That night time, Chu Jian was once more unable to sleep—the third time in her life.

She found that Macau was a really mysterious place. For example, it was after she and Jian Bianlin had run into one another within the on line casino final time that they’d began to often see each other. Enormous strides had been made of their relationship that had caught her utterly off guard, and nights of sleeplessness additionally started to happen one after the opposite.

A while previous three within the morning, whereas staring on the ceiling, Chu Jian had already completed pondering via the adorning fashion that might be utilized in her salon’s new department retailer that might open subsequent yr, however she nonetheless couldn’t sleep. So, she pulled out a rose-red knit cardigan and stepped out the door of her room.

However ultimately, she had simply arrived downstairs and exchanged for some on line casino chips, with the intention of experiencing the joys of sitting at a desk sport, when Jian Bianlin’s cellphone name got here in.

At three o’clock within the morning, lots of the tables solely had one or two patrons.

Chu Jian chosen a desk the place nobody was sitting. Quickly, Jian Bianlin arrived and sat down subsequent to her. To hide a few of his distinguishing facial options, when he got here out, he had placed on a pair of gray, half-frame glasses with flat lenses.

“You possibly can’t sleep both?” For some purpose, Chu Jian had feeling a like she was squandering away her fortunes and had been caught redhanded. “Don’t it’s important to movie tomorrow?”

His expression extraordinarily solemn, he picked up the little stack of gaming chips in entrance of her and started counting them one after the other.

One sound of clack… One other sound of clack… There was a particular rhythm to his actions…

After pondering for half a minute, Chu Jian nonetheless didn’t know what he wished to do. She couldn’t assist herself and wished to reclaim a few chips from his palm so she might place a wager. Nevertheless, proper as she stretched out her arm, he flipped his hand over and seized the again of hers.

She struggled barely towards his grasp, her face slightly scorching.

Fortuitously, Jian Bianlin merely clasped her hand for a second after which loosened his maintain. “You didn’t lose sufficient final time within the machines? This time, you’re even daring to play a desk sport?”

Chu Jian answered sullenly, “My complete objective for altering these was to lose them anyway. It’s simply to kill time.”

“Why received’t you win?”

“It’s not like I understand how to play.”

Jian Bianlin pulled off his glasses, a rarely-seen smile on his face. “You’re fortunate in love, so meaning you’re unfortunate at playing cards?”

Chu Jian was greatly surprised for a second. Propping her chin on her hand, she shifted her eyes away to look elsewhere.

Pretending she had not heard.

From someplace on him, Jian Bianlin pulled out disc after disc of huge denomination playing chips, till lastly, when seven stacks have been specified by show in entrance of her, he opened his mouth and advised her, “Go lose all these.”

Chu Jian had initially thought he was joking. Nevertheless, after an hour, she was not laughing.

In solely sixty-odd minutes, she had misplaced all aside from the one pink, leftover chip that she now held in her palm and was flipping over forwards and backwards. She was virtually on the verge of tears. “You’re not even serving to me win it again.”

“I’ve acquired a little bit of a headache. Don’t need to assume.” Jian Bianlin appeared to be in fairly a great temper, although. “It may be thought of our contribution to Macau’s taxation.”

In reality, there was one factor he had not mentioned.

This quantity in on line casino chips was really what he had received on his earlier journey to Macau, when he had sat on this exact same on line casino. That night time, earlier than Jian Bianlin ran into Chu Jian right here, he had received a good quantity within the VIP on line casino room. On the time, he additionally had not been feeling effectively, however it doesn’t matter what he wager on, he would win.

Surrounding him have been a bunch of bosses of personal corporations with briefcases slung throughout their shoulders, and their eyes had gleamed with pleasure as all of them sighingly praised his playing abilities. However, actually, there have been no playing abilities to talk of. “Unfortunate in love[1]” was satisfactory in summarizing every little thing.

That was why he had given all these to her tonight. He wished her to lose them once more.

The most effective can be if she misplaced all of it. And ultimately, Chu Jian didn’t disappoint—she misplaced each final bit.

Chu Jian had by no means seen anybody lose cash so fortunately. She, nevertheless, couldn’t muster up any cheer and fell into an incessant bout of self-reflection and criticism. Pushing her chair again, she pulled him alongside to return on to the room.

Throughout your complete elevator journey again to their ground the place she was heaving lamenting sighs, she was immersed in her ideas of “Certain sufficient, insomnia is taxing in your thoughts and your pockets. Making certain wonderful sleep high quality is the one method to defend your pockets, particularly in a spot like Macau.”

Jian Bianlin walked behind her. Although he nonetheless had a headache, he was not in a rush to return to the room and leisurely stored tempo along with her footsteps, listening to her grumbles.

“I’m going to border this and hold it up”—Chu Jian abruptly stopped and circled, holding between two fingers that lone, remaining pink chip up in entrance of him—“to remind myself to by no means…”

Jian Bianlin lowered his head and touched his lips to these fingers that have been pinching the chip.

Chu Jian’s hand quivered barely, the chip practically dropping from it.

He merely pressed his lips there, with no further, pointless actions. That mushy, heat feeling, in addition to the refined texture of his lips, was infinitely magnified and appeared to burn into her fingers…

……

She utterly forgot what he mentioned after that or how they returned to their rooms. All she remembered was this one motion and the way it appeared to have seared a mark into her coronary heart…

Afterward, Jian Bianlin flew straight from Macau to Changsha for a promotional occasion.

Chu Jian additionally returned to Shanghai.

When the 2 parted firm on the airport, Jian Bianlin, as if it was solely cheap and pure, acquired from Chu Jian a key to her house. Whereas her mother and father had additionally given him a key final time, issues then and now have been totally different. Anyway, it was a really unusual feeling when Chu Jian fished it out from her purse and handed it to him.

She might not likely describe it, actually couldn’t describe it.

As Chu Jian sat in a Western-style restaurant that was positioned on the second ground of a sure small constructing close to Shanghai’s Fuxing Park, nibbling on a spoon and having a personal little get-together with Tong Fei, she nonetheless couldn’t work out how issues had progressed at such a godly pace between the 2 of them in Macau.

And thus, she completely was unable to open her mouth to inform Tong Fei that she and Jian Bianlin have been instantly collectively.

“Would you give your private home key to your boyfriend?” Chu Jian out of nowhere requested this query.

“Yeah, he wants to assist me feed the cat and alter out the cat litter.” Tong Fei didn’t learn an excessive amount of into this and mentioned, “Let’s go. I have to go see a producer and have her introduce me to a director to assist lay the groundwork for Lin Shen’s subsequent drama.”

“The place are we going?” Chu Jian requested bewilderedly.

“Simply someplace round right here. A brief movie set.”

Tong Fei waved her hand for the invoice and paid it. Then, bringing Chu Jian alongside, she left this place and walked to the filming location.

Deep in an alley not removed from that Western-style restaurant, after turning a nook on the furthest finish, there was a quickly rented web site that had been constructed right into a makeshift residence. To stop disturbances, the entrance door of the residence was locked, and a younger fellow was crouched in entrance of the doorway, guarding it. Catching sight of them, he requested, “Who ya on the lookout for?”

“Producer Xie.” Tong Fei gave him the producer’s identify. “Xie Linlin.”

After turning round to ask, the younger fellow allow them to in.

It simply so occurred that when the 2 of them stepped inside, it was break time for everybody. Whereas Tong Fei looked for Xie Linlin primarily based on the directions for the situation she had been given, she additionally knowledgeable Chu Jian in a quiet voice, “Prior to now, the male lead of this drama and Jian Bianlin have been related in recognition. Ying Chen, too. However Jian Bianlin is a giant identify in motion pictures whereas the others are all targeted on TV dramas.” Tong Fei had as soon as taken Ying Chen beneath her wing, however proper when she had introduced him to the purpose the place he was well-known and wanted, somebody had stolen him from her. Consequently, any mentions of his identify have been very a lot via gritted tooth. “This yr, Jian Bianlin has shot up in recognition whereas this man hasn’t been as robust. However the man’s pomp is far more than Jian Bianlin’s. Between assistants and make-up artists, he introduced six individuals together with him when he joined the solid and crew on web site.”

Chu Jian responded with an “oh, I see,” not likely understanding why one individual would wish so many assistants.

The 2 of them circled previous the lounge the place capturing was in progress and located Xie Linlin within the eating room.

Xie Linlin was sullenly flipping via the merchandise she was holding. When she noticed Tong Fei, a depressing look came visiting her face. “You say, the contract is all signed and states that filming will final till the seventeenth, however he’s insisting that he wants to depart by the fourteenth to report some form of program. There’s nonetheless a ton of scenes that hasn’t been shot but. You don’t even know what number of scenes I’ve tossed out for him and never filmed. There’s one set that I spent greater than 100 thousand to construct, however we didn’t even get to shoot a single scene with it as a result of he tossed all of them out.”

“Lu Congwen’s all the time been like that.” Tong Fei put an arm round Xie Linlin’s shoulder. “I advised you final time to not use him, however you simply wouldn’t take heed to me.”

“Properly, he’s scorching proper now, proper? It’s not such as you don’t know there’s a scarcity of actors as of late. And when the channels buy the printed rights for dramas, they know and like him. Two years in the past, earlier than he acquired all fashionable, he wasn’t like this. He was even prepared to exit to the far outskirts of town to do display screen exams.”

The extra Xie Linlin thought of it, the extra irate she grew to become, and he or she threw out one other couple sentences of griping. Unexpectedly, she remarked with a sigh, “Really, within the very starting, the script had been given to Jian Bianlin to have a look at. That man is probably not all that straightforward to speak to, however a minimum of he’s skilled.”

With a cough, Tong Fei solid a look at Chu Jian.

Chu Jian took the beverage that was provided to her by an assistant, pretending she had not heard something.

“However Jian Bianlin doesn’t do tv dramas,” Xie Linlin continued glumly. “Any scripts that you just give to him are all the time returned with one phrase—“declined.” You don’t even get an opportunity to debate it with him.”

Tong Fei gave one other cough.

Xie Linlin eyed her over suspiciously. “What’s up with you? Each time Jian Bianlin is talked about, you’ve got this look in your face such as you simply took an aphrodisiac. I heard you already know him fairly effectively? Don’t inform me you—”

Tong Fei actually choked on that. “Whoa, simply knock it off there. He’s by no means eager about anybody from the leisure trade.”

“Laborious to say.” Dropping her voice, Xie Linlin argued, “I heard he introduced a lady together with him when he was filming in Macau this time. And there’s additionally that woman who, again then, made her debut similtaneously him in that singing competitors, and they each grew to become fashionable. Doesn’t she have a particular relationship with him, too? I heard that from the individuals working on the station.”

Chu Jian’s hand paused. There was a slight, peculiar feeling in her coronary heart.

Simply now, she had slightly loved listening to the dialog between the 2, particularly when Jian Bianlin was praised for being skilled. However now… Chu Jian impulsively felt that she had misplaced her temper to hear.

The opposite two continued exchanging trade information and data. Throughout, there have been workers members, however she didn’t know any of them. Chu Jian wandered as soon as across the place by herself after which walked right into a bed room that had nobody inside.

Tong Fei had talked about that the props workforce had been in control of the inside design of this place. It actually was fairly tasteful.

She touched an ornamental wall, then circled. By probability, Lu Congwen had simply accomplished a scene and stepped into this room.

When Chu Jian noticed him, she instantly remembered the prolonged depiction Xie Linlin had given earlier.

He, too, was greatly surprised when he noticed Chu Jian, and the that means of the look in his eyes was apparent: A fan who got here with one of many crew to go to the set?

He doubtless was lengthy accustomed to being disrupted and spectated each day in conditions corresponding to this. This huge star pulled over a folding chair and took a seat, eyeing her with an expression of “because you got here in with one of many workers, wonderful, I’ll put up with the onerous process of being nice to you.”

Ugh. So awkward.

If he discovered that she really had no need to speak to him, take an image with him, or get an autograph… Chu Jian silently felt awkward for him. Feigning an expression like she had not seen anybody, she ran her fingers over the wall, the furnishings, the desk, and the wall lamps, as if she was admiring all of the furnishings, after which innocently walked out of there…

When she stepped out from the bed room, she lastly exhaled in aid.

To keep away from having such a scenario happen once more, Chu Jian didn’t dare wander round anymore and, like a great woman, sat within the eating room to attend for Tong Fei. This wait, although, lasted for 2 hours.

When Tong Fei and the director have been practically finished their dialogue, the work right here was additionally wrapping up for the day. Xie Linlin invited Tong Fei to go together with everybody to discover a place to eat and proceed the dialog. Tong Fei didn’t decline the invite.

By the point all of them stepped exterior, the sky was already utterly darkish, and a lightweight drizzle had began to fall.

“It must be fairly laborious to catch a cab right here.” Chu Jian surveyed their environment, a one-way avenue lined with a row of parked vehicles alongside the curb. There have been no indicators in any respect of any taxi driving by this place.

“No have to take a cab. We will simply stroll there,” Xie Linlin smiled.

Chu Jian pulled her gaze again after which caught sight of an particularly familiar-looking automobile stopped by the roadside. Earlier than she might catch a glimpse of the license plate quantity, the driving force’s door was pushed open from the within. The individual getting out of the automobile was wearing a black pullover sweatshirt and exercise pants, and he didn’t look in the least like a star.

Jian Bianlin?

All people was astounded, together with Lu Congwen, who was on the very again of the group, strolling out along with his two assistants. This place was not any main filming base. It was simply an residence rented quickly by the manufacturing workforce, and after two or three days of filming, they’d be leaving the positioning. To really be capable of come throughout him right here, then, was such an incredible coincidence.

Jian Bianlin had labored with Lu Congwen earlier than, and they might additionally often run into one another at varied awards ceremonies, so Jian Bianlin gave a slight nod in his path when he noticed him. Then, he additionally nodded in greeting to some different individuals whom he was comparatively accustomed to.

As he drew close to to Chu Jian, he merely ignored these individuals whom he was not well-acquainted with or didn’t know.

It had been 4 days since they final noticed each other.

“Why are you again?” Chu Jian felt slightly flustered from his stare. There was a disconcerting feeling of embarrassment, like being instantly uncovered beneath the good gentle of day.

He gazed at her amusedly. “What, you anticipate that I don’t come again and simply settle in Macau for good?”

“……”

Chu Jian didn’t reply.

May they not stand in right here in entrance of so many individuals to talk? …

Taking within the complicated expression on her face, Jian Bianlin inferred that she didn’t like being with him in this sort of surroundings and surrounded by onlookers. He turned to Tong Fei and requested, “You guys are finished for the day and heading for dinner?”

“Ah, proper, sure.” Tong Fei snapped her thoughts again. “Sure, we’re heading to dinner. I used to be questioning what you wished whenever you requested for the handle. I by no means thought you actually would be capable of come. Wish to be part of us?”

He shook his head. “I’m right here to select her up.”

“Oh, okay, then you definitely guys go forward.” Tong Fei defined to Xie Linlin, “I’m so well-acquainted with Jian Bianlin due to Chu Jian. The 2 of them have been neighbours since they have been youngsters. You understand, actually good childhood associates.”

Understanding, Xie Linlin smiled, “That’s so good. I actually admire these friendships that have been fashioned since childhood.”

Listening to Tong Fei’s clarification, Jian Bianlin couldn’t be bothered to say something. He lifted a hand and touched it to Chu Jian’s face, which was damp from the rain. Nonetheless heat. She should not have been exterior and taking a shower on the entire time. That was good.

“Let’s go house?” he requested.

She breathed out in aid. Oh sure, oh sure. Going house was the most secure wager.

However after pondering once more, she realized that that might not be good. She advised him, “I didn’t purchase groceries these previous few days. How about we simply go eat with Tong Fei?” In spite of everything, he knew these individuals anyway.

Jian Bianlin was silent for a second earlier than saying, “A bone broth has been simmering at house for the entire afternoon. Winter bamboo shoots and pork bone broth.”

Huh? He had been again for thus lengthy already?

Chu Jian had thought he had simply left the airport not way back.

“… Then let’s go house to eat.”

The 2 acquired into his automobile and drove away, passing via the site visitors lights on the intersection, till even the shadow of the bottom of the automobile couldn’t be seen, not to mention the license plate. Solely then did everybody begin again from their daze—and likewise comprehend.

Xie Linlin was furiously sending messages to Tong Fei along with her eyes. “You’re kidding me, proper? Good associates, my foot!”

Tong Fei was surprised foolish as effectively. “Holy crap! I didn’t know both…”