"We may finish early today; if you can wait, we could—"
As Shen Zhiyi walked into the rest area, she spoke over her shoulder, then abruptly stopped mid-sentence, asking in confusion, "Why did you lock the door?"
The rest area was brightly lit, and Pei Yu was the only somber presence there. He didn’t respond, but silently drew closer.
The two drew nearer and nearer, and not knowing why, Shen Zhiyi instinctively stepped back until her lower back touched the edge of the makeup table.
"You—"
Before she could finish her question, Pei Yu squeezed between her legs, and with one hand around her waist, he gently lifted and easily placed her onto the table.
This scene was strikingly similar to the intimate one they had just filmed in front of the camera.
Realizing what was happening, Shen Zhiyi pushed against his chest, "It’s because you minded, right?"
Seeing him act as though nothing was wrong, she had thought he truly didn’t care.
"Hmm?" Pei Yu asked in a low voice, "Shouldn’t I mind?"
They were very close, his voice resonating next to her ear, his hand still resting on her lower back, slowly stroking as he spoke.
"It’s not about whether you should or shouldn’t," Shen Zhiyi earnestly explained, "We are actors, it’s normal for us to shoot intimate scenes. What’s more, the scene just now wasn’t that explicit, you saw it all from the monitor, didn’t you?"
She barely had any physical contact with the male actor; at most, there was an arm around a shoulder or a leg hooked, and even that required the help of camera angles.
"Really?" Pei Yu said slowly, "I don’t understand, how about we reenact it?"
Shen Zhiyi was flabbergasted, reenact? How would they reenact it?
Suddenly, her calf was seized, and her skirt was lifted inch by inch. The warm palm moved from her slender ankle upward along her leg. Shocked, Shen Zhiyi tensed her waist and abruptly grabbed at the fabric over his chest, "Pei Yu!"
"Hmm," Pei Yu responded, securing her waist to prevent her from struggling and falling, a faint smile playing on his lips as if he truly didn’t understand, "Why such a big reaction?"
As he spoke to her, his hands never ceased their movements, already hooking around her knee, drawing her closer into his embrace.
Shen Zhiyi bit her lip, angry enough to hit him, "What are you doing?"
"Demonstrating," Pei Yu said, his eyes lowered, gaze landing on her cheeks flushed with a tidal wave of red. The natural rosy hue of her skin blended with the makeup, lending the blush a breathtaking beauty, "Is this how he touched you?"
He asked casually, but then suddenly tightened his grip on the inside of her thigh, forcing Shen Zhiyi to press tightly against his chest, her hands instinctively wrapping around his neck.
Shen Zhiyi tilted her head back, her breaths becoming shallow, and with the leg he hadn’t seized, she lifted it to kick him, "It wasn’t like that!"
When she acted with the male actor, his hands just moved beneath the veil, maintaining a small gap. He barely touched her, letting the audience see the vague contours of a hand, but Pei Yu was actually touching her, for real!
He had just been standing behind the monitor. With so many camera angles, he couldn’t have missed this point—it was deliberate.
"Ah," Pei Yu, holding her leg, hooked it around his waist, leaning in closer, with a slight smile in his eyes, "Is that so? I thought it was the same."
No matter what he was saying, the hand hidden underneath the thin fabric never stopped, and Shen Zhiyi’s traditional dress only made it easier for him, his fingers stroking to her waist.
"Remove your hand," Shen Zhiyi’s entire body felt burning hot. Clasped around her waist as if he had seized her lifeline, she was tense and rigid. She looked up at him, a thin mist of moisture clouding her eyes, rendering her threat completely ineffective, "Pei Yu!"
"No."
Her tone was light, even gentle, but the rejection was unequivocal, and the hand on her waist squeezed firmly twice. Shen Zhiyi’s stiff body instantly relaxed and she was pulled into Pei Yu’s embrace.
His voice was teasing with a smile, "Did I do a good job acting?"
As if the two of them were really acting in a play.
His scorching fingertips showed a tendency to move further up, and the delicate legs clamped around his waist trembled sensitively as a result. Shen Zhiyi couldn’t bear it, afraid that he would continue to mess around here, her voice softened as if pleading, "Pei Yu..."
She was sweating, her makeup no longer perfect, becoming moist, the blush on her cheeks slightly faded, revealing her natural skin color, equally enticingly red.
Pei Yu wiped away the remaining traces of powder with his fingertips, only satisfied when he saw her flushed cheeks revealed, then he lowered his head to cover her lips, "Then kiss me."
Kiss him?
Shen Zhiyi looked at his face, close at hand. This man was serious even while doing such a thing, his expression calm, while she, the one being teased, was flushed and at a complete disadvantage.
Feeling annoyed, she didn’t want to do as he wished and bit down hard on his lips.
"Hiss," Pei Yu turned his face away, tasting a hint of a metallic flavor, he was surprised for two seconds before laughing, "So fierce."
Shen Zhiyi took the opportunity to push him away, jumping down from the table, only to find her legs still weak, nearly falling, but he caught her in time, "Be careful."
Glaring at him fiercely, Shen Zhiyi shook off his hand and sat down on a chair, cursing him angrily in her heart.
The hypocritical bastard.
In front of her was a mirror, she saw her dewy eyes, crimson lips, and the cheek he had wiped the makeup from. Her clothes were disheveled, her complexion flushed, all of it suggesting something more provocative.
And the culprit of all this clearly had no intention of repenting, "Are you angry?"
Shen Zhiyi ignored him, lowered her head to straighten her clothes, not only was the hem of her dress in disarray, but the inside was also... bastard!
Her cheek was kissed lightly, and Pei Yu squatted next to her leg, finally realizing it was time to make amends. If he didn’t, he would be thrown out, "I was wrong."
He helped her smooth out the creased chiffon, "It’s my first time seeing how intimate scenes are filmed, can’t I be a little jealous?"
Shen Zhiyi frowned, "I’ve already explained it to you, he barely touched me, all of this is—"
Pei Yu interrupted her, his eyes dark, "Even a little touch is not okay."
Shen Zhiyi paused, captivated by his deep eyes, and after a while, she spoke softly, "Then you can’t here either... I didn’t agree and you just... it’s your fault anyway."
"Yeah, it’s my fault," Pei Yu readily admitted, having already tasted the sweetness, coaxing her was only right, "I couldn’t hold back."
Shen Zhiyi studied him for a while, "There’s only this little bit of intimacy in the whole play, it’ll be over after we film it."
"Alright."
Pei Yu’s eyes held a smile, appearing very courteous and kind, "That part I just unhooked, do you want me to fasten it for you?"
Her face, just barely relaxing, promptly turned red again, Shen Zhiyi was so annoyed, "No need!"
"Okay," Pei Yu chuckled lightly, contemplatively, "Fastening it is indeed a bit more difficult than unhooking it."
However, if she were willing to give him the chance, he believed he could do it very well.