Chapter 32: Craving and Obsession

Unlike Beishi, which was still cold in spring, Fucheng was hot all year round. It was only April, but summer had already arrived, the temperature during the day reaching thirty degrees Celsius.

It was 2:30 am when Li Siwei received Yu Chuan’s WeChat reply.

The message was short, only three words: “Just finished.”

Li Siwei had typed several lines in the input box, but holding his phone, looking at the reply, then at the time, he deleted and retyped, leaving only the first sentence.

“Okay, get some rest.”

Ever since Yu Chuan went to Fucheng, Li Siwei had added Fucheng to his weather app. Every morning at 7 am, the app would send him the day’s temperature and humidity.

Before this, he had auditioned for a new film crew. The film was directed by a relatively well-known commercial director, so the competition was fiercer than usual, and he had prepared for many days. While waiting, he saw news about Yu Chuan’s drama on the entertainment channel.

He also knew the original second male lead, a popular young actor famous for a fantasy drama. He had already been filming for over a month when a scandal about violence broke out, and he was replaced overnight by the producer. Such things happened every day in the entertainment industry, and Li Siwei was no longer surprised.

Because Yu Chuan was a last-minute replacement, and the broadcast schedule was tight, his work became extremely busy. Not only did he have many lines to memorize, but he also had frequent meetings with the director and screenwriting teams.

Playing a leading role was different from playing a small part or an extra. He had many scenes with different actors. The second male lead was an undercover police officer, a role with complex emotions and layers of performance. The scenes were filmed out of sequence, requiring the actor to grasp the character’s state at different stages and adjust his performance accordingly.

Yu Chuan couldn’t come back, and Li Siwei was waiting for news from the new production. They hadn’t seen each other for more than ten days.

It wasn’t until 8:30 the next morning that Li Siwei received Yu Chuan’s reply. This time, it wasn’t text, but a photo.

The photo was taken from a low angle, showing the fiery morning sun and a dense coconut grove below.

Just as Li Siwei was about to reply, Yu Chuan sent a text message.

“Finally have a day off tomorrow.”

Li Siwei’s fingertips trembled. A bold idea came to him.

He replied: “I’ll come see you.”

After about ten minutes, the reply came: “It’s too far, just for one day, not worth it.”

Li Siwei quickly replied: “It’s okay. I happen to have an audition near Fucheng.”

He lied.

He didn’t have an audition.

Li Siwei bought the last plane ticket to Fucheng, an economy class seat, costing over a thousand yuan. The flight was at 11:30 pm, arriving at 2 am.

It was just a day trip, so he didn’t bring any luggage. He walked out of the airport alone. Fucheng was hotter than he had imagined, even at night, the air humid and muggy.

After leaving the airport, Li Siwei didn’t disturb Yu Chuan and found a small hotel to stay in.

The hotel was in a remote location. He could even hear the roar of planes taking off and landing at night. The bed was by the window, one side slightly damp. He didn’t sleep well that night.

It wasn’t until past eight the next morning that he received a message from Yu Chuan.

“Where are you?”

“I’ve arrived.” Li Siwei quickly replied, attaching his location in Fucheng.

A few minutes later, Yu Chuan called him.

“You arrived so early by high-speed rail?” Yu Chuan sounded surprised.

“I took a plane.” Li Siwei paused. “The production team I’m auditioning for reimbursed the ticket…”

Yu Chuan didn’t seem suspicious and quickly sent him an address.

Li Siwei checked the address. It was a five-star hotel. The map showed that a one-night stay cost at least three thousand yuan.

After half a month apart, Li Siwei felt a bit nervous. He arrived at the hotel by taxi at exactly ten o’clock.

He had seen luxury hotels before during auditions, but this hotel in Fucheng was even more extravagant. The lobby had a ten-meter-high ceiling, and the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered an unobstructed view of the sea.

Fucheng was a coastal city, with a luxurious coastline that inland cities didn’t have. The prices of resort hotels here were among the highest in the country.

Before he could enter the hotel lobby, a crowd of people swarmed around him, men and women, holding recording pens and cameras.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hotel lobby. Li Siwei looked through the crowd and saw several actors coming out of the elevator. The man leading the group was the male lead of Yu Chuan’s drama, Shenghe’s top actor, who had starred in two hit dramas in the past two or three years, his value skyrocketing, quickly joining the ranks of A-list celebrities.

Li Siwei had never seen such a scene. He was jostled by the crowd.

Then he saw Yu Chuan behind the group of actors. He was about to wave to him when his phone rang in his pocket.

Li Siwei stepped back and checked. It was a message from Yu Chuan.

“Wait for me for half an hour. Something came up.”

When Li Siwei looked up again, the media had swarmed out after the actors. Yu Chuan’s figure was completely obscured by the crowd.

The hot sea breeze blew through the hotel lobby. Li Siwei sat on a single sofa in the corner, looking down, lost in thought. His T-shirt was wrinkled. He had left in a hurry this morning and forgotten to charge his phone, which was now showing a low battery warning.

Occasionally, fans would run into the lobby, ask the receptionist, learn that the actors had already left, and sigh in disappointment.

Finally, after waiting for over forty minutes, with only one bar left on his phone’s battery, he saw Yu Chuan returning through the revolving door.

Li Siwei patted his cheeks and ran over.

“Been waiting long?”

Li Siwei finally got a clear look at Yu Chuan’s attire. He was wearing a shirt he had never seen before, well-tailored and seemingly expensive.

“No, I arrived early.”

Yu Chuan noticed his gaze: “The lead actor’s agent gave it to me when I joined the production, a set for everyone, said it’s their new endorsement.”

Li Siwei smiled and hummed in response.

“Let’s go upstairs.” Yu Chuan patted his shoulder.

“Where to?”

“To my room.”

The all-glass sightseeing elevator ascended smoothly, the endless coastline unfolding before them. Li Siwei was mesmerized.

Yu Chuan’s room was on the 26th floor, the second highest floor of the building.

“All the actors in our production are staying on this floor. It’s quiet. The top floor is for the male lead and his agent.” The elevator doors opened, and Yu Chuan stepped out. Li Siwei froze for two seconds before quickly following.

The second to last room at the end of the corridor. Beep. The door unlocked.

Li Siwei followed him inside. The curtains on the south-facing windows weren’t drawn. The five or six-meter-wide floor-to-ceiling windows offered a direct view of the sea, even more breathtaking than what he had seen from the elevator.

A two-seater leather sofa sat by the window, and further inside was a large double bed. The floor was spotless, the bedding wrinkle-free, as if it had just been cleaned.

The bathroom was on the west side, with a white bathtub by the window.

“It’s so big.” Li Siwei tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, feeling a bit awkward.

“You can stay here tonight.” Yu Chuan patted the mattress. “It’s big enough for two.”

Li Siwei didn’t move, his gaze unfocused.

“I’ll pass. I booked a hotel room near the airport. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

The floor was too high, so high that he felt dizzy, his legs light and unsteady.

“Then I’ll go to your place.” Yu Chuan said.

Li Siwei subconsciously bit his lip and then hummed softly in agreement.

They watched the sunset from the luxurious five-star hotel room. The sunset in Fucheng was much more vibrant than in Beishi, large swathes of red and purple clouds floating above the coastline, dazzling to the eye.

In the more than six years they had been together, they had hardly traveled together. Once, Yu Chuan had a commercial shoot in northern Xinjiang. Li Siwei took a twenty-hour train ride to see him. But as soon as he got off the train, there was a huge sandstorm. They didn’t see any scenery and were stuck in the hotel for three whole days.

“I’ll take you to dinner later, then we’ll go to your place.” Yu Chuan stood up and said.

Li Siwei nodded and followed him out of the room. The last rays of the sunset were shut behind them.

“There’s a good seafood restaurant nearby, just two blocks from here.” Yu Chuan opened the map app on his phone, about to show him the location, when someone walked towards them in the corridor.

“Yu Chuan!” The person called out.

Li Siwei looked over and saw a woman in a shirt and trousers.

“Our producer.” Yu Chuan waved to her and whispered to Li Siwei.

The woman approached, and Li Siwei took half a step back.

“And this is?” She looked at him.

“He’s—” Yu Chuan seemed to be searching for the right words.

Li Siwei quickly spoke: “I’m his college classmate. I happened to be here for an audition, so I came to visit.”

The woman gave a professional smile and nodded, but her expression quickly turned serious. She looked at Yu Chuan: “There’s a dinner with the investors in half an hour. You’re coming.”

Her gaze swept over Li Siwei’s face, her voice pausing before she added softly: “Let me know in advance if someone is coming to visit. Don’t bring people to this floor casually. All the actors are staying here.”

Yu Chuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. After five seconds, he said: “Okay. Understood.”

Li Siwei stood behind him, silent.

It wasn’t until the woman disappeared at the end of the corridor that Li Siwei clenched his palms. After half a minute, he stepped forward.

“You go. I’ll just grab something to eat myself. I won’t come tomorrow morning.”

Yu Chuan looked into his eyes, backlit, and didn’t answer. Li Siwei turned and walked towards the elevators.

Li Siwei lied again. He didn’t go to eat. He went straight back to the hotel, took a shower, and got into bed, burying himself under the covers.

But the vibrant sunset was like a thick fog in his mind, lingering.

He hadn’t slept well last night, and his eyes were sore. The sound of planes taking off and landing outside his window became a white noise that lulled him to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he slept before he was awakened by his ringing phone.

His heart pounded after being startled awake. It took him half a minute to open his eyes and check his phone. It was 1:30 am.

A call from Yu Chuan. Li Siwei froze and answered the call.

“I’m at your door.” The signal seemed poor, and Yu Chuan’s voice was hoarse.

Li Siwei didn’t react for a few seconds before remembering that he had told Yu Chuan his hotel room number.

He jumped out of bed and opened the door. Yu Chuan stood outside, his shirt unbuttoned, the smell of alcohol on him.

“You’ve been drinking?”

“Yes. A little.” Yu Chuan put his arm around Li Siwei’s shoulder and leaned against him.

Li Siwei dragged him into the room and closed the door.

Almost instantly, Yu Chuan pressed against the back of his neck.

The humid air in the room, the strong smell of alcohol. Li Siwei felt a long-suppressed heat surge through his body.

That night, under the cover of the roaring planes outside, Li Siwei moaned freely for the first time.

He wanted to see Yu Chuan lose control because of him, he wanted to tear away the facade Yu Chuan maintained in Fucheng.

Li Siwei felt like he was going crazy, craving Yu Chuan’s brief obsession with him.