Chapter 73
“No,” Shen Li pushed him away, “Don’t keep thinking about this.”
“I didn’t even think about it. It’s been over a month, and we’ve only had that one night together since filming started,” Luo Mingxiu hugged her, his breath brushing against her cheek. “Don’t you want to?”
"No," Shen Li answered decisively. "I've been rehearsing so much these past few days, and I'm already exhausted during the day. I want to get some rest."
Luo Mingxiu didn't speak, but lowered his eyes and gently pinched her fingers.
"Stop acting cute," Shen Li shook him off, "You just know how to play the victim."
Luo Mingxiu stared at her for a long time before finally giving in: "Okay, I won't make things difficult for you. My new drama premieres tonight, shall we watch it together?"
Shen Li hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded: "It's just watching a show, don't do anything reckless."
Luo Mingxiu: "Well, I won't do anything you truly forbid."
The cars were parked in different directions. After whispering to each other, the two walked far apart, appearing to outsiders as if they were complete strangers.
The assistants followed behind them as if it were nothing out of the ordinary; in fact, the two of them didn't need to pretend like this.
Filming has been going on for so long, how can the male and female leads still act like strangers? The more they avoid each other, the more abnormal it seems.
Moreover, the original plan was to gradually inform fans in advance, but it seems that the two of them have forgotten about it and are still doing it secretly. The process of informing fans is being carried out quietly by both teams.
Because it's a suspense drama, the production team did a better job of keeping things secret than with regular dramas.
Security guards clear the venue every day to prevent spoilers and eliminate any unauthorized filming. Even if behind-the-scenes footage of the two flirting is captured, the crew has dedicated personnel to handle it.
These things can't be released before the movie is shown.
Therefore, it's not enough to rely on the parties involved and paparazzi to take preventative measures; only the teams on both sides can work together to heavily promote the couple's on-screen pairing.
Not daring to release the real information all at once, they tentatively released an interview with Director Xie before filming began, saying that the movie has intense kissing scenes.
Just a second ago, fans of the Li Ming CP were heartbroken because a sister in Q City had filmed the two getting into separate cars after get off work without exchanging a single word.
The next second, Hot Topics revealed that there was a kissing scene in "Restoration".
It's like Chinese New Year for CP fans!
Galaxy and You: Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh, let's start a screaming thread!
The comments are full of "ahhhhhh".
Sister smells so good: [This puppy has never acted in a kissing scene before, this is his first on-screen kiss!]
Xiao Ban: [If I remember correctly, there were rumors in the dog fandom that he wouldn't do kissing scenes. What happened? Did he make an exception for his sister?]
Li Ming's Underground Romance 99: [This is so real, I'm so excited! I'm afraid to go to sleep and I'll miss their official announcement if I wake up.]
Did the dog win over the cat today?: [What? The dog succeeded in pursuing her? Then why don't they talk to each other on their way to and from work? Are they avoiding each other?]
umdsk: [Whatever, being open and honest is friendship, being cautious and hesitant is love!]
After dinner, the two of them took a nice shower, changed into their pajamas, and snuggled on the sofa to watch a show called "Dark Corner." The show was an original script with sixteen episodes and a fast pace. The first episode was very exciting and packed with information.
Shen Li was engrossed in watching the show, and even after touching the table twice, she couldn't reach the strawberries in the fruit plate.
Seeing how engrossed she was in watching, Luo Mingxiu took the strawberry for her, removed the stem, and held it to her lips: "Ah—"
"When are you going to appear?" Shen Li turned her head and put the strawberry in her mouth.
“It should be the next episode,” Luo Mingxiu wiped the water from her lips, his eyes deepening. “How about we skip ahead?”
“How could that be? That would disrupt the plot,” Shen Li said, taking the fruit platter directly. “Hmm, these strawberries are really sweet. The show is quite good. Just wait patiently and don’t spoil it for me.”
"Mm," Luo Mingxiu replied. His phone rang, and the caller ID showed Liang Jin.
"I'll take this call." He stood up and went to the side to answer it.
Liang Jin: "Hey, haven't you finished work yet? Why aren't you replying to my messages?"
"I'm watching a show," Luo Mingxiu said, switching to his chat with Liang Jin and scrolling up a long list of messages.
"Is Shen Li here too?" the voice on the other end asked.
“Okay,” Luo Mingxiu said, “I saw the message. I will cooperate with the publicity. Just have the drama's publicity team remind me.”
"That's enough that you saw it. Just focus on filming. Also, the company bought that trending topic about your kissing scene. Tell Shen Li about it too."
"What kissing scene is trending?" Luo Mingxiu asked, but Liang Jin had already hung up the phone.
He returned to the sofa and opened Weibo.
"Have you eaten? I'm almost done," Shen Li said, holding the last strawberry in her hand, and brought it to his lips. "Ah—"
Luo Mingxiu tilted his head and took it in.
"Is it sweet?" Shen Li asked.
Luo Mingxiu pursed his lips and stuck out his tongue to taste the strawberry flavor on her fingers.
"sweet."
“You…” Shen Li glared at him, then turned back to keep her eyes glued to the screen, muttering something under her breath.
"abnormal."
Luo Mingxiu smiled.
"Liang Jin just called and said that I will cooperate with the online promotion of this drama, without needing to go offline. I can just do a live broadcast with the male and female leads at the end."
“Oh,” Shen Li glanced at him, “You should have told me. I didn’t ask you.”
Luo Mingxiu: "Yes."
"Okay, good girl." Shen Li smiled and reached for the wet wipes on the table. "Give me one, my hands are sticky."
Luo Mingxiu handed it to her, then looked at his phone. Sure enough, his and Shen Li's names were trending, followed by a kissing scene.
"The fact that our movie has a kissing scene went viral, and Liang Jin said that the team bought it."
"I know that, Qingqing told me beforehand." After the end credits rolled, Shen Li opened her phone during the commercial break.
Cheng Qingqing: Remember to forward this to Anjiao (Dark Corner) and promote it.
Cheng Qingqing: This is the copywriting provided by Yao Yunhe's side.
Shen Li typed a reply: I just watched one episode and was about to post it on Weibo. I'll edit it myself, no need to retweet.
The second episode begins, and Shen Li takes a picture of the photographer played by Yao Yunhe on TV and posts it on Weibo.
Shenli V: Did you see the vignetting? Supporting photographer Liu Da @Yao Yunhe.
Luo Mingxiu was the first to give a thumbs up.
Shen Li: "So fast?"
Luo Mingxiu: "I just happened to click into Weibo and turned it on."
"Oh, you've set him as a special follower." Shen Li opened her following list a little guiltily and found that she had also set his name as a special follower.
Luo Mingxiu saw all of these actions and said, "The big accounts are all for posting ads, so there's no need to pay special attention to them."
Shen Li didn't turn around, scrolling through Weibo: "Is your main account still managed by your team?"
Luo Mingxiu: "I've been using it myself for a long time."
"That settles it then. Now that it's back in our own hands, we can do more business promotions and make it feel more real." After replying to Yao Yunhe's comment, Shen Li put her phone aside.
Turning around, I saw Luo Mingxiu looking at his phone with a silly grin on his face.
"What are you looking at that makes you laugh so happily?" Shen Li glanced at his screen.
"What is this? Isn't this the trending topics page?"
Luo Mingxiu didn't avoid it and showed her his phone directly.
When Shen Li scrolled through the page, she was shocked by a string of cat and dog-related words. Then she looked up and saw the super topic name above: Li Ming CP.
"Don't you feel awkward looking at your own partner?"
Luo Mingxiu wrapped his arms around her from behind, lowered his head to kiss her hair, and rested his chin on the top of her head: "It's quite interesting to watch them guess, and some of their guesses are very accurate, such as that I did have a crush on you and that I did indeed win you over."
This super topic is truly magical; once you start scrolling, you can't stop. Seeing them so happy, Shen Li couldn't help but smile.
However, after seeing someone say: "We were just sad because they didn't talk to each other on their way to and from get off work, and then they give us such a sweet treat. Could it be that the two of them are secretly watching us? Who is the cat and dog's alternate account? Come out!"
Shen Li's heart skipped a beat when she saw someone post a new thread with a very explicit nickname.
When will Li Ming go to bed? Ahhhhh, sisters, listen to me! Someone just said that it's impossible for us to be real. If we were really together, there would be no reason why neither of us would run away without a big pink or black profile picture. Then I went to browse the cat super topic and found that there really are people talking about a big pink or black profile picture.
The dog crept around: [Who is it? Please give me directions!]
When does Li Ming go to bed?: [I'll take a screenshot, sisters, go see it quietly, don't leave comments to bother her, okay?]
Doggy_Sneaky: [Ahhh, sister, I saw it! Is this person really a big fan? Has he changed his ID? He seems to be a CP fan, hahaha]
Shen Li clicked on the picture out of curiosity, zoomed in and saw the familiar ID "Little Dog Eating Pear". Her vision went black and she instinctively nudged herself with her elbow.
"Uh," Luo Mingxiu released her, "What's wrong?"
It was tiring to keep turning her head and talking in his arms, so Chen Li got up and sat down next to him, saying, "Don't mess around with your alternate account. Why is the profile picture black? Did you see someone say that and then you did it?"
Luo Mingxiu nodded, smiling without saying a word.
Shen Li: "It's one thing to peek secretly, but why tell people this nonsense? Switch them back!"
Luo Mingxiu: "There's no need for that. It's just an alternate account anyway. I haven't updated it in a long time and nobody recognizes it. They analyze us every day, which is quite hard work. I'll just give them a little treat to cheer them up."
Shen Li twitched the corner of her mouth: "Why are you so dramatic?"
"Thank you for the blessings," Luo Mingxiu put his phone away and placed it aside. "Don't worry about it. Watch the show. It'll be my turn soon."
Shen Li looked back and watched until the very end. Luo Mingxiu's character didn't appear until the very end, and the second episode ended after he had only been on screen for a short while.
Luo Mingxiu plays the female lead's younger brother, Liu Dong. The female lead is named Liu Xia, a name given to them by their parents based on the season of their birth. The siblings' mother died in a car accident when they were young, and their father educated them until middle school, but also died unexpectedly.
For so many years, the siblings have relied on each other for survival.
"Hmm?" The previous episode automatically skipped to the opening and ending credits, which Shen Li missed. Liu Dong's image flashed briefly in the ending credits. She moved her lips, "Your look..."
"Isn't that silly?" Luo Mingxiu said.
“A little,” Shen Li smiled, pursing her lips, “but it does make me look younger and gives me a more younger brother vibe.”
In the drama, Liu Dong wears a white sweatshirt, has her hair neatly styled, and wears black-rimmed glasses, which is very different from Luo Mingxiu's usual style.
My sister described him as a well-behaved, bookish guy, which fits the character description.
Luo Mingxiu: "Actually, I had this hairstyle in college too. Later, when I went to audition for a film crew, a director said that I looked better with my forehead showing, so I changed it."
"Do you have any photos? I want to see them." Shen Li turned off the TV and looked at him curiously.
"No." Luo Mingxiu shook his head.
"Really not?" Shen Li's eyes darted around as she bent down, bracing herself against his legs, and took the phone that was on his side.
Luo Mingxiu guessed what she was going to do and grabbed her hand: "Don't search."
"If anyone wants to search, I'll reply to their message."
Luo Mingxiu let go, and Shen Li immediately ran to the side to search for Luo Mingxiu's college photos after getting her phone.
A webpage popped up with an old post about Luo Mingxiu, the most handsome guy at CUST. Clicking on it revealed a bunch of photos of him.
He kept attacking Shen Li, and even though she wasn't wearing glasses like she does on TV, she was wearing an ugly plaid shirt and looked even more unsophisticated than Liu Dong.
"I told you not to look at it." Luo Mingxiu was somewhat discouraged because he couldn't stop her.
Shen Li laughed for a while, then calmed down when she saw him sad and sat back down next to him: "Okay, I just wanted to get to know you better. Actually, you're quite handsome, otherwise you wouldn't have been voted the school heartthrob. Everyone has their awkward moments."
“You don’t,” Luo Mingxiu looked at her, “you’ve always been beautiful.”
Caught off guard by the compliment, Shen Li felt even more guilty and racked her brains to coax him: "Do you remember when you first came to my house as a child? Back then, your bangs were covering your eyes, and you didn't want to cut them. You looked so unconventional..."
"No, that's not right." Why are you being sarcastic again? Shen Li shut up.
"Looks like being unconventional is etched into my DNA," Luo Mingxiu chuckled self-deprecatingly, then turned to turn Shen Li's face towards him. "Sister, you really don't know how to coax people. Actually, this is enough."
As she spoke, a kiss landed on her lips, which still tasted of strawberries she had just eaten. Shen Li couldn't help but lick them.
Luo Mingxiu paused, his eyes darkening.
"Chen Li." He called her name, and the kiss became deeper and more intense.
"Mmm." Shen Li tried her best to control herself, but still made a sound, and was forced to fall backward by his heavy and hurried movements.
His breath followed her from her lips to her chin and neck; he pressed against her pulse, his breath trembling along with his heartbeat.
The slight coolness from her clothes being lifted brought Shen Li back to her senses.
"We agreed not to do it." She pushed him away, and as she stood up, she bumped into the source of her desire.
“You…” Shen Li looked at him.
“Hmm, no,” Luo Mingxiu said, his face flushed. “I can do it myself.”
"Don't stay here," Shen Li said, avoiding eye contact and turning her head away. "You've finished watching the show, go back."
"I want to look at you." As he spoke, Luo Mingxiu lifted his shirt and skillfully bit down on it with his teeth.
...
...
Turn the cold water on full blast, and the icy water splashes over your skin, not only washing your hands but also cooling you down.
But the temperature just wouldn't drop, and Chen Li felt suffocated.
He turned off the tap with one hand beside him.
"Are you leaving?" Shen Li asked. She hadn't looked in the mirror and didn't realize how beautiful and alluring the blush on her face was.
Luo Mingxiu's Adam's apple bobbed heavily: "I'm not leaving."
...
The doorbell rang repeatedly, ringing and stopping, then ringing again.
She pulled his hair aside, and he carried her to the sofa.
The phone rang again. Shen Li looked over, but it wasn't a phone call; it was a video call!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
