Tenant’s Secret Love

Chapter 25: The night in Fantasy Valley

The train arrived in Yiwu at noon, and after a quick lunch at the station, I followed the express bus to Hengdian.

At 3:00 p.m., I finally arrived in Hengdian Town and found a family hotel on Wansheng North Street to stay at. Only then did I dial the phone number Violetta had left me.

Perhaps Violetta was in the middle of a scene and was slow to answer my call. I sent her another text message, telling her that I had arrived in Hengdian and that she should hurry and pick me up.

Violetta didn't reply to my message for a long time, and I wasn't in the mood to go out and explore. I just lay on the bed in the hotel, looking for a magazine to read.

The window of my room faces west, and after a while I saw the sunset in the dusk. The sun was lying softly on the quilt next to me, and the air was full of a lazy smell. I yawned and fell asleep for a moment.

When I woke up, it was already getting dark, and Violetta finally got back to me with a message. She told me to go to the imperial garden in the Mingqing Palace to find her. Her crew was filming there, and several big names also had scenes today, so she said she would ask for autographs for me.

In fact, I really wanted to go, but I really didn't have much cash on me, and I had to go back to get reimbursed for the travel expenses. Spending more than 100 yuan to go in and see a few big stars was a waste, so I could only reply with a message of regret, telling her to wait for her outside the scenic area.

At sunset, outside the scenic area, there were still quite a few extras crouching around, waiting for the call of the film crew. Their dull eyes revealed their longing. I really saw the hardships of life in them. But no one is born to live like this in torment. But there are just so many people struggling and suffering, like me, like these extras waiting.

I crouched down next to an extra, chatting with him to relieve my boredom while waiting for Violetta.

As the sky grew dark, I saw several crew cars drive out of the scenic area, but still no sign of Violetta. I couldn't help but grumble to myself, “This unreliable woman, there's no way she's got a night scene tonight!”

While I was still doubting, I saw Violetta at the entrance, dressed in a Qing Dynasty court costume. It seemed that she hadn't had time to change her costume yet, and she was standing at the ticket office, looking around.

I got up and walked towards Violetta, and she finally noticed me, smiling and running towards me.

Violetta took my arm and said with a sigh of relief, “I've finally returned from the past!”

I took her hand off my arm and said, ‘Your Highness, please behave!”

Violetta took my arm again and asked with a happy tone, ’Little Lucas, tell me the truth, what brings you all the way to Hengdian to find me?”

“It's definitely not to be your prince,” I pushed Violetta aside again.

“Then I'll send you to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to be an eunuch,” said Violetta, squeezing my waist, but still smiling, in a good mood.

I was pained by her grip and seriously reprimanded her, ‘Stop messing around, act well and behave yourself!”

“What happens if you don't behave yourself?”

I said with a stern face, ’f**k you!”

Violetta laughed loudly, ”Lucas, I just love it when you look serious but say something rude!”

...

I accompanied Violetta to the hotel where she was staying to change into a different outfit. The two of us wandered along Wansheng North Street. Even though Violetta was not yet famous in the entertainment industry, passers-by still cast admiring glances her way. I felt that it was only a matter of time before she became famous. Not only was she beautiful, she also had the appearance of a star, and her acting skills were superb, at least I had the misfortune of witnessing them.

At this time, I did not mention the purpose of this trip to Violetta. I always felt that this would be a very difficult and uninspiring thing for her, and that it would be better to enjoy the relaxation and freedom before the night came.

It was my first time in Hengdian, so I couldn't help but look around the streets as I walked. Violetta, on the other hand, was only interested in the street food and kept asking me what I wanted to eat.

As the crowd moved towards the end of the street, Violetta suddenly pulled me over and pointed to a barbecue restaurant on the side of the street, saying, “Lucas, let's go have some barbecue.”

I glanced at the barbecue restaurant and saw that it was packed. I said, ”There are too many people, let's go somewhere else.”

“A crowd means it's good! You don't know? This barbecue restaurant is very famous. When Fan Bingbing came to Hengdian to film, she waited in line for more than 20 minutes just to try the barbecue here,“ Violetta said, dragging me in the direction of the restaurant.

“Wait 20 minutes! Fan Bingbing is stupid too!” I stood still and refused to go, not because I didn't want to eat barbecue, but because I didn't want to wait.

“She's not stupid, she's a foodie!” Violetta corrected me.

I still refused to move.

Violetta suddenly looked at me with excitement and shouted behind me, “Hey, it's Fan Bingbing...”

I subconsciously turned my head, and Violetta took the opportunity to use brute force to drag me into the store, and mocked, ‘Look at the way you can't wait to turn your head, your neck didn't break, did it?”

“If Fan Bingbing really broke her neck, I'd be happy!’ I said to Violetta, but once again I was fooled by her acting skills.

“Good for nothing!” Violetta said, pushing me into my chair while she went to the queue to order.

During dinner, the night had crept up on us, and we and Violetta all had a good appetite as we drank Sprite and ate barbecue. I took another big sip of Sprite, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and asked Violetta, ”You said I've eaten so much, but why can't I taste the flavour of Fan Bingbing?”

Violetta looked at me with contempt and replied, “You're stupid, you're eating barbecue, not Fan Bingbing!”

I was speechless for a while and said, ‘You can pretend I didn't ask...”

Violetta smirked at me proudly and said, ’I just love seeing you at a loss for words... Hurry up and eat, and then we'll go for a walk in Fantasy Valley.”

...

At 7:30 p.m., Violetta and I arrived at Fantasy Valley, one of the attractions in Hengdian. Once we entered the scenic area, we realized that at night, it is almost a world made of light and shadow. Although it is not the peak tourist season, it is still very lively. Violetta and I strolled around for a while, and finally sat on the wooden benches under the Ferris wheel to rest.

I closed my eyes to rest, not really liking the blurry lights here. When I opened my eyes, I noticed that Violetta was also closing her eyes.

I nudged Violetta and asked, “Why are you closing your eyes?”

Violetta still had her eyes closed, but with a dreamy expression, she answered, ”I imagine this place as a stage surrounded by lights, and I transform into a celebrity with shining stars standing in the center of the stage...”

I always knew what Violetta was pursuing, and I also knew how important opportunities were for a newcomer who had graduated from film school. In fact, in terms of pursuing dreams, Violetta and I are worlds apart. That's why she likes the lights and shadows here, while I'm fascinated by the crystal clarity of that city.

The Ferris wheel continues to carry all kinds of people spinning in the air, and I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't notice...

Violetta didn't know when she put her arm around me and snuggled into my arms, and I was lost in her rare tenderness.

“I'm very happy to be with you,” Violetta said softly, leaning into my arms again.

This time I didn't push Violetta away. In fact, it was nice to let her lean on me like this. At the moment, there was no overflow of lust for me, just the warmth of being dependent on each other.

I seemed to rely on this warmth, and also hugged Violetta tightly. The faint perfume on her body entered my lungs with the coolness of the night, and I was briefly lucid before becoming confused again.

A warm tear fell on my hand, and Violetta hugged me even tighter, choking and saying to me, “Lucas...here I am really tired and helpless...every day I have to watch other people's faces, afraid of the unspoken rules, afraid of the intrigues in the crew...only when I lean on your arms do I feel supported!”

Violetta's words made me feel a little frightened. I was already reeling in the storm, how could I be a support to anyone?

I was at a loss for words of comfort, so I just used my hand to wipe away the tears on Violetta's face. Apart from lending her my body to lean on, there was nothing else I could do for her.

The wind, which had been blowing all along, finally died down a little. Violetta left my body and then looked at me and asked, “You must have come to see me for some reason, right?”