Chi Shuo’s words caused Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai’s expressions to change instantly. They exchanged another glance, then decided to shut their mouths, no longer questioning Chi Shuo, whose face was calm and composed.
…Could it be that He Lindi had contacted Chi Shuo during her trip, and they had a disagreement, leading to this current situation?
After all, Chi Shuo had asked Zeng Guai if He Lindi would miss them. If nothing had happened between them during the past month, how could things be like this now?
But they didn’t dare ask, didn’t dare say anything. Zeng Guai was filled with unspoken questions.
Chi Shuo guessed their thoughts, but she had nothing more to say. These three words were enough to express her current strained relationship with He Lindi and to create distance. That was good.
Chi Shuo wasn’t angry herself. She had already calmed down, and He Lindi’s lack of response to her long string of WeChat messages was also within her expectations.
Since He Lindi wanted to distance herself and treat her like a stranger, she would cooperate.
After resting enough, Chi Shuo returned to her workstation, opened her browser, and searched for information on Xiang Qingya. They weren’t directly negotiating with Xiang Qingya herself, but with her studio, her manager, for example. But this wouldn’t be easy either.
Chi Shuo read post after post, flipping through pages of insider information, until her head started spinning. She rubbed her temples to ease the discomfort.
This time, the team consisted of five people: two women and three men. The higher-ups had given them a week. If they couldn’t persuade Xiang Qingya to participate in Xinyue’s event within a week, they would give up completely.
There was no need to force it. After all, Xinyue had already secured the participation of a Best Actor and Best Actress. If this newly crowned Best Actress was really that difficult, then so be it.
To gather information on Xiang Qingya, Chi Shuo took out a notebook and pen, taking notes as she read.
Time passed unnoticed until it was time to leave work. Xia Zhou, unusually, didn’t rush off to see her boyfriend today. She and Zeng Guai walked over to Chi Shuo’s side, waiting for her to finish packing.
“Shuo Shuo, what time is your high-speed train tomorrow morning?” Zeng Guai asked with concern as they walked out of the office.
“Nine o’clock.”
Xia Zhou asked, “How long is the ride?”
“Four hours.”
Xia Zhou sighed. “A bit long.” She frowned. “The company is so stingy. Why not just buy plane tickets?”
Chi Shuo smiled faintly. “It’s fine, four hours isn’t that long.”
The three reached the elevators and waited. After a while, an elevator arrived.
As the doors opened, Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai’s expressions faltered, then they smiled at He Lindi standing inside. “Didi.”
“What a coincidence,” He Lindi replied, her tone indifferent.
Chi Shuo acted like she was both mute and blind, saying nothing, as if not even seeing He Lindi, just walking straight in and standing in her usual spot.
Xia Zhou, the most socially adept of the three, took on the task of chatting with He Lindi, while Zeng Guai stood behind with Chi Shuo.
There were other people in the elevator, but Zeng Guai still felt a chill creep up from her feet, making her incredibly nervous.
She thought carefully about the reason and, when the elevator stopped at another floor, finally figured it out—she was worried Chi Shuo and He Lindi would start fighting right there in the elevator.
Judging by the current situation, it wasn’t impossible.
She remained tense until they reached the first floor. Seventy percent of the people in the elevator got off there, the rest heading down to the parking garage.
He Lindi didn’t move. She wasn’t wearing a dress today, but a sweatshirt and jeans. The sweatshirt was a bit loose, making her look slightly thin. The jeans were tight-fitting, perfectly outlining her legs.
Xia Zhou was already standing outside. Zeng Guai exhaled, put on a smile, said goodbye to He Lindi again, and then also stepped out.
Chi Shuo, expressionless, walked past He Lindi as before.
By the time the elevator doors closed, they were already several steps away.
Zeng Guai touched her chest, looking at Xia Zhou. “Did something happen to Didi? Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?”
Xia Zhou, hearing this, frowned slightly and shook her head. “Nothing happened. Yue Ke said his cousin just went on a trip, but what happened during the trip, he’s not sure either.”
Zeng Guai was a bit puzzled. “But isn’t Didi’s quitting time 6 PM? It’s only a little past 5:30, how could we have run into her in the elevator?”
Xia Zhou said, “Maybe she left early.”
Zeng Guai wanted to ask more, but Xia Zhou gave her a look, so she held back her questions and, as usual, turned to Chi Shuo. “Shuo Shuo, what are we eating tonight? You’re going on a business trip for a week, we won’t see you for seven days, I’ll miss you.”
She even tugged Chi Shuo’s wrist as she spoke.
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow. “Want to come over to my place for fish? It’s time to use that all-in-one pot.”
“Yes!”
At 7 AM on Tuesday, Chi Shuo got up, made porridge, washed up, then put on light makeup, had breakfast, and took a taxi to the high-speed rail station with her luggage.
She arrived at the Yuncheng High-Speed Rail Station at 8:20 AM, just in time. But two colleagues were still on their way. She waited for about ten minutes before they arrived.
Collect tickets, enter the station, up the escalator, wait.
It was a Tuesday morning in November, so the Yuncheng High-Speed Rail Station wasn’t crowded. They all had seats.
Xiao Cheng, still the team leader, was holding his stomach. “So hungry.”
Chi Shuo took out a small bread from her backpack and gave it to him. “Why didn’t you have breakfast?”
Xiao Cheng took it and thanked her, tearing open the packaging. “Woke up late, but couldn’t be late for work, otherwise I’d be dead.” He looked at Chi Shuo. “Did you have breakfast?”
Chi Shuo hummed an affirmative “Mm-hmm.” “Of course. I even had porridge.”
“Bought or homemade?”
“Homemade.”
“Then I have to try it sometime.”
“…” Chi Shuo didn’t reply.
Xiao Cheng didn’t say anything more. It was soon time to check their tickets.
Chi Shuo pushed her suitcase, following the team as they lined up.
They quickly boarded the train. Chi Shuo was about to put her suitcase in the overhead compartment when Xiao Cheng reached over, took it from her, and placed it up top, then smiled at her. “Thanks for the bread.”
Meaning this action was a thank you.
Chi Shuo pursed her lips and nodded, sitting down in her seat.
It wasn’t a window seat this time, but it didn’t matter. Chi Shuo sat in the middle, took out her eye mask and headphones, and entered “Do Not Disturb” mode.
The sound of the train wheels against the tracks was loud, the whooshing of air through the windows also making her feel irritated. Chi Shuo frowned under her eye mask. After a while, she opened her phone and played the Great Compassion Mantra.
The music volume wasn’t loud. Chi Shuo could still hear her colleagues chatting beside her.
She wasn’t close to either colleague on her left or right. She pressed her lips together, listening to their gossip, but the content was rather dull, just news about who was dating whom, who broke up with whom—not even as juicy as the gossip Zeng Guai and Xia Zhou knew.
She found it uninteresting and, losing interest, closed her eyes, preparing to sleep.
The next second, Chi Shuo heard them mention He Lindi’s name, but it wasn’t gossip.
“Speaking of which, I heard Xiyu also sent people to Mishi this time.”
“What are they doing there?”
“Probably for photography, or a short livestream with Xiang Qingya.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Seems like the photographer they sent is He Lindi, who hasn’t been around for a while.”
“Huh? Is she back?”
“Yeah, heard she came back yesterday, but I didn’t see her.”
Chi Shuo’s ears twitched, and she turned her head slightly.
The sky in Mishi was darker than in Yuncheng, and the temperature was about five or six degrees lower.
Wang Rui, still her travel companion, walked beside her, looked up at the sky, and said, “Chi Shuo, have you ever seen snow?”
It rarely snowed in Yuncheng, but it wasn’t unheard of. It just seemed like a long time since the last snowfall.
Chi Shuo nodded. “Saw it when I was in school, in Yuncheng, and also in Lucheng where I went to university.”
“It snows in Mishi too. If it doesn’t snow in Yuncheng this year, I’m coming to Mishi to see it.” Wang Rui couldn’t hide her love for snow. “I love snow so much, I must have been a snowman in my past life.”
Chi Shuo couldn’t help but laugh. “Really?”
Wang Rui asked again, “You went to university in Lucheng? Seems like the snow there is really heavy. I’ve never been to Lucheng.”
“Yeah, really heavy. Even bundled up like a dumpling in winter, your teeth still chatter from the cold.”
Wang Rui gossiped a little. “Did you have someone to keep you warm back then?”
Chi Shuo glanced at her, seeing through her intentions. “What? Starting to ask about my love life now?”
Wang Rui nodded frankly. “Yes. Just imagining spending winter with someone is wonderful. I fantasize about my boyfriend wrapping me in his coat, surrounded by falling snow.”
“…” Chi Shuo just smiled. “Sounds romantic.”
Wang Rui opened her mouth, about to ask again if Chi Shuo had someone to keep her warm, when Xiao Cheng called out from ahead, “The car’s almost here, keep up!”
They both responded, “Coming.”
The temperature here was low. It was only November, but it was already below ten degrees Celsius. After arriving at the hotel, they immediately turned on the heater.
Wang Rui even boiled water and poured them each a cup.
They had dressed lightly for the journey and only felt better now with the warm air blowing.
Chi Shuo disliked heat, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid of the cold. She drank some hot water, then took out the sweater and coat she had brought from her suitcase, preparing to wear them when they went out later.
Wang Rui rummaged through her suitcase, realized she hadn’t brought any thick clothes, and said helplessly, “I’ll just wear a few more layers. Sigh, this damn weather.”
Chi Shuo smiled and tossed her a fleece-lined sweatshirt. “Wear this. It’s new, I just washed it a few days ago and haven’t worn it yet. It’s fleece-lined. The reviews all said it’s very warm.”
Wang Rui’s eyes lit up, but she still asked, “Then what will you wear?”
Chi Shuo pointed to the clothes on her bed. “I brought plenty, don’t worry.”
“Okay, thanks, Shuo Shuo.” Wang Rui’s eyes curved, even her way of addressing Chi Shuo had changed.
A four-hour train ride wasn’t without its effects. Xiao Cheng suggested they go out for dinner, but Wang Rui refused. “We’ll just order takeout.”
It wasn’t a problem; they didn’t always have to do everything together.
Chi Shuo didn’t have much of an appetite. After eating a bit of takeout, she wrapped herself in the blanket and fell asleep.
This business trip was longer than the previous ones. They had mentally prepared themselves for the possibility of being rejected by Xiang Qingya’s studio.
That afternoon, they were going to meet with Xiang Qingya’s manager to discuss the situation.
But not everyone had to go. Chi Shuo and Wang Rui didn’t need to go out today. Xiao Cheng and the other three men said they would go first to test the waters. If it didn’t work out, there was no need for them to make the trip. Plus, having too many people might seem crowded, and they heard Xiang Qingya preferred a quiet environment.
When Chi Shuo woke up, it was already 5 PM. She was groggy for a while, confirming her current location before looking at the other bed.
Wang Rui was playing a mobile game, her expression determined. She seemed to sense Chi Shuo looking at her and smiled. “Awake now?”
Chi Shuo nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“Want to go eat later?”
“It’s too cold outside tonight, let’s not stay out too long.”
“Xiao Cheng and the others just called and said Xiang Qingya’s studio wasn’t very receptive… Well, you know.”
Meaning they failed. What a difficult team.
“Did Xiao Cheng say anything about dinner?”
“Yes, 6 PM.” After answering, Wang Rui patted her forehead. “Almost forgot. They ran into people from Xiyu on their way back. Coincidentally, we’re staying at the same hotel. Xiao Cheng said we’ll have dinner together.”
Chi Shuo lowered her eyelashes and responded with an “Oh.” “Okay, got it.”
“Dress warmly.”
The temperature at night wouldn’t be higher than during the day, only lower. Chi Shuo wore a round-neck sweatshirt and the thin coat she had brought, feeling fine in the air-conditioned room, but unsure if she would feel cold outside.
Wang Rui was also ready. She smiled and exclaimed, “Shuo Shuo, where did you buy this sweatshirt? Send me the link! It’s so comfortable.”
“Okay, I’ll send it to you now.” Chi Shuo took out her phone.
They chatted and laughed as they walked, quickly reaching the meeting point downstairs.
Xiao Cheng counted their team members, then said to the Xiyu team leader, “Let’s go.”
The Xiyu team leader was a gentle-looking middle-aged woman. Everyone called her Sister Lin. Chi Shuo knew her and had even added her on WeChat, so they weren’t strangers.
Sister Lin’s voice was also gentle. She said, “Wait a moment, Teacher He hasn’t arrived yet.”
It wasn’t even 6 PM yet, so it wasn’t considered late.
“Okay,” Xiao Cheng replied, then looked at Chi Shuo and Wang Rui. “You two are dressed warmly. We forgot to bring warm clothes and had to buy some at the mall today.”
He tugged at his clothes as he spoke.
A colleague beside him chimed in, “Sigh, having to buy clothes on a business trip. Will the company reimburse us? I’m not very satisfied with this one.”
They all laughed, Chi Shuo also smiling faintly.
Wang Rui shook her head, explaining with a grin. “I didn’t bring any either!” Her voice wasn’t quiet. “I’m wearing Shuo Shuo’s clothes.”
The next second, Chi Shuo heard a cold voice. “Sister Lin, let’s go.”
He Lindi had arrived unnoticed. She was also wearing a coat, standing there as if radiating an aura.
Sister Lin joked, “Teacher He, did you coordinate with Chi Shuo? You’re dressed almost identically.”
He Lindi didn’t even glance at Chi Shuo, her tone unchanged. “We’re not close.”
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Shuo, you really not gonna try? geez