Chapter 39 Part 2

Ye Lan hurried to Jiang Chi's side, his speech a little clumsy. "You... if you didn't see the whole thing, I'll go get the security footage for you! Really, I didn't touch her at all, I would never... you..."

Jiang Chi lowered his gaze. After a moment, he said faintly, "Don't say any more. I believe you."

Ye Lan let out a long sigh of relief and smiled. "That's good, that's good. I knew you wouldn't..."

"But," Jiang Chi looked up, gazing quietly at Ye Lan, and said softly, "President Zhan doesn't need to explain to me."

Ye Lan's smile froze on his face.

Ye Lan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly gave a bitter smile.

Ye Lan laughed out loud, his laughter growing stronger. He turned his head and looked at his reflection in the full-length mirror in the corridor nearby, as if looking at a complete moron.

Ye Lan looked up, his eyes red, and questioned, "Five years... three months... that incident, you just can't get over it, can you? You..."

"Don't ask me." Jiang Chi's eyes trembled slightly as he asked, "Have you gotten over it? If you have, why are you in such a hurry to explain to me?"

Ye Lan froze. Before he could rush to explain again, Jiang Chi continued, "Zhan Ming..."

The tone of Jiang Chi's voice changed as he spoke. He paused for a moment before saying, "I don't want to go through it again."

Jiang Chi's tears fell.

He raised his hand to wipe them away and continued softly, "You kept pushing me, asking me, wanting to know if I still have feelings for you. I'll tell you the truth today. I do."

Ye Lan suddenly looked up at Jiang Chi.

"But I don't want to torture you, and torture myself, anymore. We both know... we can't get over that incident. You spend every day on tenterhooks, afraid I'll misunderstand you, and I spend all day terrified that you'll cheat. Neither of us can live like that..."

Jiang Chi's lips trembled slightly. He opened his mouth but couldn't get the words out.

He suddenly thought of the watch he had given Ye Lan, in Ye Lan's bag, in the dressing room.

And the executive producer's words.

"I can't forget you..." Jiang Chi's Adam's apple bobbed. He raised a hand to poke his own chest, tears streaming down his face. "And I can't forget five years ago... my precarious love."

"We're not young anymore. We can't withstand... another heart-breaking, bone-shattering ordeal."

Ye Lan took a few deep breaths, covered his face with one hand, and slowly sank to the ground in pain, tears streaming down.

His youth, his Pei Ran. None of it could ever come back.

Jiang Chi tried his best to suppress the sob in his throat. "Go wash your face... At an event like this, you can't be gone for too long. There are a few people here you should meet. Tidy yourself up... I'll introduce you."

"Cut!"

Ren Haichuan called cut. Ye Lan stood up, took the tissue his assistant handed him, and wiped away his tears.

Ye Lan looked at Jiang Chi and gave him a thumbs-up. "Awesome."

Jiang Chi couldn't break character as quickly as Ye Lan and took a while to recover.

The two of them needed to maintain their current emotional state for the next scene. Ren Haichuan didn't waste words, having the makeup artists quickly touch them up while he hastily explained the next scene.

The final major scene had about a hundred extras alone. Everyone had rehearsed countless times, so there was no need for much explanation.

The script supervisor shouted, "The Scum, Scene 81, Shot 4, Take 1! Action!"

In the banquet hall, Jiang Chi introduced Ye Lan to a few people from the business world.

"The Scum, Scene 81, Shot 5, Take 1! Action!"

Jiang Chi exchanged pleasantries with people while Ye Lan stood alone in a corner of the hall, downing glass after glass of alcohol.

"The Scum, Scene 81, Shot 6, Take 1! Action!"

A man with a flushed face from drinking sidled up to Jiang Chi. After slurring a few words to him, he placed his hand on Jiang Chi's butt and squeezed.

"The Scum, Scene 81, Shot 7, Take 1! Action!"

Ye Lan watched with bloodshot eyes as the person in charge of his next quarter's partnership pestered Jiang Chi, his hands getting increasingly inappropriate. Jiang Chi frowned, trying to maintain his composure as he avoided him.

"Ha..." Ye Lan muttered to himself, "We're not young anymore... We can't be willful..."

"The Scum, Scene 81, Shot 8, Take 1! Action!"

Ye Lan's glass was empty. He didn't look for a waiter but picked up a whole bottle of champagne and started pouring it into his glass.

The champagne bottle wasn't open. Ye Lan tried to pour twice but nothing came out. He looked at the bottle in his hand and smiled.

"The Scum, Scene 81, Shot 9, Take 1! Action!"

Clutching the bottle, Ye Lan slowly walked towards Jiang Chi.

Ye Lan only had eyes for Jiang Chi. He pushed aside the people in his way, step by step, walking faster and faster.

The smile vanished from Ye Lan's face, the drunkenness faded. He strode to Jiang Chi's side, grabbed his arm, and pulled him behind him.

Ye Lan's expression was arrogant as he looked down on the balding "partner" before him. Suddenly, he smiled.

Ye Lan raised his hand and, with a "bang," smashed the champagne bottle in his hand over the other man's head.

The bustling banquet hall fell instantly silent.

A smile played on Ye Lan's lips as he lazily scanned the hall, finally turning his head to look at Jiang Chi.

With tears in his eyes and lips trembling, Ye Lan said after a long moment, "We can't go back?"

"Cut!"

"Congratulations, Jiang Chi! A successful wrap!"

Jiang Chi still hadn't broken out of character. He choked back sobs, smiling as he accepted everyone's congratulations and small gifts. The actor who had been hit with the prop bottle and covered in fake blood also came over to take photos and make funny faces. The girls in the crew cried harder than the lead actor. Everyone hugged and kept wiping their tears.

On the main actor's wrap day, most of the people from the production and directing teams were present. They took turns shaking hands and hugging Jiang Chi, thanking him for his wholehearted dedication these past few months. Jiang Chi repeatedly bowed to his seniors. When he got to Ren Haichuan, Ren Haichuan gave him a rare smile.

"Young man, don't be afraid of hardship." Ren Haichuan looked at Jiang Chi and said in a deep voice, "You are much better than I imagined, and you can be even better than I imagine. Don't let superficial fame trip you up. Keep moving forward."

Jiang Chi nodded repeatedly, thanking Ren Haichuan for his guidance over the past few months.

Li Weili brought over the gifts Jiang Chi had prepared for everyone in advance and distributed them. Jiang Chi wiped his face and turned to look at Ye Lan.

Ye Lan had already wiped his face, showing no trace of having cried. He smiled at Jiang Chi and opened his arms. "Come here."

Jiang Chi's eyes instantly turned red again. He strode towards Ye Lan and hugged him tightly.

"You performed so well today... it really exceeded my expectations." Ye Lan staggered slightly from the force of Jiang Chi's hug. He smiled and lowered his head, whispering in Jiang Chi's ear, "It's very comfortable acting with you... I'm not teasing you."

Jiang Chi nodded hard, choking back a silent sob.

"But..." Ye Lan suddenly smiled. "Today's exceptional performance was a bit over the top. Let me guess if there was another reason."

Jiang Chi was confused. What other reason?

Ye Lan loosened his hold on Jiang Chi a little and looked directly into his eyes. "After you came out of the dressing room, your entire state was different... Did someone say something to you?"

Jiang Chi's breath caught. He subconsciously lied, "No, I was..."

Ye Lan interrupted him. "What they said to you, they've said to me too."

"Ah..." Jiang Chi hadn't expected Ye Lan to talk about this with him. He said unnaturally, "This... this is very normal... I was actually prepared for it. We really should avoid suspicion, otherwise you..."

"Shut up."

Jiang Chi instantly clamped his mouth shut.

"They said that, and you really don't dare to share a stage with me, don't dare to contact me?" There was a hint of arrogance in Ye Lan's eyes as he sneered, "I'm not afraid. You're just a little artist who's just starting to make a name for yourself. What are you afraid of?"

Jiang Chi was stunned for a moment, then said hoarsely, "Are you saying..."

"Let's do things as they should be done. The rumors about me being indiscriminate with men and women have been around for years. I stopped caring a long time ago." Ye Lan hugged Jiang Chi again, took a deep breath, and said seriously, "Congratulations on wrapping up. From now on, may you be famous and renowned, with a smooth and brilliant career ahead."