《Forbidden.Desire》3《Do You Come Home Tonight?》
Chapter Nine: The Overlapping Secrets of the Late Night
1、Surrounded on All Sides
「《Do You Come Home Tonight?》Chapter Nine Scene One, Action!」
Inside the study of the overseas villa, heavy black gauze curtains shut out the daylight, leaving only the faint blue glow from several tablet screens on the desk.
Overwhelming negative news online intertwined with the red numbers of the domestic stock market hitting the limit down, forming an airtight wall that trapped the man inside.
Jiang Yuhe (played by Qin Che) stood with both hands braced on the desk, his suit jacket long discarded somewhere, shirt sleeves rolled up high. His handsome jaw was tightly clenched, his eyes filled with rare ferocity.
The rival company’s malicious short-selling had come too fast and too hard, almost overnight devastating all his foundations overseas.
Shen Rui’an (played by Taiyang) stood awkwardly beside the sofa. The hardships of her background and her inferiority complex were infinitely magnified in this moment of crisis.
She kept her head down, not daring to meet Jiang Yuhe’s eyes. In her mind, she was nothing more than a bought-and-paid-for hostess, like a helpless little dog with no power to resist, facing her master’s crisis with nothing but endurance and unease.
「President Jiang…」Shen Rui’an’s voice was hoarse, her inferiority so deep that even her breathing was light. She whispered, 「If… if you need me to step forward and clarify with the media… I can do it as your contract secretary, voluntarily, so those false rumors won’t affect your company.」
Jiang Yuhe’s tense body paused slightly. He slowly raised his head, those deep black eyes locking straight onto her. Even at this moment of stock crash, the arrogance of a playboy and his bottom line of 「never bullying weak women」 remained strong.
「Clarify?」Jiang Yuhe let out a cold laugh, his voice low and hoarse. 「Shen Rui’an, what kind of person do you take me for? Using my own woman as a shield is not Jiang Yuhe’s style. Since they want to play, I’ll play bigger with them.」
As soon as he finished, he picked up the phone on the desk and dialed the deepest, never-casually-used secret number he had on this overseas land.
The call connected quickly. Jiang Yuhe took a deep breath, his tone relaxing as it only did with close friends: 「Xiuyu, the domestic short-selling has spread overseas. I need your forces to look into it. Come straight to my place.」
2、A Familiar Person
「Cut! Perfect! Next, prepare for Xu Mu’an… ah no, Pei Xiuyu’s entrance!」Director Zhang’s excited voice broke the tension on set.
The lights brightened instantly, and staff began busily adjusting tracks and camera positions.
Taiyang took a sip of warm water handed to her by her assistant and was about to run lines when she looked up and saw the makeup room door pushed open, a painfully familiar figure striding in.
The man wore a meticulously tailored gray cashmere coat, tall and powerfully built, exuding a gentle yet unmistakably privileged gentlemanly aura.
It was Xu Mu’an.
「Big star, Surprise! I’m here to save the day.」Xu Mu’an twirled the script in his hand and playfully raised an eyebrow at Taiyang, smiling with utmost consideration.
「Damn! Xu Mu’an?! Why are you playing the second male lead Pei Xiuyu?!」Taiyang nearly jumped out of her chair, her cool demeanor collapsing in an instant. She turned to see Qin Che sitting on the sofa with a dark face and instantly understood this was a 「surprise character」 arranged by the investors and crew behind her back.
Qin Che sat with arms crossed, black eyes brimming with jealousy. He sneered at Xu Mu’an, his voice as cold as ice: 「A monkey that just returned to the country, coming to ride the hype?」
「President Qin, this is the market choice of the investors.」Xu Mu’an showed no fear, letting the makeup artist fix his collar while provocatively winking. 「The script needs a strong brother like Jiang Yuhe but easier to get along with. When we high-five on camera later, President Qin, don’t use too much force.」
「All units attention! Chapter Nine Scene Two, Pei Xiuyu entrance, Action!」
The set lights switched back to the dim villa living room.
According to the new setting, Pei Xiuyu was refined and elegant, yet the kind of ironclad brother who could banter with Jiang Yuhe, relax together, and high-five on sight.
Jiang Yuhe usually played the field and would generously recommend fun women to Pei Xiuyu, but after being cheated on by his ex-girlfriend, Pei Xiuyu had completely given up on women and had not touched anyone in years.
The door opened, and Pei Xiuyu (played by Xu Mu’an) strode in with long legs.
Seeing Jiang Yuhe’s cold face, Pei Xiuyu walked straight over, raised his hand with amusement, and gave Jiang Yuhe a practiced 「smack」 high-five, teasing: 「Quite the commotion back home, huh? Even President Jiang gets pushed this far?」
Jiang Yuhe tugged at the corner of his mouth, clearly unguarded with this brother, and patted his shoulder: 「Cut the nonsense, sit down and talk.」
At that moment, Pei Xiuyu turned his head, his gaze incidentally falling on Shen Rui’an standing in the corner, timidly lowering her head out of inferiority from her background.
Shen Rui’an wore a slightly loose white shirt today, looking refined yet fragile in a way that made one want to protect her.
In that first glance, something hidden flickered deep in Pei Xiuyu’s clear, handsome eyes. It was the first time in years since being cheated on that his heart skipped a beat upon seeing a woman.
But he didn’t realize it was love at first sight; he simply felt this girl was fresh and refined, completely different from the flashy internet celebrities and spicy girls usually around Jiang Yuhe, and a strong curiosity rose in him.
According to the script, Pei Xiuyu was to put away his usual casualness and unconsciously look at her a couple more times with gentle consideration.
But when Xu Mu’an’s face, familiar for over a decade as a best friend, directed that 「intensely curious, slightly fascinated」 gentlemanly gaze at Taiyang—
「Pfft… haha… sorry sorry!」
Taiyang’s sanity snapped in a second. She stepped back abruptly, covering her mouth, laughing so hard tears nearly came out:
「Sorry! Director, I’m sorry! I really need to regroup! Seeing Xu Mu’an’s face looking at me with that newborn curiosity and deep affection, I’m so embarrassed I want to laugh! Hahahaha!」
「Cut! NG!」The director helplessly rubbed his forehead.
Xu Mu’an also broke character instantly and burst out laughing, awkwardly scratching his head: 「Sorry Director, we’re really too familiar. I almost couldn’t hold it in either.」
After several consecutive NGs, whenever the two had any subtle new-character interaction on camera, Taiyang couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly. Only when Qin Che coldly tapped his coffee cup nearby did Taiyang take a deep breath, pinch her thigh hard, and force the laughter down.
Finally, after countless bursts of laughter and embarrassment, the scene passed smoothly.
3、Playful Banter in Reality
「Cut! Scene passed! Ten-minute break, prepare to move to the bedroom!」
At the director’s command, the tense atmosphere on set relaxed again. Taiyang walked over to the sofa in the makeup room, somewhat drained, and sat down. Just as she reached for the iced Americano, a large hand snatched it first and placed a steaming cup of red date tea into her hands instead.
Qin Che sat down beside her casually. His suit jacket was open. Facing Taiyang, the coldness in his eyes instantly melted. He playfully ruffled her hair, his tone sour with jealousy:
「Young lady, you were laughing quite happily while acting opposite him. What, seeing that it’s Xu Mu’an playing Pei Xiuyu and the atmosphere is relaxed, were you laughing so much to hide your own attraction?」
Taiyang rolled her eyes and elbowed him irritably, her temper flaring: 「Tsk, Qin Che, stop going crazy here. I laughed because I’m too familiar with Xu Mu’an! Do you think everyone is like you, acting all domineering and tyrannical both on and off screen, like a bandit ready to eat people?」
「Oh, the young lady is now lecturing me.」Qin Che chuckled lowly, his large hand gripping the back of Taiyang’s head, childishly yet domineeringly pulling her toward his embrace. While nursing his jealousy over the second male lead, he dropped his playful smile, his rough fingertips gently caressing Taiyang’s fair cheek.
「Cut the nonsense. Tonight when we get back to the room, I’ll show the young lady with real action what security feels like.」Qin Che smirked and pinched her butt, making Taiyang grab the script on the spot to hit him. The restlessness left from filming and laughing instantly dissipated in their playful scuffle.
4、Familiarity in the Late Night
「《Do You Come Home Tonight》Scene Three, Action!」
In the following days, the study and living room of the overseas villa became a secret space where these three men and the woman intertwined.
To help Jiang Yuhe recover from the domestic stock crash, Pei Xiuyu drove to Jiang Yuhe’s mansion almost every night, staying up all night in the study discussing countermeasures against the rival company. Resources from both legitimate and underground channels were constantly reorganized on the table as the two brothers fought side by side without reservation.
And every late night, Shen Rui’an would dutifully and quietly bring them cup after cup of hot coffee and hangover soup.
Because Pei Xiuyu came so frequently, and because of his gentle, considerate, pressure-free gentlemanly nature, Shen Rui’an’s originally tense and inferior defenses gradually began to relax around Pei Xiuyu day by day.
「Mr. Pei, your coffee, no ice, no sugar as usual.」In the late-night living room, Shen Rui’an handed over the cup. After these few days, she finally dared to slightly raise her head and meet Pei Xiuyu’s gaze.
「Thank you, Rui’an. Just call me Xiuyu, no need to be so formal.」Pei Xiuyu took the coffee and turned to give her an incredibly warm, reassuring smile.
Shen Rui’an froze for a moment, her cheeks flushing slightly. Afterward, the two would stand in the hallway and chat about the overseas weather and funny anecdotes, the atmosphere becoming increasingly relaxed and natural. The defensiveness and unease that once filled Shen Rui’an’s black eyes finally gave way to a relaxed smile when facing Pei Xiuyu.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yuhe was busy in the study mobilizing massive funds domestically and internationally. To him, Shen Rui’an was merely a source of comfort he could vent his desires on anytime. He had no guard against his good brother Pei Xiuyu and even casually joked while looking at reports as Pei Xiuyu came out for coffee: 「Xiuyu, that woman is quite obedient. If you’re bored, feel free to take her to relieve some stress.」
Pei Xiuyu frowned slightly, looking at the coffee on the table, and only replied lightly: 「Don’t talk nonsense, I’m not interested.」Yet in his heart, he felt an unusual concern for Shen Rui’an’s puppy-like endurance.
At two in the morning, after Pei Xiuyu left, Jiang Yuhe rubbed his throbbing temples and pushed open the bedroom door. Shen Rui’an was curled up at the head of the bed hugging her knees waiting for him, a trace of imperceptible anticipation in her eyes.
Jiang Yuhe approached with exhaustion and the smell of alcohol, pinching her chin with his slender fingers and, as usual, gently planting a kiss on her forehead. This tenderness was highly practiced, his habitual move toward every woman—no love, only comfort.
But the next second, his eyes darkened, and his large hand directly reached under her nightdress, flipping her over and pressing her onto the bed.
「President Jiang…」Shen Rui’an let out a muffled moan, burying her face deep into the soft pillow.
Jiang Yuhe unbuckled his belt, that already hard and erect member aligning with her wet entrance without any foreplay, thrusting forward and burying himself to the hilt!
「Ahh…!」
Shen Rui’an arched her head in unbearable pleasure. Jiang Yuhe gripped her slender waist tightly from behind and began a rapid, fierce, savage pounding. The slapping sounds of flesh echoed clearly in the quiet late night.