When are you going to let me catch you?
Lin Yi’s dreams that night were filled with this sentence. In her dreams, no matter where she went—the dorm, the recording studio, the car, or the dressing room—and no matter what she was doing, Xu Shuyan would suddenly appear, cupping her chin and looking at her with those smiling, almond-shaped eyes.
Unhurriedly, yet with an air of confidence, she would ask, “When are you going to let me catch you?”
Lin Yi had thought that even if she were a vast ocean, Xu Shuyan’s affection was just a small pebble tossed into it, incapable of making any waves. She had deceived herself for so long that she was starting to believe it. But with just one casual sentence, Xu Shuyan had ripped the truth open for her to see.
Xu Shuyan’s affection was a tsunami, creating towering waves in her heart.
She was thrown into complete disarray, and even in her dreams, she was trying to escape, unable to dodge in time. Later, the dream became chaotic. She actually started running in her dream, with Xu Shuyan chasing after her. They ran and ran until dawn. When Lin Yi woke up, she was covered in sweat, as exhausted as if she had run a marathon.
After catching her breath for a moment, she let out a groan, rolled over, and hugged her blanket, staring blankly.
That sleep was a complete waste, she thought. I’ve never had such an exhausting sleep in my life. Then she thought, Xu Shuyan is really something. If you’re going to pursue someone, just pursue them. Who chases after them by running? The world is round, can’t she just wait in one spot for someone to run into her?
Also, Xu Shuyan’s makeup and styling in the dream were quite beautiful.
If she remembered correctly, it was probably the look from an episode where Xu Shuyan was a guest performer on a rap show. She wore a small crown, her brown curls scattered over her smooth, jade-like shoulders. Tiny pearls were placed at the corners of her eyes, like tears on the verge of falling but stubbornly refusing to, creating a beautiful and fragile appearance.
But once on stage, her aura was fully unleashed, and she was stunningly beautiful under the spotlights.
After that episode aired, Xu Shuyan went viral for her stage presence and looks, gaining a huge wave of fans. Her follower count shot up towards thirty million. And on that very day, Xu Shuyan happened to be doing her usual fan service with her, posting a photo of the two of them. The newly gained fans were like: “?? Nobody told me she had a girlfriend!”
Old fans: “!!! Lin Yi is just her ordinary groupmate!”
New fans: “But it doesn’t look like it? Why are their faces pressed together in the photo…?”
Old fans: “Okay, actually, they’re best friends.”
New fans: “Stop pretending to be straight, you gays! I’m a CP fan now!”
Old fans: “…”
They immediately went to Sweet Melon Entertainment to protest, demanding the CP be uncoupled. They didn’t want the “flop” groupmate leeching off her, didn’t want Xu Shuyan’s popularity to be drained, and supported Xu Shuyan leaving the group to go solo!
Thinking of this, Lin Yi felt awkward. If she remembered correctly, she had loved Xu Shuyan’s look so much back then that she had gone to Xu Shuyan’s Super Topic to save pictures. And she had dutifully commented under the original post that said, “Comment if you save: Lin Yi the vampire,” with: “Lin Yi the vampire!”
After saving the pictures, she searched for “vampire” online, thinking, Vampires are great. They live long, they’re pale and beautiful. One day, if I get annoyed with Xu Shuyan, I’ll just bite her and drag her into the darkness, and then all you fans won’t even have a place to cry!
…Who would have thought that now it was Xu Shuyan who wanted to bite her.
Lin Yi rested in bed for a while before there was a knock on her bedroom door. Her assistant came in with takeout, nagging as she opened the curtains, “It’s already one in the afternoon, why are you still lying in bed? Your phone was off, Sister Fang was worried sick. If she didn’t have company business, she would have come to check on you herself.”
“What does she want with me?” Lin Yi squinted against the sunlight and buried her face in her pillow. “Isn’t it a day off today?”
“The company gave you the day off, but aren’t you going to check on our studio?” The assistant placed the takeout on the table by the bay window. “Has Teacher Xu not come back from her family’s place yet?”
“No.” After answering, Lin Yi felt something was off. She looked up at the empty bed across from hers, which belonged to Xu Shuyan, and tugged at the corner of her mouth in annoyance. “Why are you asking me? Go ask Zhou Shichen! How would I know if she’s back or not? I’m not her assistant, and I’m not her fan. Who cares if she’s back?”
The assistant: “…”
She stood there, dumbfounded. “I only asked one question. Why are you so worked up?”
The assistant had been with Lin Yi since her debut. They were as close as could be, and she looked after Lin Yi like a younger sister. It wasn’t that she’d never seen Lin Yi get prickly, especially when it came to Xu Shuyan, but… not to this extent, right?
Lin Yi sat up. “Am I worked up?”
The assistant nodded, looking completely bewildered. “Like a firecracker.”
Lin Yi threw a pillow at her. “You’re the firecracker! Your whole family are firecrackers!”
The assistant fumbled to catch the pillow and didn’t think much of it, attributing her agitation to morning grumpiness. She smiled and said, “Alright, alright, hurry up and get out of bed. Eat something, then swing by the studio to check in.”
Lin Yi scratched her hair, her small face scrunched up. “Okay.”
Xu Shuyan had gone home the day before yesterday. Her home in Y City wasn’t far from S City. It was a city best visited in March, amidst the misty blossoms, but Lin Yi had never been. There was once a group variety show that was supposed to be filmed in Y City, and Lin Yi had already planned how to exploit Xu Shuyan into being her tour guide, but the location was changed at the last minute, so the trip never happened.
“Oh, right.” After washing up and halfway through her meal, Lin Yi suddenly looked up and asked her assistant, who was handling work across from her, “Xu Shuyan’s been gone for a few days now. Why isn’t she back yet?”
The assistant: “???”
Could your reaction time be any slower!
Although her personal studio had been established, it didn’t have a practice room or a recording booth, so Lin Yi still habitually went to the company. She would occasionally sit in her office to keep up appearances, but in reality, she was just bored, playing Minesweeper on the computer.
Her concentration wavered for a moment, she clicked a square, and with a boom, she was blown to smithereens. Game over.
The late October weather was deep into autumn. Golden sunlight shone on the withered yellow leaves, tracing their edges with a golden glow. On the LED screen of the building opposite was a huge support ad for Xu Shuyan, a birthday message from her fans. Xu Shuyan smiled at her, brighter than the sun. The fans had added some cute little elements to the edited photo.
She opened her chat with Xu Shuyan and tapped into her Moments.
Xu Shuyan posted on Moments whenever she felt like it—sometimes two or three times a day, sometimes not a peep for half a month. But luckily, her profile was completely public, allowing someone like her, who had blocked Xu Shuyan multiple times and now wanted to peek into her inner world, to look to her heart’s content.
Two mornings ago.
AAA Xu Shuyan: Sharing music “Confession Balloon” – You said you’re a little hard to chase, hoping I’d back down from the challenge.
Fang Yi commented: Come to my office when you get back and tell me who this “you” is.
AAA Xu Shuyan replied to Fang Yi: .. Forgot to block you.
Fang Yi: ?
Yesterday, in the early morning.
AAA Xu Shuyan: [Link – Lin Yi’s new song] Get a number from me, everyone comment thirty times. There are red envelopes. DM me.
Zhou Shichen: Done.
Captain: Done.
Yuanyuan: Done.
Young Boss: Group spirit [Thumbs up]
Fang Yi: … You asked me for a salary advance just to do this?
Young Boss replied to Fang Yi: It’s understandable for a groupmate. Their bond is really good, we should support it.
Fang Yi replied to Young Boss: Yes, boss [Thumbs up][Flower][Fist palm salute]
Lin Yi: “…”
How many brilliant performances had she missed after blocking Xu Shuyan?!
Lin Yi scrolled down further and even found a post from two years ago, when Xu Shuyan was suffering from insomnia late at night and jealously posted on Moments: I can’t sleep, my roommate is sleeping soundly. What should I do? Waiting online, urgent.
Zhou Shichen: Shake her awake and make her chat with you. Remember to tell me what you talk about.
Chen Yuan: Sharing article “One Hundred Ways to Fall Asleep”.
Xiao Zhou: Teacher Xu, still not awake? Time to get up for work.
Captain replied to Zhou Shichen: Why are you still up so late?
Zhou Shichen replied to Captain: On this sleepless night, I was thinking about how to shake my roommate awake to chat with me, but she looked so peaceful sleeping that I couldn’t bear to [Pitiful emoji].
Captain replied to Zhou Shichen: Well, it’s time to get up for work now anyway.
Zhou Shichen replied to Captain: …
Xu Shuyan replied to Zhou Shichen: Stop chatting under my Moments post!!!
Lin Yi thought back. She had no memory of Xu Shuyan shaking her awake late at night. So it seemed either Xu Shuyan was kind-hearted, or she already had designs on her back then. She clicked her tongue, feeling a little smug.
Xu Shuyan really couldn’t bear to disturb her sleep, right?
How embarrassing.
After scrolling through the Moments, Lin Yi finally noticed that Xu Shuyan had sent her a message: “Where are you?”
Lin Yi replied: “Miss me?”
AAA Xu Shuyan: I do.
AAA Xu Shuyan: But there’s something more urgent than me missing you right now.
AAA Xu Shuyan: Something’s come up here.
Lin Yi: ?
Xu Shuyan’s tone seemed very serious, and Lin Yi couldn’t help but sit up straight. She replied, “What’s wrong?”
AAA Xu Shuyan: My mom tricked me. She said she wasn’t feeling well and told me to hurry home, but now she’s locked me in the house and is insisting on setting me up on a blind date TT.
AAA Xu Shuyan: Save me.
Lin Yi: ?
Lin Yi: How can something so ridiculous still happen in the 21st century?
Lin Yi: Is it a guy or a girl?
AAA Xu Shuyan: That’s not the point… I won’t give in whether it’s a guy or a girl!
AAA Xu Shuyan: I have someone I like!
Lin Yi: Okay, okay, don’t get worked up.
AAA Xu Shuyan: Can you come and take me away?
Lin Yi looked at Xu Shuyan’s new message and thought, What is she talking about? She was making them sound like a young couple from an old era whose love wasn’t approved by their parents, always threatening to elope. “Take me away,” really? There were clearly better ways to handle this.
For example, calling the police, or sneaking out on her own, or at the very least, asking Sister Fang for help or seeking help online. There were always better solutions than her running over there.
Lin Yi: Okay.
What her rational mind thought was one thing, but acting on emotion was another. In any case, by the time she realized it, she had already agreed to Xu Shuyan’s request and was excitedly planning their route. “Where do you think would be a good place to escape to?”
AAA Xu Shuyan: “Back to the dorm.”
Lin Yi: …Oh!
AAA Xu Shuyan: [Link – Anti-theft facial recognition system registration]
Lin Yi: What’s this?
AAA Xu Shuyan: It’s for our house’s infrared security system. Once you register, you won’t trigger the alarm. Come in through the back door, quietly. I’ll draw you a map of my house.
Lin Yi: Wait.
Lin Yi: How many doors does your house have???
Lin Yi: Xu Shuyan! Don’t tell me you’re a second-generation rich kid!!!
Xu Shuyan had never talked about her family, and Lin Yi had never specifically tried to find out. Xu Shuyan’s relationship with her family wasn’t great because she wanted to debut, and ever since she signed with the company and could earn her own money, she stopped taking any from them. You couldn’t tell anything from her usual spending habits. Thinking about it now, could it be that she had a family fortune waiting for her to inherit?!
AAA Xu Shuyan: …It’s not that exaggerated.
AAA Xu Shuyan: So are you coming?
AAA Xu Shuyan: [Xu Shuyan looks at you pitifully.gif]
Lin Yi: “…”
Lin Yi thought she must be crazy, or maybe Xu Shuyan had cast a spell on her. Otherwise, how could she possibly, during this perfectly good free time, wrap herself up tightly and sneak onto a high-speed train to Y City?
She was an idol. Her flight schedules were tracked by scalpers and sold to fans in minutes. It was only because she was good at keeping secrets and bought her ticket late that she managed to avoid sasaengs getting on the same train. But the news of Lin Yi’s private trip to Y City still spread like wildfire. By the time Sister Fang found out, Lin Yi was already in a taxi on her way to Xu Shuyan’s house.
Sister Fang yelled through the phone, “What are you doing in Y City?! Do you have any idea that the internet is buzzing with rumors that you’ve gone to meet Xu Shuyan’s parents?!”
“Don’t get so worked up!” Lin Yi pulled down the brim of her hat and covered her mouth, trying to soothe Sister Fang in a low voice. “I’m not going to meet her parents.”
“Who cares if you’re going to meet her parents or not?” Sister Fang got even more agitated. “Who cares? I’m asking, who cares? As long as you’re in Y City, you’re obviously there to see Xu Shuyan. Good heavens, you’re not going to come out, are you!?”
Lin Yi said righteously, “How could that be! Don’t overthink it! How are they shipping… I mean, what are they saying online? Send it to me, let me see.”
A moment later, Lin Yi received the posts from Sister Fang, as well as the hashtag #LinYiYCity in Weibo’s trending topics pool.
[I think our Yan Zhi You Yi is really about to have a secret marriage…]
[Yan Zhi You Yi got divorced last night and are meeting the parents today, what kind of progress is this? I don’t get it.]
[Who understands that I’ve been on a roller coaster these past few days? Will this little couple ever give it a rest? My own love life isn’t this emotionally volatile!]
Lin Yi scrolled for a bit, then explained to Sister Fang, “I’m not here to meet Xu Shuyan’s parents. I’m here to whisk her away.”
Sister Fang replied with a long ellipsis and a “playing dead” sticker, finally accusing indignantly, “You might as well just tell me you’re going to meet her parents! It’s pretty normal for best friends to meet the parents! This ‘whisking her away’ thing… I really can’t spin that!”
Lin Yi: “…You’ve worked hard.”
She offered a moment of silence for Sister Fang in her heart, then heard the driver say, “Miss, we’re almost there. I can’t drive into the residential complex, so is it okay if I drop you off by the road?”
The soft Wu dialect sounded gentle and friendly—
When Xu Shuyan couldn’t win an argument with her and got flustered, her hometown dialect would slip out. It was like the pearl-like sweet dumplings sold by the Suzhou River—soft and glutinous, with little bite, but its main advantage was that Lin Yi couldn’t understand it.
After getting out of the car and saying goodbye to the driver, Lin Yi opened the map Xu Shuyan had sent her. It had only been sent for a minute before being retracted after she saved it. Before she got on the train, Xu Shuyan’s phone had been confiscated. Now there was no word from her, and Lin Yi had to figure things out on her own.
What kind of family was this!
What era was this, still forcing their kid into blind dates?
Not to mention Xu Shuyan was an idol who couldn’t date. Besides, how old was she? She was only graduating from university next year, okay? Did they expect her to get married right after graduation?
Does getting married pay a salary or contribute to social insurance and housing funds? Are there some special benefits for rushing to get married?
Grumbling internally, Lin Yi followed the map’s directions. The complex had tight security. Xu Shuyan was something of a local celebrity, and people could more or less recognize the members of the “Gu Group.” Lin Yi pulled down her mask and said she was Xu Shuyan’s groupmate coming to see her, and the security guard finally let her pass. After she had walked a short distance, he called out to her again.
“Could I trouble you for an autograph?” The guard smiled sheepishly. “My daughter is a huge fan of yours. Our house is covered in posters of you and Xu Shuyan!”
Lin Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She signed an autograph and said with a smile, “Thank you for your support.”
Xu Shuyan’s family was indeed rich. The complex was full of antique-style architecture, a quiet villa area tucked away in the bustling city center. The landscaping featured small bridges over flowing water and long corridors with pavilions. Occasionally, she’d see one or two people walking their dogs, the doggos frolicking on the green lawns with their bellies exposed.
Dusk slowly faded with time, and starlight began to twinkle across the dark sky.
When Lin Yi slipped into Xu Shuyan’s house through a side door, the infrared security system easily let her pass, the path lighting up as if to welcome its master. She felt a pang of guilt and tiptoed lightly, finding the situation both absurd and wonderful.
The absurdity was that three hours ago, she had been sitting comfortably in her office slacking off, and now, three hours later, she was secretly and boldly planning an elopement with Xu Shuyan.
The wonderful part was that she remembered the story Xu Shuyan had made up about Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
Now, she was Cinderella, having crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, thorns and storms, to get here. The window Xu Shuyan had drawn for her was within reach, and behind its glowing light was her Sleeping Beauty.
She knocked on the window, hoping the world would give her a chance to kiss Sleeping Beauty awake.
Only then did her heart begin to beat, slowly at first, then faster and faster. In the few seconds she waited for Xu Shuyan to open the window, all sorts of bad scenarios flashed through her mind.
For instance, Xu Shuyan had already gone on the blind date. Or Xu Shuyan thought the blind date wasn’t bad. Or maybe Xu Shuyan would soon send a message telling her she didn’t like her anymore. All these thoughts made her panic more and more, and just then, the window was pushed open.
Cold air rushed in, and warm air blew out at the same time.
Xu Shuyan called her name in a low voice, “Lin Yi!”
For some reason, hearing Xu Shuyan’s voice made Lin Yi feel wronged. Her eyes grew hot, and she almost burst into tears. Xu Shuyan was startled and leaned out to cup her face. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Who’s your baby!” Lin Yi dodged her hands and sniffled. She couldn’t swallow the feeling of being wronged; it was a painful lump in her throat. She pouted. “You’re so annoying, Xu Shuyan. I must be crazy to have come looking for you. Can’t you run away on your own or something? You needed me to come get you!”
As she spoke, tears fell. She wiped them with the back of her hand. “I thought… I thought your parents had tied you up and forced you to go on a blind date… I even picked out a wedding venue for you!”
And she thought, What is this? Does everyone I like have to go get married?
Xu Shuyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “How could I possibly go on a blind date? What kind of scenarios are you imagining? If I wanted to go on a blind date, would I have asked you to come?”
“…I admit, I could have run away on my own.” Xu Shuyan reached out and tenderly touched the corner of Lin Yi’s eye. “But I wanted someone with me. And I hoped that someone would be you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t explain it clearly. Please don’t cry, okay?”
She whispered, “Lin Yi, you’re crying so much my heart is about to break.”
Lin Yi thought, If Xu Shuyan keeps talking to me in that tone, my heart is the one that’s going to break. And what was with love, anyway? Always talking about broken hearts, as if they were made of glass.
But it was strange. Her heart really did ache, a fine, dense pain, as if pricked by needles.
Lin Yi calmed herself down and glared at Xu Shuyan, her eyes still red.
Xu Shuyan tilted her head and looked at her. “Lin Yi?”
“I’m not crying anymore,” Lin Yi said, puffing out her cheeks. “It’s so cold, my tears will freeze if I keep crying. Besides, what do I have to cry about? It’s just that I rushed around all afternoon and didn’t even get a hot meal. You can just make it up to me later.”
She was finding a clumsy excuse to explain why she had cried.
But Xu Shuyan wouldn’t let her off the hook. “Is that really why you were crying?”
Lin Yi glared at her. “What else could it be?”
Xu Shuyan hummed a long “hmmm.” “I thought you were crying because I was going on a blind date with someone else, and you were afraid I’d be snatched away.”
“In your dreams!” Lin Yi said. “Between the two of us, who likes whom? Besides, I’m the one whisking you away right now, okay?”
Xu Shuyan laughed. “Okay, okay, okay.”
She held out her hand to Lin Yi. “Then please, elope with me, okay?”
Lin Yi reluctantly took her hand and helped her jump down from the windowsill. Xu Shuyan, being mischievous, deliberately stumbled and fell into her arms, hugging her tightly and pressing her face against hers. “So cold.”
“Stop taking advantage of me!” Lin Yi gave her a light push, but it was soft, and her voice sounded like she was pouting. “Let’s hurry up and go.”
Xu Shuyan took her hand. “Okay.”
Xu Shuyan’s yard was large, and the low path lights cast a faint glow, illuminating the way. With Xu Shuyan leading, it was much easier to walk, and Lin Yi had the presence of mind to ask about other things. “You haven’t come out to your family yet, have you?”
Xu Shuyan’s steps faltered for a moment. After a while, she said, “No.”
Her voice was low. “You know, my relationship with my family hasn’t been great since high school. I rarely come home. I didn’t want to talk about it back then, and now… I can’t be bothered.”
It wasn’t an era of universal harmony. Coming out wouldn’t necessarily be met with understanding; instead, it could lead to endless arguments and persuasion, ultimately ending with them cutting ties.
“I did think about coming out this time,” Xu Shuyan said. “I told them, but they didn’t believe me at all. They thought I was just making up a lame excuse. They also said—”
Before she could finish, the nearby side door suddenly opened. The sound of laughter and conversation spilled out, then came to an abrupt halt when they saw them. The woman in the lead raised her voice, “Xu Shuyan?”
Xu Shuyan squeezed her hand and called out, “Mom, Dad.”
It’s over.
Lin Yi’s heart sank. The first time she met Xu Shuyan’s parents, she was caught red-handed trying to run away with their daughter. What a terrible impression that would leave!
The woman’s gaze shifted from Xu Shuyan to her, then back again. “Is this your groupmate, Lin Yi?”
Oh, right, Lin Yi thought dazedly. I’m still Xu Shuyan’s groupmate. She had come here as Xu Shuyan’s groupmate, and Xu Shuyan could very well introduce her as such. Then the atmosphere would become amicable, since she was just Xu Shuyan’s ordinary—
“I like her,” Xu Shuyan said suddenly, interrupting Lin Yi’s train of thought.
Lin Yi’s eyes widened as she looked at Xu Shuyan, whispering, “Xu Shuyan, what are you saying?”
But Xu Shuyan didn’t look at her. She intertwined their fingers and looked seriously at the people opposite them. Her lips moved, her voice landing firmly. “She’s not just my groupmate. She’s also my future girlfriend.”
The streetlight shone over the wall onto her straight back. The north wind lifted the hem of her clothes. Her tone was firm. “Mom, Dad, I like Lin Yi.”
“The kind of like where you want to be lovers.”
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