“Buying flowers for yourself?” Chi Shuo asked first.
He Lindi nodded. “Yeah.” She glanced at the roses lying beside her, her lips curling. “I wanted to give one to each of my colleagues as a gift.”
Chi Shuo said “Oh,” giving a thumbs-up. “Can I have one then? Just one, not the whole bouquet.”
“I’ll give you two,” He Lindi said, pulling out two stalks for her.
Chi Shuo was puzzled. “Why?”
“You’re still my apprentice.”
“My only apprentice.”
Chi Shuo’s ears burned noticeably as she took them. Fortunately, her hair hid them. She said, “Thanks.”
Chi Shuo had received roses before. In university, a male classmate had sent her roses every day for a while.
Well, Chi Shuo hadn’t accepted them at all; she had refused every time.
Because back then, she was still in her underground relationship with Shen Qu. Although no one knew, not accepting roses from others was her bottom line and principle.
It was just… Shen Qu had never sent her flowers.
Chi Shuo took the flowers He Lindi gave her home. On the way, she bought a vase and carefully arranged the two stalks inside. Then, she took a picture with her camera.
She posted it on her side Weibo account.
After posting, she didn’t immediately exit Weibo but clicked on the trending topics. That’s when she saw a rapidly rising topic: #Shen Qu Studio Statement#. Chi Shuo frowned and clicked on it.
Sure enough, someone had posted the truth behind the trending topic.
Someone revealed that Shen Qu had been harassed by a crew member during a break while filming her new drama. Chenyue Film and Television sent people to handle it, but the staff member was extremely uncooperative and refused to apologize. After Shen Qu took two days to compose herself and returned to the set, the already-fired staff member found an opportunity to reappear and locked Shen Qu in the dressing room.
This incident had happened several days ago, but it only trended today, indicating the outcome wasn’t ideal.
Shen Qu’s studio statement was also pinned at the top, stating they would pursue all legal actions against the staff member.
Chi Shuo’s heart grew heavy. She clicked on Shen Qu’s Weibo.
Shen Qu’s latest post was promoting a friend’s ongoing drama. She hadn’t said a word about being harassed twice. Many passersby and fans expressed their heartache in the comments, while some anti-fans commented that it was just hype.
Seeing those anti-fan comments, Chi Shuo almost couldn’t resist the urge to curse them out.
She pressed her lips together tightly. Before exiting, she refreshed Shen Qu’s homepage again. Coincidentally, Shen Qu had just posted in that short time.
Shen Qu V: All is well.
Chi Shuo let out a sigh. Looking at the increasing number of comments, she pressed back.
Chi Shuo recalled the moment she felt most moved by Shen Qu. It was during PE class in their freshman year of university.
While running, Shen Qu accidentally took a harsh fall. Her knee was bleeding, mixed with small pebbles from the track, dense and gruesome.
Sweat beaded on Shen Qu’s forehead, her lips pale. Despite the obvious pain, she still comforted her concerned friends and classmates, forcing a bright smile.
A particularly stubborn person, and particularly heart-wrenching. Chi Shuo had thought back countless times to Shen Qu’s eyes then, and even now, she still felt a pang of pity for Shen Qu.
Now…
Shen Qu hadn’t changed at all. She had depression, she had been harassed twice by the same person, yet she hadn’t said anything to the public, just telling everyone who cared that she was fine, that nothing was wrong.
But how could nothing be wrong?
Running to tell her she had been harassed, and also telling her she really did have depression—this represented Shen Qu’s truest inner thoughts. She actually felt wronged and sad, but she could only tell Chi Shuo.
Shen Qu trusted Chi Shuo, just like she trusted Chi Shuo would definitely not expose her past cheating.
Chi Shuo lowered her eyelids, opened WeChat, hesitated for a moment, then sent a message to Shen Qu: 【When does filming wrap up?】
Shen Qu replied quickly: 【Scheduled to wrap on the 5th.】
So, about ten more days.
Chi Shuo relaxed slightly: 【Come find me for hot pot.】
【Mm.】
Across the screen, Chi Shuo could almost imagine Shen Qu hugging her knees, eyes closed silently—Shen Qu’s favorite posture.
The internet was abuzz about Shen Qu’s situation. The next day, Christmas arrived.
From the moment she woke up, Chi Shuo kept an eye on Han Yu’s updates. Han Yu had a date with the bar girl today. Starting at 10 AM, they would eat together, watch a movie together, and then go sing at Han Yu’s meticulously decorated KTV room.
Of course, for Han Yu, it wasn’t singing, but confessing.
Han Yu’s replies were intermittent. Chi Shuo could sense her nervousness but couldn’t help wanting to laugh. Even during work, the corners of her lips remained curved.
In the afternoon, Chi Shuo was back at Xiyu. She needed to follow He Lindi to shoot an event later.
He Lindi was packing her things nearby. She glanced at Chi Shuo, who was grinning foolishly at her phone, hesitated for a moment, then casually brought it up: “So happy today?”
Chi Shuo didn’t look away from her phone. Her fingertips tapped on the screen as she replied to He Lindi, “Yes.” She said, “Happy for a friend of mine.”
He Lindi slung her DSLR over her shoulder and asked again, “What happened to her?”
“Probably about to get out of singledom,” Chi Shuo replied, putting away her phone, her eyes curving as she looked at He Lindi.
He Lindi relaxed. “That’s good. Confessing today is very suitable.”
Chi Shuo didn’t continue this topic. She stood up too. “Are we leaving now?”
“Mm, Uncle Jiu is already waiting in the parking lot.”
In the elevator, Chi Shuo received another message from Han Yu. Han Yu said they were heading to the movies now, and she was so nervous.
Chi Shuo couldn’t help laughing again, typing back: 【Go for it! Xiao Yu!】
He Lindi glanced at her and initiated a topic first: “I saw that Weibo post.”
Chi Shuo hadn’t reacted yet. “Which one?”
“……”
Chi Shuo slapped her forehead. “Right.” She said, “You don’t follow my Weibo, how did you see it?”
He Lindi pressed her lips together, turned her head slightly, and replied somewhat awkwardly, “You’re my only frequently visited.”
Yesterday it was “only apprentice,” today it was “only frequently visited.” Chi Shuo tried desperately to suppress the corners of her lips, which wanted to curve wildly upwards.
Happiness couldn’t be shown too obviously.
Chi Shuo said “Oh,” pretending to be calm. She said, “You’re also my only one.” She paused. “Only special follow.”
He Lindi let out a soft laugh, then turned back to look at Chi Shuo’s profile and said, “What are we doing? A title battle?”
“I think so too.”
Awkwardness descended instantly, enveloping the two.
Neither knew what the other was thinking. Chi Shuo’s heartbeat started to amplify again. Only after He Lindi walked ahead out of the elevator did Chi Shuo let out a deep breath.
Chi Shuo watched He Lindi’s back, cursing inwardly: Damn it, He Lindi, can you not casually throw around words like ‘only’!
Her heart was pounding erratically now.
The place He Lindi was taking her today was a platform event. It was Christmas, and many brands wouldn’t miss this opportunity, having started promotions long ago. This was also part of He Lindi’s usual work—photographing celebrities.
The celebrity today was Qi Ran, a top-tier young actress. She was attending a light luxury brand event. The brand mainly sold bags. She wasn’t the spokesperson, but the title “Brand Ambassador” had been hyped up by her fans for a long time.
The location was a large shopping mall in Yuncheng’s city center. When Chi Shuo arrived, she saw the crowd and couldn’t help remarking, “Such high popularity.”
She had been responsible for Song Qin’s fan meeting before, but the spots were limited then. Now, the event was in a mall; even regular shoppers could potentially watch. Chi Shuo looked up and saw the safety railings on the upper floors packed with people.
Qi Ran hadn’t arrived yet, but everyone had already taken out their phones. Some even brought binoculars.
Chi Shuo: …
Many security guards were present this time, maintaining order in the central area. Some fans held banners and light boards, also waiting for Qi Ran’s appearance.
Chi Shuo looked at He Lindi and asked, “Teacher He, how are we supposed to shoot?”
They hadn’t fully entered yet, still waiting by the entrance.
He Lindi checked her phone and replied, “Someone will come get us later.”
Sure enough, less than a minute later, a girl wearing a baseball cap walked up to them and said, “I’m Xiao Ran’s assistant. Please follow me.”
The assistant led them to the very front position. Security guards formed a line, with them inside and fans and onlookers outside.
However, they weren’t the only photographers. Several others were already there, some setting up tripods, others testing angles.
Chi Shuo suddenly felt nervous. They were essentially standing in the center of the entire venue, surrounded by eyes from all directions. Chi Shuo swallowed, leaned slightly towards He Lindi, and said, “Teacher He, were you nervous the first time you attended this kind of event?” She licked her lips. “I’ve always been behind the scenes. Now, suddenly pushed to the front, I…”
He Lindi replied, “Nervous.” She comforted Chi Shuo, “It’s okay. When you start taking pictures later, focus your attention on the stage, and you’ll be back behind the scenes again.”
Chi Shuo exhaled. “What if I’m still nervous?”
He Lindi blinked, then slowly raised her hand and pulled down the collar of Chi Shuo’s turtleneck sweater slightly. “Will this make it feel like breathing isn’t so difficult?”
After speaking, she extended her hand a bit further, pretending to inadvertently touch the skin on Chi Shuo’s neck.
He Lindi’s hand was somewhat cold, while Chi Shuo’s neck was warmer. This icy-hot contact made Chi Shuo shiver involuntarily again.
She pulled the sweater back up. With the collar covering her, Chi Shuo unconsciously rolled her throat, steadied her voice, and said, “I’ll try it later.”
He Lindi lowered her hand, slowly rubbing her fingertips together inside her sleeve. She subtly turned her head, seemingly looking at people elsewhere. In reality, only she knew… she just didn’t want Chi Shuo to see her smile.
The surroundings were noisy. After waiting another ten minutes or so, Qi Ran appeared in the corridor.
“Ahhh! Ran Ran!”
“Qi Ran! Qi Ran!”
“Mama loves you!!”
The moment she appeared, the fans behind Chi Shuo erupted in excited screams. Chi Shuo turned to look, finding the fans’ expressions even more excited than their voices. For a moment, she didn’t know how to react.
She leaned towards He Lindi again and said, “Teacher He, do you know what ‘mama fan’ means?” She thought for a moment, then added, “Or, are you someone’s mama fan?”
He Lindi didn’t turn her head. Her lens was aimed at Qi Ran, who was walking towards the stage. She replied multitaskingly, “I know, but I’m not anyone’s mama fan.”
Chi Shuo said “Oh.” Seeing her serious work attitude, she stopped slacking off and raised her own camera, starting to shoot along.
Although the mall had air conditioning, it was winter. Wearing too much would feel hot. Yet Qi Ran, attending the event today, wore only an off-the-shoulder dress.
While taking pictures, Chi Shuo couldn’t help lamenting the hardships of being a star, especially female stars, who seemed destined to wear dresses regardless of the season.
This event lasted about half an hour. Fortunately, it was just brand introductions and such on the stage. Some events required going into the store for viewing, making photographers follow along, which was truly tiring.
Offstage, Qi Ran put on the down jacket her assistant brought, and left the venue under the protection of security guards.
Chi Shuo sighed in relief. Her whole body felt a bit sore from standing for so long.
People dispersed, and the organizers began clearing the site. They wouldn’t stay long either and soon arrived at the underground parking lot and got into the car.
But what puzzled Chi Shuo slightly was that Uncle Jiu wasn’t in the driver’s seat.
Chi Shuo looked at He Lindi, who had already taken out her car keys, and asked, “Where’s Uncle Jiu?”
“He had something urgent come up at home, went back first.”
Chi Shuo consciously took the car keys, opened the door, and got into the driver’s seat.
The mall’s temperature was indeed a bit high for Chi Shuo. She was dressed thickly and now felt drenched in sweat.
Before fastening her seatbelt, Chi Shuo asked, “Teacher He, are you hot?”
He Lindi leaned her head against the seat. In the dim space, Chi Shuo saw her nod slightly. “A little.”
She had already transferred today’s photos to the company on the way, so she wasn’t in a rush to go back and edit them now.
Chi Shuo pressed her lips together and suggested, “Then let’s open the car windows. Let the wind blow in later, will it cool things down a bit?”
He Lindi didn’t answer that question, instead asking her, “Are your hands cold?”
Chi Shuo hadn’t spoken yet when He Lindi grabbed her wrist, slowly pulled it over, and placed it on her own neck.
“Like this.”
“It’ll cool down faster.”
Check out the new novel I’ll be translating: Rose of the Abyss. It’s a unique take on post-apocalyptic survival with a somewhat niche presentation. Though voting participation was limited, I was surprised to see it generate the highest interest among all novels. I hope you enjoy it!
If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.
