A Qing kept chattering, first complaining in Mandarin. When he encountered something too difficult to express, he would supplement in Cantonese. But it was still just griping about his manager Sister Mai not giving advance warning. If the media had caught him and Tian Chu meeting in Hengdian, it would be another explosive headline.
Jia He cupped her hands beside her mouth, breathing hot air onto them, not really listening to what was said.
The snow was falling even more intensely. Everyone was frozen half to death but the director was extremely spirited.
This was originally meant to be a snow scene so real life shooting was best. And both Yi Wenze and Liao Jing were very emotionally in character today. It would be a waste to not take advantage of the beautiful scenery. They quickly wrapped up.
Tian Chu waited until all her on-site fans left before walking over to Yi Wenze and greeting him after lowering her mask. This was no different than a hugely explosive bombshell. The staff didn’t react for a moment, communicating silently with their eyes to pretend nothing was happening while still sneaking peeks at the two.
Only Yi Wenze seemed to have already expected Tian Chu to come. His expression was completely unsurprised.
Seeing this, Jia He finally relaxed, taking out her phone to start playing Whack-a-Mole.
She had been worried about her idol’s reaction earlier but now realized she was overthinking things. Breaking up and getting back together was common in the entertainment industry. They should be used to bizarre events. Maybe this divorce reveal was just pre-promotion for Tian Chu’s career transition. Thinking this, Jia He tapped the screen to release the little yellow chick prematurely, failing the level yet again…
“What game is that?” Her idol’s voice suddenly came from above.
Jia He hesitated. “Angry Birds.” And she deliberately recalled the English name to avoid any confusion from the translated title, ready to explain at any time.
Yi Wenze seemed to be smiling. “What level are you at?” By now he had changed out of his costume into simple black down jacket. Head lowered to look at Jia He’s phone screen, he was so close she could even feel the warmth of his breath when he spoke. She didn’t know why but it made her somewhat distracted. Hurriedly adjusting her smile, she said awkwardly, “Only the beginning of the third chapter. I’m really bad at playing it.”
Yi Wenze laughed softly. “Just try a few more times.” Before he even finished speaking, A Qing had already proudly supplemented, “Ah Ze’s really good. He made it through with just one bird.”
Jia He instantly looked at him admiringly. “How many levels in a row can you make it through with one bird?”
The game wasn’t that hard but making it through levels consecutively with one bird took skill. Thus far, the internet record was fifteen levels consecutively, already making Jia He feel hopeless about herself in comparison.
Yi Wenze smiled. “If all goes smoothly, forty three levels consecutively.”
Jia He was utterly convinced. As expected of her idol, surpassing her admired record of fifteen levels without even making a ripple…
A Qing grinned and made a V gesture, picking up the packed items with satisfaction before leaving first.
Right then, Tian Chu finished speaking to Director Jiang and walked over, extending her right hand to Jia He. “Hello.”
Both her smile and frown were graceful.
“Hello.” Jia He lightly grasped her hand. Unlike an actress who filmed often, her palm was delicate and smooth, warm to the touch.
The woman before her had prominent and striking features, seeming very mixed race. Jia He sighed inwardly, just about to say something to dispel the unfamiliarity between them when Tian Chu already let go of her hand. “Jia He, you look very familiar.”
Jia He looked at her blankly, racking her brains but drawing a complete blank… Back when she was still a reporter covering finance, then later switching to screenwriting where she interacted exclusively with actors, she truly didn’t overlap much with singers. Of course, she had seen Tian Chu on TV countless times but there’s no way the woman could have met her before. This must be just mistaken feelings.
Seeing her give no response, Tian Chu tilted her head slightly to look at Yi Wenze, a hard to describe expression in her eyes.
At this time, the three of them were standing in a cloister hallway lined with rows of warm lanterns. Yi Wenze leaned casually against a pillar behind him, silhouetted under one of the paper lanterns, faintly outlining a form.
He seemed to not notice Tian Chu’s gaze at all. Rather, he said to Jia He, “Let’s go eat first. We’ll have time to talk later.” Other than tiredness from filming continuously for seven hours, his voice remained mild and moderate as always.
“Ah, alright.” Jia He quickly responded, stuffing her phone into her coat pocket.
She almost forgot. Her idol had been busy until now without eating dinner yet.
But glancing at Tian Chu’s unhappy expression, she realized a serious problem. As an outsider here, it wouldn’t feel right to just tag along for a free meal. As she thought about this, she swiftly looked around for Qiao Qiao’s figure but found only people packing up equipment left in the snow…
“You two go on ahead. I made plans earlier to eat with the other crew over there and they’ve been waiting a while too,” Tian Chu suddenly said, speaking while putting her mask back on. She looked at Jia He again. “We’re going to be in Hengdian for two, three months so there will be other chances.”
Unable to see her expression, Jia He could still sense the low spirit behind her words. She looked at Yi Wenze but her idol remained nonchalant, leaning against the pillar while speaking a brief sentence to Tian Chu in Cantonese: Day after tomorrow, 3 PM.
Tian Chu hesitated before agreeing with an “alright.” She turned and walked out of the hallway. The accumulated snow was imprinted by a trail of dainty high heel prints, perfectly formed and hasty amidst the vast white.
Watching her departing figure, Jia He was somewhat confused. Seeing how long Tian Chu had waited earlier, she clearly didn’t plan to just exchange a few trivial words before leaving. So why did she suddenly go? Throughout the entire dinner, Jia He secretly observed Yi Wenze but was still unable to find the answer. She only followed his occasional reminders to polish off half the plate of braised pork buns…
The first thing Jia He did upon returning to her room was to pull up all the news about Yi Wenze’s divorce and carefully analyze the real reason for her idol’s split. Such a sensational divorce case yet the two leads were interacting very harmoniously. It was truly illogical. Even Zhou Hui Min had made up a mistress scandal for her comeback. Could Tian Chu and Yi Wenze just be staging some hype for the new drama too?
She was closely inspecting her screen when her phone suddenly vibrated vigorously. She picked up without looking, surprisingly hearing Gu Yu’s voice.
“Jia He, asleep yet?” His voice floated somewhat tipsily.
Jia He froze before finally saying no. Phone at her ear, she began closing down the dozens of news tabs.
Both sides fell silent for a stretch, neither speaking first. The only clear sound in the quiet room was mouse clicks intermittently mixed with keyboard tapping. The first private phone call in five years between two people who had experienced deep affection then bitter betrayal now only had this left between them.
After some time, Gu Yu sighed. “You’re looking at your computer?”
Jia He mumbled affirmatively. “Reading news.”
“How come you’re not sleeping yet?”
“Habit,” she casually replied. “It’s only just after dinner at this time for me. My nightlife is just starting.”
Gu Yu’s voice had always been magnetic. Together with the light tipsiness, he was just like a midnight radio host, carrying some faint seductiveness. Jia He used to adore his voice very much but for some reason, she suddenly recalled Yi Wenze’s gentle Cantonese accented Mandarin, unsophisticated and suitable as he analyzed what coffees would suit her. Unintentionally distracted, her mind drifted for a bit.
“Take care of your own rest too,” Gu Yu continued. “You looked really unwell that day.”
That day? If not for his sudden appearance, she wouldn’t have been forced to crawl out of bed past 7 AM and spent the entire day muddled and dizzy. Faced with such intimate concern, Jia He didn’t know how to respond for a moment and simply kept silent.
Gu Yu seemed to also realize what he said was inappropriate. He slowly laughed. “Don’t mind me, just rambling from the alcohol. I was eating with some friends earlier and thought of you as a screenwriter so I recommended you. It just so happens someone wants to invest in a TV drama and may want to see your portfolio, could be a collaboration opportunity.”
Jia He was quiet for a bit before laughing and thanking him. “I’ll email you if there’s a chance in the future.”
“Sure,” Gu Yu said. “Still the previous email, you know the one.”
Yahoo email, ID jiahemyever
She had forced Gu Yu to register it. Back when they were still innocent youths, remembering it now left her feeling incredibly embarrassed…
A few cars drove by outside the window. Because of the snow, their lights blurred hazily.
At a bit of a loss, Jia He just wanted to swiftly end this topic. Brain slower than her mouth, she unexpectedly said, “Right, there’s something I wanted to gossip with you about regarding Yi Wenze.”
There was some hesitation over the call. “Go ahead.”
“My idol… Yi Wenze’s divorce news, was that real?” Before she even finished, she cringed from knocking her forehead against the glass. How awful, using her idol’s scandal to divert the conversation.
After a lengthy silence, Gu Yu slowly said, “Why don’t you just directly ask Yi Wenze?”
How could she as a fan dare to ask her idol such a sensitive question?
Jia He said awkwardly, “We’re not close enough for something like that. Sorry, I just suddenly remembered you work in media and forgot you’re the editor for a fashion magazine, not some gossip rag.”
Just as she was about say to forget it, he already chuckled twice over there. “I thought becoming a screenwriter would have made you see celebrities and idols more objectively.”
Jia He was rendered speechless.
At this time, it sounded like Gu Yu had just gotten into a cab. He reported an address to the driver before continuing, “The personality piece I’m working on right now is about Tian Chu. I only heard people mention a few things but turns out her family is originally from Zhejiang despite debuting in Hong Kong. They’ve already been divorced in agreement for half a year now. She’ll be formally finalizing it during this break in Hengdian for filming.”
Leave a Reply