CH 34

On the balcony of a high-rise building without any surveillance cameras, in the scorching heat of the afternoon, the temperature of their burning lips made their heads spin.

The man kissed without reason. Just a second ago, Wen Li was still in a state of anger and agitation, and then she was caught off guard by his sudden action. When she regained her senses, she found herself pressed against his chest, standing on his feet, her waist forcefully lifted, and a rush of air pushed into her mouth.

Then, the restlessness instantly melted away, replaced by his low breath in her ear. With the friction of their lips and teeth, the kiss gradually became moist. Wen Li attempted to push his chin, but her fingertips encountered his sharp and lean jawbone, exerting force due to the intensity of the kiss. The instinct of an artist quickly made her imagine how sexy his jawline would appear from this angle if captured on camera.

The intense kiss under the sunlight grew hotter. In the clear sky, all the buildings in the line of sight appeared sharp and cold, while the sound of car horns and various noises pierced the air. On this spacious balcony, the two bodies intertwined intimately, exchanging breaths during this lazy afternoon.

Their kiss abruptly halted with Wen Li's low growl: "There are cameras."

When the balcony door was pushed open again, the staff in front of the monitors immediately crowded around.

Wen Li was the first to enter, fanning herself with her hand as she walked towards the bathroom.

"It's not even summer yet, why is it so hot..."

She complained softly and closed the bathroom door.

After a while, Song Yan also followed in. Unlike Wen Li, he wasn't as meticulous. He went straight to the wash basin and washed his face.

"..."

Why would they chat on the balcony when it was so hot outside, especially on a balcony without cameras? It seemed like they didn't consider the production team at all.

Wen Li didn't know how long she hid in the bathroom, but when she came out, she looked furtive, swaying her head left and right like a cautious hamster, scouting for enemies.

The staff in front of the monitors probably guessed who Wen Li was hiding from before she came out.

Meanwhile, the person she was hiding from had already sneaked into the study before she emerged.

Then Wen Li smoothly slipped into the bedroom and never came out again.

"They must be hiding from each other," one of them guessed, "Did they have an argument on the balcony just now? Wen Li seemed really angry from her tone earlier."

Another young female staff shook her head, "Doesn't seem like it. How can they be so calm after an argument?"

"Then what could it be? With cameras around, they can't fight, can they? They probably had a futile argument and started the silent treatment."

The young female staff expressed concern, "Ah, because we didn't inform Wen Li in advance about this surprise visit, did it cause them to argue? If that gets aired, won't we be criticized?"

Whenever an artist participates in a variety show and feels wronged during a segment, there are countless fans ready to criticize the production team, the script, and the staff. Some even organize collective actions, such as changing their profile pictures and boycotting the show.

The young female staff was still new to the industry, having graduated only a few years ago, and her mental resilience was noticeably weaker than her colleagues.

"They definitely didn't argue. Wen Li is a regular in variety shows. Many of her reactions are for the sake of the show's effects. She wouldn't get angry at Song Yan just because of a surprise visit segment."

The experienced staff comforted the young director.

With a dazed expression, the young female staff asked, "Then why are they... avoiding each other?"

In the spacious house, the study and the bedroom seemed to be the safe havens of Song Yan and Wen Li. Whenever they had indoor shooting activities without a script, one of them would always occupy the study, while the other took the bedroom.

Although it was normal to have separate rooms, they used to have some interaction. When Song Yan brewed coffee, he would casually ask if Wen Li wanted some. When Wen Li prepared her homemade nutritious low-fat meals, she would ask if Song Yan wanted to have some.

As time passed, and as the sky grew darker, neither of them made a move.

Wen Li was still lying on the bed and Song Yan was still sitting in the study.

With years of experience in the entertainment industry, the intuitive director crossed his hands and stared at the monitor with a deep tone, "I have a strong feeling that I've missed a crucial scene."

——

They had indeed missed a crucial scene.

It was so important that Wen Li kept thinking about it from the afternoon until the evening.

She and Song Yan had not only kissed before but had gone even further.

But those encounters always happened late at night, when their emotions were hard to control, driven by standard physiological needs. So she was not used to being kissed like that. She felt like a shy little girl who was teased. After being kissed, she couldn't even look at him and would push him away and run off.

In the evening, the staff came to their door and rang the doorbell several times. Wen Li didn't want to open the door at first, but she realized that the cameras were still rolling. If she didn't open the door, it might seem like she was being difficult, so she reluctantly got up from the bed and prepared to answer the door.

Just as she walked out, Song Yan had already reached the entrance and opened the door for the staff.

He heard the noise from the bedroom and turned to look at her. Wen Li's face stiffened and she unconsciously bit her lip.

Song Yan's Adam's apple moved, his lips slightly parted.

At this moment, the staff member who came with the tools spoke first, "We're really sorry. When we were installing the cameras, we missed the spot on the balcony. Now we plan to install it there. We hope you two won't mind."

"..."

"..."

So indeed, the scene before they entered the balcony in the afternoon was captured.

And now the production team came to install the cameras because they didn't capture the footage from the balcony.

Wen Li felt embarrassed but couldn't help but feel relieved.

She couldn't help but glare at Song Yan, who was also feeling awkward at the moment. He pursed his lips and made a few low chuckles.

The staff set up the tool ladder on the balcony to install the cameras. The female staff who accompanied them handed the revised script for the fourth episode to Song Yan and Wen Li.

The fourth episode was a collaboration with the Rong City Government, mainly focusing on promoting tourism and featuring a public welfare segment on supporting agriculture and poverty alleviation in the region. Therefore, the guests needed to travel to Rong City at the program's expense to record the fourth episode.

This plan had already been discussed with the various guests before the initial version of the script was released. Song Yan and Wen Li's teams had long been prepared and had packed their luggage, ready to depart.

While both hosts were engrossed in reading the script, the female staff scratched her head and mustered up the courage to ask Wen Li, "Teacher Wen, in the afternoon at the balcony, were you angry that we planned the surprise visit segment in the morning?"

Just when she had finally forgotten about it! Why did someone have to mention the balcony again!

Seeing the self-blame on the female staff's face, Wen Li could only bite the bullet and say, "No, not at all."

"Oh," the female staff sighed in relief, then asked, "So why did you and Song Yan stay on the balcony for so long? Were you having an argument?"

Wen Li: "...No, we were just talking."

"Talking?" The female staff looked at Song Yan.

Song Yan nodded, "We were just talking."

The female director nodded, "I see..."

After getting clarification, she decided to inform the director when they returned that it was just a conversation, nothing important to regret so much.

Once the staff finished installing the cameras on the balcony, they left one by one.

Now there were only two people left in the house and that awkwardness that crawled up from the soles of their feet filled their bodies.

Wen Li initially wanted to go back to the bedroom and continue lying down, but Song Yan didn't go back to his study. Instead, he walked towards the bedroom.

She followed him into the bedroom and immediately turned off the cameras, not giving the production team any chance to peek.

The camera crew: "..."

Alright, they could leave early today and go for a late-night snack.

Song Yan took out a suitcase from the closet. He was planning to pack the clothes he would wear in Rong City for the next few days. He didn't like wasting time on fashion coordination. He left that to the styling team. His fashion was all about his face. These casual clothes were already pre-matched sets, so he just needed to pack them.

Wen Li was much fussier about such things than he was. She had many little ideas and spent more time considering which matching accessories to bring with her various outfits.

So she didn't rush to pack everything in one night. After all, she wouldn't be able to finish packing in just one night. She decided to wait until the next day.

When Song Yan was packing clothes into the suitcase, a hand suddenly pressed on top of the clothes.

He looked up at her.

Wen Li boldly met his gaze and spoke in a stiff tone, "Apologize to me."

Song Yan's tone was light, "Apologize for what?"

"This afternoon—" Wen Li paused and changed her wording, "If there was a camera on the balcony, your beastly behavior would have been captured, and it would have had a huge impact on me when the show aired. Do you understand?"

"What kind of impact?"

"In broad daylight, in front of everyone, you—" Wen Li took a deep breath and yelled softly, "That thing!"

Song Yan rubbed his temple. Just when the staff came to install the cameras, he had already realized how embarrassing his inexplicable behavior in the afternoon was. Now, she brought it up again in a vague manner, making it even more difficult for him to handle.

With twin ponytails and a short skirt, her legs encased in white baseball socks, and her face adorned with baby-pink makeup, the image of her dancing continued playing in his mind until Wen Li returned home in the afternoon, reverting back to her usual appearance. But even after seeing her, the image of the innocent and energetic Wen Li remained in his mind.

It was as if his whole body had been soaked in sweet honey.

Seeing her look like she was about to question him, Song Yan couldn't help but chuckle, his tone casual, "So what? How will it impact you, Teacher Wen? En?"

Wen Li thought for a moment and realized that it probably wouldn't have much of an impact.

Why was she making a big deal out of it?

It was just a kiss, not some explicit behavior. Even preschool children would kiss each other on the cheek to express friendliness. She and Song Yan weren't preschoolers, so what could a kiss on the lips possibly mean?

Seeing her blank expression, Song Yan continued asking, "Did you ask those male artists you worked with before to apologize as well?"

"That's completely different!" Wen Li retorted, "Those were acting, scripted scenes. You didn't have a script and you didn't tell me in advance. Can they be compared?"

Song Yan laughed and lowered his voice, "So, if I had told you in advance, I wouldn't need to apologize?"

"You're playing with words," Wen Li looked annoyed, "Those scripted scenes are acting. But what you did was take advantage of me. Shouldn't you apologize for that?"

"Alright then," Song Yan raised an eyebrow as if accepting her argument, "I apologize for my behavior this afternoon."

He was quick to compromise, leaving Wen Li momentarily stunned. She belatedly said, "Well, let's just forget it then. I forgive you."

After saying she forgave him, the atmosphere became awkward again.

Wen Li touched her nose and stood up, "I'm going to take a shower."

Just as she was about to leave, Song Yan pulled her over forcefully, pressing her down on the bed, and said lightly, "Wait a moment before going. Let me finish apologizing."

Wen Li didn't understand and said foolishly, "You already apologized just now—"

"Besides this afternoon's incident, there are the previous ones."

"What previous ones?"

"Every time I touched you before," Song Yan hooked his lips, his tone sincere, "When I kissed you secretly in Star City, and the first time we got drunk together, I will apologize to you for all of them."

Wen Li was dumbfounded.

He counted each of the previous incidents, and the more he counted, the more confused Wen Li became. She wanted him to stop counting, as she wasn't that petty of a person and didn't want to dwell on things from so long ago.

"And in high school," Song Yan's ears turned slightly red. He blinked and smiled, saying, "I accidentally took your first kiss. I'm sorry."

Wen Li's eyes widened suddenly.

He actually brought up something from such a long time ago!

He wasn't genuinely apologizing at all!

He just wanted to make her feel even more embarrassed!

She still remembered how terrified she was at that time. It was too difficult to face, so she ran away directly, just like she did on the balcony this afternoon.

In the following days, every time she encountered Song Yan, she deliberately took a different route and walked far away from him.

When she finally managed to forget about this unexpected incident, he suddenly appeared at her door.

With a cold expression and tone, he questioned her as if accusing her, "Are you still angry?"

Before Wen Li could say, "I'm not angry anymore, can you please stop bringing up this matter, it's really embarrassing," he said something that made her even more devastated.

"It was also my first kiss, so don't be angry anymore."

Wen Li screamed towards the sky in frustration at that moment. It stunned Song Yan, and before he could react, Wen Li covered her head and ran away again.

She didn't need an apology, nor did she need comforting. All she needed was for the other party to act as if this had never happened.

The eighteen-year-old Song Yan didn't understand this principle, now the twenty-eight-year-old Song Yan still didn't understand it.

But what Wen Li could be sure of was that the eighteen-year-old Song Yan genuinely wanted to comfort her and apologize to her, while the twenty-eight-year-old Song Yan deliberately brought up the past, intending to make her feel ashamed.

Well, he succeeded. Now Wen Li truly felt extremely ashamed and deeply regretted her unreasonable behavior of making him apologize.

Wen Li clenched her lips in shame and awkwardly said, "I don't want your apology anymore, just shut up."

"Have you forgiven me?"

"You have such thick skin," Wen Li turned her face away, "If I don't forgive you, what can you do?"

Song Yan chuckled softly, accepting her words gladly. He pinched her cheek and said, "Not much. Honestly, on the balcony, if I did more than just kiss you and crossed the line, what can you do to me?"