Chapter 34: Madman

There was a desk calendar on the makeup room table in the Lingang film set. Every day, the first person to arrive would tear off a page.

It was late November, and the once thick stack of pages had dwindled to a thin layer.

Today was Minor Snow. The temperature in Lingang had stabilized below zero. The wind was biting, but the first snow hadn’t arrived yet.

After that night in Yu Chuan’s room, they didn’t have any scenes together for three days.

Li Siwei saw Yu Chuan again this morning. He was barefaced, wrapped in a thick down jacket, looking tired. But his expression was normal, as if he hadn’t been affected by his drunken episode.

It’s good that he blacked out. Li Siwei thought. It’s best if he forgot everything.

They only had two dialogue scenes today. After filming, Li Siwei didn’t return to the hotel. He stayed in the makeup room to review next week’s script. They didn’t have many scenes left; the other simple dialogue scenes and establishing shots had already been filmed.

An important scene was scheduled for next week. Li Peiyun’s emotions were complex in this scene, and Li Siwei had discussed it with Mo Xue twice, but he still hadn’t found the right state of mind.

It was already 7 pm without him realizing it. He was about to stretch and leave when the makeup room door creaked open.

It was late, and Li Siwei was startled. He immediately stood up.

A head poked in through the doorway.

“You scared me.” Li Siwei relaxed his shoulders and looked at Xiao Meng at the door.

“Brother Siwei, you haven’t left yet?”

“I was just about to.”

“Ahem. Sorry about what happened on the weekend.” Xiao Meng raised her right hand and saluted him.

“Sorry about what?” Li Siwei was confused.

“I heard Boss Yu drank a bit too much… It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been on leave, you wouldn’t have had to carry him back.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference. He’s so heavy, you wouldn’t have been able to carry him either.”

Xiao Meng chuckled and took a can from her pocket, handing it to Li Siwei.

“Hot cocoa. As an apology.”

Li Siwei accepted it and put it in his pocket. Xiao Meng went to the costume room and took out two jackets.

“I came to get his clothes. Are you leaving too?” Xiao Meng beckoned him.

The winter nights were pitch black. Xiao Meng had come with the driver. She took the clothes, got into the car, and held the door open for Li Siwei.

“It’s so cold, Brother Siwei. Let’s go back together.”

Li Siwei waved his hand: “I’m used to walking back. You go ahead.”

Seeing his firm stance, Xiao Meng didn’t insist. But as the car door was closing, she poked her head out again.

“Oh right, Brother Siwei…” She hesitated.

“What is it?” Li Siwei asked.

Xiao Meng opened her mouth, then closed it, hesitating for a moment before speaking: “…That photo online, is it real?”

Li Siwei paused, then realized she was talking about the kissing photo from their performance that had been leaked by the entertainment reporters.

After a few seconds, he smiled: “It’s real. But it was just a school play, it’s normal.”

“That’s good, that’s good. You and Boss Yu, you didn’t have a falling out, right?” She probed.

“…No.” He shook his head.

“Phew, that’s great.” Xiao Meng breathed a sigh of relief. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Li Siwei frowned slightly.

“Tomorrow is Boss Yu’s birthday, and the producer told me yesterday that they want to throw him a birthday party. Brother Siwei… you’ll come, right?”

The north wind blew Xiao Meng’s bangs, her hair swaying messily in the wind. She smiled, making it hard to refuse.

Li Siwei pursed his lips and remained silent for a few seconds.

“Is it inconvenient?” Xiao Meng asked.

“No. I’ll go.” He nodded, his expression neutral.

Xiao Meng seemed relieved and waved to him: “Then tomorrow night at seven, at the top floor of the Binhai Hotel, I’ll send you the room number later. See you then!”

The car sped away. Li Siwei turned around, took a breath of the cold air, and walked back.

More than ten years had passed in a flash.

Yu Chuan’s birthday was no longer a date he had to remember.

The stray cat downstairs had disappeared. It was so cold; he wondered where it had gone to shelter from the wind.

It didn’t snow on Minor Snow. Instead, it snowed the next day.

When Li Siwei woke up, he heard the muffled sound of wind outside. He opened the curtains and looked out. The sky was gray and white, snowflakes falling. A thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the windowsill.

He didn’t have any scenes today, so he sat in his hotel room, his legs curled up, watching the snow.

Around six in the evening, Xiao Meng sent him a WeChat message, saying he could leave now.

Li Siwei didn’t take their car, but called a taxi instead. The roads were covered in snow, and the city hadn’t cleared them yet, so the taxi drove very slowly.

By the time he arrived at the birthday party, the private room was already filled with people. The room was on the top floor of the hotel, a secluded location, almost completely isolated from the outside world.

Li Siwei looked around and noticed that Mo Xue wasn’t there. Only the core members of the film crew were invited to the large private room.

He found a chair in the corner and sat down. The long night was even more difficult to pass.

He had attended a few birthday parties for other artists in the past few years. The procedures were similar. If it was organized by the production team, the director and producer would give a few polite speeches. Then they would open champagne and cut the cake. Some artists would continue the party at a bar or nightclub. Li Siwei was never interested and would always leave early.

Yu Chuan arrived after all the other guests. The heavy double doors opened, and he entered, followed by Xiao Meng. Unlike his tired appearance the day before, Yu Chuan looked much more energetic today. He wasn’t wearing a formal suit, but a luxurious-looking dark gray coat. The fatigue was gone from his face, as if he had stepped straight out of a magazine.

The room erupted in cheers. Two waiters in black uniforms followed, pushing a three-foot-tall fondant cake with Yu Chuan’s name in large cursive letters. Champagne and desserts were brought in, the lights flickering, the atmosphere lively.

Fang Yu had put in a lot of effort, even in a place like Lingang, she had managed to arrange such a grand celebration for him.

He was thinking this when Fang Yu’s red lambskin high heels appeared before him.

“Siwei.”

Li Siwei looked up and saw Fang Yu holding two glasses of champagne, her gaze on his face.

Li Siwei understood what she meant and took one of the glasses. The champagne sloshed slightly.

“Go.” Fang Yu tilted her chin towards the center of the crowd. “It’s his birthday today. No matter what happened before, you should take the initiative to offer him a toast. There are still two important scenes left to film. Let’s end things on a good note.”

Li Siwei’s fingers touched the cold glass. Amidst the noise, he stood up.

Yu Chuan was surrounded by the two assistant directors, chatting animatedly.

He walked over to them, and Yu Chuan’s expression faltered slightly.

Fang Yu was watching from behind him.

“Yu Chuan.” Li Siwei tried to keep his voice steady. “…Happy birthday.”

The assistant director teased him: “Siwei, that’s a bit too formal, isn’t it?”

Yu Chuan didn’t reply and didn’t clink glasses with him, seemingly accepting his blessing with just a glance.

Li Siwei felt uncomfortable under his gaze. He raised his glass and drank the champagne in one gulp, his Adam’s apple bobbing, trying to avoid Yu Chuan’s intense stare.

Mission accomplished. Li Siwei returned to his unnoticed corner.

The other crew members started socializing. They were less than half a month away from wrapping up. This wasn’t just Yu Chuan’s birthday party; it was also a pre-wrap party.

After a few rounds of drinks, some people started to leave. Li Siwei seized the opportunity, preparing to slip out with them.

But half a minute later, a tall figure suddenly appeared at the door.

As the person approached, Li Siwei’s pupils constricted.

“Mr. Han, what brings you here?” Fang Yu recognized the newcomer and went to greet him.

Why was Han Xiao here?!

Han Xiao ignored everyone else and walked straight towards the corner where Li Siwei was sitting.

“What a coincidence.” He took a glass of wine from a waiter and looked at Li Siwei.

Li Siwei was forced to meet his gaze.

“Mr. Han.” Li Siwei looked at him, controlling his voice.

“I happened to be passing by and heard that Mr. Yu was having a birthday party here, so I came to take a look.” He smiled, looking relaxed. “What a coincidence, all old acquaintances are here.”

Li Siwei’s back tensed.

“Long time no see. Mr. Li hasn’t changed much.” He raised his glass, his gaze on Li Siwei’s face.

Li Siwei froze, pausing for a few seconds before raising his glass and lightly clinking it against Han Xiao’s.

He turned to leave, but Han Xiao blocked his way.

“What a coincidence. I have another party downstairs. It’s rare that we meet, why don’t we go down for a drink?”

He was about to speak when a cold voice came from behind him.

“Li Siwei.”

Yu Chuan walked over to them, and the three of them stood facing each other. The lights flickered, the bright light stinging Li Siwei’s eyes.

“Long time no see. Happy birthday, Mr. Yu.” Han Xiao raised his glass to him, the glasses clinking with a crisp sound.

“What do you think of my suggestion?” Han Xiao took a sip and looked at Li Siwei again.

“He’s not free.” Yu Chuan’s face was cold. “Right, Li Siwei?”

Li Siwei’s expression also turned serious: “None of your business.”

“Li. Si. Wei.” Yu Chuan called his name again, each word emphasized, his knuckles white against the glass, as if about to crush it.

“I said, it’s none of your business.” Li Siwei lowered his voice. “Go do your thing.”

Suddenly, there was a crisp shattering sound. Yu Chuan had smashed his glass, the shards scattering on the soft-lit floor.

Li Siwei froze. The next second, Yu Chuan grabbed his wrist tightly.

Li Siwei was alarmed and tried to break free.

But Yu Chuan didn’t let go. Before Han Xiao could speak again, he dragged Li Siwei out of the private room.

There were still other people at the party, some of whom were already looking at them. The situation was too complicated, and Li Siwei didn’t dare to make a scene, so he could only stumble after Yu Chuan.

He realized they were being dragged into the underground parking lot. Yu Chuan pushed him forcefully into the back seat of a black van.

“Yu Chuan, are you crazy?!”

Just as Yu Chuan was about to lock the door, Li Siwei seized the opportunity and kicked him hard in the stomach.

Two solid thuds.

Li Siwei used all his strength. Yu Chuan winced in pain, his face contorted. Then, he ripped off his tie, the dark blue ribbon whipping through the air.

He quickly and forcefully tied Li Siwei’s wrists together, tying a tight knot.

Li Siwei, ignoring his bound hands, tried to climb over the seats and jump out of the car.

Click. Yu Chuan had quickly gotten into the driver’s seat and locked the doors.

“You’re insane! I’m calling the police! Let me out!”

Yu Chuan ignored him, took off his coat from the front seat, threw it onto Li Siwei, stepped on the gas, and sped away.