Chapter 74 Ning Yun holding a cup of coffee...

Ning Yun paused as she approached with her coffee, then abruptly turned her toes before those indifferent eyes could meet her gaze, and casually walked to the other side.

As the cool coffee was placed in front of her, Su Ye cupped her face in her hands and lifted it up.

Ning Yun: "Here, American style, to reduce swelling."

"Thanks." Su Ye took the drink, inserted the straw, took a deep sip, and was about to say something when her gaze suddenly paused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Let me guess, who's the last one for?"

Ning Yun froze, then awkwardly sat down to the side: "Aren't you just asking a question you already know the answer to?"

Why not deliver it?

"I'm not going there to deliver coffee, I'm going to deliver a head."

The not-so-spacious film set had a human-shaped cooling machine sitting inside, and everyone moving around in it felt a bit cool on the hot summer day.

Initially, everyone thought that Jiang Huaichuan, such an important figure, was difficult to deal with and had many rules, so they were very careful when passing by, afraid of offending him.

An hour later, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at President Jiang sitting in the corner, engrossed in playing with Chen Li's sleeves.

Shen Li sat next to Jiang Huaichuan, with a script on her lap, her left hand resting on Jiang Huaichuan's body, her sleeve crumpled and then smoothed out by the man.

Shen Li did not stop the man's childish actions; he simply whispered again and again, "It's all fake."

"Yes, I know."

Shen Li gazed at Jiang Huaichuan's profile. His handsome, thin lips were tightly pressed together, and his peach blossom eyes, which had been smiling that morning, were now like a stagnant pool. Upon closer inspection, they even showed a slight tremor.

The weather was nice today. No other film crews were using the peach orchard in the film studio. Perhaps to let Jiang Huaichuan experience the professionalism and aesthetics of the film crew, Gao Wei waved his hand and moved up the peach orchard scene.

The first scene filmed was the less-than-pleasant first encounter between the male and female leads.

"Princess's Splendor" is a female-centric drama. Although the male and female leads meet in a peach forest where peach blossoms are falling, the two, who have been forced to be cautious since childhood, dare not relax for a moment. After leaving the treacherous court, the two pawns cautiously test each other's strength, fearing that the other might suddenly turn on them.

Sure enough, within ten minutes, the clash of swords broke the already tense atmosphere, and both sides ended up with injuries.

"What is the purpose of Prince Zhou's concealment of his abilities for so many years?"

"Just trying to protect myself." Zhou Gui gently wiped the blood off his sword, his tone tinged with amusement. "But Princess, you're much more interesting than your useless brothers."

Chu Huazheng glanced warily at the person in front of her, tightening her grip on her sword, as if considering whether to eliminate him as soon as possible.

The next second, a cold glint flashed.

"Hey! Are you serious?" The swords clashed, producing a crisp sound. Zhou Gui raised his sword to his own neck. "Your Highness, I have no grudge against you."

"It will be available after today!"

"Damn it!" Zhou Gui staggered back, his back slamming against the trunk of a thick peach tree. He hurriedly dodged an oncoming sword. "Your Highness, if you keep fighting, you'll attract attention!"

Chu Huazheng froze. She held her breath and listened carefully, and sure enough, she heard a light, weak footstep.

"That man is no match for me."

Zhou Gui: ...

Zhou Gui's lips twitched: "But he is your third brother, so you can't touch him for now."

Chu Huazheng paused, giving Zhou Gui a deep look.

Zhou Gui immediately replied, "I understand, we haven't met today."

The peach grove returned to tranquility. A gentle breeze carried the petals as they twirled and fell from the sky. A snow-white figure slowly walked in, finally stopping under the peach tree. Her long eyelashes were half-lowered, and her gentle eyes gazed at the tree trunk that had been hacked several times, a hint of displeasure in them.

"Clang!"

Shen Li looked towards the sidelines.

The assistant director gave him a thumbs up: "Mr. Shen, absolutely perfect!"

Shen Li breathed a sigh of relief; it was all over.

The assistant director called out to the side, "Props team, get ready for the next scene!"

The next scene is a solo performance by Shen Li, which is also the reason why Jiang Huaichuan's emotions suddenly changed.

The scene just now was Chu Nanmu's first appearance in the drama. Although his face was pale and he was wearing a heavy fox fur coat in early spring, he was as upright as a pine tree and walked slowly with a natural ease, as if the treacherous imperial city was under his control.

But now, even though it's the same outfit, the whole feeling has completely changed after the makeup artist's adjustments.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Shen Li almost thought for a moment that she had returned to the time before the surgery.

Thin, pale, and lifeless.

Shen Li thought she would never see herself in this state again.

Shen Li smoothed his hair and was about to get up when suddenly he froze in place.

He saw in the corner of the mirror the silent figure standing at the door, his once beautiful peach blossom eyes now dull and lifeless.

Weren't they telling us not to come along?

Shen Li's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and an indescribable bitterness and heartache welled up in her heart.

Shen Li quickly stepped forward, cupped the man's face, and shook it: "It's all fake."

Jiang Huaichuan remained silent for a long time, his eyes filled with struggle and pain as he looked at Shen Li.

"...I...can't tell...Shen Li...I don't know what to do..."

Countless images flashed before my eyes: the lifeless face in the snow, the warmth stained with blood, and the death certificate of a failed surgery that haunted me like a nightmare.

The makeup artist quietly slipped out and thoughtfully closed the door.

The only sound in the small room was the sound of their breathing.

Shen Li gently stroked the back of the man in her arms, soothing his broken and terrified emotions.

Outside the door, Ning Yun and Su Ye stared at each other, completely bewildered.

Ning Yun: "What's going on?"

Su Ye: "I don't know."

"Thinking about scary things, huh?" Gao Wei walked over with a teacup in hand, letting out a long sigh.

Su Ye was displeased: "Director Gao, you can't do this to us. You only say half of what you mean and leave us guessing."

“That kid Lu He’an said that Shen Li had surgery at the beginning of the year and almost didn’t make it off the operating table. Do you think President Jiang wouldn’t be scared when he saw Shen Li’s makeup?” Gao Wei’s eyes flashed with regret. “If I had known, I would have postponed this scene.”

Shen Li came out ten minutes later. Jiang Huaichuan didn't come with her; Shen Li didn't want him to watch the show.

Five minutes later, filming began.

In the spring, the Third Prince Chu Nanmu dismissed his attendants and, despite his weak and exhausted body, came to the peach blossom forest. Years of painstaking planning and the torment of illness day and night had left him long since exhausted.

Chu Nanmu stood under the peach tree, stroking the rough trunk as if saying goodbye to an old friend.

He gently leaned against the peach tree and sat down, gazing at the peach blossom forest covering the mountain.

A decadent dynasty spanning over a century is beginning to rejuvenate, and the long-dormant imperial palace will soon welcome a suitable empress.

Everything is growing towards the sun.

Chu Nanmu squinted; he no longer had the strength to shield himself from the blinding sunlight.

Chu Nanmu possesses unyielding integrity, far-sighted strategies, and a heart that cares for all living beings, but unfortunately, he lacks a healthy body, which means he is destined to go nowhere.

In the early spring of another year, the Third Prince, Chu Nanmu, passed away and was buried in the Hundred-Mile Peach Blossom Forest.

In late summer of the same year, the newly enthroned Empress Chu Huazheng brought Zhou Gui to the peach blossom forest.

The empress, nearing forty, had a few wrinkles around her eyes as she gently placed the sugar cake under the peach tree.

Chu Huazheng's eyes revealed a hint of nostalgia: "This is the final resting place he prepared for himself. Back then, we fought here and cut down this tree, and he gave us a long lecture about it."

Zhou Gui didn't speak, but Chu Huazheng knew he was listening.

Are you leaving too?

Zhou Gui tightened his grip on the sword: "That old bastard is about to die."

"Okay, have a safe trip."

"Take care of yourself."

——

After finishing her work, Shen Li didn't go straight back to the dressing room. Instead, she borrowed a few makeup remover pads from Su Ye, wiped off all the foundation on her face, and headed straight for the man sitting in the corner.

"Okay, I don't have any shows this afternoon. Let's go eat hot pot later."

Jiang Huaichuan knew that Shen Li was trying to coax him, so he nodded and said, "Okay."

Half an hour later, Shen Li walked out of the film set wearing a refreshing short-sleeved shirt.

After passing several crowded filming locations, Shen Li pulled Jiang Huaichuan into a small alley.

Shen Li: "You have to memorize it."

Jiang Huaichuan was taken aback and bent down.

There were a few other people passing by, and Shen Li didn't hesitate, jumping straight onto Jiang Huaichuan's back.

Shen Li wrapped one arm around Jiang Huaichuan's neck and pointed forward with her right hand: "Let's go!"

"The first night, Director Gao took us to eat hot pot. It was right at the back of the alley. It tasted great. I was originally thinking of bringing you here to try it sometime."

The sound of cameras being taken could be heard from time to time in front of and behind them. Shen Li lay on Jiang Huaichuan's back, stroking his hair.

Jiang Huaichuan's hair is rather stiff and doesn't feel very nice to the touch, but Shen Li likes to grab his hair and play with it.

Inside the hot pot restaurant, it was lunchtime and quite crowded. There happened to be a seat by the window, so Shen Li grabbed the menu and pulled Jiang Huaichuan down to sit.

When the small bowls in front of her piled up into a small mountain, Shen Li finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Open your mouth."

Jiang Huaichuan was given a piece of meat by chopsticks.

Shen Li: "Stop putting food on my plate all the time."

"Okay." Jiang Huaichuan nodded, but still put his chopsticks into Chen Li's bowl.

So in the end, it turned into Jiang Huaichuan serving food to Shen Li, and Shen Li putting one chopstick into her own mouth and the other into Jiang Huaichuan's mouth.

After going back and forth dozens of times, Shen Li finally realized something was wrong. He stopped eating suspiciously and asked, "Are you doing this on purpose?"

Jiang Huaichuan picked up a meat roll from the bowl and held it to Shen Li's lips, a triumphant smile on his face: "You found out?"

Shen Li obediently opened her mouth, a smile spreading across her eyes.

He's not stupid; how could he not notice?

After dinner, the two returned to the hotel. Shen Li opened her phone, logged onto Weibo, and entered her name in the search bar.

Many photos were taken of him and Jiang Huaichuan along the way, including photos of them walking side by side from behind, photos of him lying on Jiang Huaichuan's back, and profile photos of him talking to Jiang Huaichuan.

As soon as Shen Li held the phone in front of Jiang Huaichuan, she opened and swiped through the photos one by one: "Look, everyone has seen it, this is real."

“So,” Shen Li kissed Jiang Huaichuan’s lips, “don’t worry about not being able to tell the difference, our happiness has always been witnessed by others.”