Hearing He Lindi’s name come from Shen Qu, her ex-girlfriend, made Chi Shuo’s eyelids tremble. The feeling was a bit… strange.
Maybe not just a bit, but extremely strange, and peculiar.
But more than anything, it was shocking. Chi Shuo knew Shen Qu and He Lindi knew each other, which was why she had refused Shen Qu’s attempt to “connect” them. She hadn’t expected Shen Qu to figure it out anyway.
One was her ex-girlfriend, the other her new friend. The fact that they were getting together… anyone learning this would probably scream “Holy shit!” internally.
Chi Shuo didn’t know if Shen Qu had that thought, but hearing her say He Lindi’s name definitely caused considerable surprise.
Shen Qu didn’t miss her reaction. She finished speaking and lifted her lips into a smile. “Want to know how I knew?”
Chi Shuo’s right hand held her water glass, her thumb rubbing the rim. She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“I guessed.” Shen Qu’s eyes held a faint smile.
Chi Shuo: ???
Shen Qu exhaled and slowly explained, “Neither of you hid your Moments from me. Although you don’t post often, I saw you liked each other’s posts. It’s not like I couldn’t see that.” She picked up a piece of beef and put it in her bowl. “And you were so resistant to me being near her. Was it really that hard to guess?”
Chi Shuo rubbed her forehead. That was careless. She and He Lindi had indeed interacted on Moments, but it seemed like a long time ago.
“I think it’s good that you can be with her.”
“He Lindi is the friend I’ve liked the most in recent years. She’s a good person, very trustworthy.”
“Much better than me.”
Shen Qu stopped there, lowered her head, and pulled a tissue from the table to press against her face.
Chi Shuo pursed her lips and heard her choked voice again. “As for me…” Shen Qu took a deep breath. “I’ll get over it as soon as possible.”
Chi Shuo naturally thought Shen Qu was talking about her depression and replied, “Okay.”
Soon, the hot pot meal ended. Shen Qu waved her hand, telling Chi Shuo to leave first; she wanted to sit in the shop a bit longer.
Zeng Guai’s personalized autograph was secured, and Chi Shuo had also told Shen Qu that Zeng Guai liked her. The only thing missing was a photo together. Chi Shuo couldn’t bring herself to be in the same frame as Shen Qu, and Shen Qu wasn’t really in the right state of mind herself.
Once Chi Shuo left, Shen Qu couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer, covering her face and sobbing painfully.
Her illness wasn’t just depression, was it? There was also the more significant heartache concerning Chi Shuo.
If she hadn’t chosen to enter the entertainment industry back then to make money, if she hadn’t used that method to break up, if she had been just a little bit more stubborn, perhaps her relationship with Chi Shuo wouldn’t be the stiff, icy state it was now.
It was her own lack of strength and determination back then, her lack of faith in herself and in Chi Shuo walking together, even if the path ahead was filled with obstacles.
It was all her fault.
It was all what she deserved.
It was all her own doing.
She had actually planned before, deciding that after wrapping up this drama, she would go to Chi Shuo and tell her the truth about the breakup. She didn’t expect Chi Shuo to forgive her or get back together, just wanted Chi Shuo to know the story behind it, just wanted their relationship to ease up a little.
Just a little would be enough.
Before meeting Chi Shuo tonight, she had held onto the hope that perhaps Chi Shuo and He Lindi weren’t like that. Only after she deliberately tested the waters and got the answer did she realize she no longer had any chance.
She had lost the person she liked most for three years. For the next three years, and perhaps countless more, she would never get her back.
Shen Qu cried until she couldn’t stop coughing. After composing herself for a long time, she finally reopened Weibo. She had wanted to reply to the comment asking who she was eating hot pot with, but her finger changed direction, and she deleted the post instead.
There was no need to reply. Even though she desperately wanted to tell the world that the girl eating across from her was the person she had liked most since birth, she couldn’t.
The light from her phone reflected on her face. Tears still lingered in her eyes, and the corners were red from crying. Her eyes, usually captivating, now only showed pity and regret.
But Chi Shuo couldn’t see this. She just noticed on the way that Shen Qu’s Weibo post was gone. She was a little surprised, but it seemed normal. Shen Qu’s world really shouldn’t include her figure anymore.
And although she had spoken about deleting Shen Qu in the hot pot restaurant, when it actually came time to press the “delete” button, Chi Shuo hesitated again.
Chi Shuo disliked dragging things out. She liked being decisive, like when she broke up with her senior girlfriend, or with Shen Qu. Even extending back to when she decided to stop liking He Lindi, she had never been indecisive.
The taxi waited at a red light. Chi Shuo gripped her phone, looked out the window, thinking, should she delete now or after getting out of the car?
After a moment, her phone screen lit up. It was a message from Shen Qu: 【It’s my turn to delete you this time, Chi Shuo.】
No “see you later,” no “bye-bye,” just that line.
Chi Shuo’s eyes suddenly reddened. She remembered how many times she had hung up on Shen Qu, not to mention blacklisting her.
Objectively speaking, being friends with Shen Qu would be nice, but it had nothing to do with her.
She was Shen Qu’s hidden-deep-underground ex-girlfriend. That relationship was a secret unknown to anyone in the world besides the two of them.
She could forgive Shen Qu for cheating on her before, she could let go of the past, and she had already done so. As long as Shen Qu didn’t bring it up, she wouldn’t recall it.
But the problem lay with He Lindi. The drama of “my friend’s lover is my ex-girlfriend” was too melodramatic. And if she continued interacting with Shen Qu, it wouldn’t be fair to He Lindi.
Chi Shuo sniffled and heard the driver ask with concern, “Are you cold? Should I turn up the heat?”
“Thank you.”
“No need.”
Chi Shuo didn’t reply to Shen Qu’s message, letting everything stop at that last sentence.
Ten minutes later, after getting out of the car, Chi Shuo’s expression had returned to normal.
She called Zeng Guai first, getting straight to the point: “I won’t be contacting Shen Qu anymore. I’ll give you the personalized autograph the day after tomorrow at work.” She paused. “Don’t ask why.”
Zeng Guai sensed her mood and replied seriously, “Okay, thanks.”
Chi Shuo walked towards her apartment complex. “You’re welcome.” She looked up at the sky. “We’re friends.”
Inside the complex, Chi Shuo didn’t go straight upstairs but went into the small supermarket first.
Yesterday, while watching the movie, she noticed He Lindi’s favorite chips were gone. She didn’t know if they sold them here.
Chi Shuo searched the shelves. The strong smell of hot pot clung to her, making her uncomfortable.
Soon, she found the chips and took several bags upstairs. Just as she opened the door and before she could change her shoes, her phone rang.
She quickly put the items down, checked the caller ID, but disappointingly, it was her mother calling.
Chi Shuo’s lips turned down slightly. She answered while changing her shoes, “Mom.”
“Today is the first day of the twelfth lunar month. Are you coming back for the New Year?”
Chinese New Year was February 5th, exactly one month away.
Chi Shuo pursed her lips, not immediately agreeing. “We’ll see.”
“Are you trying to anger me to death?”
“You didn’t come back last year, and you’re not coming back this year either?! You’ve grown up, gotten wild, forgotten who your mother is, where your home is. Who raised you…”
“Mom!” Chi Shuo interrupted her, her voice rising slightly. “If you want me to come back for New Year’s, just say so.”
Chi Shuo sat down on the sofa. “Can you stop saying such hurtful things?” Her voice lowered again. “I’m your daughter, remember?”
She repeated, “Remember?”
Her mother didn’t reply; she had hung up.
Chi Shuo muted her phone, tossed it aside, the corners of her lips lifting into a smile, but it looked like nothing but bitterness.
She hadn’t even gotten together with He Lindi yet, and she already felt the path ahead was fraught with difficulties. Not just He Lindi’s family, but her own side was also a huge problem.
But the most important thing right now wasn’t dwelling on these things, but the fact that He Lindi hadn’t replied to her message yet.
Thinking of this, Chi Shuo’s brow furrowed. She picked up the phone she had tossed aside again, intending to check her chat dialogue with He Lindi. But unexpectedly, several missed calls lay on her phone, all from He Lindi.
Chi Shuo immediately sat up straight and called back.
After just one ring, He Lindi answered. Her opening wasn’t Chi Shuo’s name or a “Hello,” but: “I’m here.”
Chi Shuo lowered her head, raised her hand to touch her own face. She felt the upward curve of her lips. Her voice was a little hoarse as she replied, “Me too.”
“I want fried eggs.”
“Where are you?”
“Be at your complex entrance shortly.”
“I’ll come pick you up.”
Five minutes later, Chi Shuo was waiting at the complex entrance when He Lindi arrived in a sedan.
The driver was Uncle Jiu. He got out too, but just said goodbye to them before getting back in the car and leaving.
Chi Shuo had thought he might have something to say, but he left so quickly it caught her off guard.
He Lindi hadn’t carried anything when she left yesterday, and she returned empty-handed now.
The cold wind was biting. He Lindi wasn’t wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Today it was just a coat and a round-neck sweater, not even a scarf. Chi Shuo’s nose tingled watching her. Before He Lindi reached her, she asked, “Why aren’t you wearing a scarf?”
“Left in a hurry.”
“Forgot it at home.”
He Lindi finished speaking and stood before Chi Shuo. She tightened her clothes and smiled. “What’s wrong? Not even smiling when you see me?”
Chi Shuo looked into her eyes, didn’t smile, then lowered her gaze to He Lindi’s knees. “Are they hurting?”
“Not hurting.”
Chi Shuo wanted to say something comforting about He Lindi, but heard He Lindi speak first. “You’re mistaken. Just a relative suddenly fell seriously ill yesterday. My dad called me over to see them one last time.”
Chi Shuo’s eyes widened slightly. “And now?”
“But they didn’t pass away, so I came back.” He Lindi explained, “The atmosphere there was too somber. Couldn’t play on my phone after going in. Just now, on the way back, Uncle Jiu gave me my phone.”
Chi Shuo breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good then.”
He Lindi’s eyes curved. “Chi Shuo, aren’t you cold?”
Chi Shuo had also rushed out. Her neck was bare. The cold wind blowing on it made her very alert.
“Cold.”
“Then why aren’t we going inside?” He Lindi finished speaking, grabbed Chi Shuo’s hand, and the two walked inside. “I’m hungry.”
Chi Shuo looked at their joined hands, a joyful expression finally appearing on her face.
Chi Shuo hadn’t turned off the air conditioning when she left. Returning to the living room, her whole body warmed up slightly.
He Lindi sat down on the sofa, looking somewhat tired. And under the light, it was clear she had dark circles under her eyes; she clearly hadn’t rested well.
Chi Shuo felt sorry for her. After pouring her a glass of water, she sat down beside her and asked, “Should we order takeout? It’s too late to cook now.”
He Lindi considered for two seconds and nodded. “Okay.” She wrinkled her nose. “You smell like hot pot.”
“Mm, just got back from eating hot pot.”
“I want hot pot too.” He Lindi leaned against the sofa, looked at Chi Shuo, the corners of her lips lifting. “How about we eat hot pot now? The kind where you watch me eat.”
“You might as well kill me.”
After she finished speaking, she saw He Lindi open her arms in front of her. “I want a hug.”
Chi Shuo coughed at her sudden words. He Lindi continued, “Didn’t get enough hugs last night.”
Chi Shuo sniffed her hair. “But I still smell like hot pot. I’ll go take a shower.”
She actually stood up as she spoke, but He Lindi quickly grabbed her. “My cold is completely gone.”
Chi Shuo held her sleeve up to He Lindi’s nose. “Are you sure you can stand this smell?”
He Lindi pushed her hand away. “Go take your shower. I’ll order takeout.”
Chi Shuo indeed went to the bathroom to shower. He Lindi stayed in the living room ordering takeout.
About twenty minutes later, He Lindi received a message from Shen Qu: 【Didi Mei Mei, perhaps we should say goodbye.】
He Lindi’s heart tightened. She thought of various news reports about depressed patients committing suicide: 【Why say goodbye?】
Shen Qu replied quickly: 【Not feeling like contacting anyone before I get better.】
He Lindi pursed her lips here. After hesitating for ten seconds, she called Shen Qu.
It seemed harder to make friends after graduation, and Shen Qu was one of the few new friends she had.
He Lindi hadn’t even spoken when she heard Shen Qu’s voice, laced with laughter: “Thank you for listening to me say those things.”
He Lindi moved her lips: “About that night of the New Year’s countdown?”
“Yes.” Shen Qu chuckled again. “She already has someone new she likes. I won’t bother her anymore. I thought about going back to find her, but the premise was… she was still single.”
He Lindi felt a bit sorry: “Does… she know about these things?”
“She doesn’t know.”
“I hope she never knows.”
He Lindi walked to the window, pulled open a small gap, letting the wind blow on her face. She offered sincere blessings: “Hope you can meet someone you like even more next.”
Shen Qu: “I hope so too.”
These four words seemed incredibly heavy to Shen Qu. He Lindi heard her suppressed yet still escaping sobs and sighed inwardly.
“He Lindi.”
“Is your takeout here yet?”
Just then, Chi Shuo emerged from the bathroom, wiping her hair. He Lindi turned and shook her head at her: “Not yet, probably another five or six minutes.”
She finished speaking and looked down. Shen Qu had hung up at some point. The phone screen had darkened again.
Chi Shuo saw the open window gap, stopped wiping her hair, and walked over: “Your cold isn’t completely gone yet, why are you standing in the wind again? What if you catch another…”
“…what should I do?” The last two words Chi Shuo spoke were very soft.
He Lindi had already reached out, wrapped her arms around her neck, and rested her chin on Chi Shuo’s shoulder.
Chi Shuo wore pajamas. Her hair wasn’t dry yet, some water still dripping down the strands. She had just showered, her body temperature slightly high. He Lindi hugging her like this made her temperature rise several degrees again.
Chi Shuo swallowed hard with difficulty and asked with concern, “Has something happened?”
She sensed He Lindi’s mood was different; she had been lively before showering, but now seemed somewhat quiet.
This hug felt like seeking comfort.
“Shen Qu…” He Lindi stood up straight again. “I don’t know when I’ll see her again.”
Chi Shuo pursed her lips: “Our company’s event in a few days, she’ll attend.”
This might be Shen Qu’s last public event.
Because He Lindi hadn’t rested well all day, and Chi Shuo was also somewhat tired, they went to bed earlier.
Sunday arrived quickly. Yuncheng rarely saw snow. Waking up to see snowflakes drifting outside, Chi Shuo was somewhat incredulous.
He Lindi came out of the guest room, her face full of surprise: “Perfect day for photos!”
Chi Shuo: ???
Chi Shuo gave a thumbs-up: “Impressive, He Lindi.”
On such a day, Chi Shuo just wanted to lie in bed. He Lindi, however, maintained her photographer’s dignity. Rare snowfall in Yuncheng, she dragged Chi Shuo downstairs for photos.
Chi Shuo chose a few photos and posted them on Moments, visible only to He Lindi, Han Yu, Xia Zhou, and Zeng Guai.
Chi Shuo disliked posting photos of herself; this was purely to show off.
Han Yu saw the post and immediately commented: 【Having a photographer girlfriend is truly wonderful!!!】
Han Yu’s girlfriend had a cool profession—tattoo artist. Han Yu had complained to Chi Shuo a couple of days ago that her girlfriend’s hand was very steady when tattooing others, but trembled and blurred photos when taking pictures.
Anyway, Han Yu hadn’t added the other three. Even if she replied, they wouldn’t see: 【Not my girlfriend yet.】
Han Yu: 【？？？】
Less than two seconds later, Han Yu called: “Shuoshuo! Not together yet! Then what are you showing off!”
Chi Shuo glanced towards the bathroom door—He Lindi was showering inside. She said, “I don’t know why either. We’re getting along very naturally, haven’t even said ‘I like you’ yet.”
Chi Shuo finished speaking and felt her voice might have been a bit loud. She stood up and went into her bedroom, closing the door.
“This won’t do.” Han Yu sounded anxious. Ever since knowing Chi Shuo liked He Lindi again, she hadn’t spoken ill of He Lindi anymore. “Why don’t you take the initiative?”
Chi Shuo stood before the bookshelf. Just as she was about to reply, she saw the notebook about pursuing He Lindi she had written in high school.
Chi Shuo: “…”
Han Yu: “Hello? Hello?”
Chi Shuo quickly wedged the notebook between two large books, making it less conspicuous.
She exhaled and replied, “No, just hid something.”
Han Yu’s brain spun quickly this time: “About He Lindi?” She remembered. “I recall you wrote some notebook before, all related to He Lindi. Looking back now, it’s like a fangirl.”
“…” Chi Shuo refused to answer.
Han Yu grew worried again: “Do you need a venue? You can use my KTV.” She said, “Don’t just ‘think’ you’re together. Lest when you have a ‘doubtful breakup,’ the other person says ‘we were never together’.”
Chi Shuo sighed lightly: “We’ll see. Busy with work lately, let’s talk after this period.”
Work was indeed busy. Monday morning, after the meeting, Chi Shuo was swamped, barely distinguishing north, south, east, or west.
Because Xinyue Company’s event was this Saturday. As the date approached, everyone grew increasingly nervous. This event was very large-scale for their company, so no mistakes could be tolerated.
He Lindi was also busy because Boss Lin had invited her to take photos again. And someone rumored He Lindi might owe Boss Lin money, because He Lindi didn’t charge a single cent, just agreed.
A photographer of her status had a high appearance fee. Not charging anything meant Xinyue basically got a huge bargain.
Chi Shuo didn’t ask the specific reason. And the two had a tacit understanding—eat lunch and dinner together, then go back to their respective homes.
Chi Shuo’s photography lessons had ended. And she was barely put to use by Boss Lin. She followed He Lindi to the rehearsal for three consecutive days.
January 12th, Saturday, 5 PM, Xinyue Company’s event officially began.
Many media outlets and live streaming platforms were already in place on the red carpet. Chi Shuo and He Lindi stayed backstage; they needed to shoot photos after the artists went on stage.
In a corner, He Lindi was messaging Xiang Qingya, who was complaining about wearing a dress in such cold weather.
He Lindi even shared these things with Chi Shuo, then laughed together with her.
After laughing, He Lindi raised her phone, opened the selfie mode, and said to Chi Shuo, “Take a picture, I’ll post on Weibo.”
“Can you put a sticker over my face when you post?”
“Okay.”
Two minutes later, Chi Shuo saw He Lindi’s latest Weibo post: 【Introducing everyone, my only apprentice.】
Chi Shuo frowned slightly, feeling the title “apprentice” really wasn’t as nice as “girlfriend.”
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