Top Dupe CH 074 When A Whale Falls, Life Blossoms Part 2

"You both grasped this initial encounter just right. Observing each other and piquing each other's interest. Wen Yuchi isn’t looking at Lu Pingfeng’s painting but deconstructing the person himself. And Lu Pingfeng is also, for the first time, interested in a living person. This interest is no longer from a detached standpoint observing an ordinary person in the world of fame and fortune but a desire to enter the other’s life."

After Sheng Yunlan finished speaking, Luo Yu touched his head, "Director Sheng, what you’re saying makes it seem like these two are about to fall in love!"

Sheng Yunlan replied with a smile, "Rather than love, it’s more like a kind of ‘desire.’"

It felt as if a small feather had brushed against the depths of his thoughts—itchy yet unscratchable.

"Lu Pingfeng is an artist, and ‘desire’ isn’t that artistic," Luo Yu said, although his brows furrowed, clearly contemplating Sheng Yunlan’s words.

Because he knew that the "desire" Sheng Yunlan referred to was not merely about physical matters but something deeper and purer.

It was the kind of force capable of turning a person’s mindset from one extremity into another.

Sheng Yunlan lifted his chin, "Why don’t you two discuss and explore feelings? Each encounter between Lu Pingfeng and Wen Yuchi brings new understanding of each other. This kind of desire is more like a two-way excavation. People are born lonely, and when they meet someone who accepts their unconventional side, they start to hope and yearn for the other to understand them more—it's like offering one’s spirit."

"Alright, Luo Yu and I will take a walk nearby. The next scene should be the art studio’s exhibition, right? We’ll be back before the set is ready," Gu Xiaowei said.

Sheng Yunlan nodded, "Go ahead."

The two walked out with their scripts.

They didn’t go far and sat down by the outdoor table and chairs in the villa's backyard.

"What do you think the director meant by ‘desire’?" Luo Yu leaned back in his wicker chair, and if it weren’t for maintaining his hairstyle, he would have scratched his head. He could only turn his face slightly towards Gu Xiaowei, "Lu Pingfeng’s desire is easy to understand—Wen Yuchi is the only living, breathing creature among all his interests, a variable, an infinite possibility."

"Have you considered that this kind of desire might not be so noble? Wen Yuchi actively reached out to Lu Pingfeng, and the sensation of his fingers, the warmth of his palm was the first time Lu Pingfeng experienced it. It was a handshake without any interests attached, the ultimate that he adored—this admiration, as it continuously upgrades and becomes exclusive, makes Lu Pingfeng want more than just a handshake."

Gu Xiaowei was sitting on the other chair, his hands properly placed on the script on the table, but Luo Yu had a sense of illusion that the other was infinitely approaching him.

"If Lu Pingfeng’s desire is the instinctual pursuit of life’s extremities, then Wen Yuchi’s is the same. What do you think—what is his instinct?" Gu Xiaowei asked.

Luo Yu realized that Gu Xiaowei’s eyes were not only deep but also had a mesmerizing power.

He wanted to appear unshaken, to not be swayed.

But upon reflection, why should he not be swayed?

Wen Yuchi seemed to stand on the other side of the boundary, but his persistence was never about clinging to principles.

Once he understood his goal, worldly rules could not confine him. So essentially, he and Lu Pingfeng were the same kind of person.

"Let’s assume that one day you developed a ‘desire’ for me, what would that desire be?" Gu Xiaowei’s voice sounded.

The voices of the staff, the sound of easels being tidied up, and even the breeze under the sunlight all faded away.

This assumption made Luo Yu feel as if something was breaking through the ground in his heart, like wild grass growing wildly. The more he tried to stay calm, the more uncontrollable his boundless imagination became.

"You’ve always been reluctant to think about it, haven’t you? Do you think such fantasizing is an offense to me?" Gu Xiaowei asked softly.

Luo Yu’s fingertips twitched, as if touched by electricity.

He was about to say, "Don’t you think it’s an offense?" but Gu Xiaowei said leisurely, "I allow you to fantasize anything about me."

Like a kite pulled long and far, the other end fluttering high in the sky, wanting to indulge even if torn by the wind, while the string was tied to Luo Yu’s heart, making even his breath tangled in several loops.

—I allow you to fantasize anything about me.

Just such a simple remark made the string suddenly snap.

Luo Yu looked at Gu Xiaowei across from him. He had vaguely felt for a long time that everything about Gu Xiaowei could evoke his desires.

He remembered Gu Xiaowei watching him sword dance in the night wind, his figure shrouded in dim light, yet his gaze created a universe for Luo Yu, isolating all worldly shackles. Every time Luo Yu slashed his sword and looked back, Gu Xiaowei’s gaze felt like it was kissing the outline he left in this world.

The uncontrollable trembling of his heart attacked him again, and Luo Yu’s throat bobbed.

Gu Xiaowei stood up and patted Luo Yu on the shoulder, "Let's go, it's time to go in."

Taking a deep breath, Luo Yu followed Gu Xiaowei back.

Was that remark just now spoken by Gu Xiaowei to Luo Yu, or by Lu Pingfeng to Wen Yuchi?

Luo Yu looked at Gu Xiaowei's back and followed him back to the villa.

Today, their second scene is about to begin. The background of this scene is that forensic assistant Wen Yuchi returns to the police station and receives a gift from Lu Pingfeng.

After opening the package, Wen Yuchi found inside a specimen of a butterfly. After some research, he determined it to be a rare "Goddess of Light" butterfly, and the price of this specimen must be considerable.

Naturally, Wen Yuchi couldn't accept such an expensive gift and had to return it to Lu Pingfeng. But just as he was about to leave, he coincidentally encountered a traffic case, and several bodies required him and his superior to work overtime, spending almost the entire week in the forensic office.

When Wen Yuchi finally took a breather and came out, he found himself receiving another package. The outer packaging was similar to the first gift sent by Lu Pingfeng—simple yet elegant. However, upon opening it, a foul stench spread out, causing nearby colleagues who were drinking coffee and writing reports to nearly vomit.

Because this time, the gift box contained dead mice and cockroaches, along with a card with words cut out from a newspaper: "Death kisses you in my place."

For a while, news of Lu Pingfeng having antisocial personality disorder spread within the department, and even the news media were reporting it extensively.

Also on that day, Wen Yuchi received an invitation to Lu Pingfeng's private art exhibition, with the address being his villa.

He reported this to Zhao Sichen. Zhao Sichen originally didn't want him to go, but Wen Yuchi's interest had already been piqued.

He told Zhao Sichen that this art exhibition was actually Lu Pingfeng's way of giving him a reason to return the butterfly specimen. And no matter how arrogant Lu Pingfeng might be, he wouldn't harm Wen Yuchi after sending him the invitation.

And this scene is Wen Yuchi's arrival at Lu Pingfeng's private art exhibition, with only the two of them in the scene.

The exhibition is located in Lu Pingfeng's studio.

Luo Yu walked into the studio, which had been carefully rearranged by the staff—the previously messy easels had all been put away, and some non-saleable artworks were already hung on the walls.

A round tea table was placed in the center of the studio, with coffee and black tea already set out. The scent of paint mingled with the rich aroma of coffee and tea in the entire space. On the dining table were three-tiered pastry towers, meticulously baked Western pastries from the holiday mountain resort, each exquisitely detailed, with a ceremonial air.

There were only two chairs on either side of the dining table, clearly indicating that this private art exhibition was prepared for only one person.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Yu looked at Gu Xiaowei standing on the other side of the studio.

He had changed into another outer garment, with warmer colors, which softened his overall gloomy demeanor with a hint of vitality.

Leaning against the wall, he tilted his face slightly, his forehead just touching a frame containing two Australian redback spiders. The male spider used its body as bait to invite the female spider to eat it, just for that moment of pleasure, sacrificing its life.

The entire scene exuded a cruel yet intense tension.

A strand of hair fell from Gu Xiaowei's forehead, brushing against his brows. He looked at Luo Yu, and while everyone might have thought his expression cold, Luo Yu saw that slight smile at the corner of his mouth... a smile meant only for him.

Something more fatal than the redback spider's invitation.

Luo Yu closed his eyes, exhaled, and heard his own heartbeat, faster than usual, filled with indescribable anticipation and impulse, guided by Gu Xiaowei's "desire," viewing Lu Pingfeng from Wen Yuchi's perspective.

When Lu Pingfeng first met Wen Yuchi, he noticed his hypoglycemia; he gave him the expensive butterfly specimen "Goddess of Light"; and even organized this private art exhibition for him.

All of this was to please.

The purpose of pleasing was to tempt.

Since you are tempting me, I can also tempt you.

Whoever sees the other person's world first can step forward to find the truth they want.

So Wen Yuchi was also tempting Lu Pingfeng, leading him from the silent place of death to the other side of the boundary.

This kind of temptation made Lu Pingfeng's withered soul turn towards vitality.

Luo Yu closed his eyes to organize and brew his emotions, adjusting his breathing and heartbeat.

Throughout the entire villa, the staff were still making final scene adjustments, adjusting the angle of the lights, and the shouting was incessant, but all the noise drifted far from Luo Yu's mind. His heart grew quieter and quieter, like a whale sinking to the bottom of the sea, and Gu Xiaowei... was his everything.

When Luo Yu opened his eyes again and locked eyes with Gu Xiaowei across from him, he smiled faintly.

That smile made Gu Xiaowei feel a desire to approach him more quickly.

"Lu Pingfeng, Wen Yuchi, please take your places!" The loudspeaker sounded.

Gu Xiaowei walked towards the dining table and sat down in the position facing the door. His body relaxed, one hand hanging by the chair's edge, the other resting on the armrest, devoid of the usual stiff impression, appearing very relaxed.

With the sound of the clapperboard, this scene began.

Wen Yuchi had just finished work, wearing casual clothes commonly seen on the streets, loose khaki pants, and white sneakers. Because of his tall figure, the hem of his casual shirt swayed gently as he approached Lu Pingfeng, exuding a naturally laid-back demeanor.

"Mr. Lu, your private art exhibition—is it only me as the guest?"

As he spoke, Wen Yuchi placed the gift box on the dining table. He didn't deliberately greet Lu Pingfeng but instead looked around with his hands in his pockets.