Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  The Avenue of Stars at night was very different from daytime.

  The lights were enchantingly beautiful at night, and the faces of people in the street were relaxed—a contrast to their stressed faces during daytime.

  The antique buildings on both sides were very low, with the tallest building about two or three stories. On the eaves of the buildings were rows of ancient lanterns with tassels, glazed windows, small bridges and green trees. Xiang Wan and Bai Muchuan walked along the street in the breezy night wind, listening to the leisure laughters coming from the nearby teahouses and taverns, their moods calm and peaceful.

  Xie Wanwan appeared at this moment.

  She came on from behind. She was wearing a hat and a black mask where it covered most of her face and popped out of nowhere like a ghost.

  “Where are you going?”


  There were many people strolling along the street. She stood amidst the moving crowd and smiled idly at them. The friendliness in her tone instantly dissipated the sourness Xiang Wan felt at the instant she saw her.

  “Hello, Miss Xie!”


  Bai Muchuan turned to her, a hand in his pocket and an eyebrow raised.

  “Why are you here?”


  Xie Wanwan crossed her arms. She carried a little bag on her shoulders and chuckled arrogantly. “Why? Did I disturb you two?”


  Bai Muchuan smiled casually, “So you do know.”


  “Tch!” Although Xie Wanwan only revealed her eyebrows and eyes, she could show her emotions very well.

  Shaking her head, she looked at Xiang Wan with a half smile then asked Bai Muchuan. “Let’s find a place to sit down and talk?”


  Xiang Wan felt awkward to receive her invitation to hang out.

  Even though she knew that Bai Muchuan and Xie Wanwan were just friends, as she had previously preconceived the two to be in a romantic relationship, she felt a little troubled about such interaction. It felt as though the current girlfriend had met the ex-girlfriend, and that was totally uncomfortable.

  There was a tad too many unpleasant scenes running inside her head!

  She smiled at Xie Wanwan then turned to Bai Muchuan.

  “Umm…… Captain Bai! You can go ahead! I’ll go back first……”


  “Why are you in a hurry?” Xie Wanwan walked to her and took Xiang Wan’s arm. “Let’s find a place to talk over dinner. I haven’t had dinner yet and I’m hungry!”


  Xiang Wan: “.……”


  Xiang Wan was very different from Xie Wanwan who was street smart and worldly after being in the entertainment industry for years. Xiang Wan was too homely and not good at communicating with unfamiliar people. She felt goosebumps when Xie Wanwan took her arm and hugged her shoulders.

  Bai Muchuan did not seem too happy as well.

  He quietly pulled Xie Wanwan’s hand away and “protected” Xiang Wan by keeping her on his left.

  “We’ve eaten,” he replied.

  Xiang Wan felt relieved and smiled. “I’m sorry, I have work tonight as well……”


  Well, she had not written her update! And this was the most important thing to her. Nonetheless, no matter how they rejected the offer, Xie Wanwan did not care at all. She insisted on dragging them along for dinner and even brought up matters relating to the case.

  “Fine, do as you deem fit!” Xie Wanwan tilted her head. “Besides eating with me, I have something important to share too. So are you two having dinner with me?”


  “.……”


  There was a river beside the Avenue of Stars.

  On the street beside the river, there were many places to eat, drink and chill.

  As Xie Wanwan frequently came here for shooting, she was very familiar with the place. She brought them to a quiet, characteristic teahouse where she directly went up to the third floor. The teahouse served tea and food, as well as playing cards and more. They had individual small, cozy dining rooms with induction cookers on the dining table. Everyone could have their own hotpot and pick out their desired ingredients freely.

  When they chose their seats, Bai Muchuan deliberately sat next to Xiang Wan.

  Her body turned toward him slightly as she looked at him without saying anything.

  “What do you want to eat?” Xie Wanwan’s tone sounded casual without being too warm but not too cold, either. It was just nice for their current relationship. She was as though she did not notice their little interaction and started to mark the ordering slip with ticks without even lifting her head.

  Xiang Wan smiled politely. “I’ve eaten. I’m not too hungry.”


  Xie Wanwan lifted her head and took a gaze at her. “You’re on a diet?”


  Xiang Wan shook her head as she laughed. “Ain’t the celebrities more concerned about going on a diet?”


  “You’re right!” Xie Wanwan did not seem to mind at all. She put down the pen and handed the ordering slip to Bai Muchuan. “Buddy, pick what you want!”


  “.……”


  From “Muchuan”, “Little Bai”, to “Buddy”, she sure had a lot of salutations for Bai Muchuan.

  So much so that it was enough to prove their deep friendship……

  Xiang Wan chuckled as she gave a casual glance at the ordering slip. “You’re eating only vegetables?”


  Xie Wanwan returned a lazy, friendly glance. “I’m on a diet! It’s a must for celebrities.”


  Xiang Wan’s mouth curved into a casual smile, but she was unable to continue the topic.

  They were from different backgrounds, working in different industries and almost had nothing in common. It could be a pain to forcefully try to improve their relationship with each other.

  “I’m done.” Bai Muchuan ordered a few dishes and called for the waiter to take their order. Next, he looked seriously at Xie Wanwan with his hands clasped and elbows resting lightly on the table. “You can tell us now. What’s up?”


  Xie Wanwan lifted her head to look at him. “We haven’t even eaten,” she laughed, “how will I have the energy to talk about what I know?”


  “Get to the point!” Bai Muchuan got impatient.

  “Hur! Romance is more important than friendship!”


  “.……”


  The two of them were speechless.

  Xie Wanwan was really not in a hurry. She took a look at the beverage ordering slip and ordered some drinks that filled the table. Then she started to pour some liquor for herself. “You want some?” she asked Xiang Wan.

  “Thank you, but no.” Xiang Wan smiled gently.

  Xie Wanwan laughed. “I’ve guessed that Little Bai preferred good, obedient girls……”


  This term made Xiang Wan feel especially awkward.

  If she was considered a good, obedient girl, then there would be no girls that was disobedient.

  Xiang Wan plastered a smile over her face and did not say anything more. Xie Wanwan made eye contact with her and smiled before she reached for her bag and asked another question. “Do you mind if I smoke?”


  “Go ahead!” Besides this, what else could Xiang Wan say?

  “Thank you!” Xie Wanwan then asked Bai Muchuan for the lighter.

  Xiang Wan looked on without a word, wearing a faint smile.

  Before Xie Wanwan, she did not know of any woman who was rebellious and flamboyant. Based on her fascination with different character types, she did not mind Xie Wanwan’s behavior. Even though she was not used to it, she treat it as a total new experience.

  “I’m quite frustrated lately!” Xie Wanwan lit up the cigarette where it rolled back and forth on her white, delicate fingers. After making that remark, she took a few more puffs in silence.

  Such posture suggested she was a frequent smoker!

  As smoke started to fill the area, the atmosphere started to feel restless.

  A feeling of uneasiness grew in the bottom of Xiang Wan’s heart, tickling her nerves.

  Nevertheless, even Bai Muchuan did not comment on that, so Xiang Wan was not in position to say anything either.

  She could only sit down quietly, look on quietly and listen quietly……

  After a while later, the hotpot soups were being served. There was the tomato pork ribs soup, stewed duck with pickled cabbage soup and stewed chicken soup with mushrooms…… They were really fragrant. Even though Xiang Wan had eaten earlier, her appetite was being simulated and she scooped a bowl of soup quietly.

  Ironically, Xie Wanwan, who had been saying that she was hungry, did not touch the food at all. She only focused on smoking her cigarette.

  She heaved a big ring of cigarette smoke out of her mouth. “I must say that you two really look good together.” She suddenly chuckled and looked at both Xiang Wan and Bai Muchuan casually. “Even your expressions and reactions are surprisingly harmonious. But then again, I’ve already said I’m frustrated recently. Why didn’t any of you ask me, why am I frustrated?”


  Bai Muchuan: “Xie Wanwan……”


  “Sigh, if you’re asking after I said this, then just forget it!” Xie Wanwan raised the hand that held the cigarette to stop him. “I already know what you are going to say, don’t bother!”


  As she said that, she turned to Xiang Wan with a smile.

  “You were feeling rather uncomfortable not too long ago, right?”


  “Eh?” Xiang Wan was a little stunned as she was confused. “What?”


  “I mean myself and him!” Xie Wanwan moved her lips to point at Bai Muchuan. “Am I affecting your relationship?”


  “.……”


  There were some words that one could think but unsuitable to say it in another’s face.

  Normally, during chatting, one would try their best to leave a comfortable space for each other so as not to embarrass the other party.

  However, this Xie Wanwan did not seem to behave like this?

  Xiang Wan looked at her. “It’s not that. If I have any problem with him, the problem actually lies with ourselves. This is not something that other people can affect. How can I blame you for it?”


  She was neither warm nor cold, neither humble nor pushy.

  Xie Wanwan glanced and studied her for two seconds before taking a sip of liquor and smoked quietly.

  “So I did something extra for worrying about your relationship and coming to you both like this to explain……”


  Bai Muchuan wore a cold expression. “You have a lot of things to say today?”


  “Is it?” Xie Wanwan returned his gaze and smiled indifferently. “Maybe it’s the liquor. But there are some things that I need to get out of my chest!”


  The atmosphere suddenly seemed to be stifling.

  Weird and uncomfortable, even the breathing was tense.

  “Miss Xiang, do you mind?” Xie Wanwan raised an eyebrow and looked at Xiang Wan with a straight face.

  If Xiang Wan still did not notice that there was something not quite right with Xie Wanwan’s mood, then she should not be writing novels and provide profiling analysis.

  Xie Wanwan did not view her as an enemy. Her strong dissatisfied “housewife” emotions might have been hidden from Bai Muchuan but unable to escape a woman’s delicate nerves.

  “I don’t mind! It’s just that…… If this is your private matter, I’m afraid I should not be listening to them!”


  “Hur!” Xie Wanwan glanced at her and let out a laugh.

  She lowered her head, her hand holding the cigarette supported her temple, and her shoulders trembled as she laughed. From Xiang Wan’s angle of view, that beautiful face of Xie Wanwan–her long neck and graceful collarbone had mixed with the odor of cigarettes, enabling Xiang Wan to profile Xie Wanwan clearly in her mind.

  She was a beautiful woman with wounds all over.

  Kind, cowardly, wants to love, but afraid of losing something.

  She pretended to be strong yet did not dare to take a step out……

  “Privacy? What else is there that I can’t tell anyone about?” After Xie Wanwan stopped laughing, she lifted her head slowly and blinked at Xiang Wan. “The whole world knew everything about me, they knew all those humiliating things. What else is there for me to care about? There’s no privacy, no privacy at all……”


  The three instance of the word “privacy” that came from her mouth was a typical example of an ironic sentence.

  The more she claimed that she did not mind, it just showed how much it had bothered her.

  Without a doubt, that livestream which was broadcasted live on the internet was akin to the pain she suffered when she was a child. It had become a scar that could not be erased from her heart.

  Xiang Wan looked at her quietly.

  Xie Wanwan tilted her head, her mouth curved into a smile. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”


  Xiang Wan hid her anxiety well in front of others. When she was with outsiders, she would never bare her heart easily.

  “i just feel that it is best for me to keep quiet.”


  If she consoled her, she might appear to be pretentious. If she was unable to comfort her properly, it might end up incurring her wrath as this was a sensitive topic to begin with.

  “You’re really adorable.” Xie Wanwan narrowed her eyes gently as she smiled at Xiang Wan. “Before today, I was actually curious why Little Bai likes you, No! I should say, how did you manage to keep Little Bai by your side, and how you make him do all these things willingly for you……”


  Xiang Wan felt a little sad.

  But, this was not the suitable time to talk about this.

  After pausing for a moment, Xiang Wan lowered her eyes and swept Bai Muchuan a glance. “Hear that?” She chuckled.

  In just two words, she directed the problem over to Bai Muchuan.

  It had a lot of meaning, and the power was lethal!

  In a sense, it was also an indication that she did not wish to participate in the war.

  Bai Muchuan smiled at Xiang Wan as he took over the task of answering the question. “Have you drank too much alcohol?” He looked at Xie Wanwan, puzzled. “If you’re here just to spout nonsense, then let me tell you something. My family can’t control me at all, what makes you think you’re able to do so?

  His words were rather harsh!

  Usually, one would leave right away after hearing that.

  Nevertheless, Xie Wanwan was not bothered at all as she lied lazily on her chair.

  “Who said that I want to control you? I’m just curious what kind of woman could walk into your heart……” As she said so, she looked toward Xiang Wan, sizing her up and chuckling ambiguously. “In the end, I found out that Miss Xiang is a really charming woman…… I think I’m going to fall in love with her too.”


  Xiang Wan: “.……”


  Bai Muchuan felt a chill in his spine and his expression turned a little gloomy.

  “I’m warning you! Don’t spout nonsense!”


  “I’m telling the truth.” Xie Wanwan nodded her head affirmatively and leaned toward Xiang Wan while muttering provocatively. “I like you a lot.”


  This was totally baffling and ambiguous.

  Xiang Wan felt goosebumps all over and was speechless toward Xie Wanwan’s behavior.

  Bai Muchuan’s face sank. “Xie Wanwan, don’t ask for trouble…… You want to snatch my woman?”


  “So what if I want to snatch her?”


  “What do you think?” Bai Muchuan sneered, “Scram!”


  “Heh! Why are you so serious?” Xie Wanwan played with the lighter, twirling it around her fingers. “He didn’t tell you about why we were pretending to be lovers, right?” She smiled casually at Xiang Wan.

  Xiang Wan smiled but did not answer.

  With the cigarette clamped on Xie Wanwan’s mouth, she narrowed her eyes as she opened another bottle of liquor as well as opening the window.

  The wind from the river blew into their small dining room, as well as her hair which covered half of her face. That made her exquisite face seemed lost. “I don’t like men. I like women.”


  Xiang Wan looked at her as though she had just been struck by lightning.

  Xie Wanwan ran her fingers through her hair. “My assistant, Yu Hui, who died for me, was my lover.”


  The word “died” was heavier than a thousand words.

  Sorrow floated quietly in the wind, along with her hoarse voice at the mention of Yu Hui.

  “There was once a time when I was together with Yu Hui, and my family saw that.” Xie Wanwan shook off the ashes off the cigarette before looking at Xiang Wan. “For the sake of my freedom and in order to get ‘acquitted’ from my family…… I asked Bai Muchuan to help me by pretending to be my boyfriend. We had a verbal gentlemen’s agreement on this……”


  Xie Wanwan’s choice of words were strange.

  From Xiang Wan’s point of view, that was not a normal way of narrating something.

  She actually used the word “acquitted” which was considered a very strong and emotional word.

  Xiang Wan was unable to deduce what kind of family she had after leaving that horrible place. She was also unable to tell what kind of people her “new family members” were. However, she was certain that Xie Wanwan still lived in a not-so happy environment. Otherwise, there was no need to get Bai Muchuan to form a gentlemen’s agreement.

  In the silence, the atmosphere was rather heavy.

  Afterward, Xiang Wan heard Xie Wanwan’s laughter.

  “Why didn’t you ask what is our gentlemen’s agreement about?”


  Xiang Wan did not feel good about this. “That’s your business with him. I’m not in a position to ask about this and I’m not interested to know about it, either. After all, I’m not his girlfriend yet……”


  Her reply caught Xie Wanwan off guard—she did not expect that.

  Even Bai Muchuan’s expression was now dark and brooding, and he gazed coldly at her.

  His expression was quite scary. If she was alone with him, she might have been gobbled alive……

  Xiang Wan blinked her eyes lightly. “Did I say anything wrong?”


  Bai Muchuan gritted his teeth and grunted a laugh. “It’s just a matter of time.”


  The two of them were as though two porcupines who gazed at each other, but the scene was unusually harmonious.

  Xie Wanwan looked at both of them and was startled for a moment . A smile flashed through her red face due to alcohol.

  “So that means I still have a chance? Buddy, you’re not up to mark?”


  Bai Muchuan took away the liquor bottle in front of her. “You’ve drank too much! I have no time to talk to you! If you have nothing else to say, we’ll get going now as we still have work to do.”


  “Why the hurry?” Xie Wanwan chuckled, raised her wine glass, and clinked with Xiang Wan’s beverage glass before gulping down the liquor. She smacked her lips comfortably and gave a burp. “I heard you’ve come to the filming set today for a case?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  After going one big round, she’s finally talking about the case?

  Bai Muchuan gave a dissatisfied glance.

  “Yup, what’s up?”


  “If I tipped the police off, will I receive reward money for it, Mr. Detective?” Xie Wanwan really seemed to have gotten drunk. Her words sounded muffled like she was mumbling, but loud enough to make out her words.

  “Just say what you know!” Bai Muchuan did not sound too polite.

  Or rather, in his eyes, he did not see the beauty in front of him as a woman.

  “You’re…… really!” Xie Wanwan waved her hand, leaned back on her chair and looked at the ceiling. “I can tell you about it, but please don’t disclose that I’m the one who said it…… Otherwise, it might get interpreted to become personal grudges again by the public.”


  “I know what to do.” Bai Muchuan wore a cold face.

  “Ye Lun!” Xie Wanwan gave a name softly, a glint of light flashed past her eyes as she suddenly said mysteriously. “He seemed to have found himself a girlfriend……”


  “.……” Xiang Wan was speechless.

  Bai Muchuan’s eyes were chilly. He wished he could strangle her.

  “I’m not interested in such gossips!”


  Xie Wanwan laughed and looked out of the window. She revealed a really beautiful smile.

  “I mean that his girlfriend came to the filming set to see him today. But in a blink of an eye, she’s gone……”


  What did she mean by gone in a blink of an eye?

  Xiang Wan got tensed up and gazed at Xie Wanwan seriously.

  Xie Wanwan did not mind that at all. “Young girls nowadays are too silly! Is it so easy to capture the heart of a celebrity heartthrob? She might have travelled a long distance just to see him, and she even had to be thankful to him when he could bed her for free…… In the end, her heartthrob did not want to see her at all. He’s not willing to let her be seen with him!”


  Xiang Wan had to contemplate for a while before understanding what she was trying to say.

  “You’re saying that when the ‘chasing’ incident happened, Ye Lun’s girlfriend was also there?”


  Xie Wanwan smiled affectionately at her. “You’re smart! I’m sure that there’s no such person on your list of people you’ve questioned today, right?”


  Indeed! There was no such person.

  Bai Muchuan had verified with a member of the film crew that they had gotten all those people at the scene for them. They even got Yu Ning to come for the questioning but never once revealed the presence of such a person.

  “Maybe the others did not know that she had come?” Xie Wanwan raised an eyebrow.

  “How did you come to know then?” Bai Muchuan asked coldly.

  “Me?” Xie Wanwan smoked lazily and pointed to an opposite window. “I was sitting there today……”


  The location not only gave a clear view of the street, but also the location of the film crew.

  Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes. “Why did you only tell us now?”


  Xie Wanwan drank a mouthful of wine. “You didn’t ask me. How would I know you didn’t know?”


  Xiang Wan furrowed her brows. “You said she’s gone in a blink of an eye. What do you mean by that?”


  “That means I had seen her there,” pouted Xie Wanwan, “and when your detectives were chasing after someone, I blinked and looked back, and she’s gone!”


  “.……”


  At that time, there were so many people on the streets, so many people……

  Who would pay attention to a young girl leaving the area?

  In fact, just from this information alone, it was hard to link up the two incidents.

  “But Ye Lun wasn’t at the set this morning?” Xiang Wan gave it a thought and said softly, “His girlfriend came to visit him and left when she couldn’t find him. Nothing strange, right?”


  Xie Wanwan glanced at her with her half-opened eyes and nodded her head. “You’re right, too…… But, this is a walking street! The space here is only so big. I only blinked my eyes, how far could she walk to?”


  This could be trivial but could be major as well.

  If one only looked at it without linking it up, it was a really small incident.

  But what if this took place during the time when the “real police were chasing after a fake criminal”?

  Bai Muchuan took a glance at her, got up to foot the bill, and then came back up again.

  “Let’s go! I’ll send you back!”


  “Not necessary.” Xie Wanwan waved her hand. “I want to stay here a little while more. If you have something on, just go on ahead!”


  Bai Muchuan’s expression was grim. “If you’re not leaving now, do you believe I’ll throw you down?”


  “Hah!” Xie Wanwan laughed and got up helplessly, supporting herself by holding onto the table. She staggered when she walked, then suddenly rested her head on Xiang Wan’s shoulders and took her arm. “Help support me for a while, thank you!” A mischievous smile formed on her drunk, red face.

  Xiang Wan’s mouth twitched. She felt awkward, but she had to help her.

  Nonetheless, the moment Xie Wanwan took her arm, Bai Muchuan pulled Xiang Wan alway.

  “Let her walk by herself!”


  “.……”


  Xiang Wan could understand if he felt jealous because of men hitting on her, but why was he jealous of women?

  Xie Wanwan took a glance at him and swung her bag over her shoulder, walking in front of them.

  The streets at night were windy.

  The three of them walked quietly to the place where they parked their car.

  Xiang Wan kept quiet all this while till Bai Muchuan went to get his car. When the two women stood by the road waiting, she took a look at Xie Wanwan who was seemingly drunk.

  “Actually, you do not like women, right?”


  Xie Wanwan looked slightly taken aback as she turned to face her.

  Xiang Wan did not look at her but raised her head to look at the boundless night sky. “You don’t like woman, but Yu Hui liked women. She died for you as she thought you loved her…… She was willing to die for love. But even till death, she never knew that she was just a pawn.”


  For a long time, nobody talked.

  Xiang Wan could feel Xie Wanwan’s burning gaze, but she chose not to look at her.

  “You said you’re feeling frustrated recently. But how much of your frustration was actually because of Yu Hui?”


  Xie Wanwan’s bag suddenly fell onto the ground. It had slipped off from her hand……

  That muffled sound pulled back her senses as she picked her bag up from the ground. Just then, Bai Muchuan’s car was within sight and she directly walked over to the car. “Little Bai, your girlfriend’s great! I like her so much!”
……

  “What did she tell you earlier?”


  After they sent Xie Wanwan home, Bai Muchuan asked Xiang Wan while on the way back.

  “Nothing.”


  Xiang Wan took a glance at him with a smile. Seeing how this iron-willed man was ignorant of the whole thing, her heart started to melt.

  “Bai Muchuan.” She called his name softly. “Do you know that you’re actually an idiot?”


  “Hm?” Bai Muchuan turned to scrutinize her for a short while but did not say a word. However, he screeched to a halt at the traffic lights and suddenly leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. “Try saying that one more time?”


  “You think I don’t dare to? You’re an idiot!”


  Bai Muchuan’s hand suddenly held the back of her head and gave her a kiss.

  “Everytime you say it,” he said in his husky voice, “I’ll give you a kiss. It’s to my advantage.”


  “.……”


  “Go on, call me an idiot.”


  “.……”

  Xiang Wan rolled her eyes. The word “idiot” had not even come out of her mouth when his lips already closed in and touched her lips……

  While their breathing intertwined, Xiang Wan saw her smiling face reflected in his mesmerizing eyes. In the dreamy sight before her, she put down all her thoughts and worries. There was as though only a single street light before her, bright and warm, similar to his dashing and gentle smiling face. It felt so beautiful like those good old dreams that she once had when she was in her teenage years……

  Her ideal Prince Charming was a hero. He finally came for her riding in rainbow colored auspicious clouds!