They drove back to Chi Shuo’s place first, but strangely, He Lindi was a bit clingy while walking. Like a human pendant, she stuck close to Chi Shuo after getting out of the car, occasionally tugging at Chi Shuo’s sleeve cuff or the hem of her clothes.
After exiting the elevator, while Chi Shuo was opening the door, with no one around, she finally couldn’t resist asking with amusement in her eyes, “What’s wrong with you?”
He Lindi widened her eyes, looking bewildered. “What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’?”
Chi Shuo glanced down at He Lindi’s right hand tugging at the hem of her sweater. “How come I never knew before that you could be this clingy?”
He Lindi pondered for several seconds, not letting go, and answered seriously, “Because we weren’t together before.”
Before Chi Shuo turned the doorknob, she teased, “With those contract boyfriends of yours, right?”
He Lindi had already confessed the truth about her past boyfriends. Faced with Chi Shuo’s question now, she chose to change the subject. “What time are you going home tomorrow?”
Chi Shuo took slippers out of the shoe cabinet. “Maybe in the afternoon,” she said. “Or possibly at noon.”
“Okay.”
Chi Shuo asked her, “Do you need something?”
“I was also thinking about when I should go home.” He Lindi sighed, having let go of Chi Shuo’s clothes, leaning to the side to change her shoes. “My dad called to rush me last time. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, I have to go back no matter what.”
“Alright, then pack your things tonight.”
“No rush, packing tomorrow is fine too.”
The two reached the living room. After placing He Lindi’s suitcase there, Chi Shuo went to the kitchen to boil water with the kettle.
He Lindi turned on the air conditioner, collapsed onto the sofa, closed her eyes, her face looking somewhat worn out.
Chi Shuo came out of the kitchen, crouched in front of her, and asked softly, “If you’re sleepy, why don’t you go sleep in the bed?”
He Lindi shook her head. “Without your bed, I don’t sleep comfortably.”
“…”
After speaking, He Lindi felt it wasn’t enough. She opened her eyes, turned sideways, and hugged Chi Shuo.
Their heads rested together. Chi Shuo’s breath brushed against the curve of her ear, making He Lindi hug her a bit tighter, wanting to shift away from the area that made her body tense up.
Chi Shuo sensed her state, chuckled softly, then placed a hand behind He Lindi’s head, turned He Lindi’s head slightly outward, precisely aimed at He Lindi’s lips, and slowly pressed against them once more.
The car window kiss in the parking garage hadn’t been too much, just a few seconds of contact before Chi Shuo pulled away. After all, there were cameras in the parking garage, and it was near the company; it really wouldn’t look good if someone saw.
But it was different now. They were on the sofa in Chi Shuo’s home, no restraints, only freedom. The longing from not seeing each other for a week was conveyed through this kiss.
Sometimes, expressing longing through physical touch is more appropriate.
By the time it ended, Chi Shuo was no longer crouching but sitting on the sofa. He Lindi rested in her arms, leaning against her shoulder, both still calming their breathing and heartbeats.
Chi Shuo’s lips glistened. She licked them. “I feel like I still need some water. Why does kissing make me thirstier?”
“Me too,” He Lindi agreed.
Chi Shuo curved her lips into a smile. “But I don’t really feel like moving.”
He Lindi wrapped her arms around her waist. “I have no energy left.”
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow, tilted her head slightly just to see He Lindi’s face, but from this angle, she could only see her girlfriend’s stunning profile. Chi Shuo chuckled, “And you still let Yue Ke call me Biao Sao? I think he should just call me Biao Jiefu.” (“Biao Jiefu” (表姐夫) refers to the husband of your older female cousin.)
He Lindi looked up at her. “Impossible.”
The two stayed embraced like that for a while longer before Chi Shuo finally left the tender embrace and went to the kitchen for water.
After drinking water, He Lindi still went to sleep in the bed. Her fatigue wasn’t fake; after a week of high-intensity work and a flight over three hours long, since she wasn’t made of iron, how could she not be tired?
Chi Shuo didn’t idle. She went into the kitchen and started cooking. Since the Spring Festival was approaching, many shops were closed, so she had bought some groceries yesterday. Now she was making Kung Pao chicken, stir-fried water spinach, and corn and pork rib soup.
She was busy in the kitchen. Just after finishing the Kung Pao chicken, the phone resting on the refrigerator rang. Chi Shuo wiped her hands, picked it up, and answered.
It was Zeng Guai calling. Before Chi Shuo could speak, she heard Zeng Guai’s choked, tearful voice: “Shuo Shuo, sob sob.”
Chi Shuo’s heart tightened. She quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I knew this day would come, but I didn’t know it would be so soon, nor did I know I would actually cry over this.”
Chi Shuo grew anxious. “What exactly happened?”
“Shen Qu…”
“She posted on Weibo…”
Zeng Guai was still crying. Chi Shuo paused upon hearing this. “I was just cooking, didn’t notice Weibo.” She asked, “What did it mainly say?”
“She said it looks like she’s going to take a break for about five years.”
Chi Shuo was extremely surprised. “Didn’t she say two years?”
“Yeah.” Zeng Guai sniffled on the other end. “Five years! After five years, what fans will be left? When she comes back, she won’t have a future.”
Chi Shuo lowered her eyelids, listening to Zeng Guai, and nodded. “Yeah.”
She no longer had any contact with Shen Qu, but that didn’t mean she didn’t hope Shen Qu would do better and better. Chi Shuo wasn’t that petty. Just as she had analyzed herself before, as long as Shen Qu didn’t repeatedly bring up the cheating in front of her, she wouldn’t think about it often and had even already forgiven her.
She hoped Shen Qu’s depression could get better, and she hoped Shen Qu’s career could continue to flourish, win more awards, and earn more money. Previously, Chi Shuo felt that a two-year break wasn’t really a big deal, because Shen Qu still had two or three dramas stockpiled that hadn’t aired yet. Maybe Shen Qu would come back after they finished airing.
But she never expected that two years would now become five.
This meant Shen Qu decided to take a break at twenty-four, and when she returned, she would already be twenty-nine, almost thirty. For female actresses in the entertainment industry, where youth is crucial, the impact was undoubtedly huge.
After comforting Zeng Guai, Chi Shuo clicked into Weibo herself. The top trending topic, marked with “Exploding,” was precisely about Shen Qu taking a five-year break.
Chi Shuo frowned tightly and clicked on it.
The top hot post was Shen Qu’s latest Weibo: 【I originally thought about telling everyone tomorrow, the last day of 2018, but thinking about it now, maybe not, don’t want to spoil everyone’s New Year’s Eve mood. I, Shen Qu, starting today, will take a five-year break. Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement along the way. I won’t be updating any posts from now on. Let’s meet again in five years.】
A few lines, not too much, not too little. The post had only been up for about ten minutes, but the Weibo comments had already reached 120,000.
——What???!!!
——Oh my god…
——We’ll wait for you forever, Qu Qu.
Most of the hot comments expressed shock; almost no one cursed Shen Qu. Some expressed regret, saying that once Shen Qu’s stockpiled dramas finished airing, they might not see Shen Qu on screen again for several years.
Female stars rely too much on youth. The trending topic’s feed was also filled with regret about this. It was almost certain that even if Shen Qu returned to the entertainment industry five years later, she would most likely flop.
Chi Shuo thought for a long while, then still left a comment on Shen Qu’s Weibo post: 【You must come back in five years.】
Did this mean her depression might be treated by then? Chi Shuo didn’t know the answer. She put aside these thoughts and continued making her dinner.
When He Lindi woke up, it was already past 8 PM. The pork rib soup in the pot was ready, and the stir-fried dishes were still slightly warm. Chi Shuo brought the dishes to the table.
At the dinner table, He Lindi kept looking at her phone, her brow furrowed, her expression grave.
Chi Shuo tentatively asked, “About Shen Qu?”
“Mm,” He Lindi said. “She said she’d rest for two years, but posted five. That liar.”
Chi Shuo felt helpless. “It’s her personal choice.”
He Lindi put her phone face down to the side and buried her head in her food. Chi Shuo ladled a bowl of soup for her and placed it in front of her. Just as she was about to say something, she saw He Lindi’s shoulders tremble slightly.
Chi Shuo quickly sat down beside her and asked, “Are you very sad?”
He Lindi’s eyes were already misty. She hadn’t eaten a single bite, looking exceptionally pitiful.
Chi Shuo pulled out a tissue for her to wipe her tears, comforting her softly, “It’s okay, it’s okay, she’ll come back.”
“I feel so sad for her.” He Lindi buried her head in Chi Shuo’s shoulder, tears streaming down.
Chi Shuo felt heartache seeing her like this and followed her words, asking, “Sad for her about what?”
He Lindi didn’t choose to answer. She sat up straight again, pulled out tissues herself to wipe her face, and composed her emotions.
Chi Shuo sighed. “Hurry up and eat.”
The area around He Lindi’s eyes and the tip of her nose were already red from crying. She lowered her head slightly, calming her earlier emotions.
“I…” He Lindi stared at the bowl of rice before her. The rice was cooked well, the grains plump, looking extremely tempting. “Sometimes I feel a bit tormented.”
Chi Shuo pressed, “Tormented about what?”
He Lindi looked up at her, ultimately said nothing, sniffled her already red nose. “Let’s eat, I’m hungry.”
“Okay.” Chi Shuo didn’t ask further.
Because of the Shen Qu matter, this meal was somewhat silent. Chi Shuo didn’t rush to wash the dishes, just soaked them in the sink first.
She wiped her hands. Returning to the living room, she saw He Lindi leaning against the sofa, looking dazed.
Chi Shuo walked over. Just as she was about to say something, He Lindi spoke first, “Chi Shuo.”
She looked at Chi Shuo and said, “I think it’s still necessary for us to be honest with each other.”
Chi Shuo paused, stopped walking. “What?”
“For example…”
“The fact that you dated Shen Qu.”
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