LHKE Ch48

Shen Li gave the jar of stars to Lu Changting, who placed it in the study. Occasionally, when Shen Li visited the study, he would see Lu Changting carefully unpacking and then re-folding the stars.

Shen Li found Lu Changting’s meticulous folding of the stars somewhat endearing.

Even with the knowledge of his teenage crush and without it, their daily love life didn’t seem to change much.

Except that Lu Changting often teased him in private, making him call him Xiao Gege.

At first, Shen Li would blush and feel shy, unable to say it out loud. But as time went on, he could say Xiao Gege with a smile, whisper it into Lu Changting’s ear, which would make Lu Changting’s face flush and try to maintain a casual demeanor.

The summer passed quickly. Cheng Zhao moved back home and tacitly approved of Shen Li living with Lu Changting. Lu Changting’s girlfriend returned from studying abroad, and they began planning their wedding. Jiang Chifeng and Wei Wenxing went home to meet their parents. Probably because of the shadow of the past, Wei’s parents had grown to like him over the years and even mentioned Wei Wenxing to the family. However, Jiang’s family still held a neutral stance, neither supporting nor opposing; some things had to be taken slowly.

Everyone else seemed unchanged: those in love continued to be affectionate, and the single ones remained carefree.

On Mid-Autumn Festival, Shen Li went home to celebrate, bought a box of mooncakes, and, after dinner, watched the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala with Cheng Zhao.

In previous years, he would enjoy the gala, but this year, the songs and dances were dull and uninteresting. Without Lu Changting, he felt like he was celebrating with his phone, constantly messaging on WeChat.

The Mid-Autumn Festival should have been a time for family reunions. Originally, Shen Li and Lu Changting had planned to have lunch at Lu’s family home and dinner at his own home with Cheng Zhao. However, plans changed unexpectedly—Lu Changting had to go to M City.

It wasn’t a business trip; Lu Changting rushed to M City after receiving a call that Lu Changyin had had a minor accident during a shoot. Shen Li quickly packed a few clothes for him and sent him to the airport, reminding him to be careful. He didn’t say much more.

The filming location was in a desert, and Lu Changyin had fallen from a horse. The manager called while on the way to the hospital, but the situation was unclear. Lu Changting was worried, and so was Shen Li. At such times, personal feelings had to be set aside.

When Lu Changting arrived at the hospital, Lu Changyin had already woken up. X-rays showed a leg injury with a minor fracture, but it was conservatively treated and put in a cast. Lu Changting saw that she was in good spirits and could still joke. The doctor said she just needed to rest, so Lu Changting’s anxiety eased.

He called home to inform them of Lu Changyin’s condition and reported to Shen Li that he was safe before sitting by the bed.

Seeing the man sitting quietly by the bed and talking softly to Lu Changyin, Lu Changting couldn’t help but frown.

Li Juansheng.

The director of Lu Changyin’s previous film.

When Fan Jingling mentioned that someone else was taking care of Lu Changyin, Lu Changting had looked into him. His mother was a well-known screenwriter, and his father was the renowned director Li Zhongming, a respected artist. Although Li Juansheng was a director, he was very low-key, and few people in the industry knew about his background. His fame came from his first film winning the New Director Award, and the film was “Clouds and No Happiness,” which Shen Li liked.

After investigating Li Juansheng’s background, Lu Changting had also inquired about Lu Changyin’s impression of him. What did Lu Changyin say at the time?

Lu Changyin said, “Director Li seems gentle and kind, but he’s quite strict during filming.”

Because of this remark, Lu Changting hadn’t paid much attention to Li Juansheng, but now it seemed he had been too hasty in his judgment.

Li Juansheng, seeing Lu Changting, made an excuse about having more work with the crew and left.

Still feeling uneasy, Lu Changting asked Lu Changyin, “Why is Director Li here?”

“Juansheng is Director Zhang’s student,” Lu Changyin said, her gaze somewhat evasive. “He’s been learning with the team recently.”

Li Juansheng was usually gentle and attentive, discreetly taking care of her. Over time, Lu Changyin gradually noticed his good qualities and felt a bit moved. So when Lu Changting asked, she felt somewhat guilty.

Lu Changting looked at her intently. “Last time you said he was strict, and now you’re calling him Juansheng?”

Lu Changyin felt as if her little secret had been exposed by Lu Changting. She bit her lip, trying to appear pitiful and boost Li Juansheng’s image. “He… he’s actually quite nice. He was the first to run over and help me when I fell off the horse and also brought me to the hospital…”

Lu Changting sighed. “Do you like him?”

“A little,” Lu Changyin admitted, glancing at him. Seeing his expression soften, she smiled sweetly. “But I still like Changting Ge more.”

Lu Changting responded with a hint of resignation, “Love is free; I don’t intend to interfere.”

Lu Changyin said softly, “But you don’t seem to like him…”

Lu Changting poured her a glass of warm water. “Why should I like someone who’s competing with me for my sister?”

Lu Changyin: “……”

The topic was pretty much exhausted, and Lu Changyin knew that her older brothers were somewhat possessive, so she didn’t bring up Li Juansheng again.

Moreover, since they weren’t officially together yet, it was too early to think about the future, and she didn’t want to consider those issues for now.

In the evening, Lu Changting returned to the hotel to rest, and the manager came to keep watch. The next morning, Lu Changting came back to see her.

Though the cast made movement a bit inconvenient, the VIP room in the hospital was quite comfortable. The crew had kept the news of her injury under wraps. Besides the initial visit, everyone returned to the set to continue filming. With no one disturbing them, the ward was quiet, and Lu Changyin rested well.

She could only lie in bed, and meals were brought by an assistant. Lu Changting raised the bed and adjusted the pillows to make her more comfortable, then set up a dining table and arranged the food.

Up close, Lu Changyin smelled the faint, cool woody fragrance on Lu Changting, which surprised her and stirred her feelings. “Changting Ge, did you bring perfume? Could you spray some in the room for me?”

The hospital was filled with the smell of disinfectant, which lingered even with the windows open.

“What perfume?” Lu Changting responded, “I didn’t bring any.”

“You can smell it yourself,” Lu Changyin said, eyes wide with disbelief. “You definitely sprayed some.”

Lu Changting sniffed his collar. The very subtle woody scent was clean and crisp, familiar and comforting.

He suddenly smiled, saying, “I’m going to make a call,” and then left the room.

Shen Li, still groggy, let the phone ring for a while before grabbing it and answering.

Hearing Lu Changting’s cheerful “Shen Xiao Gege,” he lazily responded, “Good morning.”

Lu Changting replied with a smile, “Good morning.”

After exchanging pleasantries, the call went silent. Shen Li was still a bit drowsy and, feeling lazy, put the phone on speaker and wrapped himself tighter in the blanket. “Why aren’t you talking?”

“I just wanted to call you,” Lu Changting said, feeling his longing ease a little with Shen Li’s voice. “Go back to sleep.”

Shen Li thought for a moment before softly calling out “Xiao Gege,” his voice gentle and tender. “Do you miss me?”

Lu Changting’s fingers tightened around the phone. “Yes.”

“I really miss you,” Lu Changting continued. “You sprayed perfume on my clothes secretly, didn’t you want me to think of you, to remember you?”

“…You noticed,” Shen Li said, awkwardly turning in his blanket, turning off the speaker, and holding the phone to his ear. “It’s so you can feel like I’m with you when you think of me.”

Lu Changting chuckled. “But it makes me miss you more. What should I do?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Shen Li yawned. “I fell asleep very late last night.”

“Three or four o’clock,” he added.

Lu Changting asked, “Why did you only fall asleep at three or four when you said goodnight at midnight?”

“Because I missed you,” Shen Li mumbled into his pillow. “What can I do? I counted so many sheep and stars, but I still missed you.”

Missing someone doesn’t depend on how long you’ve been apart or how far apart you are; it’s simply because that person is in your heart, carrying all your affection.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“You were sleeping,” Shen Li said. “And we’ll be apart sometimes in the future. I mean, it’s not possible to be together every day. You’ll have business trips, and I’ll accompany Mom on outings. Even when you’re not around, I need to eat well, sleep well, and live well.”

Shen Li paused and added, “So should you.”

Missing someone or not, you have to take care of yourself from afar, so the other person can feel at ease.

“You’re so good,” Lu Changting sighed softly. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t so good. I wish you would call me whenever you miss me, anytime and anywhere.”

“Got it…” Shen Li replied. “I’ll message and call you when I miss you.”

He added, “And you too.”

Shen Li said, “When you miss me, you should message and call me.”

Lu Changting chuckled softly, “Aren’t I calling you now?”

Lu Changting said, “In the future, I won’t leave you alone on Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Even though they were sharing the moon from afar, he still wanted to be with Shen Li, sharing the moon together.