Chapter 55 – Rose Fragrance

Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng lay side by side on a bed strewn with rose petals, staring up at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“I remember ordering a whole bouquet,” Shen Fubai mused. “Why did they still spread them all over the bed?” He wasn’t going to sleep on a bed of petals, no matter what. Clearing them would be a hassle.

Shen Fubai had decided to stay here simply because he had a lifetime free card, might as well make use of it. The last time he and Heng were here, they weren’t a couple yet; now they were. Quite meaningful indeed.

Jiang Heng said, “I’ll call and ask.”

Jiang Heng called the front desk and spoke to someone, then calmly said, “Please send someone up to clear away the petals, immediately, right now.” Then he hung up.

Shen Fubai was curious. “What’s going on?” Without the guests’ permission and the hotel’s approval, the florist shouldn’t have taken the liberty to scatter the flowers across the entire bed.

Jiang Heng explained, “Ye Lin’s bright idea. He wanted us to feel the honeymoon bliss every day.”

Pure Ye Lin style romance. Jiang Heng wished he could smear that so-called celebratory red all over Ye Lin’s face.

Shen Fubai lazily remarked, “We should thank him for his good intentions.”

He rolled onto Jiang Heng’s chest, causing a flurry of rose petals to rain down on them. Shen Fubai propped himself up, smiling. “Do you know what rose petals taste like?”

Jiang Heng squinted at the stunning youth under the light and slowly replied, “I’ve never tasted them.”

“Well, try now.” Shen Fubai picked up a petal with his fingertips, placed it between his lips, and leaned in for a kiss with Jiang Heng.

The scent of roses was sweet and fragrant.

They separated quickly. Before Jiang Heng could savor the taste, Shen Fubai pulled away.

“Did you taste anything?” Shen Fubai spat out the petal in his mouth, his lips as vivid as the petals.

Jiang Heng looked down. “Not enough. One more time.”

“Greedy, aren’t we?” Shen Fubai rested on his chest. “Tell me, what does it taste like?”

“Sweet.” Jiang Heng rubbed Shen Fubai’s soft cheeks, his breathing slightly heavy, perhaps due to Shen Fubai’s weight on him. “What should I do? I want more.”

He wanted to devour the beautiful rose before him, petal by petal.

Shen Fubai blinked his dark eyes and sat up. “I have many scenes to shoot tomorrow. You can just stew in your own juices.”

“…” Jiang Heng got up and put on his shoes.

“Where are you going?” Shen Fubai asked.

Jiang Heng opened the bathroom door. “To stew.”

Taking a cold shower, wasn’t that just “stewing” in another form?

Shen Fubai laughed, nearly buried under the rose petals.

Taking a cold shower in the summer was normal, but he knew why Jiang Heng was doing it. Recalling how after he mentioned he didn’t have a girlfriend, Jiang Heng went to take a shower… Did Heng start liking him back then?

And when he visited Heng’s room to rehearse lines, Heng, who had just finished a shower, took another one after they were done.

At the time, it seemed ordinary. But now, thinking about it, it was overflowing with sweetness!

This sugar, Shen Fubai couldn’t get enough of.

In the end, Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai didn’t do anything. They peacefully spent the night on the large bed scented with roses.

When Shen Fubai returned to filming the next day, Mu Yao summoned him to the practice room for a heart-to-heart talk.

Shen Fubai was impressed by this woman who was skilled in various arts. He cautiously asked, “What can I do for you?”

Mu Yao held a stick, weighing it in her hands. “Your upcoming scenes have quite a bit of action. Let me help you practice.”

Shen Fubai wondered, “…Why not practice with Jiang Heng instead?” In this drama, if there was anyone with the most action scenes, it was definitely Jiang Heng.

But Shen Fubai didn’t lack action scenes either. Yu Tang was an actor singing on stage in the early stages, but later, he could pick up a staff or a gun to teach people a lesson.

“He doesn’t need my guidance. He could take on ten men alone, he’s a professional,” Mu Yao said. “Right now, the one who needs training the most is you. Even Xiao Yezi is better than you at fighting.”

Shen Fubai replied, “Xiao Yezi was taught by Jiang Heng, of course he’s good at fighting.” Ye Ziran was young, but his skills were genuinely impressive. However, Shen Fubai wasn’t completely helpless either. After all, he had muscles, excellent jumping ability, and great flexibility.

Mu Yao swung the stick at him. “Enough talk, watch this!”

“Damn!” Shen Fubai instantly performed a double-flying swallow leap to dodge the attack. “Why did you just attack me without warning?”

“Your reflexes are fast enough.” Mu Yao rested the stick on the ground. “Not bad, you pass.”

Dance training saved the day. Shen Fubai could personally perform many difficult actions, without needing a stunt double.

Shen Fubai stood firm on the ground, astonished. “Do martial arts instructors usually attack without warning like you?”

Wasn’t it supposed to be verbal one-on-one instruction followed by a demonstration?

“Not at all.” Mu Yao threw the stick on the ground. “I’m more patient with beginners, but are you a beginner?” She then launched a punch at him with lightning speed.

Shen Fubai bent over to avoid it. “Are you kidding me? I haven’t practiced martial arts.”

“Dance training is the same thing.” Mu Yao delivered a sweeping kick. “Use your true skills. You have great strength; I won’t believe you’re this weak.”

The internet seemed to have some prejudice against the term “pretty boy,” assuming guys like Shen Fubai, with their fair complexions, lacked masculinity and could be knocked down with a single punch.

That was a huge misconception.

Shen Fubai pressed down on Mu Yao’s leg, restraining her movements. “You asked for it.”

Mu Yao narrowed her eyes, exerting force in her legs, but she couldn’t move an inch forward.

Her strength could easily overpower two adult men, yet she couldn’t budge Shen Fubai.

Mu Yao changed tactics. Using her other leg for leverage, she leaped into the air, aiming to lock Shen Fubai’s neck between her legs.

Shen Fubai reacted faster. Releasing Mu Yao’s leg, he performed a backward somersault, leaving Mu Yao to miss her target. Their positions were now reversed.

Lu Yunqian and Ye Ziran watched, stunned, from the doorway.

A master, this was a true master.

Mu Yao thought finding Jiang Heng as an opponent in the crew was rare enough, but she hadn’t expected Shen Fubai to be equally formidable.

She had long realized that Shen Fubai wasn’t as fragile as he appeared, but she hadn’t anticipated him to be this strong, able to match her blow for blow. She had been trained by a renowned master.

More importantly, she could discern the style Jiang Heng learned during combat, but she had no clue where Shen Fubai acquired his skills. Shen Fubai’s moves seemed entirely based on dance training, but each strike was swift, fierce, and precise, akin to techniques honed through practical combat.

…But where did a big star like him gain practical combat experience?

When Shen Fubai finally pressed his elbow against Mu Yao’s neck, she raised her hands in surrender. “No more, no more. If you had a gun in your hand, I’d be dead by now.”

Mu Yao said this in a relaxed tone, but she was secretly shocked.

Shen Fubai’s gaze… was too intense. It was as if he was looking at an enemy.

That delicate-looking handsome youth actually had such a look. The ferocity was fleeting, almost as if it was just an illusion if not for Mu Yao’s keen observation.

That gaze wasn’t directed at her. It must have been reserved for those who had made him develop his current skills.

Who were they?

Mu Yao didn’t dwell on it. To survive long in the industry, suppressing curiosity was a necessary skill.

“Why are you standing at the door? Why don’t you come in?” Jiang Heng asked.

Lu Yunqian and Ye Ziran jumped in surprise.

Being caught off guard by someone silently approaching from behind was a little terrifying.

“Brother Jiang, let me tell you!” Ye Ziran exclaimed. “Brother Shen is so amazing, he beat Teacher Mu just now!”

Although Ye Ziran had received training, he was still young and was usually dominated by Mu Yao. Kids often admired the strong, and Shen Fubai’s display of prowess had thoroughly impressed Ye Ziran.

“Huh?” Jiang Heng looked at Shen Fubai. “Is that so?”

Jiang Heng wasn’t aware of Shen Fubai’s level of martial arts. In his mind, Shen Fubai was the most vulnerable creature in the world that needed protection— even though Shen Fubai wasn’t actually that fragile.

“It’s not that amazing.” Shen Fubai enjoyed playing the role of the weakling in front of Jiang Heng. “Sister Mu was letting me win.”

Mu Yao: “…” She refrained from exposing Shen Fubai. If she didn’t call it quits, he would have slammed her into the ground.

She held back her urge to refute Shen Fubai, knowing that everyone would witness the true identity of this delicate flower named Shen when the action scenes were officially filmed.

Shen, the Queen of the Jungle.

“The studio scenes have been completed,” Jiang Heng informed Shen Fubai. “Uncle Xu told me to notify you. Pack your bags tonight, check out of the hotel tomorrow morning, and catch the nine o’clock flight to Wu Shan.”

“Wu Shan?” Shen Fubai asked.

“Wu Shan.” Jiang Heng said, “Uncle Xu only mentioned these two words. I don’t know where it is either.”

This place was so small that it couldn’t even be found on search engines.

Thus far, all the studio scenes for “Tanglihua” had been shot, and the rest required location shooting. Wu Shan was clearly the next filming destination.

“I want to go too! I want to go too!” Ye Ziran immediately chimed in.

“What are you going for? Your scenes are already done,” Jiang Heng didn’t hide his disdain. Having the entire crew present was already inconvenient for his and Fubai’s private moments. Bringing along a child who needed looking after, would he have any personal time left?

Ye Ziran pouted. “I want to go.” Kids were always curious about the outside world. Ye Ziran had rarely left Beijing since he was born. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford to travel, but rather, he didn’t have the time. The Ye family was too busy making money, which brought them joy.

Now that it was summer vacation and his homework was done, he naturally wanted to explore.

Shen Fubai couldn’t resist Ye Ziran’s pleading gaze. “If he wants to go, let him. He’s part of the crew. He’s not a three-year-old, he won’t get lost.”

With Shen Fubai’s say-so, Jiang Heng relented immediately. “Alright, fine, no problem, ok.”

Ye Ziran: “…” He felt the unfairness of fate from this differential treatment. Why did he have to bear such heavy pain at such a young age?

But he was still grateful to Shen Fubai for speaking up for him. “Thank you, Brother Shen!”

Since hearing the news, Lu Yunqian had been in a daze.

He was wondering… what would President Mu do?

It had been over a month since he had gotten used to telling stories, and someone else had gotten used to listening to them. Would that person start having insomnia again once he left? Would he cry out for his father again?

That scene was too unbearable to imagine.

This led to Lu Yunqian’s thoughts being disturbed for the rest of the day. Distracted, he walked out, when suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder. “What are you thinking about? So absorbed.”

“Huh? Teacher Mu.” Lu Yunqian hurriedly greeted her.