After Breaking Up, I Married A Top Alpha Movie Star And Fell In Love - Chapter 16

Xu Zilang lunged forward, catching He Yuchen in his arms, his voice trembling. “He Yuchen, calm down for me!”

The veins on He Yuchen’s temples bulged as the rich scent of narcissus pheromones exploded out of control. Xu Zilang knit his brows, looking at He Yuchen clutching his phone with a death grip, his face filled with worry.

He Yuchen reopened the photo. The man’s image was firmly blocked by another red certificate, and his personal information had been carefully cropped out by Qiu Ye. He flung off Xu Zilang’s hand, muttering as he walked toward the door, “How could years of feelings just change like that?”

Standing to the side, Xu Zilang finally noticed something. He spoke up, “Your pheromones seem… off.”

“This man appeared out of thin air,” He Yuchen shook his head, his mind entirely filled with Qiu Ye. “The person Qiu Ye has always liked is clearly…”

Before he could finish, the Alpha’s tall frame swayed violently. In an instant, the strength was vacuumed out of his body. He reached out to steady himself on the hallway cabinet, but his fingers grabbed at empty air amidst a flash of white light. Then, without warning, he crashed heavily to the floor with a dull thud.

“Yuchen!” Xu Zilang turned pale with fright, his soul nearly leaving his body.

Xu Zilang reached out to feel the weak pulse at the side of He Yuchen’s neck and his burning skin. He immediately pulled out his phone to call emergency services. He roared into the receiver at a rapid pace, “There’s an Alpha with pheromone disorder… Yes, acute fainting. When can you get here? The address is…”

The wail of an ambulance siren pierced the silence of the old residential area.

Hospital VIP Ward

The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, mixed with a faint, drifting scent of narcissus pheromones.

He Yuchen leaned against the headboard, his face pale, an IV drip connected to the back of his hand. His gaze rested focuslessly on the snow-white wall before he mechanically picked up Xu Zilang’s phone from the bedside table.

“Yuchen, can you stop studying that?” Xu Zilang sat nearby, peeling an orange for himself. The fruit turned out to be incredibly sour, causing his features to contort.

“He liked me for so many years, how could he just let go?” He Yuchen’s voice was very soft, bordering on disbelief. Looking at it this way, he was the one who refused to let go.

“Then what do you plan to do?” Xu Zilang looked helpless, watching He Yuchen go mad while holding a phone with a chipped corner.

He Yuchen stared unblinkingly at the photo and said calmly, “I will make Qiu Ye come back to me.”

Xu Zilang tossed the orange into the trash can at his feet, wondering if He Yuchen’s sedative had been swapped for anesthesia. How else could he be talking such nonsense?

He Yuchen turned off the phone screen, handed it back to Xu Zilang, and closed his eyes. “He’s just angry with me. He’s retaliating on purpose, marrying someone randomly just to get back at me.”

“Otherwise, in such a short time, how could he possibly fall in love with someone?”

Xu Zilang thought to himself: Not necessarily. The world is a big place; there are plenty of people who fall in love at first sight and get registered immediately. “You should just rest for now.”

He Yuchen grabbed Xu Zilang’s hand, his eyes filled with grief. “He can come back to me, right?”

Seeing his childhood friend like this made Xu Zilang feel uneasy. He was about to comfort him when he heard the door open. The eldest Xu brother walked in.

Xu Ziming wore a well-tailored dark suit with a matching cashmere overcoat, looking steady and upright.

“Brother, you’re here,” Xu Zilang stood up and walked over to him.

Xu Ziming patted his brother’s shoulder. His gaze swept over the pale He Yuchen and the dark circles under his eyes, his brow furrowing slightly. “How did you end up in this state?”

“Brother Ziming,” He Yuchen’s voice was hoarse and urgent. “Can you contact him? I know you must have a way… Can you help me find Qiu Ye?”

Xu Ziming walked to the bedside and looked at He Yuchen, his tone turning heavier. “This isn’t just a private matter anymore. If the news of your hospitalization due to pheromone disorder spreads, it will affect market confidence. Huanhe’s stock price will fluctuate.”

Xu Ziming paused and sat down. “Whether it’s for yourself or for the company, stop while you’re ahead.”

He Yuchen pressed his lips into a thin line. He said to Xu Ziming, “Qiu Ye means something different to me. I can’t just let go without a clear explanation.”

“Nothing in this world remains unchanged.”

“Even if he’s married, he can still get a divorce, can’t he?”

Xu Ziming nodded, but his next words were a direct blow to the heart. “Since you know nothing in this world remains unchanged, why do you assume Qiu Ye would stay in the same spot waiting for you?”

He Yuchen’s face turned deathly pale as he squeezed his fists tight.

“I can make this call for you, but what then? Do you intend to be the ‘third wheel’ interfering in someone else’s marriage?”

“Brother, Yuchen is already suffering enough. Say a little less,” Xu Zilang reached out and tugged his brother’s sleeve, then looked back at He Yuchen. Caught between his brother and his best friend, he truly didn’t know what to do.

He Yuchen’s lips moved as he spoke with difficulty, “Brother Ziming, just one call. Just one. I want to hear his voice.”

Xu Ziming lowered his eyes, stood up, walked to the window, and dialed Qiu Ye’s number. He turned on the speakerphone, his tone as steady as ever. “Qiu Ye, it’s me, Xu Ziming.”

“President Xu? Is something the matter? Why the sudden call?”

Hearing that familiar voice at last, He Yuchen’s eyes turned slightly red.

“Don’t call me ‘President Xu.’ You grew up with Zilang and Yuchen; what’s wrong with calling me ‘Brother’? I heard from Zilang that you got married. The Xu family’s ‘red envelope’ gift is already prepared.”

Qiu Ye clearly hesitated before replying, “There’s no need.”

“It’s a token of my heart, you should take it. How have you been lately?”

Qiu Ye thought for a moment and replied, “Quite well. I haven’t been this relaxed in a long time. Perhaps it’s because the person I married is a very good person.”

Qiu Ye’s voice came through the phone, carrying a faint hint of a smile.

He Yuchen suddenly began to struggle. Completely ignoring the IV drip in the back of his hand, he ripped it out.

“Yuchen, what are you doing?” Xu Zilang lowered his voice, tightly hugging the patient’s waist.

Xu Ziming’s brow furrowed. He turned his body to avoid He Yuchen’s attempt to grab the phone and said quickly and lowly, “Sorry, something suddenly came up. Let’s talk next time.” He then decisively ended the call.

Before closing the door, Xu Zilang glanced at He Yuchen, who was drifting into a semi-conscious sleep due to the sedative. “He begged me to investigate the person Qiu Ye married.”

“Don’t get involved in their business,” Xu Ziming looked at his foolish younger brother, not knowing what to say. “You know Yuchen’s personality. He won’t turn back until he hits a dead end.”

“Brother, do you know something?”

Xu Ziming paused and looked back at his brother with a half-smile. “Qiu Ye is already married. Tell him to stop messing around.”

A second later, Xu Zilang dismissed his own suspicion. “You’re busy handling the cooperation between our family and Universal Pictures. You wouldn’t have time for this.”

Indeed, Xu Ziming didn’t have time for young people’s love drama, but that night he happened to be at the “No Defense Tonight” bar when he made a call.

The mirror reflected Lu Mingchuan’s face. He put on a Bluetooth headset and set his phone aside while it was still on a call. A special effects makeup artist was using glue to blend the edges of a realistic wound on his temple with his skin, dark red blood trickling down.

“Director Lai contacted me again. He wants to try one more time to get you on The Love Travel Diary.”

Lu Mingchuan’s tone was indifferent. “I already declined him when we were in Yunchuan.”

“That shows his sincerity,” Ji Bing’s tone became quite earnest. “You just went public; your buzz and attention are at an all-time high. This variety show won’t just maintain your heat; it will build a positive public image and break those messy rumors from before. If I tell Mr. Qiu to add a clause to the agreement, I don’t think he would object.”

Lu Mingchuan frowned and said deeply, “Don’t take matters into your own hands.”

Thinking of the mess Lu Mingchuan had created for her, Ji Bing shot back, “I should be the one saying that to you! I’ve already sent the variety show materials to Mr. Qiu. If he agrees to cooperate, you’ll go see Director Lai after you wrap up filming.”

“How could you—” Before Lu Mingchuan could finish, his vigorous manager hung up the phone.

Lu Mingchuan’s final scene involved interactions with the lead and several important supporting actors. The set was a bit chaotic. While the director and screenwriter Mr. Liang sat together adjusting the script, Liu Mian walked over to Lu Mingchuan.

Breaking the silence, Liu Mian said softly, “Teacher Lu, the scent of your pheromones is very special. It really suits this character.”

“Is that so?” Lu Mingchuan gave Liu Mian an extremely flat glance, as if the other person had said something as trivial as “the weather is nice today.” Ignoring the compliment, he turned to the makeup artist and said lowly, “Please touch this up, otherwise it won’t match the previous shot.”

Being ignored, the smile on Liu Mian’s face stiffened for a moment.

Lu Mingchuan’s final scene ended smoothly. After the director shouted “Cut!”, staff and fellow actors flocked to congratulate him, piling bouquets of flowers into his arms.

Lu Mingchuan bowed to the staff, but he didn’t see Qiu Ye. He reached into his costume pocket and pulled out that silver lighter, listening to the crisp clink-clink sound idly. He remembered the way Qiu Ye looked while smoking on the cruise ship that night.

It seems I am just like them, forcing you to do things you don’t want to do.

Lu Mingchuan lowered his head slightly, the profile of his neck curving into a powerful arc as he lit the cigarette between his lips. Sparks tore through the dark sky, and bluish-white smoke drifted from his lips.

In a daze, Lu Mingchuan saw Qiu Ye walking over, leaning against the wall opposite him. The scene was just like that narrow alleyway by the bar street. The difference was that this time, Qiu Ye was sober.

Qiu Ye wasn’t wearing his glasses. He held a cigarette in his mouth but wasn’t in a rush to light it. Instead, he aligned his cigarette with the glowing red tip of the one between Lu Mingchuan’s fingers.

Lu Mingchuan’s eyes snapped up, staring directly at Qiu Ye’s movements, his gaze deep and bottomless. The faint spark leaped, spreading quickly to light the other cigarette.

“Happy wrap-up.”

Qiu Ye tilted his chin up slightly. The smoke blurred the silhouette of his face, leaving only that tiny tear mole near the corner of his eye clearly visible next to the glowing ember.

In the dim night, the orange fire glowed. The two were very close, yet very far apart.

Not far away, Liu Mian, holding a small piece of cake on his way back to his trailer, suddenly froze. He stared at the two points of fire in the night that seemed almost ready to melt into one, blinking in disbelief.