But she still threw the note away.
She thought that such beautiful handwriting shouldn’t be used to write such stupid words. Keeping it would only serve as a constant reminder of the fact that she had been slept with and then abandoned. So, she ruthlessly tossed it into the trash can.
“Then you…” Yun Chu leaned against the wall. Dust fell from the deliberately distressed wall. She asked Jian You, “How did you find me?”
“Finding you was indeed a bit difficult.” Jian You grabbed her wrist and continued to walk forward.
There was a lock on the iron cage at the end. They had to find the key first to open the cage and get the letter. Jian You walked carefully, needing to recall, “I asked quite a few people.”
She could have just asked in the large group chat who had taken her away the previous night. But they were all people with one foot already in the entertainment industry. That kind of gossip would be spread and exaggerated. As a director, she didn’t care about her reputation, but she wasn’t sure if Yun Chu was in the same department as her.
So, she could only rely on her memory and ask a few classmates.
While searching, she was also handling the matter of going abroad for advanced studies. By the time she was boarding the plane to a foreign country with her passport and visa, she still didn’t know the name of the girl from that night.
A new country and a new environment. The chaotic and busy beginning almost made her forget about the matter entirely. But one sweltering summer evening, she bought an ice cream from a street vendor. She remembered it was strawberry-flavored, with jam dotted on top. She took a bite, and a cool, sweet sensation spread through her.
Her phone in her bag vibrated. It was a message from a classmate.
【Jian You! I found the junior who took you back to the hotel! But it’s been so long, and you’re in Boston now. Do you still need her contact information?】
Jian You licked her ice cream and replied: Send it.
Soon, the classmate recommended a contact to her. The name was Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat. The profile picture was a selfie. She was wearing a loose blue and white school uniform, with her hair in two ponytails, winking at the camera, playful and cute.
Jian You clicked to add her as a friend and typed a verification message: Hello, I’m Jian You.
She thought for a moment, then deleted it.
She typed again: Room number 8420
Still not right.
As she typed and deleted, most of the ice cream was licked away. The sun set between the buildings, dyeing half the sky red. The magnificent colors enveloped her. She sat on a bench by the road and, as if possessed, clicked on Yun Chu’s Moments.
Ten Moments visible to non-friends.
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: Went horseback riding on the grasslands today! I couldn’t help but sing out loud, “Let us be companions in this mortal world, living freely and unrestrainedly, sharing wine and song and enjoying the prosperity of the world!” But Zhou Zhitao wouldn’t let me sing. Heh, she’s just jealous that I sing well. [Nine photos]】
She was good-looking.
Like a little girl who grew up in the golden sunshine.
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: Spent a huge amount of money on a mobile game. Pay-to-win players are just amazing. I’ve already crushed my opponents!】
She had always hated pay-to-win players, but she was quite cute like this.
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: Summer vacation is so boring- I’m going to get moldy at home- Zhou Zhitao: Then come out and play. Me: Let me get moldy in peace, thank you. [One pajama selfie]】
Who exactly was this Zhou Zhitao?
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: Sharing song – Karen Mok ‘So Many People in This World’】
Jian You switched to the song.
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: I will definitely learn to swim this summer vacation.】
Jian You couldn’t swim either and currently had no plans to learn.
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: Planted some roses in Grandma’s yard. Hope they sprout, hehe. [Empty flower pot]】
Roses are beautiful, especially red ones.
They represent love.
Scrolling further down, it was the third day after that night.
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: Had a great time at the party tonight! Met a lot of handsome guys and beautiful girls. The handsome guys don’t matter, who doesn’t like to get close to beautiful girls? [Selfie with another person]】
She had a good time.
The second day after that night.
【Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Admits Defeat: Just posting a couple of selfies since I’m bored, to add some beauty to everyone’s Moments! [Selfie]】
Not a single word about the previous night.
Scrolling to this point, she finally felt it was pointless. Jian You simply tossed her phone back into her bag. The streetlights by the bench had already lit up. She slowly ate the nearly melted ice cream, feeling that it was ridiculous of her to go to such lengths to find someone.
In Yun Chu’s heart, it was just an ordinary night. The feeling after sleeping with someone wasn’t worth posting a vague Moment about, and she had never thought of looking for her.
So be it.
“I did care!” Yun Chu said.
She was eager to refute, and for a moment, she didn’t control her volume. The echo spread through the dark green corridor, hit the walls, and reached the room where Wen Xi and Zhu Wan’er were. Zhu Wan’er knocked on the door. “Yun Chu! How are you guys doing over there!”
Jian You looked at her and raised her voice. “We’re fine!”
“Take your time!” Wen Xi shouted. “It’s all fake! If you’re scared, I’ll go scare the NPC right now! Yun Chu, say something!”
Yun Chu said helplessly, “I know-”
She lowered her voice again, small and wronged. “I did care. You didn’t just… just let it go like that, did you?”
Jian You retorted, “What do you think?”
Of course not.
Otherwise, Jian You wouldn’t be standing here, confessing to her how she had fallen in love with her.
Jian You had originally thought she would just let it go. She followed her routine, shooting new films, learning new things, meeting new people. She had been pursued more intensely and passionately by a foreign girl who was compatible with her in every way. But when the girl wanted to kiss her, she suddenly thought of Yun Chu.
The girl who shared photos, her life, and songs in her Moments.
She rejected the pursuer.
She went back to scrolling through Yun Chu’s Moments, still the ten visible to non-friends.
She saw that Yun Chu hadn’t managed to grow the flowers that summer, nor had she learned to swim. She saw that Yun Chu, on a whim, had become an extra to play a dead person and “bragged” about how she could play a dead person to perfection. She saw Yun Chu wailing about school starting again, saying that there was no one she liked at school, making the start of the semester meaningless.
Gradually, scrolling through Yun Chu’s Moments became a habit of hers.
In the gaps of her busy schedule, she peeked into Yun Chu’s life, watching her grow bit by bit.
She saw her switch to a new game, swearing not to spend any money, but still spending it for a beautiful outfit. She saw her sign with an entertainment company, her thirty happy days on set. She saw her train with a girl group for a day, swearing to be a good actress.
She saw her busy between the set and school. She saw her getting emo late at night, playing and singing a very sad song, only to be full of energy the next day, demanding that everyone forget the her of the previous night. She saw her take on a new historical drama, playing a quirky and witty young daughter.
She saw her memorizing lines late into the night. In the photo, the light of the desk lamp shone on the script, looking very strenuous.
Like an addiction she couldn’t quit, this habit was ingrained in her bones. She enjoyed the pleasure of nurturing her from afar, and in the middle of the night, she would open Moments, wondering which day Yun Chu would announce her relationship, and from then on, her Moments would only be filled with displays of affection.
But there was none.
Fortunately, there was none.
“At that time, I didn’t think I liked you.” Jian You found a key on the emergency light above her head and handed it to Yun Chu. “Go open the cage.”
Yun Chu crouched down with trembling hands.
The lock opened.
The letter lay quietly on the chair, as if it had been sealed for a long time. The paper was yellowed, and Yun Chu pinched a corner of it.
At that time, Jian You didn’t think she liked Yun Chu. It was as if she were nurturing a little star. She didn’t need to get close to her; just watching her grow from a distance was enough. So, when she returned to the country later, she didn’t actively seek out Yun Chu.
Until that day, when she was habitually scrolling through Yun Chu’s Moments, Song Yushi asked her, “Are you casting?”
She said, “No.”
After a moment of silence, she added, “I like her.”
It was a very natural statement. In the bustling film set, her voice wasn’t loud, but it resonated clearly in her heart. It was as if she had just realized it, a moment of enlightenment.
She liked Yun Chu.
God knows how Yun Chu had moved into her heart without her permission. In any case, by the time she found out, Yun Chu had already taken up residence in a luxurious villa in her heart, and she couldn’t be kicked out.
Song Yushi asked her, “Then does she like you?”
She shook her head and said, “I don’t know.”
Probably not.
Until she received the invitation for Little Tricks for Love, and was then contacted by someone who said they would invest in her new film as long as she participated. As others had said, she wasn’t so poor that she couldn’t even afford to make a film, but she was curious who wanted her to participate in a dating show.
So, she followed the trail and found out it was Yun Chu.
At the same time, her assistant sent her the proposed guest list for the dating show, and she saw Yun Chu’s name in the guest column.
When Yun Chu heard that her little trick had been discovered long ago, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. “I thought I was being very secretive…”
Jian You took the letter from her hand.
The two of them walked back the way they came.
“I was wondering if you liked me. Otherwise, why would you want me to participate in a dating show?” Jian You’s voice was very soft, her face expressionless. Even when talking about love, she was matter-of-fact. “But why didn’t you look for me all these years? What was your reason?”
Yun Chu followed behind her, looking down at her own shoes. “So you came, right?”
She reached out and tugged at the corner of Jian You’s clothes, pressing, “So, on your script, my main CP was me. You could be good to me openly, but it was also from the heart, right?”
She felt like she was dreaming.
Even walking felt light and airy.
Jian You liked her, had liked her for many years. This was something she wouldn’t even dare to dream of, but now it had become a reality, softly landing in her heart.
Her heart pounded wildly. When Jian You turned around and approached her, she finally lost control.
Yun Chu stammered, “T-Teacher Jian…”
Jian You smiled.
She took a step forward, and Yun Chu took a step back. Soon, she was cornered. Yun Chu blinked, and in her panic, she blurted out, “Teacher Jian, you’re not going to pin me against the wall, are you?”
Jian You: “Do you want me to?”
Yun Chu: “Huh?”
Jian You: “If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”
Yun Chu: “…Anything?”
Jian You raised an eyebrow and slowly shook her head. “I don’t want to pin you against the wall. I want to kiss you.”
Yun Chu: “!!!”
Before she could finish being surprised, Jian You held her chin and captured her lips. It was an overly rushed yet fierce kiss. As their lips and teeth met, the taste of blood spread in her mouth and was swallowed down her throat.
Yun Chu’s brain completely shut down. She could only follow Jian You’s rhythm, being taken from. In the silent corridor, the door of the iron cage at the end wasn’t closed tightly. It swayed in the artificial breeze, making a soft creaking sound.
“Yun Chu.” Jian You licked her lips lightly and answered her previous question.
“The script I received was to be loyal to you alone.
I tore up the script, yet I still chose to be loyal to you alone.”
