None

He hadn't resisted, nor had he been averse to it.

All he could think about was the sixty million, and that Zou Yan must never find out about this.

Chapter 34: None

Even if Zou Yan had been given free rein to imagine things, he would never have guessed that Xing Zhanyun was thick-skinned enough to take his so-called evidence to Xie Yibai and spread lies about him.

At the time, he was knocking on Sheng Ke's door like an editor chasing an overdue manuscript. He walked in with a cheeky grin and asked, "Great director, how's that script coming along?"

Sheng Ke was cooking in the open kitchen, the aroma of cooked food wafting through the living room. He stir-fried eggs, vegetables, and chunks of meat in a pan, sprinkled on some seasoning once everything was cooked through, then carried the pan straight to the dining table. He set it on a dishcloth to protect the surface and searched the cabinets for utensils.

As he pulled out a chair to sit down, he realized Zou Yan was still there. "Have you eaten?"

Zou Yan couldn't approve of his crude eating habits. He waved a hand. "Don't mind me. You go ahead."

Sheng Ke had earned the distinction of being called a "freak" by Zou Yan not only because he didn't date, but also because his habits and attitude toward spending were completely at odds with those of others in his social class. Most notably, he was too lazy to use a plate or bowl, eating straight out of the pan. He wasn't selective or picky about flavors, as long as the food was nutritious and filling.

When Zou Yan was little, their families had been neighbors. A few years later, Sheng Ke's family fell apart. His parents went their separate ways and left him in a relative's care. That relative was no good either: they took money to look after the child but were nowhere to be found all day, frequenting bars and KTVs and only stocking the house with piles of frozen ready meals and instant noodles.

Sheng Ke was precocious and sensible from a young age. He knew he was still growing and needed fresh eggs, milk, and meat, so he went to the supermarket, bought groceries, and cooked for himself.

An eight- or nine-year-old hardly knew how to cook. He simply washed and chopped the ingredients, stir-fried them, and sprinkled on some salt and vinegar if they were bland. He ate like that for months.

One day, Zou Yan went next door with his mother to deliver some fruit-wax apples shipped from Hainan, for the neighbor's child to try. They found Sheng Ke eating. His bowl was full of little bits of blue, yellow, red, and green. It looked less like food for a person than something you'd feed a rabbit.

Zou Yan's mother was heartbroken. She hurriedly took the boy home to raise him, and from then on, she had another son, though they weren't related by blood.

But whenever there was no one to cook for him, Sheng Ke still went back to living as he had then. His food was no different from rabbit feed. He cared nothing for quality, color, aroma, or flavor; he ate only to stay alive. He didn't care about ceremony or the pleasures of daily life.

Food was the most important thing in life, and someone who treated it that way had even fewer demands when it came to clothes, housing, and transportation. He rented a fully furnished apartment, drove a car Zou Yan had lent him, and bought clothes at random, as long as they fit and were comfortable.

Many people saw Sheng Ke's watch and the car he drove and mistook him for a sophisticated, self-serving man.

They couldn't have been more wrong. He was just a savage wearing a handsome man's skin.

Granted, that wasn't entirely fair. A real savage couldn't type on a computer like Sheng Ke and write excellent scripts worth a fortune.

Zou Yan wandered around the almost empty apartment and made conversation. "You've earned so much money. Why don't you buy a place of your own and decorate it properly?"

"What would I buy a place for? I'm not going to live in the same place all my life." Sheng Ke ate very elegantly, taking his time.

"Eat faster," Zou Yan said. "Looking at your food makes me want to throw up."

There were times even Sheng Ke let a remark pass without retorting. He silently sped up, finished the whole pan of food, cleared the table, and went to wash the dishes.

Zou Yan waited for him to finish the chores. When Sheng Ke brought over two cups of coffee, he waved a hand again. "I don't want any. Where's your script? How far have you gotten? Let me take a look and help you work it out."

Sheng Ke dodged the subject. "Stop asking. I'm not revealing anything for now. Tell me about your web drama. How's it going?"

"Pretty smoothly. Once we've signed the actress, we'll start shooting." Zou Yan folded his hands behind his head and leaned back against the sofa, saying smugly, "Things are going smoothly with Xiaobai too. Being in love feels great."

"It's one-sided, isn't it?" Sheng Ke said bluntly.

Zou Yan said, "Are you asking for a beating?"

"If you were really dating, you would've brought him along," Sheng Ke said, laying out his reasoning. "You came to my place alone, which means you haven't developed an intimate relationship yet."

His good buddy had been shrewd since childhood and was hard to fool. Zou Yan didn't bother putting up a front or arguing. "I can't hide anything from those sharp eyes of yours. But things are good between us. I'm just not in a hurry."

Sheng Ke raised his mug in a toast. "I hope you don't lose both him and your money."

The words grated on Zou Yan. "Why are you always prejudiced against Xiaobai? He's very kind and softhearted, not someone full of schemes."

"Being softhearted and kind is the biggest problem." Sheng Ke took half a sip of coffee and decided to add some milk. "Forget it. You're too close to see clearly. Find out for yourself."

"If you have something to say, say it plainly. Why talk in riddles with me?"

Sheng Ke was determined to keep speaking in riddles, because the truth hurt. From his clear-eyed perspective as an observer, whether someone liked someone else was obvious at a glance. There was no love in the way Xie Yibai looked at Zou Yan, and no amount of acting skill could disguise that.

Unfortunately, Zou Yan couldn't see it, or he could and refused to accept it.

Either way, one was willing to strike and the other willing to suffer. It was none of his business.

Sheng Ke had to admit that Xie Yibai was an interesting person. He understood why Zou Yan was attracted to him.

But the only thing he wanted to say was, "I'll tell you again: I never scared your Xiaobai."

"I didn't say you did it on purpose. That's just how you are, I know. What I mean is, put on an act in front of him from now on. Be a little friendlier and gentler."

"I'm always friendly."

"Oh, I can't get through to you. Just talk less." Zou Yan returned to the subject. "I ask about your script and you keep changing the subject. What are you writing this time? What act are you on? Give me the gist. A lot of people have been asking me."

"I finished it, but I was very dissatisfied, so I deleted the whole thing," Sheng Ke lied.

"Deleted it?" Zou Yan reacted as though facing a grave threat. "Didn't you make a backup? Why would you delete it?"

"Because I wasn't satisfied." Actually, that wasn't true. He was very satisfied-so satisfied that he couldn't bear to show it to anyone else.

Some stories had to be shared with a particular person before they could be made public. This was his own peculiar sense of ceremony. Was there anything wrong with that?

A good story depended on the right confluence of circumstances, and fate was for heaven to decide.

"What am I supposed to say to you? If you weren't satisfied, you could've revised it. How could you delete the whole thing?" At a loss, Zou Yan could only beat his chest and stamp his feet.

"I'll just write a new one," Sheng Ke said. "You never used to rush me. Don't tell me you went around making promises to people?"

"No, I just hope you'll work hard and be prolific, haha." Zou Yan laughed to conceal his guilt and tried to change the subject, but his phone screen lit up with a WeChat voice call.

He swiped to unlock the screen. To his surprise, it was Xie Yibai calling.

Zou Yan sat up straight, cleared his throat, and answered. "Hello, Xiaobai, what's up?"

His phone volume was loud enough that a little sound leaked out even without speakerphone. Xie Yibai said, "Brother Yan, I received something here. I'd like to show it to you."

Zou Yan said, "What is it?"

Xie Yibai said, "Let's talk in person. Where are you?"

"I'm at Sheng Ke's. How about I come over to your place?" Zou Yan suggested.

"No need. I'll come find you two, then. Send me your location." Xie Yibai hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

Zou Yan looked at Sheng Ke. "If you mind, I can arrange to meet him nearby instead."

"I don't mind."

There was very little furniture in Sheng Ke's apartment; it was in the minimalist style popular online. He didn't come home every day, but he loved organizing, and everything was neat, orderly, and as good as new. At most, the study was a little messy, but he could just close the door.

Oddly enough, he never had strangers over because he was afraid they would make a mess, yet now he was concerned about Xie Yibai's impression of his home.

He had a feeling Xie Yibai was coming to see him. He calculated the time: from receipt to delivery, subtract Xie Yibai's working hours from twenty-four hours, then multiply the remaining time by a normal person's reading speed. Yes, today was just enough time to have finished reading the script once.

He had received an unsigned script, so it was reasonable for him to ask Zou Yan what it was about.

Traffic was good at nine in the evening. Without congestion, the drive from Xie Yibai's home to Sheng Ke's residential complex took only twenty-five minutes.

Forty minutes later, Zou Yan went downstairs to bring Xie Yibai up. Sheng Ke cleaned the apartment every day when he was home, so there was no need to change shoes inside. Xie Yibai took off his mask and hat as he entered, holding a thick document envelope in his arms.

"Good evening, Director Ke," Xie Yibai said, lowering his head apologetically. "Sorry for disturbing you."

Sheng Ke said, "It's fine. Would you like coffee or tea?"

Xie Yibai said, "Just water, please."

Zou Yan led him to the sofa and asked, "What's so important that you had to tell me in person? Who's it about?"

Sheng Ke went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out a bottle of purified water. Though he wasn't fond of hosting guests, he knew the proper way to receive them. He opened a cabinet and looked for a clean glass.

From the living room adjoining the dining area came the rustle of a paper envelope being opened and closed. Unable to ignore the faint noise, Sheng Ke turned toward its source. He reached into the dim cabinet and took out a glass he had never used, without looking at what kind it was.

Xie Yibai poured all the photographs out of the document envelope and spread them across the dark wooden table. "Brother Yan, someone delivered these to my home today. I don't know who sent them, but they're all photos related to you. Do you know who took them?"

Sheng Ke set the bottled water and glass beside Xie Yibai. His gaze swept over the photographs on the table, and he picked one up, staring at it intently, using his concentration to conceal the emptiness in his heart.

He was a little disappointed, but it was all right.

"Director Ke," Xie Yibai called to him, "do you know the person in the photo?"

"Never seen them." Sheng Ke put the photograph back. Even if he had seen them, he wouldn't remember. He never wasted brain space storing insignificant people and events.