Did the Movie Emperor Blow His Cover Today? - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

At 5 a.m., before dawn, Gao Meng rubbed her bloodshot eyes, transferred the files from her computer to her phone, and shut down the machine.

The dim light from her desk lamp illuminated her pale face, her eyes shining unnervingly behind thick glasses. Humming to herself, she sent the files to Miao Miao via WeChat.

Ever since receiving Miao Miao’s call yesterday morning, Gao Meng had been in a state of high excitement. Her favorite CP had suddenly confessed their relationship—what earth-shattering news! It had practically knocked her senseless with joy.

There hadn’t been any signs before, so how did they suddenly get together?

Something major must have happened in Snow Village to deepen their feelings!

Could it be that her boss had suddenly realized his feelings, opened his thick cotton coat in the freezing snow, cornered Rabbit against a wall, and, with a corn cob dangling from his lips, smiled romantically and devilishly, “Promise to be my girlfriend, and I’ll keep you warm,” before proceeding to do this and that and this and that, until Rabbit, panting softly, finally agreed to be with him!

Ah! Ahhh!

What a breathtaking rural romance!

Gao Meng covered her face and screamed, then felt a pang of regret. This insider scoop was too precious to share with the other “No Way Girls.” How lonely it was to be invincible! How empty it was to be unmatched!

Fueled by adrenaline, she threw herself at her computer, writing non-stop for an entire day and then pulling an all-nighter, her eyes shining with fervor.

Finally, she finished a 30,000-word fanfiction about Han Buji and Tao Hui.

After sending the fanfiction to Miao Miao, Gao Meng belatedly felt a wave of exhaustion. She yawned deeply, rubbed her eyes, and collapsed onto her bed, grabbing her phone to nudge Miao Miao to read it quickly.

But as soon as she unlocked her phone, her boss’s chat window glared back at her, the file she’d sent three minutes earlier—The Boss’s Romance—lying innocently within.

Gao Meng: “……Holy shit, I’m doomed!”

After frantically hitting the “recall” button, Gao Meng’s anxiety slowly subsided. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, face-down on her bed ten minutes later, her phone pinged. A new message had appeared in the chat window.

From Boss:

<i>Well written.</i>

Gao Meng: “?!”

On the Ji City-Beijing flight, Han Buji put away his phone, his gaze drifting to Tao Hui’s masked face. The line he’d just read—”Her lips were exquisitely beautiful, like honey-glazed roses”—lingered in his mind.

Han Buji suddenly chuckled softly. Tao Hui, puzzled, turned to him, her voice sharp with suspicion. “What’s so funny?”

To be honest, Tao Hui felt a little guilty. They hadn’t traveled back with their managers and assistants, nor with Xu Chang and Tang Qingqing, the two artists who lived in Beijing. They had left Snow Village at 4 a.m. to catch the earliest flight.

Even though they were just going home, Tao Hui felt like she was eloping with Han Buji, her excitement bubbling as she gazed at the pre-dawn sky.

This kind of excitement had only struck Tao Hui three times in her life.

The first time was when she was 14. After starting middle school, she began boarding in the city. Every day after school, she helped the boss of the convenience store downstairs, and on weekends, she organized books at the neighborhood library. Through these part-time jobs, she saved her first 500 yuan of pocket money.

Back then, Tao Hui would listen to her classmates talk about their beach vacations with envy. She had never seen the ocean, only the small, murky river in front of the orphanage. Sometimes, after swimming, she’d come back covered in vegetable leaves washed downstream from the village upstream. How could that compare to the grandeur of the sea?

With 500 yuan in hand, she took a train to the nearest beach—a secluded, tourist-free spot. To save on accommodation, she booked a hard-seat ticket on the overnight train back.

The day she boarded that train, she felt the same surreal excitement she felt now.

The second time was when Tao Hui turned 18. After winning two awards, she traveled to Iceland. The 20-plus-hour flight, with two layovers, couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

The third time was now.

Twenty-one-year-old Tao Hui sat beside Han Buji, both wearing baseball caps and masks, secretly holding hands under a shared blanket.

Even compared to her previous solo trips, Han Buji beside her felt like an even more anticipated landscape.

As the plane took off, a slight pressure filled her ears. This sensation of being lifted into the sky made the whole experience feel even more surreal. It was only the third day of their relationship, and she was still so giddy she didn’t know what to do with herself.

Tao Hui curled her fingers slightly. Han Buji, sensing her movement, leaned back in his seat, turned to look at her. His mask covered half his face, but his eyes crinkled with amusement as he murmured, “It feels a bit unreal, doesn’t it?”

His voice, muffled by the mask, sounded dreamlike, as if drifting from a distant realm.

Tao Hui leaned back in her seat, mimicking his posture, and turned her head. “You feel like it’s unreal too? You seem so confident, like a seasoned player in the game of love.”

Han Buji chuckled, toying with Tao Hui’s fingers curled in his palm. “I told you, this is my first time dating.”

Outside the window, the plane soared ten thousand meters above the earth. A man with deep, captivating eyes gazed intently at her, whispering simple yet alluring words of affection. This was far more exhilarating than any ocean view or aurora borealis.

Her heart raced so wildly, she felt it might burst.

As the plane leveled out, the excitement gradually melted into a comforting drowsiness. Tao Hui held Han Buji’s hand, glanced sleepily at her newly appointed boyfriend, and closed her eyes, drifting into a deep slumber.

The group had gone wild after filming the show yesterday, insisting on celebrating with a wild party at the farmhouse.

For the first half of the night, the soundtrack blared “I’m the brightest star on this block, strutting my stuff with swagger.” Later, it shifted to “Su Su Su Su, Su Su Wei Su Su, Su Su Su Su, Su Su Wei Wei Su Wei Wei, Su Su Wei Su Su.”

A group of people, dressed to the nines, were dancing wildly in the card room like possessed demons. Tao Hui watched as the heavy snow piled on the roof was shaken loose by the booming bass, crashing down onto a mini snowman someone had built on the windowsill.

They ate, drank, and partied until late into the night before finally crashing. Waking up early the next morning, Tao Hui had slept deeply until the plane landed on the tarmac. She slowly roused to Han Buji’s gentle voice.

Humans are such strange creatures. Despite never having been in a relationship, Tao Hui harbored a peculiar craving for kissing.

When she opened her eyes and saw Han Buji’s face inches from hers, she reflexively closed her eyes again. After a few seconds, she heard his laughter and finally opened her eyes.

Oh, he wasn’t going to kiss me.

How embarrassing! Such a fool for thinking that!

Thankfully, her mask hid her flushed cheeks. Tao Hui rubbed her eyes, pretending nothing was amiss. “Um, are we… are we there yet?”

Duh! Can’t you see all the other passengers lining up to disembark? Tao Hui closed her eyes again after asking the question.

Han Buji raised an eyebrow but didn’t call her out. He tapped the brim of her baseball cap with his index finger. “Let’s go home.”

He lowered his voice, adding, “We can kiss when we get home.”

“Oh,” Tao Hui murmured, covering her burning ears with a dazed nod.

Beijing was bathed in sunshine that day. After spending several days in Ji City, the winter in Beijing felt unusually warm by comparison. The word “home” itself carried a warmth that made Tao Hui’s steps light as she followed Han Buji, keeping her baseball cap pulled low.

They walked in silence, an unspoken tension slowly building between them.

In the taxi, they silently watched the numbers on the meter tick up.

Entering the residential complex, they silently observed the diverse crowd of passersby.

In the elevator, they silently watched the floor numbers light up.

Emerging from the elevator, almost instinctively, Tao Hui and Han Buji turned right—the direction of Han Buji’s apartment.

Han Buji held Tao Hui’s hand with one hand while fishing out his keys with the other. He unlocked the door and led her inside.

Stepping into Han Buji’s apartment, Tao Hui pulled her mask down to her chin and asked, “Are the… slippers still here from last time?”

“Mmm!”

Her question was cut short as Han Buji silenced her with a kiss. The sound of the door closing, the rustle of their clothes, and their increasingly ragged, deepening breaths filled the air.

Han Buji pinned Tao Hui against the wall in the entryway. Behind her, framed photos of him lined the wall, the sharp corners of the wooden frames digging into her back through her down jacket.

Tao Hui gripped the lapels of Han Buji’s coat tightly, tilting her head back. This time, there was no Dried Tangerine Peel candy or milk, only the lingering freshness of mouthwash and the overwhelming scent of hormones.

A desperate kiss. So utterly intoxicating.

Han Buji’s thumb traced the curve of Tao Hui’s earlobe, his breathing ragged. As the kiss deepened, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her into the living room without even changing her shoes. He laid her on the ascetic gray sofa and pressed himself against her.

Tao Hui’s heart fluttered.

They discarded their masks and baseball caps, their down jackets tossed aside.

Tao Hui’s hands gently pushed against Han Buji’s knitted sweater, her palms sensitive to the frantic beat of his heart. Her mind felt stuffed with cotton, everything dissolving into a hazy, ethereal blur. Only Han Buji’s lips, tongue, and fingers remained, sending undeniable shivers of electricity through her.

Outside the window, the clear winter sun streamed in. Tao Hui and Han Buji lay kissing on the sun-drenched sofa.

What a warm winter, Tao Hui thought.

Tao Hui wasn’t sure if her earlier desire to “go home” meant returning to their apartment or to Han Buji’s embrace.

Han Buji was the first to stop, his back arched, forehead pressed against Tao Hui’s collarbone as he steadied his breathing.

Even if I haven’t eaten pork, I’ve seen pigs run, Tao Hui thought. As a 21-year-old woman, she naturally sensed Han Buji’s arousal. Perhaps it was because he had been spoiling and pampering her these past few days, but Tao Hui’s courage had grown, and for the first time, she felt the urge to tease him.

Isn’t this how it always goes in movies? she mused. The heroine, when the hero is on the verge of losing control, coos “gege (brother)” in a sweet, coquettish voice, instantly driving him wild. Then, she drops the bombshell: “I’m on my period.” The hero’s veins bulge with frustration, yet he remains helpless against her.

Tao Hui adored this kind of scene—teasing someone to the brink of madness, then casually walking away.

Her mind brimming with mischief, she called out, “Gege.”

Her voice, still husky from their kiss, carried a seductive charm unlike her usual tone. Tao Hui was immensely pleased with her “gege” and eagerly awaited Han Buji’s reaction.

But after she spoke, he didn’t move a muscle.

? Tao Hui fell into deep thought.

No way, what’s going on? Why isn’t this guy reacting at all? Did I call out too softly?

“Gege,” Tao Hui murmured softly, taking a deep breath.

Han Buji remained motionless.

Could he have actually fallen asleep while kissing?!

Tao Hui felt utterly humiliated.

She, Tao Hui, had been hailed as the “Nation’s First Love” at 18. Even though she’d faded from the spotlight in recent years, she still had plenty of fans who fawned over her, calling her things like “Human Cherry,” “Salty-Sweet Sprite,” and “Sweet-but-Not-Cloying Rock Candy Girl”!

So why did she have absolutely no effect on Han Buji?

We’re kissing, dude! Are you asleep?!

Tao Hui puffed out her cheeks like an angry pufferfish, raised her fist, and was about to punch him when Han Buji finally moved. His large hand closed around her small fist, and he looked up, smiling. “What are you doing? Flirting with me, then trying to hit me?”

Tao Hui stared at Han Buji. His eyes held a hint of amusement, but mostly an overwhelming, deadly affection.

The Han Meimeis were right: Han Buji’s gaze could kill a man in five steps, topple a city in ten, and slay hearts without a trace. It was utterly lethal!

Han Buji held one of her hands tightly, while her other hand fidgeted restlessly. She raised it to cover his eyes, then leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth.

Tao Hui’s kissing skills were entirely thanks to Han Buji. Without his initiative, she was at a loss, resorting to pecking at him like she was eating an ice cream cone, one lick at a time.

Finally, the man whose eyes were covered curved his lips into a smile and captured her clumsy, kiss-prone mouth. He teased her, “Tao Hui, your kissing scenes need work.”

The neighborhood remained lively, with elderly residents singing as they strolled and children chattering noisily. After Han Buji’s half-day kissing lesson, Tao Hui collapsed onto the sofa like a boneless chicken claw.

She poked Han Buji’s chest with her fingertip, asking in a breathless whisper, “Han Buji, didn’t you say you wanted to talk to me when we got home?”

Han Buji flicked her finger with a smile. “No more calling me ‘Gege’?”

Under his gaze, Tao Hui felt a little embarrassed to speak. She withdrew her hand and scratched her nose twice, changing the subject. “I asked you first. What did you want to tell me?”

“I’ll tell you about my romantic history.” Han Buji sat up on the sofa and pulled Tao Hui onto his lap. “I’ve fallen for someone four times before.”

Tao Hui: “?”

Tao Hui instantly bristled, struggling to jump off Han Buji’s lap. She grabbed a throw pillow and swung it wildly at him. “I knew it! Han Buji, you bastard! You liar! All that talk about me being your first love was a lie! You have no shame!”

Han Buji: “……”