Isn't This a Contract Marriage? Why Are You Sneaking Kisses! - Chapter 28

The scalding coffee liquid was sent splattering by a brute force, most of it drenching the youth, while the rest spilled across the floor.

The deep brown water stains bloomed into a large shadow on his white shirt, and the hand that came into contact with the liquid turned red instantly.

Shen Silie let out a muffled groan and staggered half a step back. When he looked up, he met Wan Sinian’s eyes, which were filled with playfulness.

“Do you keep your eyes on the soles of your feet? Why are you standing in the doorway blocking the path?” The man’s tone was disdainful as he looked down upon the coffee stains.

Shen Silie furrowed his brows and covered his wrist; the skin there had already been scalded into a red welt, still faintly emitting heat.

He knew this was part of the script, but the coffee wasn’t supposed to be hot.

Shen Silie took a deep breath, suppressed the pain, and continued acting.

Cheng Muxia was startled and hurriedly pulled out tissues, trying to wipe Song Wuyu’s hand.

He Ye suddenly grabbed her wrist: “Did you get burned?”

Cheng Muxia wrenched her hand away and cursed angrily, “What are you, crazy?”

She turned to check on Song Wuyu.

But she was pulled back again by Wan Sinian.

Looking at Cheng Muxia’s angry gaze, Wan Sinian’s tone was even colder than his eyes: “He’s a grown man, and he’s hiding behind a woman like a delicate little thing?”

The two argued for a few moments until finally, Cheng Muxia angrily dragged Song Wuyu out of the breakroom.

“Okay, cut—!”

As soon as the “cut” was called.

Several crew members came up to clear the scene. Only then did someone notice that Shen Silie had been burned.

Two people immediately wanted to help treat his wound.

Shen Silie stared at the medicine in their hands and waved them off, instead using a bottle of water to rinse the severe burn on his wrist.

The staff member in charge of props came forward to apologize. Seeing the person’s terrified expression, Shen Silie remained silent for a moment and didn’t press the matter.

News of what happened here quickly spread across the set, but there was still much work to do. In Song Yuan’s eyes, the only priority was finishing the shoot early. Seeing that Shen Silie didn’t intend to pursue it and wasn’t seriously injured, she turned back to her own work.

Not far away, He Ye acted as if nothing had happened, happily discussing with the staff where to go for dinner.

Xu Tang hesitated, but after seeing Lin Chu come looking for her, she still said nothing and turned to leave with him.

Fortunately, though the coffee was hot, not much of it had landed on him, so the burn wasn’t overly severe.

Shen Silie got up, returned to the breakroom, and called for his assistant.

His personal assistant, Qi Yu, was a few years older than him. He had recently been assigned to Silie by the company. He was reserved and didn’t talk much, but he was reliable and responsible for the daily chores on set.

Usually, aside from necessary communication, the two had almost no interaction. But no matter what, seeing this scene now, Qi Yu knew that Shen Silie had been bullied again.

As things were busy outside, there were few people in the breakroom. Qi Yu frantically rummaged through the medical kit and ran over with a towel soaked in cold water.

Shen Silie had taken off his jacket. The red swelling on his wrist and arm was a piercing sight against his fair skin.

At first glance of that vivid red, Qi Yu was stunned, and then felt a surge of nameless anger rush to his head.

Originally, when he watched variety shows at home with his sister, he had been quite angered by Shen Silie’s performance. Whether male or female, he didn’t like weak people. Having served many difficult celebrities, he had felt extra irritable in addition to being surprised when he found out he was assigned to take care of this man.

It was only after working with him for a while.

He watched how this person was targeted here—no notifications for schedule changes, no invitations to dinners. It was one thing to be gossiped about to his face, but now they were directly and openly tampering with props.

Shen Silie lowered his head and extended his arm for Qi Yu to wipe. He had taken off his glasses for the scene, and a few strands of hair slid down, covering his eyes.

The youth’s wrist was exceptionally thin, the bone protruding and the blue veins clearly visible; he looked fragile enough to snap.

Celebrities have strict weight management, and Qi Yu had been instructed upon arrival to keep an eye on him. But after arriving, he found he didn’t need to watch him at all.

When this person wasn’t filming, he was either huddled in the breakroom memorizing lines or on the bus with a tablet, drawing and writing heaven-knows-what. Forget about eating too much and gaining weight—Qi Yu was worried that if he didn’t remind him one day, this person might actually starve himself to death without noticing.

Seeing Shen Silie with his head down, face hidden.

Qi Yu thought he was secretly being miserable, and the frustration in his heart grew even sharper, fueled by agitation.

While wiping the man’s arm, Qi Yu didn’t care if Silie would get angry and blurted out everything on his mind.

“What’s the use of being aggrieved here? You should stand up for yourself in front of them! You’re already like this—is the money you made before not enough to spend? Is it worth enduring all this just for a bit of money?”

The man had been holding it in for days, and he spoke without restraint.

Shen Silie finally looked up and uttered a confused, “Huh?”

Qi Yu finished treating the wound and, hearing no reaction, realized Shen Silie was staring at him in bewilderment. Those honey-colored eyes were silent and flat, carrying only a hint of confusion.

It was as if he didn’t understand why Qi Yu was angry at all.

Qi Yu froze for a second, the towel in his hand crumpling.

Shen Silie withdrew his hand, applied the ointment himself, and after reflecting for a moment, spoke.

“It was just an accidental burn. I’m usually prone to bumps and bruises anyway; it’ll heal quickly.”

Hearing the answer, Qi Yu was visibly stunned and said angrily, “Is that the same thing?! How can you be used to this kind of thing? What kind of doormat are you—”

His volume suddenly rose, the sound echoing through the small breakroom, sounding exceptionally piercing. After the shout, Qi Yu realized his slip of the tongue and quickly cut off the second half of his sentence.

“It’s an accident. Will anyone care?” Shen Silie squeezed out the ointment and asked back nonchalantly.

Qi Yu suddenly remembered that one person in the crew was the son of an investor, one was on good terms with everyone, and one was a popular starlet with active fans.

Even if he were truly bullied, what could be done?

He had known for a long time how many ways there were to “discipline” people in this circle.

Thinking of his former self, he fell into an instant silence. The anger in his eyes was gradually replaced by a different, strange emotion. He stammered for a long time without being able to speak, not even daring to look into the youth’s eyes. After a long while, he left the breakroom first.

Shen Silie waited until the ointment was almost dry before rolling his sleeves back down. He got up, planning to go to the car to catch up on some commission work.

But just as he stepped out of the breakroom door.

He came face-to-face with Lin Chu once again.

Lin Chu was leaning against the door frame—who knows how long he had been waiting—twirling a script in his hand. “Oh, Teacher Shen. Long time no see. Why haven’t you greeted me after all these days?”