Chapter 130: Dimension 37

Chapter 130: Dimension 37

"What did you say? What's this about paper people?"

A voice filled with confusion echoed in the room.

Prince stared at Yu Bai with suspicion.

Yu Bai, whose alarm bells were ringing loudly, his mind raced to come up with an excuse: "I meant... producer! The film producer, you know, the one who makes movies. I visited a film set the other day, and it was really interesting, ha, ha. Anyway, shouldn't we leave the dressing room now? Someone else might need it soon."

The logic was like an English composition essay, seemingly full of content but upon closer inspection, it was all filler words.

In his panic, Yu Bai didn't even know what he was saying. As long as he could divert the topic, that was all that mattered. Besides, the alien prince might not even know what a 'paper person' was.

"The third tone you used earlier was for 'zhi'," the prince pronounced it seriously, "not producer, but paper person. A character from a two-dimensional work, I know what that is. So, what you're saying is, someone among us came out of an animation or game?"

"!!" Yu Bai drew a sharp breath, hastily denying, "No, no, that's not what I meant!"

The alien prince was too well-versed in human culture...

"But you're sweating," the prince observed him with those clear, bright eyes, "drops are flying out like rain - why, you seem very nervous."

As he spoke, the sweat-bead special effect behind Yu Bai intensified.

Like a human-shaped sprinkler.

He cursed the damned animation mode in his heart for the Nth time, still resisting stubbornly, "I'm not nervous! It's just hot, don't you think it's very warm here?"

The prince looked up at the air conditioner beside him, which was working hard to pump out cold air.

"I don't think so, it's clearly cold."

As he said this, he reached out to touch the goosebumps suddenly appearing on his arm, sighing suddenly.

"You're as bad a liar as that guy," the prince said with a smile, but there was a hint of melancholy in his voice, "...indeed, a foolish human."

Foolish yet real, humans.

"In fact, you don't really look like an alien, nor like a fictional character. So, who among us is the paper person?"

The prince calmly looked at the humans before him.

"Is it me?"

The room fell silent.

Yu Bai was suddenly speechless, not knowing how to respond.

A soft sigh came from behind him.

Li Nanxiao patted his shoulder, stepped forward slowly, and said solemnly, "Let me tell him."

"I think he has the right to know the truth."

At the same time, in the studio separated by a wall.

The jewelry commercial shoot had ended, and the place was bustling with busy staff cleaning up.

Tearing down sets, moving equipment... As their gazes swept across, amidst the lively scene, there were faintly interspersed bubbles of infatuation that accidentally popped into the air.

In a corner that almost everyone was watching, the bald director was talking non-stop.

"Really, I think this is a great opportunity. Look, you're completely new, if you can get that role, you'll definitely become famous overnight! This is an opportunity that many people would kill for... Hey, why aren't you excited at all? Did I not explain it clearly?"

He spoke with spittle flying, his head full of sparkling stars, while the man beside him remained expressionless, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Just as he was about to refuse again, Yu Siming, sensing something from his indifferent expression, quickly grabbed the confused director, interrupting first, "Let him think about it, Old Zheng! Listen, give him some time to think about it. By the way, I have something to talk to you about, let's go outside for a smoke."

"...Alright, alright." The commercial director, dragged away by Xiao Ming, looked back longingly, "Teacher Xiaoxie, please consider it seriously! Sister Hong, you should persuade him too -"

Xie Wufang, left standing there, remained unmoved, his expression cold.

The woman standing next to him chuckled, waving her hand perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, got it."

Watching Yu Siming drag the director away, Jiang Peihong sighed with a smile, "He really wants to sign you, he's still trying to win you over."

So much so that he was using delaying tactics as a last-ditch effort.

"But," she turned to look at Xie Wufang, "you won't agree, will you?"

Xie Wufang nodded slightly, "I've already refused him."

"Yeah, if it weren't for your request to me, you wouldn't have even come to shoot this ad, let alone seriously consider becoming an actor." Jiang Peihong clicked her tongue, "Old Yu's hopes are dashed again, he probably won't be able to sleep for half a month."

Xie Wufang didn't respond, silently looking towards the nearby dressing room with its tightly closed door.

He wasn't staying here because he was interested in what the director had to say.

It was simply because he had been pushed out by someone inside that door.

Jiang Peihong followed his gaze, her eyes flickering slightly.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "So, do you need anything else?"

"What?"

"Anything I can help you with," she said, "I want to make another deal with you."

Upon hearing this, the man, who had remained cold-faced, finally turned to look at her.

A hint of confusion flickered in eyes as tranquil as the lake.

"Are you asking me to agree to him?" Xie Wufang asked. "Why?"

Signing artists and managing them were tasks for an agent, and Sister Hong wasn't one.

A flurry of thoughts danced through Jiang Peihong's mind as she searched earnestly for a suitable reason: "Perhaps it's because I also think it's a pity that you're not in this line. So many people dream of having your qualities—"

"Do you love him?"

Her reasoning was interrupted by this abrupt question.

She was taken aback for a moment before she laughed, sighing as she shook her head. "I was originally going to use helping you chase someone as leverage, but now it seems this deal won't be happening... You're very smart; you don't need my guidance."

Abandoning all hope of persuading Xie Wufang, Jiang Peihong decided to chat idly on this topic, self-deprecatingly saying, "Was it that obvious? You figured it out after just a few meetings, yet he's known me for over ten years and is still clueless like a block of wood."

Xie Wufang replied honestly, "I'm only guessing; I can't be sure."

"Just because I want to help him sign you?"

"And because you look at him far more than anyone else."

His voice was calm, but Jiang Peihong was left speechless. After a long while, she heard herself mutter, "Your understanding of love is truly... simple."

Simple and direct.

"So, is this indeed love?" Xie Wufang asked. "Wanting to watch him constantly, wanting to help him fulfill every wish—is this human love?"

Hearing this question, Jiang Peihong blinked in surprise, amused. "How do you make it sound like you're not human?"

When discussing love, her emotions were restless, her thoughts wandering, so she didn't notice the fleeting awkwardness on his face.

"Yes, this is certainly love, part of happiness," she said. "But human love is far more than that."

"What else is there?"

"As much pain, struggle, and unrequited longing as there is happiness."

Jiang Peihong looked at the young man beside her, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you experience it too?"

A person born lucky, smooth-sailing, and with everything had encountered something they couldn't obtain for the first time.

As an ordinary person who had spent half her life caught in a cycle of constant yearning and disappointment, she couldn't even imagine such feelings.

"How does it feel?" she asked half-jokingly, half-seriously. "Are you starting to hate love?"

Xie Wufang's response came as no surprise to her.

"No."

His voice was cool, and his expression was indifferent. He appeared calm, yet it inexplicably conveyed a sense of insurmountable and unshakable strength.

"You're the type who doesn't give up until you achieve your goal," Jiang Peihong said, somewhat enlightened. "You can pay any price to get what you want, even if it means completely transforming into someone else."

The beginning of most loves was mundane, a good appearance often surpassing thousands of words. If someone with his looks had encountered a heart that couldn't be pried open, it could only mean...

Deep down, he wasn't the person the other wanted.

Xie Wufang lowered his gaze, his voice icy. "Is that wrong?"

The usually eloquent Jiang Peihong found herself at a loss for words.

"Not... not wrong."

She was thinking of herself, so different from the person before her.

Facing almost identical love dilemmas, they made vastly different choices.

She would pay the price for one-sided love, but she would stop there.

Jiang Peihong knew she wasn't that persistent, so she didn't force her feelings to bear fruit or reach a perfect conclusion.

Why?

"I can't do what you do," she sighed. "Because it's too hard. If the only way to gain someone's love is by hiding your true self and becoming someone else..."

"It must be a very difficult thing."

A faint sigh floated in the hot summer air.

The door to the dressing room was quietly opened and then carefully closed.

Qiao Jinmei clutched her buzzing phone, slipping out of the air-conditioned room, lost in melancholy thought for a moment before answering the call.

She was right outside the dressing room, not wanting to disturb the conversation inside, so she lowered her voice and leaned close to the phone's speaker. "Hello, what's up, A Li?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Jinli on the other end of the phone subconsciously followed suit, lowering her tone. "Nothing, just wondering what you're up to."

Qiao Jinmei could almost picture her sister mimicking her actions, leaning close to the phone, and couldn't help but curve her lips upward—of course, it could only be imagined.

The floating split-screen in mid-air was once again a uniquely pitch-black frame.

And Qiao Jinli could clearly see her smile from the split-screen, hesitating for a moment before asking softly, "Are you happy? Did you find your prince?"

A Mei didn't expose the subtle probing in her sister's tone, nor did she ask further. She nodded with a smile. "Yes, Xiao Bai found her prince and called both Li Team Leader and me over... In short, a lot has happened."

A Li hurriedly asked, "What else happened?"

"It's a long story, and I can't explain it clearly right now," A Mei said seriously. "I want to tell you in person. Where are you now? When are you planning to come back? You really should come meet the alien prince; he's adorable."

"...," Ali's voice grew softer, hazy. "Well, I'm not done with what I'm doing yet. Let's talk about it later. I'll hang up now."

"Hold on!"

"What...what is it?"

Under the watchful gaze of the pitch-black lens, Ame, bathed in the summer light, flashed her usual bright smile towards the person on the phone.

But her voice was tender.

"You can come back whenever you want," she said. "But..."

"When we talk on the phone next time, don't hide under the covers, okay?"