Chapter 1
Edward Quan ·
In my rush to get home for some exercise with my six-foot-two husband and his six-pack, I accidentally packed the film crew's prop divorce papers.
My husband found them.
He went rigid and asked hoarsely, "Who's the man?"
With the hairdryer running, I thought he'd asked who the male lead was.
"Yan Zheng, of course."
The famously aloof, ascetic award-winning actor.
The air froze.
That very day, my usually insatiable husband transformed into a pillar of restraint.
Every advance met a cold refusal. He even dodged my fingertips.
Furious, I gritted out, "If you're not interested, let's get divorced!"
He only panicked more. Tearing off his gold-rimmed glasses, he caught me.
"I've spent all this time trying to be like him, and you still want to leave..."
"Looks like I'll have to remind you my own way who your husband is."
1
Before we'd even reached home, Ning Tianye and I had kissed more than twenty times in the car.
My lipstick was ruined. He was getting hotter by the minute.
What could we do? Absence makes a reunion sweeter than a wedding night.
I'd spent a month filming on a closed set and finally had three days off.
Others planned short trips to unwind.
I just wanted to get home and go three hundred rounds with Ning Tianye.
The light turned green.
Honk!
The car behind us blasted its horn. Reluctantly, he released the back of my neck and returned his attention to driving.
A professional racer, all right.
He covered a thirty-minute journey in fifteen.
The instant we got inside, I rushed excitedly to the bathroom.
Ning Tianye tilted his head and smiled, showing his crooked canine tooth.
Then he opened my suitcase with practiced ease and took out my dirty clothes.
Underwear separately. Light colors separately. Silk and wool by hand.
As he stood with an armful of laundry, a sheaf of papers fell at his feet.
Water roared in the bathroom as I washed my hair and showered at record speed.
I was drying my hair when his trembling voice came from outside.
"Shen Qing, is there someone else?"
"Who's the man?"
The hairdryer drowned out the first question.
All I caught was something about the leading man.
"Yan Zheng, of course."
Strange. Ning Tianye had never cared about the entertainment industry. Why ask now?
"Is he that wonderful?"
"Of course! On set, I wish I could stick to him twenty-four hours a day!"
Yan Zheng had won every major Best Actor award, and his professionalism was exceptional.
For a middling actress like me, landing a supporting role in his film was a blessing. Naturally, I wanted to learn everything I could.
"So you came home this time to..."
Before he finished, I switched the hairdryer on again.
Ten minutes later, I came out.
Ning Tianye sat blankly on the sofa, his eyes empty, like a puppy with a broken heart.
I'd never seen him like that. I went over and shook him.
"What's wrong? You look awful."
He forced a smile. It looked worse than crying.
"I... don't feel great, hahaha. Going out for a smoke, hahaha."
He practically fled.
I stood there, baffled.
Wait.
I distinctly remembered...
Didn't Ning Tianye never smoke?
2
He didn't go far.
His thoughts were a tangle. His throat worked twice.
He sent several messages to his friends' group chat.
【I don't want to live anymore!】
【Shen Qing wants a divorce.】
【sobbing.jpg】
Huo Yangyan: 【? That sudden? Why?】
Cui Ting: 【No way. Aren't you two always rock solid?】
Ning Tianye: 【Rock solid doesn't stand a chance against shameless men seducing her outside! Look up that Yan Zheng for me. I'm going to fight him!!!】
A headshot appeared at once.
Black shirt. Gold-rimmed glasses.
The man's mature presence practically poured out of the screen.
Ning Tianye looked down at his leather jacket and hoodie.
He deflated.
【Do you think she's liked that type all along...?】
Cui Ting: 【Obviously. Cool, restrained, sophisticated, older... Which of those describes you?】
Ning Tianye: 【But she was normal when I picked her up. She even asked me to kiss her on the way home.】
Cui Ting: 【Even worse. Isn't that breakup sex?】
Ning Tianye: 【...So I've got no chance? I don't want a divorce.】
【sobbing.jpg】
Huo Yangyan: 【Why panic? If she likes that type, become that type.】
【Come to my studio. I'll get a stylist to give you a makeover.】
3
After he left, I messaged my best friend and manager, Cai Zhaozhao.
【Has Ning Tianye been acting strange while I was away?】
The reply came immediately.
【No. Messing around with his race car every day. Completely normal.】
I frowned.
I was about to complain when a voice call came in.
Yan Zheng.
I hurried to answer.
"Shen, let's run through the next scene."
"Of course, Mr. Yan!"
He was a consummate professional. I immediately gave the rehearsal my full attention.
I played the male lead's vicious ex-wife. Fickle, trampling his pride, until he finally cast her aside.
In this scene, I'd set my sights on him and was shamelessly trying to win him over.
"...Listen to me. The colder you are, the more I like you!"
"Just you wait. Sooner or later, I'm getting you into bed!"
As I finished the last line, a dull thud came from the entrance.
Ning Tianye was back.
He'd dropped a box of strawberries all over the floor.
Awkwardly, he crouched and gathered them, unable to look at me.
Yan Zheng gave a quiet "Mm."
"I like that energy. We'll do it again in person in two days."
I nodded eagerly and ended the call.
Ning Tianye had finished collecting the strawberries.
He stood, gripping the edge of the plastic box, his expression complicated.
My eyes lit up.
I trotted over and poked his glasses.
"What's with the new look?"
He only pressed his lips together and watched me.
Thinking he might have misunderstood, I started explaining.
"Mr. Yan and I were just—"
"No need to explain!"
He cut me off hurriedly.
I blinked.
Actually, fair enough. He knew we were filming together. Surely he wouldn't read anything into it.
He set the strawberries on the dining table and went to wash my underwear.
I looked him up and down without restraint.
His figure was incredible. Exactly my type.
Now the black shirt stretched across his shoulders, back and arms, showing every muscle. Narrow waist, shapely backside.
The new style made him even more attractive.
Assuming he wanted to try something new, I smiled and hugged him from behind, breathing against his neck.
He went rigid.
Then pushed me away.
"You've just got back. You must be tired. Get some rest."