?The traffic light turned red and Yi Wenze very steadily braked to a stop. Turning his head to the side, he quietly watched her for a moment. “‘In Jia He’s fifteenth year, I saw her before, so you’re the one who came late.’”
These words were very easy to understand, with every character extremely clear, but when strung together she no longer grasped their meaning.
In her fifteenth year, she had still been in high school first year at No.4 Middle School, days spent cramming for classes. She basically did not know any students from other schools, let alone have any contact with them. Moreover, before that, she had never once left Beijing, so naturally, it would have been impossible for her to go to Hong Kong. So how was it possible they had seen each other before?
Could it be that… Jia He looked at him. Were those lines from a movie? They felt very heart-stirring, suitable for instantly captivating the audience.
Right then, a phone call came in. Jia He could only watch the red light switch to green and tugged the cuff of Yi Wenze’s sleeve to signal that driving could be resumed. Yi Wenze kept one hand on the steering wheel while putting on his headphones with his other hand to start speaking. Judging by the conversation, it sounded like Wu Zhilun had driven to catch up with them. Amidst a couple sentences, the name Tian Chu[27] slipped out, as well.
That name silently slipped into her ears. She truly did not want to eavesdrop, but Yi Wenze surprisingly did not intentionally try to avoid mentioning anything.
Once the call ended, she immediately put on an expression showing great interest and carried on with her previous question, “Why’d you say that?”
“It just popped into my head,” Yi Wenze did not seem about to offer an explanation. On the contrary, he lightly, casually redirected the conversation, “My movie has confirmed that Tian Chu will be singing the theme song. Since you’ll be in Tianjin, you might run into her.”
Jia He had not expected him to shift the topic to this and gave a little stammer first before smilingly stating, “She’s very popular right now. With you two joining forces, the promotions should turn out pretty nicely.”
That was an understatement. With two freshly divorced people working together again, a massive news tidal wave would surely come crashing down once more.
When she thought about seeing Tian Chu, she somehow felt a trace of awkwardness.
The matter from several months ago in Hengdian was still vividly clear in her mind. At that time, she had insisted with utmost certainty that there was absolutely nothing going on between Yi Wenze and Tian Chu. Yet now… She was not afraid to see Tian Chu, but somehow, she inexplicably felt as if she had been lying. She could roughly guess what Tian Chu must have been thinking back then. Unresolved feelings? Rekindling a former flame[28]?
She took a sidelong glance at Yi Wenze. Should she ask or not ask? And if she did ask, what was the appropriate extent?
Yi Wenze received one call after another in succession, not providing her any opportunity to question him at all. It was not until they were on the expressway that he finally had some free time. “We’re on the highway now. Buckle your seatbelt.”
Jia He gave an “Oh,” and reached behind herself to tug the seatbelt over with a click. Right as that clasp snapped in, Yi Wenze spoke up again, “Tian Chu is someone with too much pride. No matter what she says to you, there’s no need to take it too seriously.”
Jia He nodded. Realizing he was driving and hence likely unable to see her, she swiftly added an “Mm-hmm.”
“She brought it up when we were in Hengdian.” His tone was very plain. “She and I signed the divorce papers a year ago. This matter has nothing to do with anyone else. It was merely two people whose feelings were no longer compatible,” he concisely explained. “If you happen to read anything written in entertainment news reports, just treat it as a fictional story. There’s no need to take it too much to heart.”
Yi Wenze was being far too candid. In contrast, she felt somewhat embarrassed. “I understand. They’re all things from the past now. I’m definitely not narrow-minded enough to petty account about things like that.” She paused briefly before tentatively asking, “I feel… it seems like she still wants to get back together?”
When she had finished speaking, she felt a sour taste slipping down her throat[29].
For a boyfriend and girlfriend, asking this wasn’t overstepping her bounds, was it? Apprehensively, she took a quick glance at Yi Wenze. He did not seem to show any aversion, which allowed her to feel a little more at ease. Yi Wenze appeared to be considering how he should respond. After some time had passed, he finally said, “She brought it up in Hengdian.”
The vehicle was not traveling very swiftly and cars continuously zoomed past them. For a moment, the two sank into silence.
It was not until they pulled over to refuel that, right before getting out of the car, he very indifferently added another sentence. “She should know that I have a girlfriend now.”
Jia He gave an “Oh,” although she still had a lot of questions, she endured and did not ask them. Any more questions would truly seem as if she was interrogating him. He had actually been handling this very well all this time. They had only just started seeing each other, after all; she could not appear too narrow-minded.
Traffic today was smooth. Their journey took just a little over an hour.
It was not until they entered downtown Tianjin before she started feeling hungry. As all sorts of restaurants and fast food outlets flashed by along the sides of the road, she reflexively wanted to suggest finding a place to eat, but the words had just come to her lips when she remembered that he could not so casually appear in public places. She could only console herself that when you were dating an idol, you would definitely need to have some sacrifices—the current scenario being an example.
She was hungry. So hungry her stomach ached. She surreptitiously massaged her stomach as she silently prayed that they would arrive at the hotel swiftly.
“Hungry?”
She quickly removed her hand. “It’s all right.”
“We’ll arrive very shortly,” he said, reaching out a hand to ruffle Jia He’s hair, a smile in his voice. “Hold out a little longer.”
What Yi Wenze stated could be trusted. Indeed, in five minutes or less, they pulled into a tall building. While the two of them waited for the elevator in the underground parking garage, there were five or six youths who were also standing there waiting. As soon as they caught sight of Yi Wenze, they began murmuring amongst themselves in low voices. A few bolder ones took out their mobile phones, wanting to surreptitiously snap some pictures. He merely gave a smile and told them they could take a group photo together but no candid shots were allowed.
Jia He hurriedly pretended as if she did not recognize him and stood off by herself in a corner. She watched as he took a photo together with that group. Even when they all stepped onto the elevator, she deliberately stood in the spot furthest away from him. Fortunately, they were heading up to a higher floor and, very soon, the last person stepped out, leaving the two of them alone as the elevator doors slid shut. Out of nowhere, she felt a large, warm hand clasp her own, firm and powerful.
She turned her head. Yi Wenze was smiling down at her, an apologetic look in his eyes. “Does having a boyfriend like me make you feel uncomfortable at all?”
Jia He gave serious thought for a moment before a smile suddenly spread on her face and she asked in return, “Having a girlfriend like me, isn’t that inconvenient for you?”
He gave a wry chuckle. “Indeed, it is.”
“Huh?” Jia He unhappily peered at him.
He moved in close to her ear. “I always need to consider how I should act so that you feel at ease.”
The warmth puffing beside her ear caused her mind to stray to random thoughts about him. All of a sudden, with a ding, the elevator doors slid apart.
She swiftly pulled back her hand and beckoned him to walk out first.
By the time they arrived at the restaurant, their hostess, upon seeing Yi Wenze, enthusiastically led the way. “Mr. Yi, please come this way.” Not until they were standing outside the private room’s door and he had just stretched out his hand, about to push it open, did Jia He abruptly give a little tug on his shirt cuff again.
He turned back with a puzzled look.
She gazed sincerely at him as she said, “Actually, at the start of any relationship, both people will feel insecure and constantly worry for no reason. It’ll slowly get better over time, so you don’t need to put too much consideration into it.” She paused briefly before stating in a low voice the main point she wanted to convey, “But anyway, I absolutely believe in you.”
From inside the private room drifted very lively noises; it sounded like quite a few people were gathered inside.
She had just finished speaking when she felt she was being too sentimentally dramatic. And on top of that, Yi Wenze was not even saying anything, which was making her feel exceedingly awkward. Fortunately, right then, the door was pulled open from the inside. Wu Zhilun had his head lowered as he swiftly strode out while talking on his mobile phone. He nearly crashed into her.
Jia He was badly startled. By reflex, Wu Zhilun also shifted back half a step. In a split second, an “I’ve caught you” smile spread across his face. “How is it I’m the first one to arrive?” As soon as he finished saying this, he swiftly ended the call on his phone and looked at his watch. “Half an hour late. Tsk, tsk.”
His eyes roved up and down Jia He before sliding to Yi Wenze, then back to Jia He again, afraid other people would not understand the implied meaning behind his words.
Yi Wenze patted him on the shoulder. His tone was indifferent. “Believe me, half an hour is too short a time to do anything.” His volume was neither loud nor quiet, but just perfect for the three of them to hear clearly.
Then, pulling wordless Jia He along with him, he walked inside the room.
There were a lot of people gathered inside the private room. With a quick sweep of her eyes, the first person Jia He spotted was Tian Chu, and also the woman beside her. Although Jia He had not seen Tian Chu herself these past years, she had watched many interviews of her and swiftly recognized that this woman was Manager Mai[30], Tian Chu’s agent.
Because Yi Wenze was holding her by the hand, Jia He felt rather embarrassed all of a sudden. She gave a slight dip of her head. “Manager Mai.”
Manager Mai smiled very genially. “You’re Jia He, right? The media premiere for Eternal Peace is in a couple days. I watched the trailer. If I haven’t estimated incorrectly, your worth is going to skyrocket.”
Given the current environment, this could be considered the most suitable opening line of conversation.
Jia He felt a warmth in her heart, and her nerves relaxed slightly. “Thank you, Manager Mai.”
Manager Mai gave an amused chuckle, patting Jia He on the shoulder before finally turning her head to look at Yi Wenze. “I called you day before yesterday. How come you were still refusing to come today but suddenly changed your mind now?” After Yi Wenze had seated Jia He down beside himself, he took off his baseball cap and casually left it atop the table. “Something came up temporarily so I came over early.”
This was meant to be an ordinary working meal[31]. Because Yi Wenze had openly revealed their relationship by taking her hand to walk in here, regardless of whether the people present were acquainted with one another or not, they now understood with complete clarity what the couple’s status was. Despite intentionally wearing natural smiles as they chatted, the inquisitive gleam brimming in all those eyes was something Jia He saw very clearly.
By the time the meal was half finished, Tian Chu had continuously downed one glass after another and had already consumed quite a lot of alcohol.
Watching this, Jia He felt a little discomfort. While she had seen these types of circumstances many times already, once she became the main character being stared at by so many people, she would still inevitably feel somewhat awkward. Moreover, the majority of the people here were from Yi Wenze’s company and hence were all longtime coworkers with Tian Chu. No matter how Jia He looked at it, she was the only outsider.
However, it seemed this feeling was exclusive to her alone. Yi Wenze, on the other hand, was very much at ease. He finished eating very soon and lowly asked her, “Do you want to head back to the hotel to rest?” Jia He was instantly greatly relieved. In a quiet voice, she asked in return, “Don’t you need to stay here?” She quickly added, “Or else, just tell me the hotel name and I’ll take a taxi back myself.”
He was indifferent, though. “No need. I’m very tired, too.”
Jia He gave this some thought. She also felt continuing to stay would simply make things more awkward and hence flatly admitted, “Then let’s go.”
After the two had reached a consensus, Yi Wenze began going through the motions of clinking glasses with a few people in a perfunctory show, saying he had been exhausted since coming over from Shanghai yesterday and had not properly rested so he really could not keep them company anymore. The others fortunately did not try to detain them and merely chuckled, exchanging some polite words. However, those few who had drunk too much alcohol shamelessly watched Jia He with jibing expressions as they threw some teasing jests at Yi Wenze.
Listening to these quips flustered Jia He, but since these people were already tipsy, there was no point in fussing over such things with them, either. She could only use going to wash her hands as an excuse to escape the room. Beside this room was a separate, individual restroom, and hence it was very quiet. As she picked up her mobile phone, just about to send Yi Wenze a text message, she saw Wu Zhilun leaning against the edge of the sink, an insinuating grin stretching his lips. “The walls here aren’t soundproofed. I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping.”
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