The return trip was full of red lights. The constant stopping and starting wore on her patience, magnifying her slight anxiety.
Lin Yi felt like an alpha going through their differentiation phase in an ABO fanfic, desperately needing an omega’s pheromones for comfort. At this very moment, Xu Shuyan was her inhibitor.
…Of course, the analogy was absurd.
It had to be the cold weather freezing her brain, letting her thoughts scatter so recklessly inside a block of ice. After hitting a wall, they’d just keep knocking around until her brain short-circuited.
The car rounded a corner, and the hotel’s massive logo came into view. Her heart suddenly grew calm.
She had already contacted her assistant at the hotel and asked her to get Xu Shuyan a key card to her room from the front desk. Barring any unforeseen circumstances—like Zhou Shichen insisting on pulling Xu Shuyan aside to chat—Xu Shuyan should already be in her room by now.
Wait a minute!
Lin Yi’s heart sank. She had woken up late, eaten breakfast, and done her makeup in her room. Her suitcase was lying open and unpacked, its contents a mess. If her assistant hadn’t called housekeeping, would Xu Shuyan be standing in a “disaster zone” with nowhere to even step?
It was over. Lin Yi fretted. She had only just started to like Xu Shuyan, and now Xu Shuyan might find her disgusting and not like her as much anymore. What a raw deal for her!
The thought made her even more anxious. She stomped her foot impatiently and told the driver, “Just drop me at the hotel entrance. I won’t go with you to the parking garage.”
Five minutes later, the car pulled up to the hotel entrance. After the doorman opened her door, the sasaeng fans waiting outside swarmed forward, surrounding the car completely. A flood of self-important admonitions and confessions, accompanied by phone cameras, rushed toward her, only to fall abruptly silent.
They hadn’t even gotten a clear glimpse of her before Lin Yi dashed into the hotel at top speed. The revolving door spun, casting light from the lobby onto each of their dumbfounded faces.
The sasaengs: “???”
Soon, the sasaengs posted about the incident online, venting their frustration by hurling insults at Lin Yi.
They complained about freezing to death waiting for her in the dead of winter without even seeing her face, asking what right she had to be so arrogant. They said that having sasaengs chase her was an honor, and she shouldn’t be so ungrateful. “Get back out here and pander to your fans!” they demanded. Finally, they sneered, “Was she running that fast because she knew Xu Shuyan was in the hotel, and she was in a hurry to go back and sleep with her? A scandal within the group! Who does she think she’s answering to!”
[My precious daughter, well done! Serves those sasaengs right if they freeze to death! Standing in the cold wind for half a day and not even seeing her face, I wonder who’s feeling satisfied now?!]
[Are sasaengs insane? Idols are supposed to do fan service! But not for you!]
[But still… that last sentence has me shipping them again, hahaha. How do even the sasaengs know Yan Zhi You Yi is a real couple? I’m dying. Xu Shuyan isn’t actually waiting in bed for Lin Yi, is she!]
[Shippers, get lost!!!]
The online discussion raged, with malice and affection in sharp opposition.
But inside room 1913, it was perfectly quiet.
There was only the sound of running water.
Lin Yi scanned the room and found it relatively tidy, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. She placed her bag on the table and noticed Xu Shuyan’s suitcase standing next to a cabinet before her gaze shifted to the bathroom.
Xu Shuyan was in the shower.
Steam escaped through the crack of the glass bathroom door, coating the heavy pane in a thin layer of mist. In the corner, a humidifier worked silently. The curtains were drawn tight, making the room’s lights seem even brighter.
Perhaps hearing a noise outside, the water stopped. Xu Shuyan’s muffled voice drifted through the steam. “Lin Yi?”
Who else would it be?
Lin Yi grumbled to herself but still answered, “Yeah. Are you in the shower?”
…Just like Xu Shuyan, she had asked a stupid question.
Xu Shuyan didn’t reply, or perhaps she had and Lin Yi just hadn’t heard. In any case, the bathroom was silent for a moment before Xu Shuyan spoke again. “I forgot to grab my pajamas. Could you get them for me? They’re in the red suitcase.”
Lin Yi: “!!!”
She did it on purpose! Xu Shuyan definitely did it on purpose! Who forgets their pajamas before a shower? And she just had to finish right as Lin Yi got back. This was a blatant, undisguised seduction!
“Lin Yi?” Xu Shuyan called out, her voice louder. “Are you there?”
Lin Yi wanted to shout back, “No, I’m not here!” but her mouth betrayed her and let out a sound of acknowledgment. She slowly unzipped Xu Shuyan’s suitcase. She’d always known Xu Shuyan was annoying, but she never thought she could be this annoying! Her self-control was so weak, and Xu Shuyan’s body was so good. How was she supposed to resist this kind of temptation?
“Which pair?” she asked.
“Any of them,” Xu Shuyan said. “Just grab one for me.”
Xu Shuyan had a lot of pajamas. The silk ones were sexy, the cotton ones were innocently alluring. The camisole was too risqué, the shorts too revealing. She rummaged left and right; everything seemed like a safety hazard. She had a feeling there was no way this night would end innocently.
As she dithered, Xu Shuyan prompted her, “Are they hard to find?”
“…It is, a little,” she mumbled, then grumbled, “What kind of pajamas are these anyway! None of them are any good! You might as well wear mine!”
Xu Shuyan paused. “Huh?”
A moment later, the bathroom door opened. Lin Yi held one hand over her eyes while her other hand dangled a set of long-sleeved pajamas in the steamy air. “Here! This is my favorite pair. You can borrow them!”
Xu Shuyan was speechless. She took them. “Oh, thank you.”
Her still-damp fingertips deliberately grazed the back of Lin Yi’s hand, a touch so faint it was almost imaginary. It burned, and Lin Yi snatched her hand back, her face flushing as she cried, “No need to be so polite! We’re in the same group! We’re supposed to love and support each other!”
With that, she bolted from the bathroom without a backward glance, nearly running into the glass door in her haste.
She patted her fluttering heart, but her mind was filled with the image of Xu Shuyan’s pale feet on the wooden floor. Her ankles were just as pale and slender, dotted with beads of water that slowly dripped to the ground.
A silent temptation.
It was impossible to defend against! Lin Yi went to the window and opened it a crack to let in some air and cool her flushed face. Xu Shuyan’s move had been lethal; she had almost lost control!
She was enjoying the breeze when a hand suddenly tapped her shoulder. Lin Yi was about to yelp when she heard Xu Shuyan’s exasperated voice. “Stop, stop! It’s me!” She tugged at the hem of the pajama top. “What are you spacing out about? And these pajamas… the size is fine, but the chest…”
Say no more.
Lin Yi could already see.
She was beginning to regret her offer. Her build was similar to Xu Shuyan’s, and they often swapped clothes, but that was limited to outerwear and pants. Something this form-fitting was bound to be a different story.
For instance, the button over her chest, which looked ready to pop, precariously revealing a tempting sliver of pale skin.
Lin Yi: “!”
Xu Shuyan glanced down, her brow furrowed in a coquettish pout. “Can I undo this button? It’s really stuffy.”
Lin Yi: “!!”
Xu Shuyan took her silence as acquiescence and reached up to undo the button.
Lin Yi: “!!!”
“You-you-you!” Lin Yi pointed at her, stammering, unable to form a complete sentence. She quickly averted her gaze and mumbled weakly, “Don’t you play any tricks!”
“What tricks?” Xu Shuyan asked, feigning innocence as she gently bumped Lin Yi’s shoulder. “You’re the one who picked these pajamas out for me. I’ve put them on, so why are you acting like this? Afraid to look at me?”
Provoked, Lin Yi’s rebellious streak flared. She gave Xu Shuyan a shove. “Who says I’m afraid to look? It’s not like I haven’t seen it before! I’ve even touched it!”
Yes, and it felt pretty good.
If she recalled correctly, on the night she’d blacked out, she had repeatedly kissed a certain spot, leaving behind an intimate mark. And listen to Xu Shuyan, talking as if Lin Yi were some kind of novice!
Lin Yi defiantly stared at the spot. With just one button undone, the view was half-revealed and half-concealed, its reticence all the more alluring. It made her heart itch, her eyes burn, and her fingertips tingle.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away. It was Xu Shuyan who grew shy under her stare and raised a hand to block her view. “…Don’t look.”
Feeling she’d won back a point, Lin Yi said smugly, “Why can’t I look now? Weren’t you just saying I was afraid to? Now that I’m not, you won’t let me? You’re so weird, I—”
“What’s the use of just looking?” Xu Shuyan cut her off.
Lin Yi: “…”
Xu Shuyan moved her hand away. Her peach-blossom eyes were filled with mirth. “Want to touch?”
Two sentences. KO.
Lin Yi, deceased.
Covering her face, she let out a scream of “I’m going to take a shower!” and fled into the bathroom, grabbing a random set of pajamas on her way. She wanted to curse Xu Shuyan for being so shameless, but then she remembered she kind of liked Xu Shuyan now, and it wasn’t right to bad-mouth someone you liked. So she let it go.
Then again, she had to admit that when it came to being direct, she was no match for Xu Shuyan.
This time, Lin Yi took an uncharacteristically long shower, staying in for almost an hour.
It wasn’t the first time she’d done something like this. In the past, she’d lingered in the bathroom, afraid that finishing too early would mean facing Xu Shuyan, which would lead to bickering and, inevitably, a physical fight.
But things were different now. She was still afraid to face Xu Shuyan, but now her fear was that she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from kissing her and having a different kind of “fight” in bed. The consequences of that were far more terrifying than a real brawl!
The thought horrified Lin Yi, and she stayed in the bathroom for another fifteen minutes before finally emerging.
Xu Shuyan was already in bed. Only a single wall lamp remained on, its orange shade casting a hazy glow over the two-meter-wide bed. She wasn’t asleep; wearing glasses, she was writing something on a tablet with a stylus. At the sound of Lin Yi’s approach, she looked up. “Why didn’t you just stay in there until morning?”
“…” Her thoughts exposed, Lin Yi felt a pang of guilt but retorted stubbornly, “I just like being clean!”
Xu Shuyan gave a perfunctory nod.
Lin Yi went around to the other side of the bed. After mentally preparing herself, she solemnly lifted the covers and slid in. She shuffled further toward the middle, then shuffled some more, until only her eyes were visible above the blanket. Her dark eyes darted about before she finally broke the silence. “What are you writing?”
“Rap lyrics for a new song,” Xu Shuyan said without looking up. “There are two songs on the EP. Only one is finished. We’ve bought the demo for the other one, but it still needs lyrics.”
“What kind of song is it?” Lin Yi yawned.
“About winter.” Xu Shuyan’s hand paused. She turned to look at Lin Yi, her eyes weary behind her glasses, her voice languid. “The first snow on Christmas Eve, sleigh bells, Santa Claus… all that romantic stuff.”
The more she listened, the more suspicious Lin Yi became. “It’s a love song, isn’t it?”
Xu Shuyan propped her chin on her stylus, thinking for a moment. “Yes and no.”
Lin Yi turned onto her side, her wide eyes blinking with overflowing curiosity. “What do you mean, yes and no? Can you stop being so ambiguous and making people overanalyze everything? Is it a crime to release a straightforward song?”
Xu Shuyan smiled. “It’s about two people in that ambiguous, pre-relationship stage who use the holiday as an excuse to go on a date.”
Lin Yi: “…”
Xu Shuyan might as well just read out their ID numbers at this point!
After her internal monologue, she let out a muffled “oh.” “It’s so late, you should stop writing. We have to get up early to go home tomorrow.” Then a thought struck her. “Is your jet lag still bad? You don’t feel sleepy at all, do you?”
“I’m fine,” Xu Shuyan said. “Are you going to sleep?”
If I don’t go to sleep right now, what am I supposed to do, make out with you? Lin Yi thought. She nodded immediately. “I’m going to sleep!”
Xu Shuyan placed her stylus in its groove, took off her glasses, and said, “Then let’s sleep.”
Lin Yi corrected her. “Let’s go to sleep.”
Xu Shuyan gave her a meaningful look. “All right. Let’s go to sleep.”
She enunciated the words “go to sleep” with such clarity that she made the unambiguous phrase sound deeply suggestive. Lin Yi’s face flushed, and she buried half of it in the covers, feigning calm. “Lights out.”
The last wall lamp was switched off, plunging the room into silent darkness.
Lin Yi wasn’t tired enough to sleep yet, but she didn’t dare start a conversation with Xu Shuyan. She could only lie there stiffly, staring at the ceiling. After a long while, she heard Xu Shuyan say, “I can’t sleep.”
“I knew you weren’t over your jet lag!” Lin Yi shifted away, increasing the distance between them, her voice rising slightly. “You insisted you were fine. Jet lag is miserable, if you…”
“I can’t sleep because you’re here,” Xu Shuyan cut in.
The words died in Lin Yi’s throat. She let out a hesitant sound, wanting to ask why, but she had a vague feeling she already knew the answer. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, “Why do you like me?”
“What?”
“I’m asking you,” Lin Yi said, turning her head to face her. Her eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, found Xu Shuyan’s with precision. Their gazes met in the silent air. “Why do you like me?”
“Hmm…” Xu Shuyan thought for a moment. “I just do. You’re cute, you’re beautiful, you have a great singing voice… and it’s because you’re Lin Yi. The one and only Lin Yi.”
Lin Yi wasn’t satisfied. “That’s not even as good as the compliments fans come up with!”
She heard Xu Shuyan let out a low chuckle. How could even someone’s laugh be so pleasant? While she was pondering this, Xu Shuyan continued, “Sometimes, there aren’t that many reasons for liking someone. Maybe it was just an ordinary moment when you reached out and poked my heart, and the door there just swung open for you.”
“In any case, what you need to know is that right here, right now, I love you more than anyone.”
Lin Yi was stunned.
What? Xu Shuyan’s feelings for her had already reached the point of love? This… this was a bit much! That was way too deep! But—why did she feel so inexplicably happy about it?
Lin Yi couldn’t stop herself from kicking her feet excitedly a couple of times. Then she remembered someone was beside her and quickly drew them back in.
Xu Shuyan thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. “Did you just kick your legs?”
Lin Yi lay ramrod straight. “No.”
Xu Shuyan was certain. “You did!”
“…” Lin Yi gave in and admitted it. “I did! So what? Haven’t you ever seen someone doing leg-slimming exercises?!”
Xu Shuyan: “…Right.”
Lin Yi shot Xu Shuyan a huffy glare. She doesn’t even get the concept of seeing something but not saying it. Well, she can just keep on loving me desperately like this! She pulled the covers over her head. “Good night!”
After a moment, she heard Xu Shuyan’s soft reply. “Good night.”
…So gentle.
I shouldn’t have glared at her.
Lin Yi reflected.
Zhou Shichen had some things to take care of in B City, so a return flight had only been booked for Lin Yi. Meanwhile, for the grand purpose of uncoupling the CP, Sister Fang had deliberately changed Xu Shuyan’s flight to the evening, using the excuse that she needed “more rest.” Xu Shuyan could only watch as Lin Yi flew off ahead of her, leaving her to browse through fan-site airport photos in her hotel room.
After saving a few photos, she said to Sister Fang, “I’d like to request a few days off in a couple of days to go home. My mom hasn’t been feeling well recently.”
Sister Fang: “Is it serious?”
Xu Shuyan: “It’s nothing. She probably just wants me to come home for something, so she’s chosen to feel unwell. I’ll go back and check on her.”
Sister Fang: “All right.”
“Oh, right.” Sister Fang remembered something else. “Xiao Yi’s album title track comes out the day after tomorrow. Before you post the promo on Weibo, show me the caption. Don’t make it too heartfelt. I absolutely will not let the CP fans get any material!”
Xu Shuyan: “…Our CP fans are so unlucky to have you.”
Sister Fang: “Say that again?”
Xu Shuyan: “Okay, I’ll send it to you to review.”
The title track of Lin Yi’s new album was a pop song designed to appeal to the general public, so it was released for free. After it dropped at midnight, her friends in the industry went online one after another to share and promote it.
Every post was full of sincerity, with everyone calling on their own friends and followers to show their support.
The most anticipated post, however, was Xu Shuyan’s. For the CP fans, it was a prime opportunity for sweet interactions. For Lin Yi’s solo fans, it was a chance to catch Xu Shuyan being insincere. And for Xu Shuyan’s solo fans, it was a time for silent prayer that she wouldn’t be too sincere, wouldn’t give the CP fans any material, and wouldn’t act like she cared too much about Lin Yi.
Everyone waited from morning until past eight in the evening, when Xu Shuyan finally came online and casually reposted it with a comment: “Sounds great! Hope the album is a huge success!”
[???]
[I’m not even this formal with my regular coworkers.]
[What Xu Shuyan means is, she’s releasing an EP too, so don’t get in the way of her own promotions.]
[Yan Zhi You Yi, what a spectacular BE.]
Lin Yi, however, didn’t think much of it. As soon as her song was released, Xu Shuyan had shared it on her WeChat Moments and sent it out in a mass message. Lin Yi had even heard that she’d joined fan groups to help get the song on the charts. All in all, Xu Shuyan had been bustling about, more invested in the song than Lin Yi herself.
The Weibo promo caption?
That was just for the fans. It wasn’t important to her.
Of course, that was before she saw how the fans reacted.
Having finished recording all the promotional materials for her new song over the past two days, Sister Fang gave her a few days off. Lin Yi had suddenly developed a keen interest in cooking. Zhou Shichen told her about a forum with a food section full of great cooking tips, so she downloaded the app to take a look. She wasn’t sure what she tapped, but she was suddenly redirected to the entertainment section.
The screen was filled with posts titled “Yan Zhi You Yi is over!”
Lin Yi: “???”
[What the actual fuck, “hope the album is a huge success”! Xu Shuyan, did you not know your teammate’s album is free? You really know how to hurt a shipper!]
[Honestly, I know the company makes the solo fan clubs promote their teammates’ new songs, but Xu Shuyan’s fan club put more effort into their post than Xu Shuyan herself did…]
[I’m just going to ship Xu Shuyan’s fan club and Lin Yi instead!]
[You really get a kick out of pissing me off, don’t you! A flop teammate like you should stop leeching off The Notes’ one and only main vocal! Top-tier skills! Visual! The Lin Yi who sells out solo covers for the big five magazines in seconds!]
[How did Yan Zhi You Yi end so badly? I just want to know how this happened. The group’s variety show is airing right now, and when I watch that and then see this, it feels like two different worlds…]
[I really need to know what happened! Did they have a fight in bed? Who’s bad at it? I’m asking, who’s bad at it?]
[Who’s even shipping Yan Zhi You Yi anymore! Look how much thought Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi put into their posts! I’m shipping them so hard!]
[…]
Lin Yi scrolled through the forum, and every thread titled “Yan Zhi You Yi is over” made her blood boil. She tried to reply, only to find she didn’t have permission. She frantically sent the link to Zhou Shichen. “How do I post on here?”
Zhou Shichen replied, “You have to register an account first.”
Lin Yi: “Okay!”
Zhou Shichen texted again: “What are you planning to do? It’s an anonymous forum, but the accounts require real-name registration, so be careful what you say.” A moment later, another message came through: “But if you’re just looking at recipes, it’s fine. Just stay out of the entertainment section. It’s full of anti-fans.”
Lin Yi: “I’m already in the entertainment section.”
Zhou Shichen: “?”
Lin Yi: “They’re saying Xu Shuyan and I are over. I’m going to set them straight!”
Zhou Shichen: “??”
She was puzzled. “You’re not?”
Lin Yi: “NO!!!”
Zhou Shichen: “I mean, with the promo post for your new album today… didn’t your manager, Sister Fang, specifically tell Yanyan to write that? It’s perfectly normal for the fans to think you’re over.”
Lin Yi: “…I don’t care!”
Zhou Shichen: “All right, whatever makes you happy.”
Lin Yi registered an account, diligently filling in her information and choosing an ID. To promote her album, she even set her profile picture to the album cover. Then, filled with righteous indignation, she created a new thread.
ID: Lin Yi’s Album Is A Huge Success!
Subject: Yan Zhi You Yi is NOT over!
Main Post: Don’t be fooled by Sweet Melon Entertainment. Yan Zhi You Yi is not over at all. This is just for the sake of uncoupling them. In private, their relationship is actually great! Also, I have some inside connections, so let me tell you a secret: Xu Shuyan is actually pursuing Lin Yi, and Lin Yi kind of likes her back but hasn’t said yes yet. That’s why they’re acting so awkward.
[???]
[I’m floored, my dude. What is this performance art?]
[Even for an anonymous forum… you don’t have to be this obvious, do you?]
[A Lin Yi solo stan who ships her? At least change your ID and profile picture! This is so unprofessional!]
[Yan Zhi You Yi is over! Yan Zhi You Yi is over! Yan Zhi You Yi is over! Lin Yi’s delusional solo fans need to stop dreaming. How could my wife possibly like Lin Yi? Let alone pursue her? That’s hilarious!]
Lin Yi, who had happily gone back to researching recipes after posting, thinking she had cleared everything up, returned to the thread after making some fried rice. When she saw that the discussion had taken a completely unexpected turn, her vision went dark.
What? They were calling her a solo stan? She wasn’t! She was a Yan Zhi You Yi CP fan, just one who was biased toward Lin Yi!
And they said there was no way Xu Shuyan could like her? Or pursue her? Did they have any idea that with a single text, she could have Xu Shuyan come out with her on Weibo this very second?!
In the end, Lin Yi couldn’t be bothered to argue. She logged out of her account and deleted the app. Still fuming, she opened her chat with Xu Shuyan. “Tell me. Are you pursuing me?”
AAA Xu Shuyan: ?
Lin Yi: Just tell me, yes or no!
AAA Xu Shuyan: You run, I’ll chase.
Lin Yi: ?
AAA Xu Shuyan: What’s wrong?
Lin Yi: I got into an argument.
AAA Xu Shuyan: And you lost?
Lin Yi: They insulted me.
AAA Xu Shuyan: Who? Who would dare insult you?
Lin Yi was too embarrassed to explain the details, so she changed the subject: Just answer the question!
AAA Xu Shuyan: Yes, I am.
AAA Xu Shuyan: So when are you planning to let me catch you?
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