Winter night, streetlights, an embrace.
Three common words, combined, took on a different flavor—a beautiful taste worth savoring.
But it remained just a memory to savor, because barely a few seconds into the hug, He Lindi’s phone rang.
He Lindi stepped aside to answer. A moment later, she returned to Chi Shuo, her expression completely different from before.
He Lindi looked somewhat grim. “My dad wants me to come home.”
“Okay.” Chi Shuo didn’t ask what had happened.
The sudden interruption shattered the beautiful atmosphere between them. He Lindi walked away quickly. Chi Shuo saw her into a taxi, then returned home alone.
They still had so much to say to each other; at least, Chi Shuo had a lot she wanted to tell He Lindi. The plan had been for this weekend, since He Lindi’s cold was almost gone, but now it seemed it would have to be postponed.
Even though she had slept alone at home every night recently, tonight Chi Shuo felt exceptionally unsettled. It was 1 AM, and she wasn’t asleep. She and He Lindi had already exchanged goodnights, but after saying goodnight, she lay there, eyes open or closed, without a hint of drowsiness.
Chi Shuo wrestled with herself for a long while, then got up again to draw. Only after about four hours did exhaustion finally pull her into sleep, her iPad set aside.
Saturday, Chi Shuo woke up late. It was already 2 PM when she slowly came to.
Waking up these past few days, she had developed the habit of messaging He Lindi “Good morning.” Today was no different. Even though it was afternoon, Chi Shuo still sent He Lindi a “Good morning.”
But during the time she had slept, He Lindi hadn’t sent a single message. Chi Shuo wasn’t anxious or worried. She knew He Lindi replied slower when she was home, or… maybe she couldn’t even touch her phone.
Mostly, she felt worried.
She didn’t dare think about what specifically worried her; otherwise, she would recall the dream she’d had before—the dream of He Lindi kneeling stubbornly on a winter night.
Although He Lindi hadn’t messaged, it didn’t mean she hadn’t received other messages. Among the senders was Shen Qu.
【Where are we eating tonight?】
【It’s eleven, why aren’t you awake yet?】
【If you’re not awake by five PM, I’m calling to wake you up.】
Shen Qu had sent the three messages at different times, the latest half an hour ago.
Chi Shuo yawned, then typed back: 【Awake.】
Shen Qu, perhaps bored, replied instantly: 【I booked a place. Six PM tonight, Galaxy Hot Pot.】
Chi Shuo recalled she had been to that place before, and the taste wasn’t bad: 【Okay.】
After last night’s call, their relationship seemed to have reverted somewhat. Chi Shuo had only replied with three words, but she couldn’t be blamed; there wasn’t much else to say.
Chi Shuo pressed back, looked again at the empty chat dialogue with He Lindi, and sighed softly.
She suddenly felt that the road ahead with He Lindi seemed very, very long.
At 5:30 PM, Chi Shuo put on some makeup and left home. WeChat kept notifying her of new messages, mostly from Zeng Guai, revolving around Shen Qu’s exclusive photos, autographs, and the promise to tell Shen Qu she liked her.
Getting into the taxi, Chi Shuo simply started a voice call in their small group chat. Xia Zhou also joined.
The three had just worked together at the company yesterday. Now it was the weekend, and although they weren’t meeting in person, they were still chatting via voice call. Chi Shuo couldn’t help but smile.
Zeng Guai was extremely excited: “Shuoshuo, signature, photo together, telling her I like her! You absolutely can’t forget!”
Xia Zhou couldn’t stand it anymore: “Guai Guai, calm down. Shuoshuo definitely won’t forget.”
“If Shuoshuo knew Qi Siqiao, you wouldn’t be so calm.”
Chi Shuo smoothed her hair: “You’ve dealt with the entertainment industry for so long, can’t you have a little composure?”
Zeng Guai disagreed: “It’d be fine if you didn’t know Shen Qu, but you’re friends with her. How can I stay calm? It’s too much to ask.”
Thinking about it, “My good friend’s friend is a big star”—saying that out loud did carry some weight, as if it closed the distance between them. Chi Shuo suddenly understood.
They chatted the whole way. About twenty minutes later, Chi Shuo got out of the car.
This hot pot restaurant was close to her home. If not for the rush hour traffic jam, leaving at 5:40 would have been perfectly fine.
Even before reaching the restaurant entrance, she could smell waves of fragrance drifting over, tempting passersby to go inside for a taste.
Busy restaurants usually set up small tables and chairs outside for waiting customers, often with snacks on the tables.
It wasn’t even six yet, but about ten tables were already waiting outside. The sounds of laughter and chatter were constant. Some even played videos loudly on their phones. Chi Shuo found it a bit jarring and didn’t linger outside. She went to the reception desk, gave the private room number to the waitress, and was led upstairs to the third floor.
Shen Qu hadn’t flown to Yun Cheng but came by car, wanting to keep her itinerary private. As an actress of her status, her ID number was known to some. If she booked a plane ticket, her flight details would soon be exposed, forcing her to be low-key.
The aroma that was noticeable outside grew even stronger inside the restaurant. By the time Chi Shuo reached the private room door, she felt completely permeated by the smell of hot pot.
That wasn’t the point. The point was that she was at the door, and behind this door was her ex-girlfriend, Shen Qu.
Her phone screen lit up again. Chi Shuo, still standing there, unlocked it and saw it was, predictably, another message from Zeng Guai: 【Shuoshuo, arrived? Seen her?!】
Chi Shuo exhaled: 【Arrived. Not talking anymore, going in.】
After sending the message, Chi Shuo turned the doorknob and went inside.
Shen Qu was pouring dipping sauce into her bowl. Hearing the door open, she didn’t even turn her head, just said, “Mildly spicy, don’t want your stomach to hurt.”
Chi Shuo paused, said nothing, and walked over to sit opposite her.
The private room wasn’t large, just one table, and the table was a bit small, but it looked much more refined than the ones outside.
It was a split hot pot, yin-yang style. The broth inside was already boiling, steam and aroma rising upwards, spreading around.
“Ordered the food yet?” Chi Shuo put her phone in her bag and took off her coat.
It was a bit hot here, the air conditioning was on. Wearing just a sweater was enough.
Shen Qu shook her head, gesturing with her chin towards the menu on the table: “Not yet. Afraid your tastes have changed, and you wouldn’t eat what I ordered.”
Chi Shuo picked up the menu, expressionless: “More like you were lazy.”
Shen Qu didn’t argue. Hearing Chi Shuo ask, “How many dishes?”
“Eight.” Shen Qu picked up her phone and took a picture of the table. Adjusting the filter, she said, “I still don’t eat offal. Everything else is the same as before.”
“Got it.” Chi Shuo avoided those items while ticking off the dishes.
Two minutes later, Chi Shuo called the waitress.
Shen Qu had already put on her mask and baseball cap, keeping her head down looking at her phone. The waitress didn’t think much of it.
When only the two of them remained again, Chi Shuo started pouring dipping sauce into her own bowl.
Cilantro, minced garlic, crushed peanuts, green onions…
Chi Shuo quickly finished preparing her bowl. Shen Qu had already taken off her mask and hat. She shook her phone, looked at Chi Shuo, and asked, “Should I post on Weibo?”
“Whatever.”
“Just don’t post me.”
Shen Qu chuckled: “Why would I post you?” She said, “No one knows you’re my ex-girlfriend.”
Chi Shuo hummed an “Mm”: “Right, everyone knows you had an ex-boyfriend, you were deeply in love, but later broke up due to incompatible personalities.” She felt a bit bored. “You don’t need to emphasize it.”
Shen Qu paused: “What if I insist on emphasizing it?”
“Shen Qu.” Chi Shuo looked at her, her tone calm. “Cheating on someone isn’t something to be proud of. Why do you seem so honored?”
“Because I’m shameless.”
Chi Shuo: “…”
Chi Shuo’s mouth twitched. She offered sincere praise: “Quite impressive.”
Just then, the waitress knocked and pushed the cart in with the food.
But Shen Qu didn’t cover her face this time. Amidst the waitress’s surprised and delighted gaze, she smiled, put her index finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture, and said, “Please don’t tell anyone, thank you.”
Shen Qu was very famous now; it was normal for the waitress to recognize her.
Once the waitress left satisfied with an autograph, Chi Shuo remembered Zeng Guai’s request: “I have a friend who really likes you.” She said, “She asked me to get a personalized autograph for her. I brought paper…”
“What about you?” Shen Qu interrupted, the steam rising between them, creating a hazy atmosphere.
“Me what?”
Shen Qu’s lips moved, her eyelashes lowering: “Nothing.” She said, “I’ll take another picture then post on Weibo, do some business.”
“Doesn’t the company manage your Weibo?”
“Sharing daily life is fine. Ads and stuff are handled by them.”
“My new drama just wrapped yesterday. The production team’s official Weibo posted a wrap-up group photo. I didn’t want to repost it, but the company still logged into my account and reposted it, imitating my tone.”
“Mm.”
“The ham is ready.”
The meal was somewhat silent. Shen Qu did post on Weibo, the picture just of the hot pot, the caption even simpler: 【Eating hot pot.】
But sharp-eyed people noticed a pair of distinctly female hands opposite Shen Qu in the photo, holding chopsticks and a bowl, the knuckles defined, the skin fair and tender. Everyone couldn’t help asking: 【Who is Qu Qu eating with?】
Shen Qu saw these comments. She looked up at Chi Shuo and asked, “My fans are asking who I’m eating with. If I answer, how do you want me to reply?”
Chi Shuo looked indifferent: “Answering or not answering makes no difference.”
Shen Qu narrowed her eyes: “Really?”
Chi Shuo sighed and put down her chopsticks: “Shen Qu, I already have someone new I like, and I will be with her.” She paused. “After this meal, let’s delete each other’s WeChat and phone numbers.”
“He Lindi, right?”
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