Xia Zhou wasn’t angry with her; she mostly expressed worry and support. Thinking about this, Chi Shuo felt very fortunate regarding friendships over the years.
In high school, she had Han Yu, who was both a love rival and a good friend. University… well, university could be ignored. Besides Shen Qu, she hadn’t made any particularly close friends. Her relationship with Zhuang Changchang was better than with other ordinary classmates, but it wasn’t quite at the “best friend” level. It wasn’t that Chi Shuo didn’t want to make friends; she mainly didn’t have the time. Before, she was always busy with part-time jobs and felt socializing was a waste of time. So, she graduated, and later, working at Xinyue, she met Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai.
Many people said it was hard to make close friends after starting work. Reading so many people online agreeing with this made Chi Shuo unconsciously smile.
But in terms of love, things seemed a bit more bumpy. Thinking about this, the corners of Chi Shuo’s mouth turned down slightly.
She understood what Xia Zhou meant by “hitting rock bottom and bouncing back.” It simply meant she shouldn’t be so passive anymore; she had to learn to fight back. Currently, it seemed the most powerful counterattack was to “get back together” with He Lindi, to anger and annoy the He family.
However, the risks of doing so were rather high. After all, He Lindi was a “He.” If she were forced to choose later, Chi Shuo didn’t know what the outcome would be. Besides, other situations would surely arise, but they were all “unknowns”; it was impossible to know the answers in advance.
After agonizing over it for three days, Chi Shuo made her decision.
As soon as work ended that afternoon, she didn’t go downstairs with Zeng Guai and Xia Zhou. Instead, she slowly went upstairs to Xiyu’s reception desk.
The receptionist was very surprised to see her. “Shuo Shuo, it’s been ages since I’ve seen you!”
Chi Shuo returned a smile. “It has been a while.”
Not just the past month; she hadn’t been up here much before that either.
Chi Shuo glanced at the time on her watch. There were still ten minutes or so until six, Xiyu’s quitting time. The receptionist poured her a glass of water and casually asked, “Are you waiting for Teacher He?”
“Yes.” Chi Shuo immediately agreed. She felt it had been a long time since she’d given this answer, making her pause for two seconds.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Over the past month, she and He Lindi hadn’t even exchanged a single word, let alone “waited” for each other.
At six o’clock, Xiyu employees started getting off work. Chi Shuo sat on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the exit.
Several Xiyu employees who had attended events with her before greeted her with smiles. Chi Shuo responded to each of them. After three minutes, she saw Q Ge.
It had also been a while since she’d last seen Q Ge. He smiled at her immediately. “Yo, Chi Shuo, what brings you upstairs today?”
Chi Shuo smiled back. “Just that, Q Ge,” she said, “I thought you were out on a shoot today.”
She was just making conversation. Q Ge played along. “No, haven’t been busy lately. Has Yun Cheng lost its touch? Why haven’t any celebrities come by recently?”
“Who knows?”
Q Ge turned to look inside, then said to Chi Shuo, “Teacher He is still inside. Seems like she’s working overtime on some photos. Why don’t you go in and wait for her?”
Chi Shuo considered it for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll go in when there are fewer people.”
It was just like those times before they got together, when she’d go upstairs to see He Lindi. Chi Shuo was already trying to control her excitement, but her emotions still showed on her face and in her clenched hands.
Soon, Chi Shuo entered the photographers’ area. As expected, He Lindi was still working. Her right hand clicked the mouse. A photo was displayed on her computer screen. Chi Shuo recognized the female celebrity—Qi Ran.
It was the same Qi Ran she and He Lindi had photographed together before the New Year holiday. Now, only He Lindi was working on her photos.
Chi Shuo’s nose tingled. She slowly walked over and casually asked, “What event is she attending in Yun Cheng?”
This “she” could only refer to Qi Ran.
He Lindi turned to look at the suddenly appearing Chi Shuo, blinked, but before she could answer, Chi Shuo chuckled. “Surprised?”
“A little.” He Lindi replied after a pause. She returned her gaze to the computer screen, but the mouse cursor seemed to refuse to cooperate with her.
Neither of them spoke. The silence continued until He Lindi finished editing the current picture.
He Lindi opened another photo from the folder, explaining, “Qi Ran’s team specifically requested that I edit these photos myself. They didn’t want my assistant doing it, so my assistant went home early.”
Chi Shuo had already sat down at Q Ge’s workstation. “I saw her leave earlier.”
“How long have you been waiting?”
Chi Shuo answered honestly, “Half an hour?”
He Lindi smiled. “Whose company gets off work so early?” She paused. “Otherwise, we could meet at quitting time.”
Hearing this, Chi Shuo sniffled again, her eyes welling up slightly. She tried to keep her voice even as she called out, “Didi Mei Mei.”
She hadn’t called He Lindi this in a long time. Before, when He Lindi had asked her for a new nickname, she couldn’t think of one. “Baby” and such felt too embarrassing to say then, and they weren’t special nicknames anyway, so she usually just called He Lindi “Didi Mei Mei.”
He Lindi exhaled; her vision was also blurring, tears welling up.
She coughed lightly. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to continue like this anymore.”
“Being passive now means being passive forever, always controlled, no future.”
He Lindi turned to look at Chi Shuo, wiping away a tear with the back of her hand. “Okay.”
There were other people in the office, but they both remained composed, not attracting any attention. After all, finishing their own work and leaving was the priority.
At 6:30, He Lindi finished work, Chi Shuo by her side.
The elevator wasn’t crowded anymore, only five or six people. He Lindi’s eyes were still a bit red, her eyelashes damp. She reached out, grabbed Chi Shuo’s wrist, and pulled her hand into hers.
He Lindi wore a sweatshirt with a front pocket. She lifted Chi Shuo’s hand, placed both their hands inside the pocket, and gently intertwined their fingers.
Chi Shuo fought to suppress a smile, enjoying this feeling immensely.
He Lindi was used to driving herself to work because her legs weren’t comfortable in the winter. Now, with Chi Shuo there, she naturally sat in the passenger seat.
Chi Shuo fastened her seatbelt, started the car, and once they left the parking lot, asked, “What do you think your grandfather’s expression would be if he knew we were throwing caution to the wind like this?”
Chi Shuo had never met He Lindi’s grandfather, but based on He Lindi’s descriptions, she had already pictured him in her mind. Now, in her imagination, he was fuming, ready to explode.
Just imagining it made Chi Shuo smile.
He Lindi had the same thought. “Probably fuming, wanting to add another six months to our separation.” She pressed the window button. “I want some fresh air.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t open it too wide, you might catch a cold.”
He Lindi’s window rolled down just a crack. The wind blew through her hair, revealing the dark roots that had grown out from her blue highlights. Her hair had also grown longer.
She rested her chin in her hand, watching the scenery blur past. “Should I get a haircut?”
Chi Shuo considered her hair length, still focused on driving, and nodded. “I think you should.”
They were back to how they were when they were dating normally.
Chi Shuo didn’t object. “Okay.”
So, at the next intersection, Chi Shuo turned and drove towards a hair salon owned by a friend of He Lindi’s.
The salon was on the twentieth floor of a building. Before entering, Chi Shuo remarked, “A bit hard to find.”
“Sometimes I get lost when I come here.”
Once out of the car, He Lindi didn’t release Chi Shuo’s hand until they reached the salon door, then they walked in side by side.
He Lindi had already introduced this friend on the way—a junior high classmate. They hadn’t gone to the same high school or university, but they had stayed in touch.
Their friend, whom He Lindi only introduced as Xiao Xiao, greeted them at the door, her eyes crinkling with laughter when she saw He Lindi. “He Lindi, you tell me how long it’s been since we last saw each other! Time to apologize!”
“Aren’t we seeing each other now?”
“And this must be Miss Chi?” Xiao Xiao extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you. Welcome, welcome.”
Chi Shuo shook her hand back. “Hello.”
The salon was luxuriously decorated. A large smart screen displayed their services, and a staff member was introducing them to a new client. Chi Shuo glanced at the prices displayed and couldn’t help but wince.
He Lindi tugged at her sleeve. “I’m going to wash my hair.”
Chi Shuo nodded. “Okay.”
Xiao Xiao pointed Chi Shuo towards a seat. “Miss Chi, you can wait over there.”
“Okay.”
After they left, Chi Shuo sat down on the indicated sofa.
It was a single sofa, very soft and comfortable. Chi Shuo relaxed, feeling her tiredness dissipate.
She had initially thought about getting a haircut herself, but Xia Zhou and the others had gotten theirs recently, and not that long ago, so she felt there wasn’t much need.
Besides, she hadn’t felt this way in a long time—waiting for He Lindi. Chi Shuo sat there, her heart softening.
She had thought He Lindi might disagree with her actions, but their tacit understanding remained.
A young man was also waiting nearby. Chi Shuo glanced at him and noticed he kept looking at a man’s back. Based on his appearance, Chi Shuo’s gaydar went off; she figured he was waiting for his boyfriend.
Even if not his boyfriend, it must be someone he liked.
Chi Shuo smiled slightly, took out her phone, opened Weibo, and followed He Lindi.
She even thought about posting that she and He Lindi hadn’t broken up, but she decided against it. They weren’t celebrities whose every hand-holding would be photographed; they didn’t need to act like this. Re-following He Lindi was already enough.
“Um, miss, do you have a portable charger?”
The young man beside her spoke, and Chi Shuo looked up. “Are you asking me?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have one?”
Chi Shuo shook her head. “No, I only have a charging cable and adapter.”
She only brought a portable charger when traveling for work; there were outlets in the office, so a cable was sufficient.
“A charging cable works too.” The young man pointed nearby. “There’s an outlet over there.”
Chi Shuo took out her cable and adapter from her bag. “Let me know when you’re done.” It was her only cable.
The young man looked about twenty, his face full of youthful energy. He nodded repeatedly. “I will, I will.”
Chi Shuo hummed in acknowledgment and returned her attention to her phone.
Zeng Guai had also learned the truth a couple of days ago. She wasn’t angry and even helped Chi Shuo brainstorm ideas, although those ideas weren’t very helpful.
But Chi Shuo appreciated it, grateful to her two friends, oh, and also Han Yu, who had helped her rent the apartment.
In their small group chat, Zeng Guai was complaining about her latest blind date. 【Oh my god, kill me. This guy is even weirder than the ones Shuo Shuo met before.】
【He didn’t even call me ‘Xiao Jie Jie’ or anything, just ‘little girl.’】
Chi Shuo: 【……】
Xia Zhou: 【……Disgusting.】
Zeng Guai sent a crying emoji. 【I’d rather just hook up!】
Chi Shuo typed: 【At least my mom isn’t forcing me on blind dates anymore.】
【Jealous.】
Xia Zhou smiled: 【My mom isn’t forcing me on blind dates either, she’s very satisfied with Ah Ke.】
【Even more jealous.】
Chi Shuo pursed her lips, about to reply, when she saw the young man beside her stand up and walk over to the man he’d been watching.
They weren’t far away, and Chi Shuo overheard their conversation.
“I can’t see the back of my head. How’s the cut?”
“Super handsome.”
“Really?”
“Just kidding.”
“…Oh.”
“Just kidding. How could my boyfriend not be handsome?”
Chi Shuo hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but their conversation warmed her heart.
Being able to express oneself openly was incredibly precious. There were other people in the salon, and some even glanced over curiously, but they didn’t seem to mind.
The young man’s boyfriend wasn’t done yet, so he returned to his seat, a smile playing on his face.
Chi Shuo put away her phone, looked at him, and smiled. “Your boyfriend is very handsome.”
“Right?” The young man’s eyes curved. He raised an eyebrow. “This hairstyle really suits him, I think it looks great.”
Chi Shuo glanced over. “It does.”
“Miss, are you waiting for a friend?” The young man asked.
Chi Shuo shook her head. “No.” She held her phone, exhaled softly. “I’m waiting for my girlfriend.”
The young man exclaimed, “Whoa!” Before he could say anything else, Chi Shuo pointed at He Lindi, who had just emerged with a towel wrapped around her head. “She just came out.”
“Holy shit,” the young man gaped. “You two are a perfect match.”
Chi Shuo smiled, accepting his blessing. “I think so too.”
He Lindi seemed to hear her voice and looked over. Chi Shuo met her gaze and made a finger heart. He Lindi smiled, even shaking her head slightly.
Chi Shuo knew what the head shake meant. He Lindi was… shy.
In fact, since getting together, besides acting lovey-dovey in front of Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai, at other times, they acted like ordinary friends.
Although… they looked like that now too.
He Lindi gestured towards her hair, and Chi Shuo nodded. He Lindi turned back to look at herself in the mirror.
They communicated silently, like acting in a mime. The young man beside them was stunned. “Sis, you and your girlfriend are so sweet.”
He no longer called Chi Shuo “Xiao Jie Jie,” but “Sis,” as if their relationship had become closer.
They had been strangers when she entered, but now they seemed to have something in common.
“You two are sweet too.”
He Lindi had only gotten a trim; she didn’t need any other styling, so it was quick.
By the time her hair was dry, the young man and his boyfriend had already paid and left. Before leaving, he returned Chi Shuo’s charging cable and added her on WeChat, saying if she needed help with voting or likes on Moments, she could just ask.
In the elevator going down, Chi Shuo mentioned this. “The young man beside me said we were very sweet.”
He Lindi’s hair smelled faintly sweet. The elevator lighting wasn’t dim, and her hair now looked shiny and beautiful.
He Lindi played with her hair, the corners of her lips curving slightly. “Who wouldn’t say we’re sweet?”
Chi Shuo extended her hand, palm up, and He Lindi placed hers on top, their fingers intertwining. They didn’t release each other’s hands until they reached the car.
“Tomorrow is Friday,” He Lindi said once they were back in the car. “My dad asked me to go home yesterday.”
Chi Shuo’s hands gripped the steering wheel cover. She pursed her lips and asked, “Do you have to go?”
“Will you miss me?”
In the dim parking lot, He Lindi asked, her voice laced with a smile.
“What do you think?”
“I think you’ll miss me.”
“Mm.” Chi Shuo nodded.
“So I’ve decided not to go back tomorrow.”
Chi Shuo’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Why not?”
He Lindi leaned slightly towards Chi Shuo before fastening her seatbelt and kissed her lips. “After work tomorrow, we’re flying to Lu Cheng.”
Chi Shuo was stunned. “Huh?”
“Your photography skills are pretty good now.”
He Lindi hadn’t moved back yet. She added, “Besides, didn’t we agree? We’re going to Lu Cheng later.”
“Okay.”
“We’re going to Lu Cheng.”
Going home at night wasn’t lonely anymore; she wasn’t alone, and that was the most wonderful thing.
They had already bought their plane tickets. After work on Friday, they quickly retrieved their luggage from the downstairs storage room, got into a taxi, and headed to the airport.
Their flight was at 8:30 PM. They arrived in Lu Cheng close to midnight. Lu Cheng was colder than Yun Cheng. Stepping out of the airport, the night wind made them question their life choices.
Thankfully, the taxi stand was right there, with available cars. They waited briefly and then got in.
Because of the short trip, they only brought one suitcase, containing both their belongings.
The taxi driver asked, “Where to?”
He Lindi replied in her slightly inaccurate Lu Cheng accent, giving the hotel address.
The hotel was near the business district, easy to find because of its fame.
The driver acknowledged. “Okay.”
This time, they only brought Chi Shuo’s mirrorless camera. The DSLR was too heavy; He Lindi didn’t want to carry it.
On the plane, they sat by the window. Outside was pitch black. He Lindi had fallen asleep from exhaustion, so Chi Shuo took a few pictures. Now, she showed them to He Lindi. “How are they?”
In the photos, He Lindi was leaning against the seat, the window beside her showing the darkness outside. The overall tone was dark; it was hard to make anything out.
He Lindi commented, “Very good. Keep it up.”
Chi Shuo, praised, raised an eyebrow.
The driver spoke, “Where are you two coming from?”
Chi Shuo replied in much more authentic Lu Cheng dialect, “Just got back from a business trip.”
Taxi drivers near the airport liked to scam out-of-towners. They had known this since their freshman year of university. To avoid being ripped off, they always spoke in the local dialect.
“I thought you two were university students.”
“You look so young.”
Chi Shuo smiled. “You look young too.”
“Haha.” The driver laughed heartily. “I’m old. My two sons are already in university.”
The lights in the car were off. He Lindi held Chi Shuo’s hand, playing with her fingers as she listened to Chi Shuo chatting with the driver. As the conversation went on, she started feeling sleepy again, her hand stilling as she rested her head on Chi Shuo’s shoulder.
Chi Shuo noticed and said to the driver, “Sir, let’s not chat anymore.” She paused. “My girlfriend is sleepy.”
“Ah.”
“Your girlfriend?”
“Okay.”
He didn’t seem surprised. Chi Shuo smiled and gently squeezed He Lindi’s hand.
Fifty minutes later, they arrived at the hotel. The driver hadn’t scammed them, but the fare was still quite high. Chi Shuo winced as she paid; it was the most expensive taxi ride she had ever taken.
He Lindi had woken up. Her hair was a bit messy, her eyes still sleepy, and she looked slightly dazed.
“Shuo Shuo Jie Jie,” He Lindi’s voice was soft and a bit coquettish. “Tonight, I want to be on top.”
“…”
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