Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 216 : The Strained Relationship (3)

Chapter 216: Chapter 216 : The Strained Relationship (3)

The relationship between Yan Renzhong and Shen Jingwei took a turn for the worse. Today, other than acting alongside each other, they did not even care to look at each other.

Naturally, the strain in their relationship worried their long-suffering managers the worst.

Unfortunately, neither Yan Renzhong nor Shen Jingwei was inclined to talk.

When faced with the question, "What happened between you and xxx?", their answers were far from satisfying.

"I don’t want to talk about it," Yan Renzhong would say.

"Don’t ask," Shen Jingwei would say.

Other than Wen Guilin and Zhu Dongyi, who were seen huddled together to talk about their protégés, there were two more people who were concerned about mainly Shen Jingwei.

Feng Jietang and Lin Ruoye were seen with Shen Jingwei in the resting area, chatting with each other before the shooting began.

"Did that asshole lash out on you?" Feng Jietang asked.

"No," Shen Jingwei answered in a weary tone.

Lin Ruoye did not ask any questions. Her eyes were locked onto the bruise circling one of Shen Jingwei’s wrists like a bracelet.

"Um... Senior Shen, what happened to your wrist...?"

Shen Jingwei raised his wrist and looked at the mark Yan Renzhong left behind the previous night.

He quickly pulled the hem of his sleeve to cover it.

"It’s nothing."

Feng Jietang seized his arm and pushed up the sleeve.

"Nothing, my ass!" He exclaimed when he looked at the bruise. "Where is that asshole? I am going to give him a piece of my mind!"

He shot to his feet, only to be dragged down by both Shen Jingwei and Lin Ruoye.

"Senior Feng, not so loud! You don’t want to cause further ruckus!" Lin Ruoye hissed.

"Feng Jietang, I beg you, keep your voice down!" Shen Jingwei insisted.

Feng Jietang gave both of them a look full of bewilderment.

"What, are you two just going to let him do whatever he wants? What if he goes home tonight and does something worse???"

"I am not going back to his apartment," Shen Jingwei said in a clipped voice.

"What???" Both Lin Ruoye and Feng Jietang exclaimed simultaneously, but their following remarks took vastly different paths.

"Are you breaking up with that scumbag? Wonderful, Little Shen! You cannot make a better decision! I am proud of you!" Feng Jietang’s face lit up like sun.

"Have you thought through it, Senior Shen? I know that you love each other deeply. If there is any misunderstanding, you should clear it up. Don’t make hasty decisions," Lin Ruoye said.

Shen Jingwei pursed his lips at both his friends.

"We are not breaking up."

Not yet, anyway.

But if they were not breaking up, what were they doing? Shen Jingwei didn’t know. He just couldn’t stay in that apartment anymore, alone with Yan Renzhong. They needed a little bit of space away from each other.

On the other hand, he also couldn’t leave without dropping a single word. So Shen Jingwei waited until the end of the day before he gathered all his courage and confronted Yan Renzhong.

As soon as the camera was gone, the two men were plunged back into a prickling, uncomfortable situation. Looking at each other filled their hearts with indescribable pain, but not looking at each other was akin to suffocating, a sensation worse than physical pain.

"Clearly, we are not in our right state of mind," Shen Jingwei began. He fingered the end of his shirt anxiously when he spoke. "I would like to stay with my family for the time being."

Yan Renzhong squeezed his eyes shut for several seconds as if trying to process the news.

Shen Jingwei bravely looked at Yan Renzhong and prayed for something, anything to salvage the situation. If Yan Renzhong grabbed him and kissed him then and there, he was not going to resist. He just wanted their relationship to go back to what it was before he went to the KTV shop with Feng Jietang and Lin Ruoye.

Alas, Yan Renzhong, despite his many talents, was not blessed with the ability to read Shen Jingwei’s mind.

When he opened his eyes again, all manners of affection for Shen Jingwei already vanished, leaving only indifference behind.

"Suit yourself," he said before he walked away.

The two words nailed Shen Jingwei to the ground. He stood there for a long time before Zhu Dongyi approached him.

"Little Shen, are you alright...?"

Was he alright?

Was he not?

Shen Jingwei didn’t know.

He felt hollow inside.

"We should go," Zhu Dongyi urged. "Come, I will take you home."

Shen Jingwei rubbed at his eyes and mumbled, "Yeah."

Yeah, that was probably for the best.

Shen Jingwei remained silent throughout the journey, his legs tucked beneath him and his chin resting on his knees. He scrolled through his phone with vacant eyes and a blank expression, looking so lonely.

Zhu Dongyi felt so sorry for his protégé, but he didn’t know what to say to comfort him. He also did not dare to interrupt Shen Jingwei. He merely hoped that Shen Jingwei would feel better eventually. Time supposedly healed all wounds.

It was not until the car was about to move into the Red Jade Pavilion’s lavish ground that Shen Jingwei suddenly called out, "Wait, Old Zhu, don’t go in there."

Zhu Dongyi’s car halted on the spot.

"Eh?"

"I am staying with my family from today on," Shen Jingwei explained. "The house is within walking distance. Just over there."

Shen Jingwei pointed in a direction.

"Oh. Alright, alright."

Zhu Dongyi took Shen Jingwei to the Shen family’s rented house.

Expectedly, Mother Shen and Shen Dou Dou were more than surprised to see him there.

After Mother Shen and Zhu Dongyi engaged in brief, friendly small talks, Zhu Dongyi took his leave. Mother Shen and Shen Dou Dou then pulled Shen Jingwei to sit on the couch and asked him urgently, "What happened?"

"I don’t know," Shen Jingwei answered. "I am just so tired."

Mother Shen and Shen Dou Dou exchanged a knowing glance, their shared worry evident. With a silent nod, they agreed on the next course of action.

Shen Dou Dou jumped to her feet and helped her brother up.

"Big Brother, let Dou Dou help change your bedsheet. Come, come, let’s go to your bedroom."

After her children left, Mother Shen made a call to Yan Renzhong.

"Little Yan?" she carefully spoke into the phone. "Jingwei came home just now. Is everything alright?"

On the other end of the line, Yan Renzhong was silent for a while before he spoke in a hoarse, shaky voice, "Please take good care of him for me, Auntie."

That was all he said before the call abruptly ended.

Mother Shen sank onto the couch and pondered. She might be mistaken, but it sounded like Yan Renzhong was crying.