After Breaking Up, I Married A Top Alpha Movie Star And Fell In Love - Chapter 25

The breeze swept past, and the waves of grass rose and fell.

In the distance, the flocks of sheep looked like scattered pearls embedded upon a soft, lime-green velvet cloth.

Liu Mian’s outfit was overly exquisite; paired with intricately patterned over-the-knee boots, it gave off a sense of trying much too hard.

“Eh? Why are you the only one here?” Zhou You was naturally curious about the mystery guest and took a few steps forward.

“Why make it so mysterious?” Liang Yongning followed behind Zhou You, commenting in a low voice.

As they spoke, He Yuchen stepped out from the other side of the car. He walked straight toward Qiu Ye and came to a slow halt in front of him.

“Qiu Ye, long time no see.”

A flash of surprise flickered in Qiu Ye’s eyes. He pursed his lips and did not answer.

The atmosphere between the two was somewhat off, and everyone’s gaze instinctively drifted toward Lu Mingchuan.

There were still a few minutes before the official recording began.

The soul of gossip burned brightly within An Yilun. He lightly nudged Qiu Ye’s elbow with his own and asked in a hushed tone, “What’s the situation here?”

“Since when did President He get together with Liu Mian?”

Qiu Ye had already regained his composure and replied, “I’m not sure either.”

Not far away, He Yuchen leaned down slightly, leaning into Liu Mian’s ear. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said, “In front of the cameras later, you know what to do, right?”

A sweet smile hung on Liu Mian’s face as she obediently replied, “Don’t worry, President He. I am an actress, after all.”

“Teachers, please have some water.”

Liu Mian took the water handed over by a staff member. Just as she was about to twist it open, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the opposite side.

The cameras had not yet started rolling.

Liu Mian clearly saw Lu Mingchuan naturally take a bottle of water from his assistant, Xiao Bei, unscrew the cap, and hand it into Qiu Ye’s hand.

As Qiu Ye took the water, his gaze landed on the distant mountain peaks. He remarked, “That must be the Gongsa Snow Mountain.”

The interaction between the two was so smooth and natural that there wasn’t a trace of performance in it.

Liu Mian recalled He Yuchen saying these two were “contract partners,” and a hint of suspicion rose in her heart.

She took a small sip of water and leaned against He Yuchen’s side, preparing to play the role of the obedient lover.

Lu Mingchuan took the water bottle back from Qiu Ye and turned his head to say, “It’s about to start.”

Zhou You returned to his old trade within the program, accepting the task cards with both hands and announcing the first segment.

“Will the four pairs of guests please participate in a chemistry test. The order of the lucky draw will be decided based on the consistency of your answers.”

“The results of this draw are crucial, as they will affect your accommodation conditions for this episode.”

“God bless us, I really don’t want to live in a tent,” An Yilun folded his hands together and began to pray devoutly.

“Brother Yilun, this isn’t just a test of chemistry; it’s also a matter of luck.” Xin Ye grinned, showing his bright white teeth, appearing quite optimistic.

The questions ranged from “The partner’s favorite color” to “Favorite fruit,” and then to “What they wore during the first meeting.” The difficulty escalated gradually.

Lu Mingchuan and Qiu Ye’s answers were highly unified; even compared to Zhou You and Liang Yongning, who had been together for decades, they were not inferior in the slightest.

“If you could only take three things to a deserted island, what would Qiu Ye choose?”

This question was not in the booklet prepared by Ji Bing.

Qiu Ye thought for a few seconds. Approaching it from a purely pragmatic perspective, he wrote down three answers: a water filter, a lighter, and a multi-purpose knife.

Lu Mingchuan slowly turned his answer board, revealing almost identical answers.

This shocked everyone else on the scene, who lamented that the two seemed to share a single brain.

On the other side, He Yuchen and Liu Mian were riddled with problems; their accuracy rate was pitifully low.

“Liu Mian’s favorite color.”

He Yuchen answered without seemingly any thought: “White.”

Liu Mian forced a smile for the camera and revealed the correct answer, saying softly, “Brown.”

“He Yuchen’s favorite perfume brand?”

Liu Mian tried to recall to no avail and randomly called out a luxury brand.

He Yuchen frowned and said, “I don’t use perfume.”

The scene was momentarily very awkward.

Zhou You announced the final scores. Lu Mingchuan and Qiu Ye were far in the lead with a near-perfect score.

According to the rules, the two could be the first to draw lots.

Qiu Ye had good luck, drawing a luxury view room where one could gaze up at the stars.

He Yuchen and Liu Mian were not so fortunate. Having the lowest score, they could only stay in a thin, flimsy tent.

Night fell.

The bonfire crackled, its jumping orange-red flames illuminating the faces of those sitting around it.

The air was filled with the tempting fatty aroma of roasted whole lamb, mixed with the scent of green grass and earth.

The host, Zhou You, enlivened the atmosphere and suggested that everyone showcase a talent.

“Brother Yilun, what should I do? I don’t know how to do anything except race cars.” Xin Ye blinked and lowered his head to place a piece of roasted mutton into An Yilun’s bowl.

“See? At the critical moment, you still have to rely on me.” An Yilun stood up and, without any stage fright, performed a short dance.

After several rounds of jokes.

“Xiao Lu, do you want to perform something?”

Lu Mingchuan did not decline, saying generously, “Then I’ll sing a song.”

The firelight cast flickering shadows across his deep-set features.

Lu Mingchuan’s gaze landed on the dancing flames in front of him, then drifted seemingly unintentionally over to Qiu Ye beside him.

“Stepping over green mountains, how many layers deep; floating clouds fall drunk into old dreams.”

His voice was low and magnetic, flowing slowly through the quiet night of the grasslands.

This was an old song, the theme song of a martial arts drama that had been popular back when Qiu Ye was in high school.

Hearing it again now, it didn’t feel outdated; instead, it felt timeless and fresh.

Qiu Ye’s heart stirred slightly. He lowered his head and took a sip of wine.

“Why bother sweeping the tiny dust in the heart; seeking no cause or effect, letting oneself be carefree.”

During the brief pause in the singing, a clear, gentle voice naturally blended in.

Qiu Ye turned his head slightly and followed the melody, singing the harmony in a low voice.

He Yuchen stared at Qiu Ye with a heavy gaze. He had never heard him sing before, nor did he know that the way he sang could be so moving.

The call-and-response added a sense of storytelling; it was so beautiful that one couldn’t bear to ruin it, as if even the world had grown quiet along with them.

Just then, a camera zoomed in, giving the two a close-up together in the same frame.

Lu Mingchuan held his phone, singing softly with his head down. Inside the transparent phone case, there was a small piece of paper that looked like a note.

“A night of chess is hard to forget; upon waking, Jiangnan is covered in snow.”

When the two sang this line, they looked at each other and smiled in perfect understanding.

This scene was edited into the preview for the first episode of the show.

【Bring out the magnifying glass! Who is this ‘Q’? So hard to guess! Carrying around a ‘Happy Wrapping’ note from his wife?】

【These two singing together is honestly too sweet. ‘Wangchuan Qiushui’ (Watching the River and Autumn Water) shippers, it’s a win! My faith in love is restored series…】

【Rabbit wife’s handwriting is just like the person! Being forced to ship by the official couple themselves, ahhh!】

【This song really exposes one’s age. Why can they sing it so beautifully? Adding it to my nostalgia playlist immediately…】

He Yuchen walked to a deserted corner in a state of agitation and dialed Xu Zilang’s number.

The signal at the top of the screen showed only one bar.

“It’s me. Regarding the show, my parents and the others probably know by now. Help me talk them down.”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, followed by a very long sigh.

He Yuchen became even more irritated by the sigh: “What are you sighing for?”

Xu Zilang, listening to the intermittent voice from the other end, said, “Nothing. I just feel like I must have owed you in a past life.”

The night at Lagu Grassland was like a vast piece of dark black velvet, dotted with countless silver-white stars.

The bonfire had gradually died down, leaving only scattered red embers glowing faintly in the dark.

Qiu Ye held a small silver flask containing wine brewed by the local ethnic minority.

The taste of this wine was very unique—spicy and refreshing.

Rarely did he indulge.

The night breeze blew the stray hairs on Qiu Ye’s forehead, making his eyes feel slightly stinging.

He tilted his head back to look at the vast, boundless starry sky, suddenly feeling that all his troubles seemed like much ado about nothing.

A thick, soft cashmere blanket fell unexpectedly over his shoulders, isolating him from the slightly chilly night air.

Lu Mingchuan sat down beside him to watch the stars together.

There had originally been a distance between them, but they drew a bit closer because they were sharing the blanket.

Qiu Ye lowered his head and took a sip of wine, hissing as the spice hit him. He suddenly spoke up: “I think… whoever is with you…”

“They… they would be very happy.”

“This wine has a high alcohol content; don’t drink too much.” After a long silence, Lu Mingchuan’s deep voice rang out.

Qiu Ye shook the flask in his hand; there was very little left inside.

He turned his head and looked at Lu Mingchuan by the starlight, his eyes shimmering with a watery light due to the alcohol.

“What to do… you said it too late…” Qiu Ye’s voice was slightly tipsy, and even his tone was much softer and more “waxy” than usual.

Looking at him in this state, having let down all his defenses, Lu Mingchuan’s heart turned incredibly soft.

Perhaps anyone would be happy being with Lu Mingchuan, but only when Qiu Ye was with him would he be happy.

He reached out and felt the back of Qiu Ye’s hand holding the flask; it felt ice cold to the touch.

“Let’s go back. The wind is strong at night.”

Lu Mingchuan stood up and leaned over. One hand slid under Qiu Ye’s knees while the other steadily supported his back.

With a slight exertion of force, he lifted the man up in a horizontal “princess carry.”

Qiu Ye gave a soft cry and instinctively wrapped his arms around Lu Mingchuan’s neck, saying in a dazed, drunken voice, “Put me down, I… I can walk myself.”

“Don’t move.”

“The ground here is uneven, and you’re drunk.”

Lu Mingchuan held him very properly through the blanket, yet he was also very firm.

Qiu Ye felt a sense of vertigo and buried his burning cheek into Lu Mingchuan’s uninjured shoulder.

This scene happened to be captured unintentionally by a cameraman who was filming scenic shots nearby.

“Stop filming! What’s there to film!”

He Yuchen appeared behind the cameraman at some point, his gaze so fierce it looked like he wanted to kill someone.

The cameraman was startled by this “King of Hell” figure and had no choice but to gloomily move the lens away.

He Yuchen clenched his fists, wishing he could make Lu Mingchuan disappear instantly.

Lu Mingchuan opened the door with one hand and carefully placed Qiu Ye onto the large circular bed in the center of the room.

The soft mattress sank slightly.

Qiu Ye lay there in a daze. Above him was a transparent glass dome, through which a brilliant galaxy of stars seemed to pour down.

It made him feel as if he had fallen into the Milky Way.

Lu Mingchuan took off Qiu Ye’s shoes and pulled up the quilt. Just as he was about to go wring out a hot towel, his wrist was suddenly caught by a slightly cool hand.

Qiu Ye didn’t use much strength; it would have been easy to break free.

But Lu Mingchuan allowed himself to be held.

The alcohol blurred the boundaries of time and space. The flawless face before him slowly merged with the memory of that night filled with sweat and gasps.

Fragments of shameful images suddenly forced their way into Qiu Ye’s mind.

Entwined limbs, hot breath, kisses falling on skin, and the overwhelming pleasure of being completely filled.

Lu Mingchuan slowly leaned down and, just like that night, removed Qiu Ye’s silver-framed glasses. His long fingers happened to brush over that tiny teardrop mole.

Qiu Ye blinked and called out “Lu Mingchuan” in a very soft voice.

“Why… why are you so good to me?”

Lu Mingchuan’s eyes brightened slightly as he stared at those slightly parted, pale pink lips. He answered: “Because you are Qiu Ye.”