Chapter 23: Lost in Passion

Li Siwei used to play with the stray cats around the hotel after script meetings. There was a cat downstairs that was particularly fond of him, rubbing against his legs whenever it saw him.

Li Siwei would occasionally buy it two cans of cat food from the convenience store, and the cat would accept it without any hesitation, lapping it all up, calmly accepting Li Siwei’s affection.

But from that day on, all of this became a fantasy. Since the rumors of their fight, strange cars had been parked around the hotel. The hotel security had chased them away several times, but new cars would soon reappear, making it impossible to guard against.

Li Siwei hadn’t expected that after so many years in the industry, he had barely made any headlines. But now, after a small argument with Yu Chuan in Wancheng, he had been in the entertainment news for several days.

Of course, in the news, he wasn’t called Li Siwei, but “Yu Chuan’s new film co-star,” “a certain male actor,” “a certain newcomer actor.” No name, no title, just a side profile captured through the RV window. Of course, no one cared who he was; everyone’s focus was on Yu Chuan. Such a popular, rising actor, always presented as sunny and healthy, how could he suddenly join such an unknown production and publicly lose his temper?

And Li Siwei’s long-absent agent actually called him, asking if he wanted to hire a marketing company to fan the flames and increase his exposure. Li Siwei simply told him to save his money and hung up.

All of this felt extremely ironic to Li Siwei.

The important scene was about to be filmed, and he had already publicly agreed to perform it fully nude with Yu Chuan. Now, he couldn’t back down. Li Siwei thought about rehearsing with Yu Chuan in advance to avoid any mistakes on set after they cleared the set and being criticized by the director.

But he couldn’t reach Xiao Meng all afternoon. His messages went unanswered.

Li Siwei didn’t want to bother anymore, so he stayed in his hotel room and watched a movie. It was a French film, directed by a woman. The film featured endless coastlines and towering cruise ships, making Li Siwei feel a bit dazed. But compared to the one they were filming, this French film was much gentler in tone.

Since graduating from film academy, Li Siwei had maintained his habit of watching three movies a week. He used to rent DVDs, then went to the cinema, then watched movies on his laptop after joining productions, and later bought a second-hand tablet. The films became increasingly high-definition, the devices more and more portable, but he could never recapture the feeling of watching movies in his small apartment in Jiangcheng when he was seventeen.

It was strange.

At 11:30 pm, after finishing the movie, Li Siwei was about to go to bed when his phone started vibrating frantically.

He checked and saw a voice call request from Xiao Meng.

Li Siwei quickly answered: “What’s wrong?”

There was silence on the other end, then after five seconds: “Brother Siwei, are you at the hotel?”

“Yes.”

“So, are you free now?”

“What?” Li Siwei thought he had misheard and sat up in bed.

“Yes. Are you free now? My boss said he wants to see you, to rehearse tomorrow’s scene with you.”

Li Siwei rolled his eyes inwardly.

He sighed: “Does your boss know what time it is?”

“Yes, it’s indeed very late. But we just came back from a photoshoot on the outskirts of the city and just arrived at the hotel. We have to go to the set early tomorrow morning. My boss thinks the script is too vague and wants to rehearse with you in advance, just in case.”

Xiao Meng’s tone was sincere.

Li Siwei initially wanted to refuse. But then he remembered what Fang Yu had said to him the day before yesterday. After two seconds of silence, he agreed.

“Where are we rehearsing?”

“I’ll wait for you in the elevator lobby. He said he wants to do it in his room.”

Half an hour later, close to midnight, Li Siwei stood at the door of Yu Chuan’s suite. Xiao Meng had already returned to her room, and Li Siwei was alone in the corridor.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response.

He knocked again. After a long time, he finally heard footsteps approaching from inside. Li Siwei’s patience was wearing thin, and he wanted to leave. But then he remembered Fang Yu’s warning, so he waited.

After another half a minute, the door finally opened.

“Doorbell.” Yu Chuan was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms. He stood inside, his face expressionless.

“What?” Li Siwei frowned.

“There’s a doorbell here, didn’t you know?” Yu Chuan looked up at him and tapped the panel next to the doorframe with his knuckles.

Li Siwei looked over and saw an inconspicuous button on the black panel.

“Didn’t notice.” Li Siwei stepped inside.

After changing his shoes and walking past the entryway, he noticed that the curtains on the south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows weren’t drawn. Only a few scattered lights were visible on the streets below, looking pathetically sparse from the top floor.

Yu Chuan’s suite was spacious and clean, the two sofas in the living room almost empty, seemingly tidied every day. The bedroom was on the west side, a gray wooden door slightly ajar, the lights seemingly off inside, somewhat dim.

“There are paparazzi downstairs. Aren’t you afraid of being photographed, calling me over so late?” Li Siwei looked at him coldly.

Yu Chuan looked back at him, indifferent: “Let them photograph us. Consider it publicity for the film.”

Li Siwei didn’t reply. Yu Chuan stepped closer: “What? Are you feeling guilty?”

Li Siwei didn’t fall for it: “I don’t care. No one knows me. But you, Mr. Yu, are those reporters downstairs arranged by you?”

Yu Chuan sneered: “Interesting. You’re saying I paid people to create rumors about us?”

“I wouldn’t know. You have so many rivals, staying in the spotlight is probably part of your job.” Li Siwei suddenly laughed. “Otherwise, why would you give up a perfectly good drama to film a gay movie?”

Yu Chuan’s grim expression suddenly changed, his eyebrows raising slightly: “Yes. My methods are crude. Unlike Mr. Li, who only lets his work speak for itself.”

Li Siwei naturally understood the blatant sarcasm.

In all these years, his best role was only a fifth male lead in a modern drama, with less than twenty minutes of screen time in the entire series. Searching his name online wouldn’t even bring up a proper encyclopedia entry.

Li Siwei walked over to the sofa and sat down. He glanced at the coffee table and saw a few photos, seemingly recently taken, judging by the styling.

He scanned them and guessed that these were the photos from the photoshoot Xiao Meng mentioned.

Li Siwei looked at the man standing beside him, arms crossed: “If you really don’t have time to film this movie, you don’t have to. Taking on other jobs in the middle of filming is a waste of everyone’s time.”

Revenge for past grievances, now that they were alone, every bullet had to be fired back.

Yu Chuan, who had been standing by the sofa, bent down and moved closer to Li Siwei, staring at him intently.

“Li Siwei, get your facts straight. If it weren’t for me, this film would have been shelved long ago. You’re in no position to lecture me.”

Li Siwei turned his face away, avoiding his gaze: “Of course, I should be grateful to you.”

But his tone was icy.

“Don’t forget why I called you here.” Yu Chuan sat down on the sofa opposite him.

“Where’s the script?” Li Siwei looked at the coffee table. There was nothing but photos.

“Didn’t you tell the director yesterday that you were already familiar with the plot? Do you still need the script?” Yu Chuan crossed his legs and leaned back slightly.

He raised his chin slightly, looking down at Li Siwei.

“What do you want?” Li Siwei didn’t understand what he meant.

Yu Chuan stood up and opened the bedroom door. The nightlight inside turned on, and Li Siwei finally saw what the bedroom looked like.

Unlike his small single room, there was a double bed at least two meters wide in the bedroom. The satin bedding was almost wrinkle-free, reflecting a soft glow under the dim nightlight.

“In this scene, Li Peiyun takes the initiative.” Yu Chuan walked into the bedroom and leaned against the headboard. “Don’t you know how to act, Mr. Li?”

The bedroom curtains were wide open. Outside the top-floor window, thin clouds drifted slowly. The moonlight was hazy tonight.

Li Siwei looked at his face. The lights in the room were off, and the faint light from outside illuminated half of Yu Chuan’s face, the other half hidden in the shadows.

Li Siwei looked at him through the narrow doorway: “Is this how you rehearse with your co-stars? Do you always do your homework so diligently?”

Yu Chuan’s shirt was loose, but his gaze was sharp: “How would you know if I’m diligent or not if you don’t try?”

After days of suppressed emotions, constantly being controlled by this person, Li Siwei suddenly felt a surge of recklessness. He strode into the bedroom and climbed onto the bed, straddling Yu Chuan.

Now it was Yu Chuan’s turn to lean back: “Where did you learn this new move?”

Li Siwei clicked his tongue, staring at him: “None of your business.”

He grabbed Yu Chuan’s shirt collar, pulling him closer. Yu Chuan’s shoulder almost touched his upper arm.

A playful glint appeared in Yu Chuan’s eyes: “Is this all you’ve learned after so many years?”

Li Siwei froze, thinking about how to retort. But the next second, he lost his balance. His ankle was grabbed and pulled forward. He fell backward onto the soft bed with a thud.

Yu Chuan took the opportunity to lean over him, turning the tables.

Li Siwei’s breathing was still uneven. He looked up and saw Yu Chuan’s clear eyes. The moonlight formed halos, and he was momentarily dazed, frozen in place.

Their breathing was almost synchronized, rising and falling together. For about ten seconds, neither of them moved, nor spoke.

Reason crumbled under the intensity of the gaze, and Li Siwei lost his ability to react. Was this rehearsing the scene or testing each other? The moonlight couldn’t tell.

They moved closer, their breaths mingling, their gazes intertwined. He didn’t know who lifted their head first, or who lowered theirs.

First, a warm, tentative touch, then their breathing quickened, like a burning flame. The frantic tearing and pulling left him breathless.

Li Siwei sank into the soft bedding, meeting this unexpected kiss with a shudder.