The first kiss of the New Year.
Just this phrase evokes a sense of special beauty.
Li Chu slept soundly, nestled in Ning Manqing’s arms, gradually awakening to gentle touches.
The darkness obscured their faces.
The gauzy curtains diffused the moonlight, giving it an opaque, fibrous quality. It was no longer quiet or desolate, but filled with a hazy, almost tangible affection.
The rustling of Ning Manqing’s clothes against the bedding was amplified in the night, mingling with the winter’s chill, weaving a unique rhythm.
A thud echoed as Ning Manqing’s coat slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.
Neither of them minded.
“Cold,” Li Chu murmured, her voice thick with sleep and a slight nasal congestion from the cold. She instinctively moved closer to the source of warmth.
The air conditioner had shut off at 1:30 AM. Li Chu wasn’t one to leave it running all night. It wasn’t a matter of preference, just habit. Her mother had always said that leaving the air conditioner on all night wasn’t good for one’s health, whether it was blowing hot or cold air. So, Li Chu had developed the habit of setting a timer, a habit that persisted even after transmigrating.
The air conditioner was silent; everything was quiet.
“Just came back from outside. It is a bit cold,” Ning Manqing said softly, her captivating fox-like eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Instead of rubbing her hands together for warmth, she naturally leaned closer to Li Chu.
“Then warm me up,” Li Chu shivered, pouting with a mixture of discomfort and displeasure. She realized that Ning Manqing wasn’t being particularly considerate, actually letting her be cold.
So, she offered only a fraction of her warmth, burrowing deeper into the fluffy blanket.
Even at 2:00 AM, the sound of firecrackers could be heard from outside the complex. Perhaps not actual firecrackers, since this was a no-fireworks zone. Li Chu drowsily thought it might be balloons popping or some other substitute, as it was a Chinese tradition to have some noise during the New Year. It felt incomplete without it.
There were sounds inside the apartment too, the gentle trickle of water, subtly blending into the quiet yet festive atmosphere.
The sounds outside quickly faded, probably just one family celebrating. Most people were likely asleep, so they couldn’t make too much noise for fear of complaints.
In that quietness, Li Chu sensed the feeling of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.
Indeed, the old year had ended with a bang, and the new one had begun auspiciously, as if foreshadowing a smooth year ahead.
Li Chu was amused by her own thoughts. Her chest vibrated with laughter, earning her a disapproving poke from Ning Manqing.
“It seems I’ve made a mistake, letting your mind wander.” The scent of her cold, sharp pheromones seemed to intensify the winter chill.
Li Chu could only snuggle closer, as if seeking refuge in a warm world.
Wiping the beads of sweat from Ning Manqing’s back, Li Chu said languidly, “Looks like tomorrow you’ll not only have to wash the sofa for me, but also change the sheets and bedding.”
Of course, she was just joking. They had housekeeping for that, or they could just toss everything in the washing machine, hiding it like a secret.
“Of course,” Ning Manqing replied with a smile, clasping Li Chu’s hand. “Are you still cold?”
“Hot.” The temperature had reversed. Li Chu frowned, like a peach that had lost its moisture.
It was true. The sheets and bedding felt as if they had been washed, though that was an exaggeration, at least for the bedding. As for the sheets, they probably had a story to tell with the sofa, a story about the New Year.
It had been a particularly fulfilling New Year.
The next day, Li Chu woke up to find a thick blanket of snow outside. It must have started falling in the latter half of the night. If it had been before 2:00 AM, Ning Manqing would have told her.
Someone was clearing the snow in the complex, and a few footprints marked the grassy areas.
Li Chu, watching from upstairs, also wanted to make footprints, but it was just a thought. It was too cold outside; she didn’t want to go anywhere.
Wrapped in a thick, fluffy pajama set, she sat cross-legged in the living room, watching a movie on a clean spot on the sofa.
Ning Manqing had left early that morning, saying something about washing the sofa. Lies, all lies.
But Li Chu was only teasing. She knew Ning Manqing would be busy today. After all, New Year’s Day was a day for visiting family and friends, and someone from Ning Manqing’s background would have many obligations.
Li Chu didn’t forget to transfer some money to the original Li Chu’s mother as a New Year’s gift. It wasn’t a large sum, just 50,000 more than what the original Li Chu usually sent.
Even so, her mother sounded bewildered on the phone, asking why she had sent so much this year.
Li Chu explained that she had earned some money from filming a TV series and commercials last year, and told her mother to use it to help her brother pay off his debts, but not to reveal anything about her.
Li Chu’s stage name was the same as her real name, but the original Li Chu’s wasn’t. However, after entering the entertainment industry, she had legally changed her name, making her own decisions without interference from others.
Li Chu wasn’t worried that her face would be recognized by her brother’s creditors. Although she didn’t have a picture of the original Li Chu, she had a feeling they looked different.
“Oh, okay, Nizi, I won’t say anything. Take care of yourself.”
Li Chu agreed. There was a moment of silence on the other end before the call ended.
Li Chu continued watching the movie, studying the veteran actors’ performances, and then started practicing her lines.
On the third day of the New Year, Tang Congnan packed Li Chu off to the set.
That day, Ning Manqing was also leaving for abroad. Due to timing, they didn’t have a chance to say goodbye in person.
But it didn’t seem to matter much. After all, it wasn’t as if they would never see each other again.
Qian Duoduo stamped her feet against the cold as she handed Li Chu a cup of ginger tea.
Li Chu took a sip of the hot drink in the studio and explained the role she was about to play to her curious assistant.
This was the urban light comedy that the investor had approached her about earlier. It centered around supernatural beings, with the two main characters working to maintain stability between the human and supernatural worlds. Li Chu was playing the lead in the first story arc, a supernatural being named Zhen.
More accurately, Zhen was a human with supernatural blood. This type of being had the ability to manipulate time with their mind. With a strong enough will, they could change the past.
But the past wasn’t so easily changed. Unforeseen forces would always correct the outcome.
The character Li Chu was playing died on her way to meet her beloved.
After her death, her powers were activated. Her desire to keep that appointment was so strong that she would send warnings to her past self from the future, trying to avoid the risks and change her fate.
Like a Möbius strip constantly shifting its curves, maintaining a relatively static outcome through unconventional cyclical movements.
She first received a phone call, hearing her own voice warning her not to cross a certain intersection. She successfully avoided the car accident that would have taken her life, only to be killed by a falling flowerpot.
So, she called again, telling herself not to step forward immediately upon hearing an argument. She avoided being crushed, but then encountered someone randomly attacking people with a knife on the street.
It was like constantly saving and reloading in a game. Each time, she met her predetermined death, just in different ways. But through these repeated deaths, she was also getting closer and closer to her final destination.
However, before reaching her goal, she encountered the protagonists. Her constant manipulation of time caused significant energy fluctuations, threatening to create unstable parallel dimensions that could engulf innocent bystanders. So, the protagonists stepped in to stop her.
She used her time control abilities to send the protagonists into a parallel dimension. Li Chu didn’t know what happened after that; that was the protagonists’ story.
In short, after the protagonists returned, Zhen was subdued. Before being imprisoned, she asked the protagonists for one last favor: to take her soul to that appointment.
Qian Duoduo couldn’t help but ask, “And then? It sounds so tragic. This character is either dying or on the way to dying. Did the person she was waiting for wait for her for a long time?”
“No, that person never showed up. She never actually agreed to the meeting, so she didn’t even know there was someone, or rather, a supernatural being, who died for her again and again.”
Unrequited love was just that tragic, like many unfulfilled crushes.
Li Chu thought, thankfully, she and Teacher Ning were straightforward. Although their relationship was undefined, at least it was real.
“Damn,” Qian Duoduo muttered, expressing her frustration.
“Sis, who’s playing the person she was waiting for?” Qian Duoduo hadn’t seen anyone come to rehearse lines with Li Chu. The set was busy, but their area was relatively quiet.
“No one, it seems. The director told me I only need to film my part. That person only appears in flashbacks. The director doesn’t want to show their face, saying it allows the audience to project their own unrequited love onto the character, making it more relatable.”
“Who wants to relate to such a tragic character!” Qian Duoduo twitched the corner of her mouth, feeling the winter chill even more keenly after hearing the plot.
Li Chu applauded the character’s persistence, but her initial motivation for taking the role was the opportunity to experience various ways of dying in a single drama. What a deal!
After editing, Li Chu’s scenes in this drama amounted to a little over one episode. She finished filming in less than a week and left the set with her luggage, ready to dive into another production.
This next drama was being produced by her company to promote a certain actress. Li Chu was originally offered the role of a delicate junior sister, but she didn’t want to play a naive character, so she asked for the smaller role of an elder martial aunt.
Tang Congnan was furious in his office, his heart aching.
My child is rebellious, breaking my heart.
“What’s wrong with playing the junior sister? This drama has a strong IP and cast, it’s guaranteed to be a hit. That character is likable and has a romantic arc. You chose to play a minor character? Are you trying to kill me?”
“Mom, calm down.” Li Chu poured Tang Congnan a cup of hot water and patted his back.
The problem was the romantic arc, but Li Chu couldn’t say that directly. So, she said, “I want to play roles that contrast with my image, to challenge myself.”
“Challenge my ass!” Tang Congnan slammed his hand on the desk, wishing he could slam Li Chu’s head instead.
He finished the water in his cup, then, after a moment, threw the empty cup on the floor.
“Who’s your mom?! Get out!”
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