Isn't This a Contract Marriage? Why Are You Sneaking Kisses! - Chapter 29

The youth’s originally milky-yellow hair had been dyed black to match his character. He wore exquisite makeup and high-end casual designer clothes.

Ignoring the provocation in his words, he looked like the cheerful young master of a wealthy family.

Shen Silie looked up, looked down, and nodded.

He prepared to ignore him.

However, Lin Chu suddenly took a half-step forward. His fingertips lightly brushed against the coffee-stained shirt Shen Silie was wearing. Lowering his voice, he sneered, “This role suits you quite well.”

The strong scent of orange perfume flooded Shen Silie’s nose.

Unable to help himself, he frowned and let out a sneeze.

“Tsk.” Lin Chu frowned and backed away, withdrawing his hand and rubbing his palm. He took two steps back and instinctively complained, “So high-maintenance.”

Shen Silie didn’t respond, merely raising a hand to rub the tip of his nose.

As he started to walk away, Lin Chu stretched out an arm to block him again.

“What’s the rush? We’re friends who have collaborated several times, aren’t we? Being this cold really hurts one’s feelings.”

“I heard you’re no longer with that eldest young master of the Ji family. Do you really think you can survive steadily on your own? If you ever find yourself unable to make it, come beg me, and I’ll introduce you to a few people?”

Lin Chu drawled with a light laugh, his gaze sticking to Shen Silie as he sized him up from head to toe, as if appraising a piece of merchandise.

Shen Silie’s footsteps paused. He lifted his eyes to look at Lin Chu, his tone flat: “There seems to be nothing for us to catch up on, and whether I can make it or not has nothing to do with you.”

“Are you very bored?” Shen Silie looked at Lin Chu with the look one gives a patient.

“National law does not support the profession of a pimp.”

Hearing Shen Silie’s words, which left no room for face, Lin Chu’s smile stiffened for a moment. Just as he was about to continue—

Another door along the corridor opened, and He Ye walked out.

The man had just finished tidying his clothes; his collar was loosely and casually open, his 7/3 parted hair was messy and unrestrained, and the corners of his eyes tilted upward slightly with a flirtatious air.

Seeing the two looking at him, He Ye asked half-jokingly, “I’m not interrupting you two, am I?”

Lin Chu’s gaze darkened, a flash of impatience flickering through his eyes before he replaced it with a smile and went to greet him.

Shen Silie took the opportunity to bypass the two and leave.

Night fell.

Inside the hotel suite.

In two weeks, he had finished a month’s worth of art commissions.

He had also sent some more money to his uncle’s family, who were currently renovating.

Song Wuyu didn’t have many scenes, but the film crew was plagued by constant incidents. After nearly a month of high-intensity work and filming, most of his scenes were finally finished.

Shen Silie stepped out of the bathroom exhausted, water still dripping from his hair. The burn on his arm had completely subsided, leaving only a faint red mark on his wrist.

the phone on the bed rang incessantly.

Shen Silie walked over. Seeing the caller ID displayed “Uncle,” he hesitated for two seconds and hung up.

Right after exiting the call screen, a text message came through from the other side.

Shen Silie took a deep breath, scanned it briefly, and sent some money to the account number provided—expertly handling all the urgent matters for his uncle’s family.

He switched to the Notes app. The sound of tapping keys was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. The total amount decreased bit by bit while a few new items were added, calculating the final amount and his final plan.

Until the line “Alimony/Support” was highlighted in bold.

He had set aside the money for his family.

And the potential contract termination penalty he might have to pay in the final year.

His fingertips slid through the notes. Shen Silie caught a glimpse of the time at the top of the screen.

He instinctively calculated the time.

So, it had already been eleven years. As the calculated figure crossed his mind, Shen Silie sat dazed for a while, slowly scrolling up through the records as fragments of memory flashed before his eyes.

Out of habit and for ease of calculation, he recorded every bit of money earned, repayments made, interest, and living expenses in his notes.

He rarely looked back at them before.

Only now did he realize the sheer volume was staggering.

Flipping through page by page, the numbers grew from hundreds to millions. Emotions that had lain dormant for years amidst those entries were like bubbles pressed underwater, surging upward with his slow breaths, making his heart throb painfully.

He set the phone down.

Shen Silie buried his face in his knees and took two deep breaths.

The emotions suppressed for days, mixed with a sour, bitter breath, were slowly swallowed back down. His violent heartbeat gradually slowed amidst the aching suffocation, and his ragged breathing finally returned to a level pace.

Not a single outward sign was shown.

The phone vibrated. Thinking it was another text from his uncle asking for money, he was about to frown when his gaze caught the name.

He saw the name Shang Jichen.

Shen Silie switched to the message page.

[Shang Jichen: I heard your crew is in Qingzhou. I happen to be heading there for business soon. I remember there’s a lot of great food there; if you’re free, would it be convenient to get together? ]

At the end of the man’s message was a QQ emoji of a little wolf wagging its tail.

Shen Silie’s finger hovered over the screen, hesitant to tap.

The light from the screen reflected on his damp face; a water droplet slid from the base of his ear and dripped onto the edge of the phone.

Just then, the interface automatically jumped to an incoming call. Shen Silie’s eyelid jumped; looking up, he saw it was a call from Ji Yunshen.

The ringing was exceptionally piercing in the quiet room.

Shen Silie’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He didn’t answer, letting the phone ring over and over until it eventually fell into silence.

The noise stopped.

Shen Silie didn’t reply to Shang Jichen’s message immediately either. He tossed the phone aside and walked to the window.

Outside, the distant neon lights flickered unsteadily, making the sky look like a heavy black cloth pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

How should he put it? Shang Jichen truly had a good personality, and he believed the man was very much worth befriending. Such a person should have many excellent friends around him; being able to meet him was already a stroke of luck.

However, socializing was simply too draining.

He truly had no energy left to maintain and nurture a relationship.

A constant stream of trivial matters made his chest feel tight.

Shen Silie pressed his forehead against the cool glass. His breath condensed into a thin mist on the window, blurring the lights and shadows outside.

After a moment of calm, Shen Silie returned to the bedside and picked up the phone. His fingertips paused on the keyboard for a few seconds before he finally typed out a line of text.

[The filming schedule has been quite tight lately, so I probably won’t be able to make time. Sorry, let’s talk when I’m free.]

After sending it, he didn’t look to see what the reply was. As if a weight had been lifted, Shen Silie tossed the phone aside. Before he even had a chance to dry his hair, he sank heavily into the soft mattress.

Within a few breaths, he was pulled into a deep sleep by exhaustion.

The phone gave a soft ding.

Shen Silie did not wake up.

[Shang Jichen: That’s alright. I’ll be staying there for a while on my way. We’ll meet when you’re no longer busy.]