Chapter 184 Disposal
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the plane landed at Yunshan Airport in the morning, and Yu Heng personally drove to the hotel to pick up Xia Mian.
The crew members came from all over the country, and starting from the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, everyone had gradually returned to their hometowns for the Spring Festival. Upon receiving the call, Xia Mian went to find Gao Yifeng, who readily agreed and instructed her to return to the set before the tenth of the first lunar month. There weren't many scenes left to film on location in Yunshan; they needed to finish them quickly so they could move on to another filming location.
Xia Mian wished Gao Yifeng a Happy New Year in advance and said she would bring him some local specialties. Gao Yifeng laughed and scolded, "It's enough that you come; whether you bring the specialties or not is up to you."
"I'll be back on time." After agreeing, Xia Mian waved to him and went to pack her luggage.
As he carried his luggage downstairs, Yu Heng was already waiting in front of the car. He wore a long trench coat over a simple navy blue suit, with a thin lapel chain on his left collar, quite reminiscent of his master's style.
“Mr. Xia,” Yu Heng took the luggage, “Are you traveling alone?”
Chestnut and Big Yellow are both migrant workers in Beijing, their hometowns aren't in the city, and they booked their tickets and flew away last night. Xia Mian hummed in agreement, glancing casually into the car, and scoffed, "Aren't you alone too?"
Yu Heng covered his lips with his hand, laughing silently. Mr. Xia is so adorable; all his emotions are written all over his face. No wonder the boss dotes on him so much—deep-thinking people often prefer simple and straightforward ones.
“Jay Chou has been waiting for you,” Yu Heng said.
Waiting for him?
Where should we wait?
On the plane?
Xia Mian vaguely remembered that once when he finished work and returned to Beijing, Zhou Pingchuan said he would send Yu Heng to pick him up, but in the end, Yu Heng came by himself, giving him a big surprise.
Will they surprise him again this time? Like opening the airplane cabin door and finding Zhou Pingchuan sitting inside?
"What are we waiting for... we'll be back sooner or later." Xia Mian awkwardly adjusted her jacket collar and got into the car.
Yu Heng's driving style is similar to Zhou Pingchuan's; he drives fast when he needs to and slows down when he needs to. He never tries to be fast or aggressive, and he never gives unruly cars a chance to cut in.
The airport had already authorized the vehicle, and it drove straight onto the tarmac. This time, it wasn't Zhou Pingchuan's usual Gulfstream, but another Bombardier. Xia Mian's face darkened as she entered the cabin, but as expected, she couldn't find Zhou Pingchuan.
When they disembarked, Yu Heng again escorted him back to Longxi; Zhou Pingchuan hadn't shown his face the entire time. Only now could Xia Mian finally confirm that her guess was correct. Zhou Pingchuan might have been interested in him, but he quickly lost interest.
In Zhou Pingchuan's eyes, nothing is more important than work—except for Xia Mingzhao.
That's perfect, Xia Mian thought, she wouldn't have to rack her brains to find reasons to explain his "like".
Anyway, Zhou Pingchuan wouldn't care.
Xia Mian ate dinner alone as well. The housekeeper said that Mr. Zhou had instructed in advance that Cantonese dishes should be prepared. Xia Mian nodded with a forced smile and endured it for the time being.
It was 11 p.m., time for bed, and Zhou Pingchuan still hadn't come home. At that moment, Xia Mian's dissatisfaction reached its peak!
He grabbed Zhou Pingchuan's pillow and punched it repeatedly. The soft, squishy feeling didn't appease him at all. He went to the walk-in closet, searched around, and then took out Zhou Pingchuan's most frequently worn pajamas, crumpling them into a ball like he was dealing with trash.
Just as he was about to throw it into the toilet, the door lock was turned, and Zhou Pingchuan returned.
This kind of thing can only be done secretly; she didn't dare let the person involved find out. In a moment of quick thinking, Xia Mian grabbed her pajamas and leaped into bed!
The footsteps drew closer, and then the soft sponge beside him sank in—Zhou Pingchuan sat down on the edge of the bed.
From this angle, I can see him sleeping perfectly. Why is this guy looking at me? Xia Mian's heart pounded, and she continued to pretend to be asleep, feeling uneasy.
But the feeling of being watched in the dark was so strange, it felt like countless insects were crawling over his skin, making him feel itchy and uncomfortable all over.
Xia Mian, quick-witted as ever, pretended to turn over. Opening his eyes, he saw, sure enough, a pair of deep brown eyes were quietly watching him.
Xia Mian jumped in fright: "...Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing, sleepwalking?"
How could Zhou Pingchuan not see through his act? His eyelids were twitching constantly; the pretense was so blatantly faked. He didn't expose him, instead reaching out to smooth the boy's sweat-dampened bangs from his venting: "What time did you fall to the ground?"
"Don't you know what time it is?" Yu Heng had called Zhou Pingchuan to report the situation before landing, and Zhou Pingchuan had heard it with his own ears. Now he was coming over to feign concern; wasn't that ridiculous?
Zhou Pingchuan replied, "I'm asking you."
"...A little after two o'clock."
Zhou Pingchuan leaned down and kissed his forehead: "You've worked hard."
What's going on? Why are you doing this? Xia Mian's Adam's apple bobbed, and the spot where she was kissed blushed slightly.
Before, when he was far away, Xia Mian didn't notice it, but now that he was closer, he could smell a strong, mellow aroma of alcohol.
No wonder he was nowhere to be seen the whole time, and didn't come back for dinner. Turns out he went out to eat, drink, and have fun. Xia Mian rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand and snorted coldly: "I'm not tired. It's you, Third Master, who's tired from drinking outside every day."
Zhou Pingchuan had indeed drunk quite a bit, but one could still understand his unspoken meaning: "Mianmian, what did I do to offend you? Tell me, and we'll sort it out together."
"No, how could I dare to be angry with Third Master? I'm not afraid of dying," Xia Mian said, getting angrier as she spoke. "I'm just a little curious, what exactly do you want to do by calling me back from Yunshan all the way here? And you're not here when I come back."
Zhou Pingchuan raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.
They took the bait, just as expected.
He turned to his side, resting his elbow on the bed, and the two of them instantly became very close: "Sorry, I had a rather important social engagement today, so I couldn't come to pick you up."
"No, please don't flatter me, I wouldn't dare trouble you like this..."
Before Xia Mian could finish speaking, she suddenly felt a burning sensation on her lips.
Unlike his previous aggressive kisses, Zhou Pingchuan's kiss this time was gentle and slow. The aroma of single malt whisky lingered on his lips and tongue, like eating a chocolate-covered liqueur. Xia Mian's eyes narrowed slightly, and she was already a little drunk.
But what he didn't expect was that it wasn't actually chocolate, but a bomb brewing with the smell of alcohol, which could ignite the atmosphere in an uncontrollable direction at any moment. For example, while they were kissing, a hand reached under the covers, and Xia Mian suddenly felt herself being held.
“…Third Master,” Xia Mian suddenly snapped out of her daze, “No!”
"Hmm?" Zhou Pingchuan asked in confusion, "You said you liked me."
After countless rehearsals, Xia Mian had overcome her embarrassment and could even speak clearly and without hesitation: "At the time, I was just driven by lust and my lower body was in control. Please don't misunderstand. I have already admitted my mistake to you and promised that I would not covet it again. I mean what I say."
"Do you mean what you say?" Zhou Pingchuan retorted.
“Yes,” Xia Mian closed her eyes, “If there’s anything I haven’t done well enough, my promise still stands.”
His promise was that Zhou Pingchuan could file for divorce at any time, and he agreed to leave with nothing.
They'd already gotten to the point of discussing divorce, a rather heavy topic indeed. Yet Zhou Pingchuan laughed, pulling his hand out from under the covers, along with a crumpled nightgown: "If you're really that determined, Mianmian, what's this?"
"What are you waiting for so late at night?"
Xia Mian's mind went blank for a moment: "That was... me..."
It wasn't until the other party tore away his disguise that he had to admit that yes, he still liked Zhou Pingchuan.
Liking someone isn't something you can just stop; that pervasive feeling has exceeded the limits of reason. So he built walls around himself, constantly finding excuses to deny it after saying "I like you." Rather than clarifying things with Zhou Pingchuan, it was more like giving himself psychological suggestions, telling himself that he didn't like Zhou Pingchuan and couldn't like him.
Now, all the carefully constructed illusions have been ruthlessly torn apart.
Xia Mian tilted her head back in despair: "I don't know, do whatever you want with me."
"Dispose of?" Zhou Pingchuan was intrigued by this word. "What if I said my way of dealing with it is... I accept your affection?"
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