The theater of the Firefly Drama Troupe was located in a small park in the old town center. Built in the late 1980s, the theater had fallen into disrepair over the years. The outer walls had peeled off, revealing large patches of faded gray beneath the original red.
Despite its age, the theater was quite spacious, four stories high, and besides the main stage, it had several large rehearsal rooms and dance studios.
When the Firefly Drama Troupe had performances, they would travel all over the country. When not performing, they would use this space for rehearsals.
Shang Jie, dressed in a black Adidas casual sports jacket, stood next to a rusty swing, preparing to light a cigarette.
Before he could even flick his lighter, Jiang Xingxing grabbed his wrist and tugged him toward the theater’s red building.
“Your smoking addiction is too much.”
“It’s my brother’s fault. He hates the smell of smoke. Anything he dislikes, I can’t do. Damn it.”
Shang Jie dangled a thin white Marlboro cigarette from his fingertips, which Jiang Xingxing promptly took from him, saying, “You look so rough.”
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Fbydt Kkl pxkzle qykdvzu. “Yu casvbla kp y tldvzlxyd, cwv R ralqla vs cl hwztya. Ebknb es usw ralqla?”
“Llkvbla,” Kkydt Dkdtmkdt yefwpvle bkp nszzya, gkrrle wr bkp fynjlv, yde ralpple esod bkp nyr. “Ebld usw xllv xu qakldep zyvla, vau dsv vs vyzj. Kwpv dse vs obyvlhla R pyu.”
“Gal usw osaakle R’zz pyu psxlvbkdt vs wrplv uswa… prlnkyz qaklde?”
“R’hl vsze usw xydu vkxlp, kv’p dsv zkjl vbyv. Mblal’p dsvbkdt tskdt sd okvb Eld Zydt yde xl!”
Eld Zydt oyp Kkydt Dkdtmkdt’p qaklde obs fskdle vbl eayxy vaswrl lyazu yde oyp y ulya szela vbyd bla. Tl oyp tldvzl, byaeosajkdt, yde y vurknyz bsdlpv rlapsd kd vbl vaswrl. Fwnb bsdlpv rlsrzl olal wpwyzzu dsv hlau bydepsxl, okvb yd saekdyau yrrlyaydnl yde pzktbvzu nbwccu, sqvld rzyukdt xkeezl-ytle xld kd vbl rzyup.
Eld Zydt yde Kkydt Dkdtmkdt yvvldele vbl pyxl wdkhlapkvu yde bl nyale y zsv qsa bla, sqvld cakdtkdt bla pdynjp obkzl pbl oyp kd vbl esaxp.
Ohlausdl vbswtbv Eld Zydt oswze lde wr okvb Kkydt Dkdtmkdt. Mbswtb bl oypd’v pvakjkdtzu bydepsxl, bkp tsse dyvwal pwttlpvle bl oswze elqkdkvlzu zshl bkp okql.
Ohld Kkydt Dkdtmkdt vbswtbv Eld Zydt xktbv byhl psxl asxydvkn qllzkdtp qsa bla.
At that time, she was quite naïve, having never been in a relationship before and very idealistic about romantic love. She thought Wen Yang might confess his feelings for her. However, she was surprised when Wen Yang suddenly stopped visiting her dorm. Later, she learned that Wen Yang was now with another girl from the acting department.
That girl was pretty and cute, with fair skin and large, sparkling eyes reminiscent of Jolin Tsai. Jiang Xingxing heard from her best friend that Wen Yang had pursued “Jolin Tsai” for three months, bringing her small cakes every day, lighting candles to confess his feelings, and singing love songs, which moved “Jolin Tsai” to tears. Eventually, he won her over.
Jiang Xingxing was a little upset at the time, not because she liked Wen Yang, but because she felt she might never find a boyfriend.
Everyone has a desire to be loved. Who would like a girl with scars on her face?
Wen Yang and “Jolin Tsai” dated for three months before breaking up. Since then, he pursued several other girls, all top beauties from the acting department. Surprisingly, his “good guy” tactics worked, and he managed to date them all.
Unfortunately, all these relationships ended within three months, falling victim to the same pattern of breakups.
Men are often judged by their appearance, but women are even more particular about looks. Simply being nice to a girl is not enough to truly win her heart; it’s the charm that makes a difference. Men without charm often rely on their kindness as their main strategy to attract women.
Of course, Jiang Xingxing and Wen Yang continued to interact as friends, occasionally performing plays together. Wen Yang still treated her well, looking after her like a younger sister.
The slight, non-romantic ambiguity of their youth had dissipated with time.
Last night, Shang Jie had pushed Jiang Xingxing down on the bed and had pressured her until she revealed this embarrassing, youthful past.
This was truly all of her romantic experience.
Shang Jie asked, “Is that it?”
“What else do you want to hear?”
“Has no man ever pursued you seriously?”
Jiang Xingxing pouted, dissatisfied. There had indeed been no serious pursuit. In the acting department, where beauties were abundant, if she didn’t have the scars on her face, she might have been considered one of the “beauties.” But with such a mark, no one was willing to pursue her.
She was straightforward and innocent, not pretentious like other girls, so the guys all enjoyed treating her as one of the guys.
“Shang Jie, have you ever been liked by someone?” Jiang Xingxing asked him.
“Oh, plenty.”
Shang Jie gave a faint smile and stopped by the flower bed, finally lighting the cigarette he had been wanting to smoke.
“So, you must have had many girlfriends.”
“Strangely enough, I haven’t had a single relationship.” Shang Jie spoke with a hint of malicious humor, puffing smoke in her direction.
Jiang Xingxing waved away the minty smoke and asked, confused, “Why not?”
“My brother won’t allow it. He’s always ruining things for me. The most memorable time was at a private villa in Las Vegas for my eighteenth birthday. My friends arranged a hundred sexy models as a birthday gift, but my brother showed up and nearly burned the villa down.”
Jiang Xingxing: …
A hundred women, how could anyone handle that?
Wait, her focus might be off. Was it really because she’s been single for too long that she’s thinking about such things?
“Your brother is quite strict with you,” Jiang Xingxing said. “He doesn’t even let you date?”
Shang Jie rubbed his cigarette against her lips, leaving a trace of her lipstick, and continued, “He lives like an old sage, disapproving of everything. It’s extremely annoying. After that eighteenth birthday incident, he locked me up for a long time. It drove me crazy.”
“He…locked you up? That’s too much. What right does he have to do that?”
“He’s afraid I’ll go wild,” Shang Jie said nonchalantly. “The more he tries to keep me away from women, the more I want to pursue them. This time, I’m bringing a woman home as a young mistress just to make him mad.”
Jiang Xingxing: …
Bringing a woman home as a young mistress—could he be talking about her?
At that moment, a clear voice said, “Xingxing, you’re here.”
At the theater entrance, a man dressed in a vintage European tailcoat greeted them.
“Wen Yang, are you rehearsing?”
“Yes, just taking a break. I didn’t expect to run into you.”
When Shang Jie heard the name “Wen Yang,” he lifted his chin and eyed him.
Wen Yang had a slightly chubby build with flat facial features and indistinct contours. He wasn’t handsome in a striking way, but he wasn’t unattractive either—just very ordinary looking, and he seemed quite honest.
“Hello, I’m Wen Yang.” Wen Yang extended his hand to Shang Jie politely. “I grew up with Xingxing and we’re the best of friends.”
Shang Jie didn’t take his hand until Jiang Xingxing elbowed him. Reluctantly, he touched Wen Yang’s hand and said, “You saw me yesterday, in her bed.”
Jiang Xingxing: …
Wen Yang: …
“He’s my friend,” Jiang Xingxing explained as she pushed Shang Jie’s cap down further. “Something happened at home, so he came to stay with me.”
“How should I address this friend?”
“He…”
“His surname is Shang, and his given name is Shen.”
Jiang Xingxing looked at Shang Jie. When he gave his alias, his expression was calm, and his deep brown eyes were as serene as ever.
She couldn’t help but think, this guy is quite the actor—his face never changes, his heart doesn’t race, and he lies effortlessly, making it sound completely genuine.
Wen Yang asked Jiang Xingxing, “Xingxing, why haven’t I heard you mention this friend before?”
“We haven’t known each other long,” Shang Jie interrupted Jiang Xingxing again. “But the relationship has quickly become close; we’re now beyond friends but not quite lovers.”
Wen Yang’s expression slightly shifted, a look of disbelief in his eyes. He probably didn’t expect Shang Jie to be so straightforward. He could only respond, “Oh, is that so?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Xingxing was exasperated. Didn’t he agree to keep quiet when meeting friends? Why was he putting on such a show now?
…
As soon as they stepped through the iron gate, Shang Jie sniffed the damp and musty odor. He rubbed his nose and sneezed.
Jiang Xingxing took the opportunity to pull out a mask and put it on him. “It’s a bit smelly here; you have a sensitive nose and can’t tolerate this.”
Of course, this was part of it. Jiang Xingxing was also worried about him being recognized. Even though Shang Jie, now with a buzz cut and dressed in casual wear, looked quite different from the impeccably dressed CEO Shang Jie of the past, it was still risky.
Better safe than sorry.
Shang Jie cooperated and let Jiang Xingxing put the mask on him.
“Have you performed here often?” Shang Jie looked around, observing the surroundings.
“Yes, this is where I grew up,” Jiang Xingxing said. “A lot of theater actors used to live here, and it was very lively with everyone rehearsing together. But many people have left in the past couple of years.”
The market for stage plays had been declining, especially in recent years. With the development of the internet and the variety of entertainment options available, fewer people were willing to spend money to watch plays in theaters.
“Show me around later,” Shang Jie seemed quite interested.
“What’s there to see? It’s all old buildings now.”
Shang Jie casually draped his arm around her slender shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. With a raised eyebrow and a smile, he said, “Since this is where you grew up, I want to learn more about it. It’ll help build a foundation for our future closeness.”
Jiang Xingxing was at a loss for words. It’s fine to be playful at home, but could he avoid saying such cheesy things in front of Wen Yang?
“Hey, let go. Don’t be like this.”
Shang Jie’s strong arms, rubbing her neck as if petting a cat, were full of playful affection. His eyes sparkled with amusement and a touch of adoration that he couldn’t hide.
Wen Yang watched their intimate interaction and, for some unknown reason, felt a twinge of discomfort in his heart.
Sansukini: Wen Yang is not a second male lead. Shang Jie’s 2 personality is the ML and SML in this story.
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How’s he ML and SML at the same time. Reading this story till now, I am guessing the Split Personality was just an act. Does it really serious??
I think the split personality is real. Unless he is a really good actor. Because I believed the older brother this one referring too is his other self that lock him up. This horny one is the problematic personality,