Why is This Clingy Snow Leopard Acting So Innocent? - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Colleague — Do You Really Want to Be Like This?

The ceremony began in the morning and lasted until around two or three in the afternoon.

In previous years, as soon as it ended, the villagers who had come up for the sacrificial rites would leave one after another, and the mountain would be nearly deserted in less than half an hour. This year was different. While the villagers had mostly cleared out, the place was crawling with tourists—almost everyone clutching an oxygen bottle and chasing after tour guides across the peaks.

Since the filming was kept private, the passersby only knew that someone was shooting something. Most assumed it was a local government promotional video; no one imagined it was a documentary. Furthermore, no one recognized that the handsome man in the magnificent traditional attire, surrounded by a crew with cameras, was Su Wen.

No one recognized him. Not a single person.

Su Wen let out a quiet sigh. He considered himself a former child star who had debuted early; though he had fallen from grace halfway through his career, he never expected the day would come when he would be this irrelevant.

“Cut!”

With the final shot related to the Mountain God Festival completed, today’s filming tasks were officially over.

Not far away, Cheng Daozhi looked at the finished footage on the monitor. The heart that had been hanging in suspense since she decided to film this festival finally settled back into her chest. On screen, the multicolored Wind Horse papers fluttered everywhere. One of them, pure white, drifted into Su Wen’s hand. He looked down at it quietly before handing it to Yun Shu. Soon, the mountain wind caught the papers on the ground again; Su Wen raised his hand and tossed the white slip, letting it carry the most sincere respect for the Mountain God into the valley.

“Sister, anything we need to reshoot?”

Cheng Daozhi raised her head from the lens, took the oxygen bottle her assistant handed her, took a shallow sip like she was tasting coffee, and looked at Su Wen, who was chatting happily with Yun Shu nearby. She chuckled and replied:

“No need. Everyone, pack up and let’s head back.”

Although the anticipated “commotion” among tourists caused by Su Wen didn’t actually happen, the crew—out of caution and to protect this “Best Actor” who had neither a manager nor an assistant—surrounded him in a loose circle to escort him out.

Just as they reached the car, Su Wen froze. He had been about to step inside but suddenly pulled back as if he were hallucinating.

“Su Wen… Su Wen…”

He vaguely heard an incredibly faint female voice calling his name—so soft it was almost inaudible. It chirped twice and then vanished. His eyes darted past the nearby tourists, scanning the area, but he saw nothing. The voice was quickly swallowed by the dense crowd.

Su Wen looked bewildered, truly suspecting he was hearing things. He nudged Yun Shu: “Did you hear someone calling me?”

Yun Shu didn’t say a word. He manually turned Su Wen by the shoulders and pointed behind him.

Su Wen almost missed them. Near a rock about seventy or eighty meters away stood two young girls. One was frozen in place, and the other, seeing them look over, stood dazed as well. When Su Wen waved and smiled at them, they reacted instantly, one grabbing the other and running over, not forgetting to suck on their oxygen bottles to keep breathing while they ran.

“Su Wen,” Cheng Daozhi leaned out of the passenger seat. “Why aren’t you in the car?”

“Two minutes,” Su Wen called back casually, hurrying toward the two girls.

“Sister—” An assistant on the bus wanted to get off and stop him, but Cheng Daozhi waved them back. The assistant could only grumble helplessly, “Sister, letting him go over there like that… won’t it cause a riot?”

“Unlikely,” Cheng Daozhi replied lazily. “Isn’t Yun Shu right there? He’ll keep an eye on things.”

“Brother!” The two girls, wearing local ethnic costumes and draped in tinkling jewelry, ran up to him. They looked like they wanted to scream but suppressed their excitement, settling for a very whispered, “Su Wen!”

Su Wen didn’t mind. He put on an “as expected” expression and said, “Long time no see. I remember… the last time we met was in Nancheng.” He then took a look at their beautiful outfits. “You look very pretty today, too.”

The girls were a bit giddy, though their voices held a trace of regret. “Brother, you haven’t acted in two years.”

Su Wen was silent for two seconds before saying, “If someone sends me a good script later, I’ll keep acting.”

“So, Brother Su Wen, are you here on vacation?” one girl asked. “Are you filming here? We saw people shooting earlier but didn’t dare get close.”

“Uh…” Su Wen hesitated, then changed his phrasing. “You’ll know in a few months, okay? Think of it as a surprise.”

The girls didn’t press further. They struggled to pull a card holder out of their inner pockets, took out a small photo card of Su Wen, and asked, “Then, Brother, could you give us an autograph?”

Su Wen agreed readily, but as he felt around his own pockets, he realized he had nothing. He turned around. Yun Shu was standing there with a look of extreme vigilance, scanning the surroundings. He didn’t look like a boyfriend; he looked like a bodyguard.

He patted Yun Shu’s shoulder. The man didn’t react, maintaining his vigilant, professional bodyguard stance. Su Wen suppressed a laugh and patted his head twice. Only then did Yun Shu turn around, looking confused. “What is it, Brother?”

“A pen,” Su Wen asked. “Do you have a pen on you?”

Yun Shu spread his hands. “No.”

Su Wen was about to say something else when one of the girls, perhaps fearing he was getting annoyed, hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “It’s okay, Brother! A digital signature is fine, too!”

Digital signature… Su Wen suddenly remembered. A long time ago, because of a certain incident, he had lost the ability to face a camera normally. During the first fan meeting after that incident, faced with their cameras, his strength had failed him, and he had fainted on the spot. This was later used by media and marketing accounts as “ironclad proof” to question his acting skills due to “accident aftereffects.” Since then, his fans had a tacit agreement never to point their cameras directly at him.

Su Wen raised an eyebrow and flashed a 100% genuine smile. “How about we add two group photos instead?”

They were instantly thrilled, their voices rising uncontrollably: “Yes!”

The attention of nearby passersby was quickly drawn. The two girls hurried to lower their voices: “Yes, yes, yes…”

Before Su Wen could decide how to take the photo, one of the girls suggested: “Could we please ask… ask…”

Su Wen looked at her, puzzled. “Ask what?”

She pointed at Yun Shu, thought seriously for two seconds, and said: “Could we ask your… bodyguard? Could this gentleman help take the photo for us?”

“Hahahaha!” Su Wen couldn’t help but burst into laughter. But seeing Yun Shu’s stiff, awkward expression, he explained, “This gentleman isn’t a bodyguard, but he can certainly help take the photo.”

“Oh,” the other girl chimed in, “then who is he?”

“He’s…” Su Wen started to speak, but the words died in his throat. Meeting the two gossipy gazes, he said, “He’s a colleague.”

Yun Shu lowered his eyes and said nothing. Before his expression could completely darken, he pulled on his face mask and professionally took the photos for the three of them.

…

Su Wen knew Yun Shu was upset. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sitting there on the bus, motionless, staring out the window as if Su Wen didn’t exist.

But logically, Su Wen hadn’t done anything wrong. He couldn’t just randomly announce he’d found a partner, could he? Even if his fame had faded, after all…

He thought about it but couldn’t come up with a foolproof reason, so he simply concluded with: He is still an actor, after all. Yun Shu would understand.

By the time they got home, it was eight or nine in the evening. Yun Shu didn’t say a word, heading straight toward his own room in the corner.

“Hey, Yun Shu…” Su Wen called out.

Yun Shu turned back, his expression flat. He didn’t even look angry. “What is it, Mr. Su?”

Su Wen: “…”

His lips twitched; he almost laughed out loud, but sensing this was a scene where he should be serious, he felt laughing would make him look like an idiot. So he feigned a stern face. “Do you really have to be like this?”

Yun Shu’s heart thudded, but he remained stubborn. “We’re just ‘colleagues’ anyway.”

Su Wen: “…”

He strode forward, used both hands to pinch Yun Shu’s cheeks, and tugged them outward. “Colleagues, huh? Still colleagues or not?”

Yun Shu’s face crumpled. It was hard to tell if it was from grievance or pain, but the tears didn’t even linger in his eyes—they just fell.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Su Wen’s heart softened instantly. He hurriedly wiped the tears away. “Why are you crying? Hmm? Baby Shu?”

It was the same old story. He was a 190cm dark-skinned hunk, yet for some reason, he was very good at crying and looking… pitiful. Truly a madman, Su Wen thought, feeling his eyes were failing him along with his brain.

Ordinary comfort wasn’t working. He leaned in, tilted his head up, and lightly grazed Yun Shu’s lips with his own, brushing away the tears that had landed there. A faint taste of salt.

“I was wrong, okay?”

Yun Shu hugged him, burying his head in Su Wen’s neck, his voice muffled. “I know I’m not good enough for you… so…”

“Stop, stop, stop,” Su Wen interrupted. “Who told you that?”

Yun Shu buried his head deeper. “I don’t need anyone to tell me; I just know.”

“Oh, please,” Su Wen said. “You’re a student recommended for grad school at a top-tier university. Isn’t that impressive?”

“It’s not.”

Su Wen knew he was still brooding over what happened during the day, so he explained patiently: “Babe, I’m an actor, you know?”

Yun Shu held him tighter. “I know.”

Su Wen patted his back. “Those two ladies today… They are fans I have always cherished. Do you think, if I haven’t worked or posted in so long, and the first thing I do when I reappear is reveal a relationship, don’t you think they would be sad?”

Su Wen felt he was truly a dedicated actor, even if he hadn’t filmed in two years.

Yun Shu seemed to accept this explanation. He pulled his head back and looked down at Su Wen. “Then you have to promise me one thing.”

Su Wen didn’t know what was coming, but he agreed anyway. “Tell me.”

At some point, a blush had crept onto Yun Shu’s cheeks. He averted his gaze. “That…”

“Hmm?” Su Wen looked at him. “Which ‘that’?”

Yun Shu looked up, meeting his eyes. “I want to sleep with you.”