Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 56 : A Night With The Emperor (3)

Chapter 56: Chapter 56 : A Night With The Emperor (3)

"Thank you, please come again!"

Ding.

An hour later, Shen Jingwei left the apothecary with a plastic bag full of Yan Renzhong’s stuff.

The inn was a traditional one. It was not equipped with an elevator. Thus Shen Jingwei had to hike all the way to the fifth floor to reach his and Yan Renzhong’s room.

When he opened the door, he did not see Yan Renzhong on the bed.

The man was standing at the balcony, visible through the glass door.

And he was on the phone.

Shen Jingwei tiptoed toward his side of the bed. He put the plastic bag on the bed.

After casting one wary glance at Yan Renzhong, who still had his back facing him, Shen Jingwei quickly took his pajamas out of his bag and marched into the bathroom.

By the time he finished taking his bath, Yan Renzhong had yet to finish his phone call.

Shen Jingwei eyed the man’s bandaged ankle.

That idiot did not even think about taking off the wet bandages while Shen Jingwei was gone.

Sigh.

Shen Jingwei did not want to interrupt, but he needed Yan Renzhong to at least go inside so he could re-apply fresh ointment and re-bandage his swollen ankle.

Shen Jingwei carefully opened the glass door open.

The narrow slit carried Yan Renzhong’s voice into the room.

"There was an accident on the road, so we ended up spending the night in a nearby inn. We will resume our trip tomorrow morning."

... Who was that?

Director Ma?

"Mmm. The room is a little small, but it is comfortable enough for one night."

No, he wouldn’t talk about such a trivial issue with Director Ma.

Shen Jingwei could hear the smile in Yan Renzhong’s voice when he spoke again.

"I agree. The moon is beautiful tonight."

"I wonder if we are looking at the same moon."

Oh, God.

Shen Jingwei’s facial expression turned sour. His hand moved to close the door.

It was definitely not Director Ma.

It was probably...

"Mmm. I love you too."

...

I love you too.

I love you.

Too.

The words echoed in an endless loop, a cruel chorus mocking the love Shen Jingwei had once held for Yan Renzhong. Like dagger-sharp blades, they pierced his heart with merciless precision.

Shen Jingwei gasped, his lungs fighting for air like trapped birds. A fiery furnace raged within his chest, each breath fueling the flames. It was as though a monstrous crow, its beak a searing ember, was pecking mercilessly at his wounded heart. The pain was all-consuming, as the rest of his body was numbed by shock.

Yan Renzhong never said those words to him.

Not even once.

In the past, it had always been Shen Jingwei who showered him with "I like you"s and "I love you"s.

Young Shen Jingwei, a fool in love, used to think that his boyfriend was too shy to utter those words.

Today, he discovered that he was wrong.

Yan Renzhong was not shy.

Yan Renzhong was perfectly able to say the words Shen Jingwei yearned to hear.

Yan Renzhong simply did not feel that way about Shen Jingwei. That was why he never spoke about like or love in front of Shen Jingwei.

"Good night, sleep tight."

Shen Jingwei was thankfully lucid enough to shut the glass door completely before distancing himself from the balcony.

Swift like a bolt of lightning, he threw himself onto the bed and pretended to sleep.

Yan Renzhong walked into the room and shut the glass door behind him.

"Shen Jingwei...?" He called out, but Shen Jingwei did not answer.

Yan Renzhong picked the plastic bag off the bed and put it on the end table.

Silently, he began to work on his ankle.

Shen Jingwei opened his eyes a spalt to see the other man’s back.

Brows furrowed in pain, he let out a soft grunt and rolled onto the other side, facing the balcony instead of Yan Renzhong’s back.

"Shen Jingwei, are you awake?" Yan Renzhong called out again.

"..."

Again, Shen Jingwei could not be bothered to give a reply.

He stubbornly continued feigning slumber, even when Yan Renzhong pulled the blanket under his body and tucked him in.

It was already quite late at night.

After some time, Yan Renzhong switched off all lights and climbed into bed.

In the hushed darkness, Shen Jingwei’s senses were amplified several times.

He felt the weight of Yan Renzhong beside him, the gentle rhythm of his breath, and the subtle rustle of the blanket as he shifted.

Shen Jingwei’s fists tightened around the blanket, right beneath his chin.

Slowly, his tears started to roll down his cheek, drenching his pillow.

It was all so unfair.

It had been three years.

Three years after losing his dream career, his first boyfriend, and then his father.

Despite Yan Renzhong’s betrayal in the end, Shen Jingwei often comforted himself with a single thought.

At least there were those several months of bliss, when they were unconditionally in love with each other.

He loved a man with all his heart, and the man loved him in return.

Even if another relationship with a man was out of the question, it was fine with him.

The sweet memories he shared with Yan Renzhong should act like a means of catharsis for him, and cover the glaring hole in his heart.

It turned out that everything was his wishful thinking.

Yan Renzhong never felt the same about him.

That was why he did not feel guilty about betraying Shen Jingwei at all.

Silent sobs escaped Shen Jingwei’s throat, his body wracked with self-reproach.

He was just too stupid.

Meanwhile, Yan Renzhong was watching Shen Jingwei’s heaving form, outlined by the sparse lighting from the balcony.

He gingerly extended a hand to touch Shen Jingwei’s shoulder. His finger was only a hairsbreadth away when he suddenly heard his former lover’s gut-wrenching sob.

It was just a single sob, but it prompted Yan Renzhong to retract his hand and clench his jaw in obstinacy.

Wordlessly and silently, he continued watching Shen Jingwei from behind, until the latter’s sobs subsided and he drifted to sleep.