Starving, and mood really low.
In the end we drove to eat hot pot, because it was a weekday, not many people at lunch time. We got a private room. Xiao Yu didn’t even look carefully at the menu, just went through it ticking things off. Jia He watched feeling like claws scratching at her heart, while the server couldn’t stop smiling. By the time the table was filled edge to edge, she asked between laughter and tears, “How many meals did you order?”
“Lunch plus dinner.” Xiao Yu picked up some meat, throwing it into the boiling copper pot, stirring it a couple times.
“Really not standing on ceremony…”
Xiao Yu raised her wrist to check the time, “From noon at 12, all the way until midnight at 12, that stretch of time’s free for you. According to my client manager payscale, 833 per day. A meal like this should cover two meals, right?”
The numbers running through those eyes were definitely red bills…
Actually Jia He understood, she just wanted to keep her company.
The two lowered their heads to eat. She kept feeling like she forgot something, until she was stuffed and couldn’t eat another bite, before she suddenly remembered there was the Eternal Peace media meet today. Both Qiao Qiao and Yi Wenze had mentioned it. Getting distracted by the news she actually forgot, when she promised Yi Wenze she would eat dinner with him afterwards…started at 3pm, it was already 2:30 now. She hurriedly used a napkin to wipe her mouth, “I forgot, there’s a media meet this afternoon still.”
“You’re not the director or cast, why’re you antsy? I remember screenwriters don’t need to attend these kinds of events.”
Jia He discovered she was definitely doing this on purpose. She might as well lay her cards on the table, “I’m going to see Yi Wenze.”
Then what? She hadn’t thought that far yet.
She also didn’t know what his plans were after he came back.
“I knew it.” Xiao Yu shook her phone, “Qiao Qiao called me this morning, with how explosive the news has been today, definitely people will ask questions at the meet. She said don’t go join in the hot gossip.” So it was a premeditated isolation? Jia He finally understood.
She could only symbolically continue eating. After a good while, she mumbled, “It’s not like I haven’t heard rumors before, no need to be so paranoid over it.”
Xiao Yu laughed, “Forget it. Qiao Qiao means well too. Hearing it live versus after the fact is very different. Look at those third party cases, when watching from the sidelines they’re clear-headed, able to calmly analyze it step by step. But when it happens to themselves they become hysterical.”
Jia He had no rebuttal. What she said made her feel even more awful, “Who got a third party…”
“This thing of yours is asking for trouble, playing with fire with a microscope?” Xiao Yu threw some beef slices into her bowl, “With the right sunlight, just a focused microscope is enough to instantly start a fire. Same principle. Any tiny thing, focused on by the public, instantly sets it alight.” She looked at Jia He, “Look at how Yi Wenze specially clarified things about Liao Jing. That was being good to you, right? If I were the entertainment media, I’d write, look someone who hasn’t breathed a word about his relationships in over ten years, yet specially clarified things for such a small-time actress, there must be something sketchy going on.”
The white beef slices had some specks of chili flakes stuck to them. Jia He threw them in her mouth, tasting like wax.
“Just saying a couple sentences and you can’t handle it? If there were countless people asking those questions live, watching him bob and weave, wouldn’t you be heartbroken?” Xiao Yu grabbed her bag, took out a cigarette case, then seemed to remember something, throwing it back in, “Forgot, you have pharyngitis.”
Time ticked past three o’clock, then four, then five…
The entire room was steaming hot, filled with the smell of mutton. The two were already stuffed full, simply propping their chins up to chat idly. Jia He was clearly distracted, fiddling with the remote to continuously flip channels. Having not watched TV in ages, she discovered every channel was showing incomprehensible dramas. People bawling for no reason, laughing fake and pretentious.
Suddenly the entertainment news flashed by. Just as she was about to flip past it, Yi Wenze’s interview flashed across the screen.
Jia He’s heart thumped wildly as she listened to the male and female hosts gossiping. They quickly recapped the reports from this afternoon, before shifting the conversation to talk about today’s media meet. Usually for TV drama press conferences, if there wasn’t big news they normally wouldn’t make it on these types of entertainment shows. Thinking this, she kind of wanted to change the channel.
But she endured and kept watching. Nothing to fear, it was just rumors anyway?
Jia He bit into a fried puff pancake. Anyway I was the one who hid him first, no matter how you look at it I didn’t lose out.
The editing was good, the media meet was just background. It cut right into the sharp questions.
Countless people surrounded him, continuously bringing up Liao Jing’s name, right as Xiao Yu said, asking if after so many years of silence, if this time he was intentionally protecting…Yi Wenze looked at that reporter.
A one second pause, dragged out infinitely long.
The door was suddenly pushed open and a server walked in to swiftly clear away plates. On TV, Yi Wenze had already started speaking, “I don’t like using marriages as news, and I don’t like joking around with feelings of love,” he smiled very lightly, “I have indeed met someone very important already.”
The server gasped softly. Xiao Yu dropped her chopsticks.
While our female lead had already completely lost her soul, staring at the TV, not believing her own ears.
Burning up, layer by layer, from inside out. Even her eyes felt a little hot.
“How moving,” the server sighed softly, carrying away the plates as she left the private room.
Xiao Yu looked at Jia He, “Aren’t I setting myself up here?”
Jia He hugged her half-finished cola, mind already wandering. Not until Xiao Yu finished speaking did she hurriedly regain clarity. Fumbling for her phone in her bag. She stood him up, they were supposed to eat dinner together…but taking out her phone, she struggled over what to say. Should she directly admit she didn’t go to the meet? Or think of a suitable excuse?
Right as she was hesitating, as if psychic, her phone started buzzing.
Yi Wenze’s name continuously flashing, hand shaking as she finally answered under Xiao Yu’s sharp stare, “It’s over?”
That end only had light music, seemed to be in the car. Yi Wen Ze said something to someone first before speaking to her, “It’s over. Did you just wake up from sleeping too late yesterday?”
Jia He looked out at the setting sun. Felt her image was really that of lazy pig.
She bit her lip, not daring to say she got quarantined to protect her from his rumors. But she couldn’t find a good excuse either. That end waited a while before asking again, “What is it?” She hurriedly pulled herself together, quietly lying, “Something suddenly came up. My friend just got dumped and dragged me out to eat and drink with her.”
“Your friends break up a lot.” Yi Wenze concluded with an amused laugh.
Jia He guiltily sighed, “They always run into undeserving people.”
Xiao Yu waved the half-finished cola bottle threateningly. The subtext very clear, lie again and I’ll smash your head.
Yi Wenze carefully asked for the address, just said to slowly eat, he’d arrive very soon. Jia He eyed the table of leftovers, felt it wasn’t right no matter what, and decided to ask for the bill. But Xiao Yu had already stood up, patting her shoulder, “This meal’s my treat, as early congratulatory money.” Jia He was exasperated into laughter, too lazy to argue with her.
Outside the restaurant, she immediately spotted Yi Wenze’s car.
From very far away, cars continuously pulling in and leaving all around them. That black car just quietly parked amidst the flashing headlights. You could only see a vague silhouette through the front windshield. But her heart was already overflowing, wanting to immediately sprint over.
“Let me gawk at the big star, no problem right?”
Jia He hugged her bag tightly, hesitating before nodding. Should be no problem…
As they walked down the steps, a car drove up right in front of them.
Yi Wenze’s field of vision in the car was very narrow, like a small camera lens. A beam of light swept over in the darkness. Jia He put out a hand to shield the woman beside her, seemingly hinting to be careful. The car lights fading away, they carefully crossed over. Backpacks very large on them. He knew there must be a computer inside. Really a workaholic.
Wearing a really short dress, yet saying something to the woman beside her, discreetly tugging her skirt down a little.
Over the past decade or so, she should’ve been a supporting character in a small scene.
He leaned his head back against the car seat, looking at her by the entrance. So many people, so many years, it really wasn’t easy for him to encounter her again.
Many scenes flashed through his mind, overlaid on each other. Under the blazing sunlight, she walked forward with effort wearing a somewhat ill-fitting uniform. A very large schoolbag, completely stuffed full of books. One corner of the bag showed some posters all bundled up together.
Back then looking at her, he didn’t know how far her home was, only knew she was at the library building, spending all her money to buy his poster. And many years later whenever he recalled it, he still regretted not chasing after her to give her money for transport home.
Then say a thank you.
But meeting her again, he wanted to say more than a simple thanks.
Not until she ran over did he lower the car window. Jia He bent over to look at him, speaking in a low voice, “My friend wants to get a look at you.”
He got out of the car, casually opening the rear door, “Since she’s a friend, let’s all go eat together then.” Jia He was embarrassed to explain they already gorged the whole afternoon away. Xiao Yu had already politely smiled at Yi Wenze, “Hello, I’m Xiao Yu.”
Yi Wenze nodded in greeting, “Hi.”
A very normal greeting, but the next second Xiao Yu cleared her throat and lowered her voice, “The things you said today were manly. I’ll pass you for now. Jia He’s in your care from now on. She was our faculty beauty back in the day, quite lucky for you. But we’ll set an upper limit first ah, married couple red packs and stuff can’t exceed 5000 for us regular folk.”
Jia He was wholly petrified. Shoot, she said everything…
Yi Wenze smiled steadily and politely, tone serious as well, “Probably will do it in New Zealand. Can skip the red packet. I’ll gift a roundtrip ticket and three nights accommodation, how’s that sound?”
Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment first before laughing again, patting Jia He’s shoulder. “Well Red Riding Hood, let’s head home. I won’t crash your fun time.”
Not until they were in the car, could Jia He still not find a topic to ease what she felt was a very awkward atmosphere.
After thinking it over for a long time, she decided a casual opening might work best, “My friend’s pretty good looking right?”
“Not bad.”
“Used to be our faculty beauty.” Jia He was rather proud.
Yi Wenze found her ridiculous, “How many girls were in your faculty?”
Jia He became embarrassed, “She’s the real deal fangirl-voted Foreign Languages faculty beauty. We were Shipbuilding, only three girls, just ridiculous…”
He murmured thoughtfully, “My first love, was also called a faculty beauty I think.”
Jia He gave an indifferent uh-huh. Hrmph, first loves, she hated first loves most of all! All those pure and innocent, unforgettable types…She was right in the middle of nursing her bitterness when Yi Wenze continued, “I was six then, she taught me violin. I remember some boy always came to pick her up, I was so mad, clutching at her skirt and not letting her leave.”
Whoosh, a bucket of ice water, that totally doused her fiery jealousy.
This is called first love too…then I was in love with my elementary school PE teacher…
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