This version of Zhui Ye was unfamiliar.

When she was pushed down onto the bed, Wu Man’s mind was in complete chaos, with only this one perception.

He was like a wave crashing onto the reef, fiercely pressing down before her, his nose lowered very close. His hair, still wet, dripped with water, sliding over his forehead, sharp brow bones, sunken eyelids, finally spreading to the bridge of his high nose, trembling, dripping onto the tip of her nose.

Zhui Ye asked: “Are you afraid?”

Wu Man’s two wrists were pinned by his single hand. She struggled a few times but couldn’t break free. He was determined to hold her down. Their labored breathing from the struggle swirled wildly around their ears, like the airflow before a storm.

He carried a bit of relentless anger: “Good that you’re afraid. Still saying I’m a child?”

“Have you played enough?” Wu Man’s voice was taut. “Do you know that this kind of behavior makes you seem even more immature?”

“Is it that no matter what I do, you think I’m just playing?”

Wu Man looked at him with mixed feelings, her gaze like a densely detailed painting, tracing his clear contours.

What a stunningly brilliant face this was—compelling spiritual energy. Twenty years old, winner of an international Best Actor award, standing atop the industry’s tower, never having experienced hardship.

If he had lived in ancient times, he would surely be that young swordsman leaning on his horse by the slanted bridge, with red sleeves beckoning from every building. In swordsmanship, no one in the world could surpass him, and the word “love” could not trap him either. Only he had the ability to trap others.

So when he encountered her and stumbled, it became very difficult for him to get back up.

The root of everything was wrong because they were too similar to their drama. Until now, he had never stopped calling her “Elder Sister.”

He saw her as Deng Lizhi, saw Yu Jiaze as Xu Long.

And he was Chen Nan, the brave warrior pursuing the dragon with his sword.

She had thought that being cold to him would gradually allow them both to become clear-headed, to return from the drama to reality. But she had forgotten that from their very first meeting, her intuition had clearly told her that Zhui Ye possessed an uncontrollable vigor.

He wouldn’t proceed according to her expectations. A young person’s unwillingness and tenacity after being worn down would grasp at people, pulling them deeper and deeper.

Only boring adults like her would skirt around the swamp, cleverly avoiding any harm to themselves.

But she knew she had already lost control—when she fled from the tattoo shop without a care—

I don’t think you’re playing. I’m precisely afraid that you’re serious.

Wu Man recited silently in her heart.

The drama would always have its moment of blackout. He would still have his next production, still be able to have abundant emotions.

But she couldn’t do that. She was just a dried-up spring.

She had never had love. Status, glory, money… these tangible things were the most solid. Trading them for pain and freedom, she knew she had paid the price, so she could accept them with peace of mind.

Even if she went to hell in the next life, at least in this life she wouldn’t live as difficultly as before. She couldn’t lose everything.

So please don’t tempt me anymore.

Zhui Ye didn’t see the fleeting plea in Wu Man’s eyes. He only felt that she was expending enormous effort to break free from his control.

So he released his grip one step ahead.

In the end, he couldn’t bear to force her, to make things difficult for her.

Zhui Ye sat with his back to Wu Man on the edge of the bed, grabbed cigarettes and a lighter from the bedside, lit one, and said vaguely: “Since you think this way, then leave.”

Wu Man clutched her phone, rustling as she got up from the bed, straightened her disheveled clothes, and pushed the door open to leave.

She emerged from the darkness. The several lights in the corridor pierced into her eyes, so bright. Yet they gave rise to a feeling… a pain of walking into an even more boundless darkness.

—

In the following filming sessions, Wu Man was in a daze, not really in the right state.

With even the film’s future uncertain, wasn’t it ridiculous to be shooting these promotional materials now?

But she couldn’t express these emotions to others. Everything was caused by her own reasons. What right did she have to complain? Most importantly, she was calculating how to appease Yu Jiaze’s anger, to prevent “Spring Night” from being stillborn.

Although it was too late to mend the fold after the sheep were lost, it was still better than not mending at all, right?

So as soon as she returned to the country, Wu Man immediately went to Yu Jiaze’s villa.

She rarely went there on her own initiative. Previously, she was afraid of running into him bringing someone over, which would be awkward for both sides. Later, there was no longer anyone else around him, but he was often unpredictable in his whereabouts. When he thought of it, he would go to her place on his own. She didn’t need to go there anymore.

But fortunately, she still had the villa’s password backed up in her notes.

Besides that, she also prepared ingredients and tools needed for tattooing.

Tonight was Wu Man’s prepared “sacrifice” for herself. She didn’t tell Yu Jiaze in advance—sudden surprises always added a few points.

Picking up her very rusty cooking skills, she barely finished making three dishes and a soup, wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator, waiting for Yu Jiaze to return so they could be reheated as a late-night snack.

Whether he ate or not wasn’t important. What was important was the gesture.

It was still a bit early before his expected return time. Wu Man had worked up a sweat from cooking and wanted to take a shower in the meantime.

She remembered that the last time she came, she had left toiletries and sleepwear here, convenient for overnight stays.

She went up to the second-floor bedroom based on memory and opened the wardrobe, her expression blank.

The other half of the wardrobe had been completely occupied by another row of unfamiliar women’s clothing.

So blatantly obvious—this really wasn’t like any minor celebrity’s style. Even if someone dared to do this, they would be cleared out by Yu Jiaze the next day and wouldn’t still be hanging here.

And one of the outfits Wu Man found very familiar—it was from that finals night long ago. After it ended, when they all went to eat hot pot with the production team, Tang Yingxue had worn it.

Wu Man suddenly remembered something. She took out her phone, opened her own birthday congratulations Weibo post, and clicked on Tang Yingxue’s profile picture.

It was a selfie with a crane sculpture in the background, half-framed in the shot.

This crane sculpture was now properly placed on the display shelf in the living room downstairs. This was an auctioned antique—there was only this one piece in the entire world.

Only then did Wu Man belatedly realize that Tang Yingxue, this cheap younger sister, had never been some low-EQ fool. When she posted that birthday blessing comment back then, it wasn’t to win a verbal argument on the surface, nor was it to let Wu Man come slap her face.

Her purpose was to let Wu Man see her profile picture—which was taken in Yu Jiaze’s villa.

—

Wu Man sat upright in the living room until the early morning, when movement finally came from the door.

Yu Jiaze casually glanced at her, seemingly not very surprised.

“You know to come over?”

His tone was impossible to read for joy or anger. Wu Man stood up and said: “I made some dishes. Will you eat them?” While walking to his side to help him remove his coat.

Yu Jiaze sat down at the dining table: “Since you made them, don’t waste them.”

Wu Man said okay, took out the dishes from the refrigerator one by one, and put them in the microwave to heat.

The rumbling sound of the machine covered the deathly silence. The two were separated far apart, one south and one north.

Yu Jiaze’s eyes swept over the tattooing equipment placed on the coffee table, and he sneered: “Now you’re eager to come give me a tattoo?”

He stood up and kicked the coffee table over with one foot.

Added to the rumbling was the piercing screech of the drill head and floor colliding when they struck, making the entire atmosphere even more tense.

“What a pity, I’m not in the mood for that today.”

The microwave went “ding—” with a long beep, terminating all this noise.

Wu Man calmly took out the dishes, seemingly oblivious to the hidden explosive atmosphere around her, placing them on the table one by one.

She pulled out a chair, sat down and said: “They’re heated. Eat something first.”

Yu Jiaze frowned slightly, noticing that Wu Man’s appearance was somewhat off.

He glanced at the second floor and said knowingly: “You went up there?”

Wu Man prepared herself a pair of chopsticks. She hadn’t eaten anything since getting off the plane. At this moment she picked up a bite of food, chewing while saying: “Yes, I saw everything.”

Yu Jiaze relaxed into the sofa, turned on the remote. The TV happened to be broadcasting Tang Yingxue’s stage performance.

He pointed at the person on the TV: “The old man wants me to have an arranged marriage with the Tang family.”

The tone in which he said this sentence was as if he were saying the trash can is full, completely lacking any sense that this concerned his life’s major event.

Tang Yingxue didn’t even have a name. In his narrative, she was a pronoun for “the Tang family.”

Wu Man swallowed a mouthful of rice and said: “Then congratulations.”

Yu Jiaze’s dark eyes scrutinized Wu Man.

“Sincerely?”

“You said before that unless you unilaterally propose to end it, our relationship would continue to exist,” Wu Man said slowly. “But I mentioned then that there was another situation—that would be if you got married.”

“So you didn’t come today to apologize to me, but to propose leaving?”

Yu Jiaze walked to Wu Man’s side, embraced her from behind, murmuring against her ear.

“Not bad, really not bad. Do you know what I like most about you? It’s just like this—you can always give me unexpected surprises.”

Wu Man’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and said: “I have my principles. This is my final bottom line.”

He straightened his back, his hand still gently resting on her shoulder.

The next second, his five fingers closed, gripping Wu Man’s neck. His knuckles sank into her snow-white skin, pressing out circles of red marks.

“Have you ever heard of people getting married and specifically releasing their pet? There’s no such logic.”

The air in Wu Man’s lungs was instantly pulled up to her throat, unable to escape, while new air couldn’t enter.

Yu Jiaze asked playfully: “Why aren’t you talking? Do you agree so much that you have nothing to say?”

…You fucking let go of my neck first!

Her heart was filled with terror and anger, blood vessels surging and producing bloodshot eyes.

Yu Jiaze lightly withdrew his hand. Wu Man covered her neck, coughing while gasping for breath.

He sat back across from her, unmoved and indifferent to her disheveled appearance, saying emotionlessly: “Now say it again?”

Wu Man’s voice was hoarse. Looking directly at Yu Jiaze, she said word by word: “I will not interfere in someone else’s marriage. This is my principle.”

“Principle?” Yu Jiaze put away his smile, expressionless. “Isn’t it because of that kid?”

“It has nothing to do with Zhui Ye.”

“I haven’t even said a name, yet you’ve already matched yourself to it.”

Wu Man’s brow trembled.

“Then let me tell you something interesting.” Yu Jiaze propped up his chin, leaning slightly forward. “Do you really think it was a fan who threw sulfuric acid at Zhui Ye?”

A chill spread throughout her body. Wu Man immediately understood his implication, her fear even greater than when Yu Jiaze had just gripped her neck.

Her teeth chattered as she spoke: “It was you behind it…!”

“You…” Yu Jiaze savored her suddenly changed form of address. “This is the first time you’ve used ‘you’ with me.”

She remembered that dim room, Zhui Ye shirtless with his back to her, the striking sight of his scar like a bas-relief, occupying a quarter of his back, even more gruesome than her tattoo.

So… so this was actually an undeserved disaster she had brought upon him.

Wu Man clenched her teeth: “Someone who can do such a thing—I can’t bring myself to use the respectful form of address.”

Yu Jiaze suddenly fell silent.

His expression didn’t change, but the air pressure around him formed a dangerous vortex. All the rage, manic depression, shock, and even a trace of stinging pain were all secretly wrapped up in the center of the vortex. When it reached the critical point, everything would explode, causing heaven and earth to split apart.

On the TV nearby, Tang Yingxue’s stage performance had finished playing and switched to the next stage.

On the brilliantly lit rising platform, someone was playing the piano as an opening. The piano keys were originally sparse and scattered. Gradually, the fingers playing became faster and faster, harder and harder, pressing down madly as if possessed. If there were a cigarette butt suspended over the keys, it would inevitably combust spontaneously.

In the crazed piano music, Yu Jiaze loosened his tie, grabbed Wu Man and dragged her to his side, binding the tie around her wrists.

Author’s Note: Yu Jiaze: Aha, didn’t expect it! This steering wheel turned 180 degrees, but I still have to be the one to drive!