
[Jiang Lin: Or, Xiao Zhu can go on your behalf, and I’ll have Xiao Ding represent me.]
Li Qianxing stared at this message for a moment, then scrolled up to last night’s message that read [You can tell me anytime, even right before departure.]
Somehow, he suddenly felt a bit of bittersweet tenderness in his heart.
Li Qianxing deleted what he had been typing and sent a new message.
[Li Qianxing: When I leave later, bring the flowers down to the parking lot.]
Jiang Lin replied instantly.
[Jiang Lin: No problem.]
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