No one likes getting overly involved with an ex, especially one who cheated and saw nothing wrong with it.
If someone does, they’re either extremely forgiving or… lacking a brain.
Chi Shuo certainly wasn’t forgiving, nor brainless. When she found out Shen Qu cheated, the thought of breaking up had already surfaced. But she still struggled, wanting Shen Qu’s explanation, clinging to the last shred of hope.
The result? Shen Qu’s words were no different from today—I like you, and I like him. Isn’t that okay?
Okay… my ass!
Chi Shuo’s breakup was relatively clean. At least afterward, she remained unmoved by Shen Qu’s apologies and entanglements, unlike He Lindi’s friend who got back together with the scumbag after a while.
The phone call ended with Chi Shuo’s final expletive. After saying it, she hung up and added Shen Qu’s number to the blacklist.
The world is large, yet also small. But the thought of Shen Qu and He Lindi becoming friends still surprised Chi Shuo greatly.
Thinking about it carefully, though, it seemed quite normal. He Lindi primarily photographed celebrities, and Shen Qu happened to be a celebrity. It was perfectly normal for them to collaborate and add each other as friends.
Normalcy aside, it didn’t stop Chi Shuo from feeling uncomfortable. Han Yu’s label for He Lindi—”Player”—immediately came to mind.
Chi Shuo naturally didn’t think He Lindi had anything to do with the word “player.” Even if He Lindi changed partners every semester back then, she didn’t cheat, didn’t violate any moral codes, so she wasn’t a player.
But Chi Shuo’s current mood was inevitably complicated. She wondered, if He Lindi knew Shen Qu had an underground ex-girlfriend, and that it was her, what would He Lindi think? And if Shen Qu knew she and He Lindi were now in an upstairs-downstairs relationship, what would she think?
Either scenario made Chi Shuo’s scalp tingle. But the most urgent matter right now was Song Qin’s meet & greet. Everything else… had nothing to do with Chi Shuo.
When Chi Shuo worked seriously, her dedication was truly hard to ignore. For the next two days, she repeatedly confirmed various details. Time flew by, and it was already Thursday.
This day, Song Qin was flying from Beijing to Yuncheng.
Zheng Jianbin had initially suggested going to the airport to pick him up, but considering Song Qin’s fanbase, they decided it was better for Chi Shuo and him to just wait in the business van. As the organizers, Xinyue Company, and specifically Chi Shuo’s team as the main coordinators for this event, naturally had to do their best to host and accommodate Song Qin and his team.
At 5 PM, an extended business sedan parked in the square outside the airport arrivals hall exit.
On such a hot day, Chi Shuo had to wear a shirt, long pants, and high heels, as requested by her supervisor. She had no choice but to comply.
Zheng Jianbin beside her was dressed similarly. Walking inside with him, Chi Shuo sighed, “So hot.”
In fact, their actions were equivalent to picking him up, as they still had to go inside, wait for the person, escort them to the car, and ensure Song Qin’s safety along the way, preventing any accidents.
Zheng Jianbin adjusted his tie, his face also showing some discomfort. “Why is Yuncheng’s sun so fierce?” The next second, he pointed in a direction. “This way.”
He pointed towards the arrivals gate. Because Song Qin was arriving, countless fans were already gathered there. A glance revealed a sea of fans holding banners and cameras, both male and female, all looking excited, as if Song Qin would appear any second.
Zheng Jianbin and Chi Shuo didn’t go deep into the crowd, just stood on the outer edge.
Chi Shuo rolled up her sleeves slightly, revealing her watch. Checking the time, she said, “Landing in five minutes.”
“Plus deplaning and baggage claim, it’ll take at least twenty or thirty minutes before he comes out.”
A dense crowd stood before them. Security guards maintained order. The fans, knowing the landing time, were making preparations, some even taking out mirrors and makeup to touch up.
Chi Shuo didn’t follow celebrities. Back when she needed to support herself through university, she was busy finding part-time jobs during her relatively free university days, unable to spare extra time for chasing stars. More importantly, after Shen Qu entered the entertainment industry, Chi Shuo lost even more interest in celebrity chasing.
After about ten minutes, the two were still waiting in the same spot, both getting a bit drowsy.
Zheng Jianbin yawned, turned to look at Chi Shuo, and started a new topic to pass the time. “Haven’t asked you yet, why did you apply to Xinyue back then?”
Chi Shuo curved her lips. “Why ask this suddenly now?” She frowned slightly, recalling, then shook her head. “I don’t remember clearly either. Probably because the benefits were good? Just applied with a ‘give it a try’ attitude.”
“Pretty good.”
“I think so too.”
Chi Shuo’s relationship with Zheng Jianbin was rather ordinary, not that close. If not for working together on this event, they wouldn’t have interacted this much. But from their conversation, both could sense a slight awkwardness; it was completely forced small talk.
But it was indeed effective for passing the time. After a while, Song Qin and his staff, pushing luggage carts, emerged.
Because it was just a small meet & greet event, Song Qin’s studio hadn’t sent many people. Besides himself, there was only an assistant, a stylist, and a photographer.
Though small, the team was complete, sufficient for such a small event.
Chi Shuo and Zheng Jianbin immediately entered work mode, stopped chatting, quickly navigated through the crowd to Song Qin’s side, and followed the other staff, escorting Song Qin away.
Song Qin was already popular, and now with a drama airing, he had gained another wave of fans. Only after finally getting into the car did Chi Shuo breathe a sigh of relief.
The group was quite large. Fortunately, they had rented an extended business sedan beforehand; otherwise, they wouldn’t have fit.
Song Qin sat beside Chi Shuo, separated by a short aisle. He smiled and extended his hand towards Chi Shuo. “We meet again, Miss Chi.”
Chi Shuo politely shook his hand back. “Welcome.”
Song Qin then officially shook hands with Zheng Jianbin before taking the handkerchief handed over by his assistant to wipe the sweat beading on his forehead.
Chi Shuo smiled and remarked, “Teacher Song, the new drama is excellent.”
Song Qin tilted his head slightly while wiping his sweat, his handsome face showing a question. “Is it?” After speaking, he smiled himself, putting on a modest look. “Glad you like it.”
The car was already moving. Zheng Jianbin started the introductions. “The hotel has already been booked, not far from the venue. Starting tomorrow, we’ll have two rehearsals, very quick, just running through the process, coordinating with the host…”
Only after settling Song Qin comfortably in the hotel did Chi Shuo and Zheng Jianbin consider their workday finished.
Their usual quitting time was 5:30 PM. Because of the airport pickup and hotel drop-off, it dragged on until 7 PM before they were done. This was the latest Chi Shuo had ever finished work.
After parting ways with Zheng Jianbin, Chi Shuo dragged her slightly weary body onto the bus. Today felt like a long journey for her. The bus ride took forty minutes. By the time she got home, her whole body felt like it was falling apart.
But before she could rest enough, she received a call from Xiao Tong.
Xiao Tong’s full name was Tong Jinjin. He had always been her family’s neighbor. In June, Chi Shuo had even sent him a red envelope congratulating him on his excellent college entrance exam results.
“Hello?” Chi Shuo lay on the sofa, her voice slightly muffled. “Xiao Tong, what’s up?”
Chi Shuo was about five years older than Tong Jinjin. Before going to university in Lu Cheng, she had interacted with him quite closely. If not for the age gap, they could almost be considered childhood sweethearts. And the last time they met seemed like a long time ago; after all, Chi Shuo hadn’t even gone home for Chinese New Year this year.
At that time, her mother and she were arguing again. Going home for the holiday would have been too awkward.
Tong Jinjin’s voice held laughter. “Shuo Shuo Jie, I haven’t seen you in so long, I miss you so much.”
The eighteen-year-old boy was full of youthful energy. Plus, with a good family background and excellent grades, he seemed carefree. Sometimes his expressions of emotion were very direct, even carrying a hint of coquettishness. Chi Shuo couldn’t help but lift the corners of her lips. “It’s only been a little over a year, right? It’s fine.”
“Hmph!” Tong Jinjin said, “You call that ‘fine’? I asked you to come to my graduation dinner last time, and you didn’t come. You’re so busy!”
Chi Shuo rolled over, stared at the ceiling, then slowly closed her eyes again. “I was busy, busy with work, busy with…”
Tong Jinjin didn’t wait for her to finish, jumping in himself, “Busy with… dating?”
Chi Shuo suddenly opened her eyes and chuckled. “No, I don’t have a partner, who would I date?” She added, “Busy dealing with all sorts of people, a bit tired, didn’t have much time either.”
Tong Jinjin sighed. “But I really miss you. I came back from the US a few days ago, even brought you a gift.” He asked directly, “Are you free tomorrow? Can I come find you?”
Chi Shuo paused, about to answer, when she heard him say again, “I know you’re worried Auntie will ask me for your address, and worried I’ll soften up and tell her. So tomorrow, we can just meet somewhere.”
“You’re quite thoughtful.” Chi Shuo was still hesitant, mainly feeling a bit helpless. “I have work tomorrow, need to go to the venue for two rehearsals, no time.”
Tong Jinjin asked, “Rehearsals?”
“Mm, Song Qin’s fan meet & greet rehearsal, but no fans.” Anyway, this fan meet & greet had been promoted for a long time; there was no need to hide anything.
“Can I go watch? And see you too.”
Chi Shuo asked curiously, “What? You like him?”
“Yeah!”
Chi Shuo thought for a moment and replied, “Let me ask my colleague, see if I can bring you along.”
She agreed to Tong Jinjin’s request for two reasons. First, she hadn’t seen Tong Jinjin in a long time. Before moving out, Chi Shuo had seen him frequently. Second… her mother had previously told her to interact more with Tong Jinjin.
Thinking of this, Chi Shuo lowered her eyelashes slightly and closed her eyes again.
Tong Jinjin could come; after all, the rehearsal didn’t have much content worth seeing, nor anything that could be leaked. However, they still made him sign a confidentiality agreement.
The next day, at the small arena.
Because the official event was tomorrow, these two rehearsals were also very important. Consequently, many more people attended, at least not as deserted as the scouting trip last time.
The first rehearsal was at 11 AM. Chi Shuo didn’t need to go to the company first; she could go straight to the venue. But due to her work role, she arrived around 10 AM and started preparations.
Staff were already setting up the stage. Chi Shuo also helped out.
When Zheng Jianbin and the others arrived, Chi Shuo had finished her work and started resting, quietly waiting for Song Qin’s arrival.
“Arriving in ten minutes.” Chi Shuo sat in a first-row chair, smiled at them, then took another sip of water herself.
Perhaps because she had worked for a while, Chi Shuo noticeably felt it wasn’t as cold indoors anymore.
“Thanks for your hard work,” other colleagues said to Chi Shuo.
Chi Shuo waved her hand. “Not at all.” She glanced at her phone, having received a message from Tong Jinjin. “I’ll go pick someone up first.”
“Go ahead.”
There was a short distance from the stage to the entrance, and Tong Jinjin was at the farther Gate 2. It took Chi Shuo two minutes to walk over.
Tong Jinjin was standing at the entrance, the young man tall and slender, wearing a simple T-shirt and cropped casual pants. Though only eighteen, he was already much taller than Chi Shuo.
Thinking of this, Chi Shuo asked about his height, “How tall are you now?”
“185 cm.” Tong Jinjin’s smile was obvious. He carried a backpack and held a bag in his hand. He immediately handed the bag to Chi Shuo. “Shuo Shuo Jie, the gift I brought for you.”
Chi Shuo curved her lips into a smile and accepted it. “Thanks, I’ll treat you to lunch.”
“Okay!”
Seeing his obedient look, Chi Shuo instinctively wanted to raise her hand and pat his head like before, but her hand stopped before it even lifted.
Because He Lindi and Q Ge had arrived. They had just come from the stairwell and were now only about two meters away from Chi Shuo and him.
“You go inside first, find a place to sit.”
“Remember, no photos, no leaking information.”
Chi Shuo briefly instructed Tong Jinjin, then walked over to He Lindi and the others. “Q Ge, let me help you carry the camera.”
Q Ge nodded. He carried more things, much heavier. But his mouth started teasing Chi Shuo, “Don’t talk about cameras, be civilized.” (Play on words: The Mandarin word for camera, 相机 (xiàngjī), shares the syllable “jī” (鸡/雞), which means “chicken”—a slang term for prostitution in Chinese culture.)
Chi Shuo paused, then smiled. “OK.”
He Lindi asked from the side, “Was that your younger brother just now?”
“Where would I get a younger brother?” The three walked inside together. Chi Shuo explained, “But maybe counts as one? Just the neighbor’s kid, just finished the college entrance exam this year.”
Q Ge asked curiously, “Childhood sweethearts?” He glanced in Tong Jinjin’s direction. “Younger brothers like that are popular now. Chi Shuo, if you like him, you need to grab the chance. That young man looks quite handsome.”
Chi Shuo was momentarily rendered speechless by Q Ge’s gossip spirit. “…”
But before she could defend herself, she heard He Lindi’s voice again.
He Lindi, also looking towards Tong Jinjin with confusion, asked casually, “Are older woman-younger man relationships popular now?”
Q Ge nodded. “Seems so. Aren’t people always talking about ‘little wolfdogs’ and ‘little puppy dogs’?”
He Lindi asked again, “If the woman is older than the man, it’s called an older woman-younger man relationship. If the man is older than the woman, it’s called an older brother-younger sister relationship…?” She paused. “Extending that, if it’s a lesbian or gay couple, would it be called older sister-younger sister relationship or older brother-younger brother relationship?”
Q Ge fell into thought. “Seems so…”
Chi Shuo frowned slightly. “Why does that sound so strange?”
Seeing her expression, He Lindi lifted the corners of her lips, quickened her pace slightly, and urged, “Time for work.”
Song Qin also arrived at the venue a few minutes later. He was a big star now, yet didn’t act like one. During collaborations, he was quite modest and easy to talk to.
The first rehearsal had quite a few problems. The host lacked experience, speaking nervously and stuttering, coordination with Song Qin wasn’t smooth, and the staff setting up the stage were slow.
Etc., etc. These issues gave Chi Shuo and the others headaches but also made them feel fortunate.
The only ones who likely made no mistakes were He Lindi and Q Ge, focused on their own tasks.
After Chi Shuo and the others finished communicating with the staff, He Lindi waved at Chi Shuo from the side and called out, “Chi Shuo.”
The stage was about a meter high, with stairs on the side. But for convenience, Chi Shuo jumped directly down from there.
But in a moment of carelessness, even wearing flat shoes, she still sprained her ankle.
Chi Shuo’s face instantly contorted in pain, and she sat down on the ground.
Seeing this, He Lindi immediately handed her camera to the still-unreactive Q Ge and quickly walked over.
Besides her, Tong Jinjin also rushed over like a wild horse and swiftly picked Chi Shuo up bridal style. Looking at He Lindi, he asked worriedly, “Excuse me, where is the hospital around here?”
Before He Lindi could answer, Chi Shuo patted his shoulder first, comforting him, “Put me down, just need some ice.”
Tong Jinjin shook his head. “No! It’s scary if not handled properly.”
He Lindi pressed her lips together, her expression hard to read. The next second, she said, “I remember there’s a small clinic not far across the street. Let’s take her there first.”
After speaking, she said to Zheng Jianbin, who was still discussing matters with someone, “Old Zheng, I’ll accompany Chi Shuo to the clinic first, her foot is sprained.”
Zheng Jianbin looked over worriedly. “Is it serious? Need to go to the hospital?”
Chi Shuo freed a hand and pointed to her ankle area. “Not that exaggerated.”
Tong Jinjin’s brow remained furrowed. He looked down at Chi Shuo and said sternly, “Such a grown-up, still spraining her ankle.”
“Let’s go,” He Lindi said from the side.
He Lindi was right; there was indeed a clinic across from the small arena, still in operation.
Before leaving, He Lindi hadn’t forgotten Chi Shuo’s habit and brought along a sun umbrella. Tong Jinjin carried Chi Shuo, while she held the umbrella beside them.
But due to the pain, Chi Shuo was too lazy to banter with her; otherwise, she would definitely have mimicked He Lindi and said, “You have your day too.”
Tong Jinjin regularly played basketball and soccer to exercise. Plus, Chi Shuo wasn’t heavy. By the time he placed Chi Shuo down in the clinic, he was only slightly out of breath, but his eyes remained fixed on Chi Shuo, full of worry.
The doctor walked over, examined the sprained area on Chi Shuo’s foot, and said to Tong Jinjin, “Fortunately, it’s not that serious. There’s a small supermarket next door, buy some ice packs, ice it for half an hour first.”
Tong Jinjin immediately left the clinic.
Chi Shuo now sat on a small chair in the clinic. He Lindi had already put the umbrella aside and sat down beside Chi Shuo. She looked at Chi Shuo’s ankle again, still worried. “Doctor, does this need an X-ray at the hospital?”
The doctor was a middle-aged man with a bit of a beard. Hearing this, he shook his head. “No need. It’s just a simple soft tissue injury. Ice to reduce swelling and pain, then apply heat or plaster later.”
“Thank you, doctor,” He Lindi said.
The doctor smiled and waved his hand. “No need to thank me.” He looked at Chi Shuo. “You, be careful. Look how anxious your boyfriend is.”
Chi Shuo: ???
Chi Shuo immediately wanted to explain, but before she could speak, He Lindi spoke first, explaining for her, “Not her boyfriend.”
The doctor looked at He Lindi with surprise. “Then yours?”
He Lindi: “…”
He Lindi replied calmly, “I don’t like guys younger than me.”
Chi Shuo glanced at her.
Just then, Tong Jinjin returned with the ice packs. After consulting the doctor, he applied the ice pack to Chi Shuo’s ankle himself, his expression gentle yet tinged with heartache. “Shuo Shuo Jie, bear with it.”
Chi Shuo nodded. Honestly, she hadn’t sprained her ankle in a long time. This carelessness was enough to make her break out in sweat from the pain.
Of course, it could also be due to the weather.
On the way back, the staff had mostly gone for lunch.
Chi Shuo didn’t let Tong Jinjin carry her again, walking on her own wearing shoes, just leaning on Tong Jinjin with one hand and He Lindi with the other.
The person holding the umbrella changed from He Lindi on the way there to Tong Jinjin. Chi Shuo smiled faintly and remarked, “Having someone hold the umbrella feels pretty good.”
He Lindi floated over a sentence, “I have my day too?”
Chi Shuo nodded without hesitation.
Tong Jinjin remained silent beside them. After a while, he asked, “Shuo Shuo Jie, are you still that afraid of the sun?”
Chi Shuo replied with an “Mm.” She vaguely guessed what Tong Jinjin was about to say and wanted to stop him, but Tong Jinjin seemed already very familiar with He Lindi, bypassing her and saying to He Lindi, “Xiao He Jie Jie, do you know why Shuo Shuo Jie is so afraid of the sun?”
Chi Shuo frowned slightly and said, “Don’t talk about it.”
Tong Jinjin ignored her completely and continued, “I have to mention Auntie, her behavior was too much.”
He Lindi’s mouth turned down upon hearing this, listening as Tong Jinjin continued, “Punishing Shuo Shuo Jie by making her work under the sun in temperatures even higher than today.”
As soon as he finished, Chi Shuo stopped walking and looked at him. “After lunch, you go back.”
Tong Jinjin shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
“You have to, even if you don’t want to.”
“Otherwise, I’ll block you.”
This threat still held some sway over the young Tong Jinjin. He hesitated for a long while before slowly nodding. “I misspoke today.” He said, “Sorry, I won’t do it again.”
Chi Shuo softened, sighed lightly, then heard Tong Jinjin say again, “Shuo Shuo Jie, don’t be angry.”
“Not angry.”
This kid Tong Jinjin had always been like this since childhood, only remembering to correct himself after making a mistake. Chi Shuo knew this deeply and thus took corresponding measures.
Lunch was takeout eaten in a small room inside the venue.
Zheng Jianbin and the others went to a restaurant with Song Qin, while Chi Shuo, due to her injured foot, ate in a small room at the venue, accompanied by Tong Jinjin.
But Tong Jinjin was very obedient. After finishing his meal, he didn’t dare linger, took the takeout trash, and left.
The world seemed to be left with just Chi Shuo and He Lindi. They sat in the very center of the first row, looking at the stage to rest.
The pain in her foot wasn’t as clear anymore. Drowsiness gradually crept up on Chi Shuo. Her sleeping posture in bed was always good, but on a chair, her body uncontrollably tilted sideways.
He Lindi had also been closing her eyes for a short rest. Sensing the movement beside her, she immediately opened her eyes and raised her hand to guide Chi Shuo’s head onto her shoulder.
Chi Shuo’s sleepiness instantly vanished, but for some reason, she didn’t dare immediately sit up straight and refuse this physical contact.
Maybe… He Lindi’s perfume smelled quite nice, even clearer this close.
He Lindi closed her eyes again, but after two seconds, her lips parted, asking, “Was there any follow-up to that incident?”
Chi Shuo still sat up, leaning her head back slightly. She tilted her head, looked at He Lindi’s profile, and asked puzzledly, “Which incident?”
“The one Tong Jinjin mentioned.”
“…There was.” Chi Shuo didn’t feel like hiding it anymore. “Later, my skin peeled from the sunburn, I got heatstroke, vomited, had diarrhea, and ended up in the hospital.”
“Was it uncomfortable?”
“A bit.”
“Painful?”
“A bit.”
Hearing her answers, He Lindi didn’t turn her head, just looked ahead and said, “Then it must have been very uncomfortable and painful.”
Chi Shuo pressed her lips together and lowered her eyelashes. “Pretty much.”
The air fell silent. Just as Chi Shuo felt she was about to fall asleep again, He Lindi’s voice came from beside her, “I had a similar experience before.”
Chi Shuo reacted for two seconds. “What?”
“In high school, my family found out about me dating Ding Miaoran.”
“It happened to be winter, and Yuncheng was gloomy, cold, damp, and wet. My grandfather never liked me much since I was young. Knowing about this angered him so much he ended up in the hospital, cursing me for disgracing the family.”
Chi Shuo slowly furrowed her brow and followed up, “So last time you said you tolerated cold well…”
He Lindi lowered her head slightly, her hair also falling down. In the not-so-bright environment, those few strands of blue hair also dimmed somewhat.
“When I made mistakes before, they would make me kneel facing the wall. That time, they made me kneel in the winter night for a long time.”
“Later, even if I developed feelings for another girl, I wouldn’t tell her I liked her.”
