After sending it, Chi Shuo quickly retracted the message, possibly within a second.
So! Awk! Ward!
Even if she felt she needed to message He Lindi to prevent being blamed later for not initiating contact, was sending “Landlord?” really necessary?
Chi Shuo covered her eyes, momentarily speechless at herself.
Something even more baffling happened ten seconds later: He Lindi actually replied.
【Not playing.】
Chi Shuo: ……
Chi Shuo’s mind filled with question marks: She saw it even though I retracted it that fast?
She stared at He Lindi’s two-word reply, lost in thought. After much hesitation, she decided not to send any more messages.
She wasn’t in the mood anymore, especially when she remembered again that He Lindi had accepted He Xiuqi’s gift.
This made Chi Shuo glance again at the notebook on her bookshelf. If she remembered correctly, it also documented the gift she had prepared for He Lindi.
But she couldn’t recall the specific details clearly anymore, nor did she want to think about it. Tossing her phone aside, she got up and went into the bedroom.
Her weekend wasn’t as idle as usual. To ensure Song Qin’s meet & greet went off without a hitch, Chi Shuo went to scout the venue again the next day. This time, she went alone; if Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai had come along, it would inevitably have turned into another gossip session.
Time seemed to speed up after that, the weekend passing in what felt like an instant. Soon, it was Monday again.
With only five days left until Song Qin’s meet & greet, Chi Shuo, undertaking this kind of work for the first time, felt the weight of responsibility making it hard to breathe.
“Chi Shuo, let’s go up and find He Lindi and Q Ge.”
Still seated, Chi Shuo heard the voice of Zheng Jianbin, a colleague also assigned to this task.
Chi Shuo picked up her pen and notebook, nodding. “Okay, let’s go.”
Recently, she had been overwhelmed with work. To mask her tired complexion this morning, Chi Shuo had even put on some light makeup.
Zheng Jianbin walked alongside her, asking as they went, “We can just go straight to their small meeting room later.”
“Okay.” Zheng Jianbin had joined the company a year earlier than her and had more experience. To ensure she didn’t make mistakes, Chi Shuo often sought the opinions of these senior colleagues beforehand.
Three minutes later, the four of them were sitting in a small meeting room at Xiyu Company. Perhaps it wasn’t a meeting room, just a place for meeting clients.
A few chairs, a coffee table in the middle with a pot of succulents on it, a water dispenser standing to the side, and the walls adorned with several posters introducing Xiyu Company.
It was simple, not flashy, creating just the right atmosphere for discussions.
“Song Qin will arrive in Yuncheng on Friday. Our company will set up the venue on Thursday. After he rests, there will be two rehearsals.”
“The official meet & greet starts at 1 PM. We’ve only opened 300 spots, and they were snapped up instantly.”
“Teacher He, Q Ge, you need to be present during the rehearsals, but you don’t need to shoot much, as the workload for two rehearsals is too high.”
“Also, arrive at Song Qin’s hotel by 11 AM on Saturday to take a set of high-definition photos of him after makeup and wardrobe changes. We’ll post these on the official Weibo for event promotion.”
“Song Qin’s studio will bring their own photographer, but we also need to produce exclusive content.”
“After that, it’ll be tough on you. You’ll need to have lunch and then rush to the venue to prepare.”
After Chi Shuo finished speaking, she looked at He Lindi and Q Ge and asked, “Do you have any other questions?”
He Lindi shook her head. “No.”
This wasn’t her first time shooting such an event; she knew what to do.
Chi Shuo understood this, nodded, and was about to add a few more points when she heard Q Ge ask, “I have a question.” He said, “It’s our first time at that venue. We need to scout it beforehand.”
Zheng Jianbin replied, “The rehearsals count as scouting. It’s okay not to go beforehand.”
Q Ge shook his head. “This is Teacher He’s and my work habit. Whether it’s the official event or rehearsal, we always go beforehand.” He looked at Chi Shuo. “Let’s go today. Do you have time? Accompany us. Old Zheng, you just stay here at the company.”
Q Ge and Zheng Jianbin had known each other for a long time. Even though they weren’t in the same company, it didn’t stop them from being friends. Zheng Jianbin smiled. “Sure, let the young Chi Shuo run around more.”
Chi Shuo, having been singled out, paused, then nodded slowly. “Okay, what time this afternoon?”
He Lindi gave a shallow yawn, blinked, her expression slightly weary. “Four o’clock. Come upstairs to find us, we’ll drive over together.”
The time was set. Chi Shuo felt somewhat speechless. Including Saturday and Sunday, she had already been to that venue for three consecutive days.
Zheng Jianbin looked at her listless appearance and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chi Shuo hugged her notebook and shook her head. “Nothing.” She smiled faintly. “Just feeling a bit nervous.”
“It’s normal to be nervous. I mainly did this kind of work at my previous company. I was nervous at first too, but later I got used to it. Even meeting Best Actors and Actresses didn’t faze me much.” Zheng Jianbin was easing her emotions. “You’re still young. Experience it more, and you’ll find your work ability greatly enhanced.”
Chi Shuo clenched her fist slightly and smiled. “I’ll do my best.”
At 4 PM, Chi Shuo punctually appeared at Xiyu Company’s front desk. She sat on the sofa, holding a bag containing three bottles of water.
The receptionist asked her, “Shuo Shuo, waiting for Teacher He again?”
“And Q Ge,” Chi Shuo replied.
“Oh right, I remember now. Your company hired He Lindi and the others again for photos.” There weren’t many visitors now, so the receptionist started slacking off. She waved at Chi Shuo, signaling her to come closer.
Chi Shuo stood up and walked over. Seeing her mysterious expression, she asked, “What requires whispering?”
“Can you help me get Song Qin’s autograph?”
“I really like him!”
Chi Shuo’s lips curved into a smile. “High price sale, free is out of the question.”
The receptionist put on a pitiful look, gazing at Chi Shuo. Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow. “One cup of milk tea.”
“Deal!”
Just as the receptionist finished speaking, Chi Shuo heard Q Ge’s slightly magnetic voice: “Chi Shuo, let’s go.”
Chi Shuo touched her nose, turned, and went over. “Coming.”
During the morning meeting, Chi Shuo had noticed He Lindi wearing a vibrant red dress and slightly more alluring makeup. Even without speaking, just looking at Chi Shuo, she felt her own heartbeat falter slightly.
So many years had passed, yet Chi Shuo was still struck by He Lindi’s beauty. Someone who usually looked so pure could transform into a captivating fox spirit in a red dress.
He Lindi had her DSLR slung over her shoulder, her hair down. Walking behind her, Chi Shuo could clearly see those few strands of blue.
“Teacher He, Q Ge, I brought water,” Chi Shuo lifted the bag slightly and said.
Q Ge smiled and nodded. “Give it to us in the car later.”
Chi Shuo replied with an “Mm” and waited for the B1 floor to arrive.
They took He Lindi’s car. Q Ge familiarly sat in the front passenger seat. Chi Shuo pulled open the back door. Before she could close it, He Lindi called her name, “Chi Shuo.”
“What is it?”
“Hold the camera for me.” He Lindi passed her DSLR out.
Q Ge was fiddling with his own camera up front. After He Lindi fastened her seatbelt, he said, “Teacher He, you drive so steadily, just put the camera in the back. Why make Chi Shuo hold it?” He clicked his tongue here, teasing He Lindi. “Your status has risen, and your camera’s treatment has improved too.”
He Lindi started the car and spat out two words, “Shut up.”
Q Ge tilted his head slightly, looked at Chi Shuo in the back seat, and gave her a wink. “Chi Shuo, know how to take photos? I don’t want He Lindi as a colleague anymore. If you’re willing, just come work at our company. Photographers get high salaries and good benefits…”
Chi Shuo smiled faintly. Before he could finish, she shook her head. “Q Ge, poaching someone right on the spot?” She paused, then said somewhat sheepishly, “Speaking of which, my photography skills are terrible. No matter how good-looking someone is, they look distorted through my lens.”
The car was already moving forward under the sunlight. He Lindi heard this and went “Oh?” “Then try taking a picture of me?” Her voice finally held a hint of amusement. “I don’t believe it.”
“…Not taking it.” Chi Shuo refused directly without hesitation.
Q Ge looked at He Lindi. “I haven’t taken photos of you in a long time. How about I shoot a set for you? Post it on Weibo, get you some more followers.”
It took about half an hour to drive from the company to the venue—not close, but not particularly far either. Upon arrival, the sunlight was still intense. Chi Shuo got out of the car and opened her umbrella.
There was still quite a distance from the outdoor parking lot to the venue entrance. Chi Shuo pressed her lips together, thought for two seconds, then walked over and stood beside the driver’s seat.
He Lindi got out of the car and smiled upon seeing Chi Shuo’s action. “More proactive than last time.”
“Last time” naturally referred to the Beijing business trip when Chi Shuo had hesitated before holding the umbrella for her.
Chi Shuo had a backpack on, containing the water she hadn’t managed to distribute in the car. She lifted her foot to walk forward, deliberately ignoring He Lindi’s words. “Let’s go.”
Q Ge was basking in the sun nearby. He shook his head and sighed, “Ai, no human rights, no one holds an umbrella for me.”
Chi Shuo was about to express her apologies, as she only had one umbrella, when the next second, she saw Q Ge pull a foldable sun umbrella out of his own bag and open it.
Q Ge snorted, looking at Chi Shuo. “Chi Shuo, come help me out. My bag still has the folding tripod and stuff, it’s too heavy.”
Before Chi Shuo could reply, He Lindi frowned and said, “You dare ask her to hold the umbrella for you?”
“…I’ll go inside first.”
Chi Shuo paused, watching Q Ge quicken his pace. She turned to look at He Lindi beside her and asked puzzledly, “Why can’t I hold the umbrella for him?”
He Lindi stopped walking and met her gaze. “You’re not an assistant, why should you hold it for him?”
“Then why should I hold the umbrella for you?” Chi Shuo asked back.
“…My camera is a bit heavy, I can’t hold it myself.”
“…”
The venue was quiet today as no one was hosting an event. Chi Shuo had already contacted the staff when they decided to scout it this morning. By the time they arrived, the staff had already helped open the doors and turn on the lights.
Being a completely enclosed space, sunlight naturally couldn’t penetrate. Entering, they immediately felt a wave of coldness, even colder than being in the air-conditioned office.
Chi Shuo placed her things on the front platform first. She rubbed her arms, looked at He Lindi who had already entered work mode, and asked, “Aren’t you cold?”
He Lindi was slightly lowering her head, adjusting the camera parameters. Hearing this, she shook her head, her hair swaying with the movement, and replied, “It’s okay, I tolerate cold well.” She paused after speaking. “When I made mistakes before, my family would make me kneel.”
Chi Shuo didn’t know why she brought this up but still instinctively asked with confusion, “And then?”
He Lindi didn’t continue on this topic. “I’ll find a spot first.” After speaking, she raised her camera and walked to another area, aiming at the stage with a flurry of shutter clicks.
Chi Shuo walked back a few steps and sat down in a first-row seat, also looking at the stage, which was still bare without any props.
The venue was dim and cold. Chi Shuo took out her phone and messaged the colleague managing the Weibo account, asking her to notify fans they could bring a light jacket.
However, it hadn’t felt this cold when she came the past two days. Chi Shuo found this perplexing.
He Lindi could move around while taking photos, but Q Ge couldn’t. He wasn’t taking photos but recording video; he needed to record the entire meet & greet on the day.
The two entered work mode, both very serious. Chi Shuo sat there alone, bored. After a while, she opened Weibo, thought for a moment, and clicked into He Lindi’s Weibo homepage.
He Lindi’s Weibo style was extremely aloof, hardly ever posting photos of herself. Chi Shuo scrolled through her photo album, eventually finding it extremely uninteresting and backing out, casually clicking on the Weibo hot search list.
But a topic on the hot search list made Chi Shuo’s eyelid twitch. With the popularity of Urban Love Chronicle, the drama’s marketing exceeded Chi Shuo’s imagination. Currently, the number one topic on Weibo was “If my girlfriend were Shen Qu.”
Chi Shuo didn’t even need to click in to know it was promoting the drama and content related to Shen Qu. More importantly, what kind of cursed hot search was this?!
She tried hard to suppress her internal urge to rant crazily, silently swiped down to click on other slightly interesting topics, but her mind kept replaying the answer to the “If my girlfriend were Shen Qu” topic.
After all, she had the right to speak—If my girlfriend were Shen Qu, then my head would be a green grassland.
“Chi Shuo, help me get some water.” Q Ge’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts. Chi Shuo quickly stood up, walked to the front of the stage, took out water from her backpack, and handed it to him.
She finished giving it, turned back, took another bottle, walked over to He Lindi, and asked, “Want some water?”
He Lindi put down her camera and nodded slightly. “Help me open it.”
Chi Shuo did as requested. He Lindi placed the camera on a chair, took a sip of water to moisten her throat. After drinking, she looked at Chi Shuo, her tone casual. “What were you looking at just now? So engrossed.”
“Weibo.” Chi Shuo paused, then added, “Jokes on the hot search.”
He Lindi handed the water back to her and asked again, “Speaking of which, I feel Shen Qu is more popular than Song Qin. Why didn’t your company invite Shen Qu?” Having just drunk water, her lips looked moist under the lights. “Three hundred meet & greet spots, Shen Qu could also sell them out instantly.”
“Don’t know.”
“Is the autograph I gave you last time still there?”
“It is.”
He Lindi curved her lips into a smile. “That’s good.” She picked up her camera again and called out to Q Ge not far away, “Q Ge, let’s leave in another twenty minutes.”
“Okay!”
Chi Shuo returned to her seat. She felt like she had become an assistant now, but it was relaxing and comfortable, feeling better than being in the office.
By the time they returned to the company, it was almost 5:30 PM. Chi Shuo sat in her chair for a while before the end of today’s work arrived.
Zeng Guai walked over and patted her shoulder. Seeing Chi Shuo’s closed eyes, she said, “Shuo Shuo, let’s go.”
Chi Shuo exhaled. “Coming.”
Zeng Guai walked out with her, whispering as they went, “Xia Zhou has been quite lovey-dovey lately, running off lightning fast after work every day.”
Chi Shuo replied understandingly, “Honeymoon phase, understand.”
Zeng Guai gave her a look and asked, “Were you like this before?”
Chi Shuo started playing dumb. “Like what?”
“When you were dating.”
Chi Shuo coughed lightly. “Sort of.”
The two chatted as they walked and entered the still not-too-crowded elevator.
Zeng Guai didn’t dwell on this topic. She said, “Let’s go buy a cup of milk tea first.”
“Okay,” Chi Shuo agreed.
Soon, they reached the first floor. Chi Shuo hadn’t walked far forward when Zeng Guai patted her shoulder. “Shuo Shuo.” She gestured with her chin in a direction. “Is that Xiao Qi and Didi?”
Chi Shuo still clearly remembered He Lindi’s red dress. She was currently facing away from her, with He Xiuqi, half a head taller, standing in front of her.
Judging by He Xiuqi’s expression, it didn’t seem like anything particularly joyous had happened, because the corners of his mouth were turned down, looking somewhat pitiful.
They were standing in a slightly secluded spot in the lobby, not in the center. If Zeng Guai hadn’t been sharp-eyed, Chi Shuo felt she definitely wouldn’t have seen them.
Zeng Guai pulled Chi Shuo slightly aside, not rushing forward either. She looked at Chi Shuo and asked, “Do you know what’s going on?”
Chi Shuo stared intently at them, then shook her head upon hearing the question. “Don’t know.”
Just after replying, she saw the corners of He Xiuqi’s mouth lift into a sunny smile, his white teeth somewhat dazzling.
Unsure what had happened, Chi Shuo wasn’t interested in watching further. She pulled Zeng Guai’s wrist and said, “Let’s go, stop observing.”
Zeng Guai replied with an “Mm.” On the way, she couldn’t help but start gossiping again. “Did the confession succeed?”
Chi Shuo replied, “Don’t know.”
“If it succeeded, then Didi should be bisexual, right?”
“Speaking of which, they look quite good together, but Didi feels more outstanding. Xiao Qi…”
Zeng Guai always liked discussing these relationship gossips. Having just witnessed the live scene, she was even more excited now, her mouth non-stop, making Chi Shuo feel somewhat agitated.
Chi Shuo interrupted her, “Stop talking, we’re at the shop. What are you drinking?”
She wasn’t just trying to change the subject; they had indeed arrived at the milk tea shop entrance. Zeng Guai was finally distracted. “Boba milk tea. Hope drinking it makes me have big boobs.”
“…”
Due to the evening rush hour, the milk tea shop had many customers. The shop wasn’t large, so it was somewhat crowded. Zeng Guai said, “Shuo Shuo, it’s too crowded. You wait outside, I’ll come out after buying.”
Chi Shuo agreed; she also disliked crowds. “Okay.”
She walked out. The sunlight wasn’t as intense as midday, but it still made Chi Shuo wary. She still opened her umbrella, waiting for Zeng Guai to come out.
Unexpectedly, she ran into He Xiuqi, who had just come out of the office building. He had a smile on his face, as if the pitiful look she saw earlier was just her illusion.
He saw Chi Shuo too and walked over quickly, his tone joyful as he asked, “Xiao Chi Jie, are you waiting for someone?”
Chi Shuo replied expressionlessly, “Mm, yes.” She tried hard to suppress her internal curiosity but still couldn’t resist asking, “Why so happy?”
She wouldn’t directly mention He Lindi’s name; asking casually like this was the advanced technique. And even though she didn’t know He Xiuqi well, she firmly believed He Xiuqi would definitely reveal the reason.
Sure enough, He Xiuqi scratched his head somewhat shyly and said, “Well… I asked Teacher He to watch a movie on the weekend.”
Chi Shuo pressed further, “She… agreed?”
“Yes.” He Xiuqi finished replying, then seemed less happy again. “But the gift I put on her desk last week, she returned it.”
Chi Shuo grasped the key point. “You put that gift secretly? She didn’t accept it and returned it to you today?”
He Xiuqi replied somewhat embarrassedly, “Yes…” He exclaimed “Aiya,” “Never mind, Xiao Chi Jie, I’m going home to exercise first!”
“Bye-bye.”
He Xiuqi’s figure receded into the distance. Chi Shuo’s mood also became less bright. She exhaled, reflecting on her inability to resist her nosy heart just now.
Why ask? What was the point of asking? What did she want to do by asking these things?
Zeng Guai’s voice came over, “Shuo Shuo, let’s go.”
Chi Shuo composed her emotions and replied with a smile, “Coming.”
He Lindi’s affairs had nothing to do with her; she shouldn’t be curious about these things anymore, Chi Shuo kept replaying these two sentences in her mind on the way home.
But her actions were somewhat uncontrolled. On the way, Chi Shuo still opened the WeChat dialogue with He Lindi, wanting to send something, but kept deleting and retyping, exactly like yesterday.
Finally, she tossed her phone onto the sofa again, preparing to eat dinner.
But just then, her phone rang. The caller ID was from Beijing. Chi Shuo frowned upon seeing it but still answered.
Unexpectedly, it really was Shen Qu’s voice, the one she least wanted to hear. “Chi Shuo, I’m in Yuncheng. Have time for dinner together?”
Chi Shuo refused outright. “No.”
“Why not?”
Chi Shuo frowned tightly. “Shen Qu, can you have a correct understanding of yourself? You’re still asking me why?”
Shen Qu chuckled instead. “What’s there not to ask?” Her words still made Chi Shuo uncomfortable. “Back then, my heart was split in two, one piece for you, one for him. Does that make me scum?”
“…”
“Last time I came to Yuncheng, I wanted to contact you, but things were too busy, didn’t have time. This time, I took leave and ran over myself. Give me some face? Just dinner.”
Chi Shuo didn’t even think. “Blacklisted, goodbye.”
Shen Qu went “Eh,” “Wait!” She said, “I’m not meeting you alone. I also made a photographer friend last time.”
Chi Shuo’s heart skipped a beat. “He Lindi?”
“How did you know?”
“…Fuck.”
