The overly bold and intimate gesture stunned them both for a moment.
Jian You’s warm breath tickled her ear, and a blush started at the tips of Yun Chu’s ears, spreading down her neck and throughout her entire body. She felt like a small flower wilting in the heat, her throat parched in the dry, scorching air. She couldn’t manage a single complete word. “Jian… Jian…”
Just as they were frozen in place, the door to the private room was pushed open.
The sound of rock music flooded in, deafeningly shattering the silence. Jian You snapped back to her senses and released Yun Chu. Suddenly without support, Yun Chu’s legs gave way, and she stumbled sideways.
Jian You caught her by the waist.
The door closed again. Jiang Yu stood in the doorway holding a bucket of popcorn, staring at the scene. She couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong. How had things ended up like this in the short time she’d stepped out to take a call?
A half-eaten cake sat on the table, its cream mixed with strawberries. A chocolate plaque read: Happy Birthday, Jiang Yu!
The exclamation point, along with the scene before her, felt like a slap in the face, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. She pressed her lips together, struggling to find her voice, yet still managed a smile—a skill honed over many years in the world of fame and fortune. “Director Jian, what are you doing here?”
“I came to see Yun Chu about something,” Jian You said.
The arm around Yun Chu’s waist tightened slightly, her palm feeling the girl’s soft, slender curves. Her gaze fell on the table, and she offered a polite remark. “Is it your birthday today, President Jiang? Happy birthday.”
“Thank you. Are you finished with your business?”
“Not yet.”
“Then… should I give you two some privacy again?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Jian You picked up Yun Chu’s purse. “She’s drunk. I’ll take her home, and we can talk things over then.”
Jiang Yu’s expression cooled. “I’ll take her home. There’s no need to trouble you, Director Jian.”
Jian You said unhurriedly, “It’s fine. I’ll take her.”
“Excuse me…” Yun Chu quietly raised a hand. “Don’t I get a say in this?!”
Why were they staging some kind of competition over her without her consent!
Jian You didn’t look at her. “You have to give me my clothes back. Your opinion is not important right now.”
Yun Chu: “…My mistake.”
Jiang Yu: “…”
Yun Chu pressed her palms together, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, birthday girl, next time I’m free, I promise I’ll drink with you all night. But tonight…”
She winked, giving Jiang Yu a look that said, you get it. Don’t blame me for choosing a girl over a friend. I did come with you to see the house singer, didn’t I? Tonight, we hunt separately! To each of us, a bright future! Mwah!
Jiang Yu: “…”
She knew Yun Chu too well; one look at that expression told her everything. Jiang Yu was helpless. She’d never confessed her feelings for fear of scaring Yun Chu off, and now, with Jian You determined to take her away, she stood no chance. Sighing internally, she stepped aside. “Be careful on your way.”
Jian You grunted in acknowledgment.
She asked Yun Chu, “Can you walk?”
Yun Chu could walk. Not wanting to give Jian You the impression that she was a heavy drinker, she managed to get to her feet and follow her out. On her way, she didn’t forget to flash Jiang Yu an “OK” sign and mouth the words, “Thanks.”
Jiang Yu: “…”
So annoying.
The house singer switched to a quiet song, standing by the microphone and singing mournfully, “I am a bird imprisoned by you / I’ve already forgotten how high the sky is / If I were to leave this little castle you gave me…”
Jian You led the way. She clearly wasn’t used to places like this; the raucous music made her unconsciously quicken her pace. Then she remembered Yun Chu was behind her and at risk of getting lost in the crowd. After a moment’s thought, she took Yun Chu’s hand.
Their two soft hands joined, palm to palm. Heartbeats seemed to travel through the pulse points in their wrists, resonating between them.
Yun Chu couldn’t tell whose pulse was whose. The chaotic thrumming in her chest dissipated the moment they stepped outside. The temperature hovered around zero, and the night wind was even colder, sobering her up considerably. A moment later, half her face was muffled by a scarf.
It was Jian You’s scarf, and it carried her scent.
A faint, sweet fragrance.
Jian You then put a face mask on her. Fully disguised, Yun Chu looked like a superstar on a secret date, terrified a paparazzo might be lurking somewhere to take her picture.
With only her eyes showing, Yun Chu looked at Jian You worriedly. “Teacher Jian, you’re way more famous than I am.”
Jian You said, “I’m not afraid of being photographed.”
Yun Chu: “Oh…”
The rain had stopped. The bar street was a sea of neon lights. Couples emerged, wrapped in each other’s arms, kissing in dark corners. The wet sounds were punctuated by intimate gasps.
Yun Chu’s face grew hot at the sight. She tugged on Jian You’s hand. “Teacher Jian, where are we going?”
Jian You asked, “You decide.”
Yun Chu thought for a moment. She wanted to go to Jian You’s house, but showing up drunk again would surely tarnish her image in Wen Yi’s eyes. Plus, if her own grandmother found out she’d been drinking, she might not even be able to climb the wall in the future. After weighing her options, she suggested, “Let’s go to my place?”
Just then, a passerby overheard and let out a suggestive whistle.
Jian You shot the person an annoyed look and pulled Yun Chu along. “Address.”
Yun Chu: “Seasons Cloudtop, Building 21, Apartment 1704.”
Jian You hadn’t been drinking, so she drove her white Audi. As the navigation system’s mechanical voice started up, it dawned on Yun Chu that she and Jian You had progressed to the stage of taking each other home.
And Jian You had been bothered by her flirting with someone else…
Was she jealous?
Was Jian You still stuck in the role the show’s producers had written for her?
Yun Chu’s thoughts were a tangled mess. Suddenly, she remembered something. “Where’s my cat ear clip?”
Jian You: “…I threw it away.”
Yun Chu: “Why would you throw it away?”
Jian You: “I’ll return it to you.”
Yun Chu: “…”
“What? Did that cat ear clip have some special meaning?”
“Not really.” Yun Chu turned to look at Jian You, puzzled. “The bar was giving them away. Didn’t you get one?”
“…” Jian You was silent for a moment. “I didn’t take one.”
“But they were free! And kittens are so cute!”
The cocktails from the bar had a serious kick, and the alcohol was hitting Yun Chu with a delay. Whenever she got drunk, she became much more talkative than usual. Leaning against the car window, she chattered away, rambling about everything from minor incidents on set to her college clubs, feeding Jian You a steady stream of nonsense. It was a rare show of patience from Jian You, who didn’t tell her to shut up once, letting her babble on all the way to her apartment complex.
The security at the complex was tight; Yun Chu had to use facial recognition to get in. It was late, and most of the residents were already asleep. The elevator ascended to the seventeenth floor without a single stop.
She unlocked the door with her fingerprint.
“Let me tell you, Teacher Jian, I was in high demand in my acting classes. The line of students who wanted to be my scene partner could have stretched from the south gate to the north gate… hic. Of course, that’s an exaggeration. Our department only had so many people, after all…”
Jian You pushed the door open, and the entryway light switched on automatically. She glanced around the living room and commented, “You must have been very popular.”
Yun Chu nodded eagerly. “I was, I was.”
As Jian You was looking for a pair of slippers, a light suddenly switched on in one of the rooms. A sleepy female voice called out, “Yun Chu? Are you home?”
Yun Chu: “…”
Jian You slowly turned her head. “Is there someone else in your apartment?”
Yun Chu: “…”
Crap, she’d forgotten about Zhou Zhitao!
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