Does this make you feel anything?

The hand gripping Wu Jiangyuan's jaw hurt so much that he drew in a small breath, parting his lips enough for the other man to force his way in.

Pei Jinghe kissed fiercely, filling his mouth with the Enigma's scent, the heavy, resinous fragrance of Sichuan Thuja.

Pressed against the partition, Wu Jiangyuan had nowhere to retreat. The hand at the back of his head held him captive, and he could feel Pei Jinghe licking his teeth, his tongue tangling with his without restraint.

He couldn't breathe, and his bladder ached from holding it in. Wu Jiangyuan was suffering on both fronts.

At last, their lips parted.

Wu Jiangyuan rested his head against Pei Jinghe's shoulder, his chest heaving violently. The corners of his eyes were red, stinging with the urge to cry, entirely from needing to pee so badly.

"Does this make you feel anything?"

Pei Jinghe's voice sounded above his head, as calm as though nothing had happened.

"You... you..." Wu Jiangyuan panted for ages without managing a complete sentence.

Feel anything? I feel so freaking much I'm seriously about to lose control!!

He shoved Pei Jinghe away, opened the door, and quickly ducked into another stall.

The door slammed with a bang.

A few seconds later, the sound of running water was particularly conspicuous in the quiet restroom.

Pei Jinghe emerged from the stall. "..."

He stared at the closed door, looking thoughtful.

Only after relieving himself did Wu Jiangyuan finally feel alive again.

Once he relaxed, he finally confronted the numb, painful sensation in his lips.

Pei Jinghe just forced a kiss on me, didn't he?!

That damned bastard!

Wu Jiangyuan angrily opened the door to settle the score, only to discover that Pei Jinghe was nowhere to be seen.

He sneered. "Lucky you ran fast, or I'd have knocked your face crooked."

After washing his hands, he rinsed his mouth several times too.

He refused to stop until the scent of Sichuan Thuja had completely disappeared.

When he returned, Aji hurried over. "Brother Yuan, you were in the restroom so long I thought you'd been kidnapped. I almost called the police."

Wu Jiangyuan looked listless. "Not kidnapped, but I do feel like murdering someone."

"Huh?" Aji was baffled, but his sharp eyes caught the change in Wu Jiangyuan's face.

"Brother Yuan, why are your lips swollen?"

They weren't just swollen. They were an even brighter red than before.

"..." Wu Jiangyuan replied expressionlessly, "A mosquito bit me."

He had meant to say a dog, but realized that calling him a dog was a little insulting to himself. Forget it.

Aji blinked. Why did he find that so hard to believe?

What mosquito could bite such a large area?

But judging by Wu Jiangyuan's expression, it was better not to pursue that question.

"Oh, right, the producer came looking for you."

Wu Jiangyuan asked, "Long ago?"

Aji said, "Not long. About three minutes ago. He'd only just left when you came back."

Wu Jiangyuan asked, "What did he want? We're not supposed to start shooting yet, are we?"

Aji picked up a document from a nearby table and handed it to him. "He brought this. The producer said that even though it's a short commercial, there's still a script you need to memorize."

"It's very short. He hopes you can memorize it before shooting starts."

Wu Jiangyuan took it, opened a page, and agreed at once. "Sure."

The shoot's theme revolved around a fairy tale.

The script contained only a few brief keywords: [Starry sky] [Prince] [Maiden] [Magic] [Lost Kingdom]

When filming officially began, Wu Jiangyuan wasn't nervous at all.

The first half went smoothly, but Liang Changju was dissatisfied with the second half no matter what they tried.

He said Wu Jiangyuan's expressions lacked involvement and didn't convey the feeling he wanted.

After calling cut again and again, he finally stopped impatiently. "Take a break."

Watching from the sidelines, Aji broke into a cold sweat.

Wu Jiangyuan stood where he was, looking down at the watch on his wrist.

This part of the story was: [After the prince fell in love with the maiden, she used her own life to lift the curse. The prince's long-lost kingdom returned to the world, and starlight spilled across the land. The final bond between them ultimately formed the Fate Wheel, and this wheel was-Stars.]

Although it was a fairy tale, it had a tragic ending.

The prince and the maiden fell in love, the maiden gave her life to lift the curse, and the prince was devastated.

That was how Wu Jiangyuan had portrayed it.

But it wasn't the feeling Liang Changju wanted. He thought that portrayal was too clichéd and offered Wu Jiangyuan only one remark: "What I want is a sense of contradiction."

A sense of contradiction?

Wu Jiangyuan pondered this in confusion.

Aji couldn't help grumbling, "He really is a big-name director. Even his commercials have to meet movie standards."

After the break, all the crew returned to their positions.

Liang Changju watched the monitor expressionlessly. "Action."

Wu Jiangyuan's palms began to sweat.

The prince stroked Stars on his wrist with a desolate expression. It was the Fate Wheel, formed from the maiden's life.

Suddenly, joyous calls reached him from ahead. They were his subjects, who had been sealed away. They had all come back to life.

The entire kingdom brimmed with renewed vitality.

But his maiden could never return to his side.

Looking at his subjects, the prince felt both sorrow and joy. A warm, heartfelt smile blossomed on his lips, yet his eyes grew hollow.

Whenever he thought of how this had been bought with the maiden's life, helpless grief and anger rose within him.

Suddenly, he seemed to see something, and his steps faltered.

A light breeze lifted the hair over his forehead. His gaze was complicated, mingled with hatred and the helplessness of having no choice but to yield to his own position.

"Cut!"

Liang Changju suddenly called a halt.

Everyone looked at him and saw him clap his hands, his expression calm.

"This take works. We're good."

Everyone felt relieved. They all knew how exacting this famous director was. He wouldn't stop until he got footage that satisfied him.

This commercial was a major production, and everyone approached it as though they were making a movie.

Wu Jiangyuan breathed a sigh of relief too. He swept the loose hair off his forehead, and when he looked up and met Pei Jinghe's eyes again, he couldn't help pressing his lips together.

At the very end just now, he had seen Pei Jinghe appear and momentarily lost control of his state of mind.

He had thought the director would call cut, but to his surprise, Liang Changju had actually approved the take.

Pei Jinghe exchanged only a single glance with him before speaking with Liang Changju, who approached from the side.

Facing him, Liang Changju finally smiled too.

Aji suddenly jogged over from the side. "Brother Yuan, we can wrap up for today. The producer told me today's shoot ends here."

Wu Jiangyuan acknowledged him. "Let's go. I'm hungry. I'll treat you to a meal."

Aji said, "Thanks, Brother Yuan!"

After changing out of his costume, he left the dressing room, but Aji was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Pei Jinghe stood by the window. Who knew how long he had been there?

Wu Jiangyuan's expression turned odd. "...Did you kill my assistant?"

Pei Jinghe replied evenly, "No. I let him leave work early."

Wu Jiangyuan said, "What gives you the right? I'm his boss."

Pei Jinghe said, "I promised I'd get your boss to give him a raise, and he left."

Wu Jiangyuan said, "..."

Just you wait, Aji!

He protested, "Since when do you have that much authority?"

Pei Jinghe said, "We'll talk about that later. Let's eat first."

Wu Jiangyuan asked, "With you?"

"Yes." Pei Jinghe said, "I've finished drafting the contract I mentioned to you last time."

Wu Jiangyuan said, "...Fine."