Shu He came out of the bedroom, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing. Her footsteps slowly approached as she poured a cup of honey water. When she turned around, she met his dark gaze.
Seeing that she wasn’t speaking, he couldn’t help but speak first. The dark red wound on his lip was somewhat eye-catching. “Jie jie, do you remember what happened last night?”
Shu He wasn’t completely drunk last night. She involuntarily recalled that hazy kiss in her mind, but her expression remained unchanged as she looked away. “What happened?”
“……”
Even though he knew she wouldn’t remember things after drinking, Jing Yi still followed her hopefully, saying dryly: “You kissed me.”
Shu He didn’t show any signs of shyness or shock. Instead, she glanced at him lightly: “Stop making things up.”
“……”
Jing Yi looked at her somewhat pitifully. After hesitating for a long time, he muttered: “This spot, it was bitten by you.”
He pointed to his wound. Shu He gave it a perfunctory glance and placed the washed fruit in a ceramic bowl. Her manner was completely different from how she had gently comforted him a few days ago.
“Oh, where did I bite you?” She bit into a piece of fruit, her red lips glistening with a shiny gloss that looked even more tempting than the bright red berries in her hand.
He swallowed lightly and answered her: “In your room.”
“You mean, I was in my room and bit you for no reason?”
“And kissed me,” he added softly.
Shu He let out a light laugh and asked him: “Why did you enter my room in the first place?”
“…You were asleep. I carried you in.”
Shu He nodded thoughtfully. “So, if you hadn’t entered my room, you wouldn’t have been bitten.”
“……”
Realizing she had no intention of taking responsibility, Jing Yi mumbled resentfully: “How could you be like this.”
“…..”
Shu He looked at this dramatic ghost with some amusement. “Then what do you want? Let you bite back?”
Jing Yi’s dark eyes unconsciously fixed on her moist, glossy red lips. Before he could react, his mouth was stuffed with two slices of very sweet orange. Her fair fingers pressed against his lips, leaving a fleeting soft fragrance. By the time he instinctively opened his mouth, she had already withdrawn her hand.
“Dream on.”
She coldly dropped these few words. Jing Yi slowly chewed the fruit. “You said you would care about me.”
As he spoke, he carefully touched his wound, slightly furrowing his brows, appearing listless and droopy.
“…..”
Shu He was speechless, but when her gaze fell on his lips, her smile quickly faded.
“Did he often hit you?”
When he realized who she was referring to, Jing Yi paused for two seconds, then nodded and shook his head.
“It hasn’t happened for a long time.”
Because after Ren Yinyue passed away, he was no longer part of the Jing family.
“I’m sorry.”
He was stunned for a moment. He saw her looking down at the fruit in the bowl. “I shouldn’t have hit you that day.”
The air was silent for a while. He tried hard to smile. “It’s okay. Compared to him, your hit didn’t hurt at all.”
Seeing that she didn’t speak, he tentatively reached for her hand. “Really.”
Shu He looked at him silently until the curve of his forced smile began to falter. She controlled the emotions surging inside her. “Forget it.”
In an instant, his forced smile disappeared. He instinctively curled his hand tighter, his fingertips gently pinching into her soft palm, looking at her nervously and helplessly.
“I owe you two requests.”
She pulled her hand away. Jing Yi’s heart tightened: “What do you mean?”
“Consider it compensation for these two things.”
By the time he realized what she meant, Shu He had already stood up to leave.
“Is there a time limit?” He hurriedly followed her. Shu He took the bowl to the sink: “Not for now.”
Which meant she would decide when they expired.
They might even expire tomorrow.
Regarding this unfair agreement, Jing Yi softly protested: “What if you cheat?”
Shu He looked at him with some amusement. She wiped her hands with a tissue. “Between us, aren’t you the one who likes to cheat?”
“…..”
Finding his protest ineffective, he muttered sullenly: “Then does what you asked me on the phone yesterday still count?”
Shu He took a sip of warm honey water. “It was just a dare, and besides, you didn’t give me an answer.”
He paused for two seconds: “…You know I can’t refuse. I’ve always wanted to be with you.”
“You didn’t tell me in person when we broke up, and now for getting back together too?”
He instantly panicked. “I want to be with you again.”
“Is it Jing Yi who wants to be with me, or Jing Lin?”
Her question made his face suddenly turn pale. He mumbled, not knowing how to answer.
He didn’t speak, and Shu He wasn’t angry either. She just put down her cup and looked at him calmly: “I can’t accept a second cliff-edge breakup.”
“So whether you’re Jing Yi or Jing Lin, this time, I want to know all of you, and be with the real you. Is that okay?”
—
The afternoon wasn’t very busy at the shop. When Shu He had some free time, she opened her tablet.
She couldn’t find anything about Jing Lin until she entered Ren Yinyue’s name. Her gaze fell on that entry—
[Famous pianist Ren Yinyue loses beloved son, remains in coma for three days, allegedly in critical condition!]
Besides this, she couldn’t see any news about Jing Lin or Jing Yi.
She tiredly closed the tablet, silently guessing what kind of relationship he had with Jing Lin.
After being busy for a while, she still needed to visit Xiang Lanye on set today.
The filming location had changed to a different scene. Shu He packed some coffee, and when she arrived at the crew, everyone was busy, and few people noticed her.
After all, she was just there to visit her friend. Shu He wore a mask and sat quietly in the corner waiting for her.
But before long, a shadow fell before her, and a somewhat surprised voice came down from above.
“Sister Shu He?”
Xu Yichi’s smile was so bright it was flawless. If fans saw it, they would probably promote him as the sunshine golden retriever of the entertainment industry.
Shu He nodded without any emotion. He seemed not to mind her coldness at all and knelt down on one knee, looking up at her to talk: “I spotted you right away just now.”
Shu He felt uncomfortable with his familiar intimacy. She instinctively looked around and saw that people were already looking over.
“Stand up, people will misunderstand if they see us.”
Xu Yichi nodded as if obediently, then stood up and sat beside her: “Are you here to visit Teacher Xiang?”
Shu He responded with perfunctory agreement. She asked casually: “Don’t you need to go back to work?”
His smile deepened. “My schedule for today is already finished.”
“Then why aren’t you leaving?”
“Well, it’s rare to see sister, I want to spend more time with you.”
“……”
A strange, uncomfortable irritation rose in Shu He’s heart. Just then, Xiang Lanye finished her work and rushed over. Seeing Xu Yichi there, she looked suspicious and vigilant.
“Teacher Xiang!”
He seemed not to notice and greeted her cheerfully and warmly.
Xiang Lanye took the coffee Shu He brought, perfunctorily tugged at her lips, “You’re done with work, why not leave?”
Xu Yichi gave the same answer as before, then pretended to be very sensible: “I won’t disturb you two then, I’ll leave first.”
“You seem to really dislike him?”
Shu He asked after he left.
Xiang Lanye slowly drank her coffee. “I just feel like he’s putting on an act.”
Shu He was a bit confused: “What do you mean?”
“Intuition.”
“…..”
During filming, Xu Yichi was rarely this attentive, and even had a somewhat arrogant air of privilege, with the director and others pampering him.
Xiang Lanye admitted his acting was good, but she really hated this kind of arrogant person. Besides, the entertainment industry never lacked people with good acting skills.
After chatting with her for a while, Shu He left first.
The driver picked her up, and within a few minutes, he kept looking in the rearview mirror and suddenly spoke: “Miss, are you a celebrity?”
Shu He was surprised: “No.”
“Then why are there two cars following us…”
From picking her up at the film set to being followed, the driver obviously thought she was some kind of celebrity.
Shu He looked back and indeed saw two cars.
“Could you take a few detours to lose them?”
“Sure, but extra routes cost extra money.”
After two detours, the driver became frustrated. “Miss, did you offend someone?”
Shu He had a bad feeling in her heart. At that moment, a sudden push from behind made her fall forward uncontrollably, with piercing brake sounds echoing around.
…..
At the police station.
Shu He’s hand holding the ice pack was getting sore. The bruise on her forehead was darkening. After completing the statement, the police asked if she wanted to settle, but she shook her head, her expression cold: “No settlement.”
The perpetrators were a few young girls who were Xu Yichi’s stalker fans. Since the hot search last time, they had been staking out the film set.
Today they recognized her with sharp eyes and started following her.
Some of them were underage, and the two drivers had just gotten their licenses and were on the road for the first time. They mistook the gas pedal for the brake, causing the rear-end collision.
Seeing her firm refusal, the police didn’t say much.
The driver’s face was written with bad luck — taking a passenger only to have a car crash into him. Shu He compensated the driver for half the cost, with the other half to be paid by the perpetrators.
Shu He had just walked out of the police station when she saw the man hurrying over.
His movement with the crutch was unstable. As he got closer, his gaze suddenly fixed on the bruise on her forehead.
“What happened?”
His chest heaved with irregular breaths, his clothes disheveled, looking as if he had rushed out.
Shu He didn’t hide it from him: “A rear-end collision.”
He was obviously somewhat regretful: “I should have picked you up.”
Shu He looked at the black car in the distance. Yu Mo had dyed his hair blue at some point and was hiding in the car but still conspicuous.
“Troubling Yu Mo again?”
“He’s not your driver.”
Jing Yi wanted to say he would pay, but the words stopped at his lips, and a trace of bitterness crossed his heart.
If his leg was better, he could come pick her up himself.
“Let’s go back.”
Shu He could see he was twisting himself unhappily again. He mumbled in agreement, when suddenly urgent footsteps approached.
Xu Yichi walked briskly, but when he saw the man beside her, his footsteps suddenly paused. He suddenly smiled and pushed his glasses: “Long time no see.”
Their gazes met in the air, as if something was silently spreading.
Jing Yi gave him a cold glance, took Shu He’s hand, and as they passed by, her left hand was grabbed by Xu Yichi.
He spoke first: “Sister Shu He, let me take you to the hospital.”
Shu He frowned and pulled her hand out of his grip. “No need.”
Xu Yichi’s smile faded a little. He looked at Jing Yi, then down, making no effort to hide his gaze falling on his leg. “You probably can’t conveniently take sister, let me drive you both.”
That “sister” sounded particularly jarring. Jing Yi unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand. Shu He’s expression cooled slightly, but she didn’t pull her hand away.
“No thanks, you should go in and see your fans.”
Seeing the two about to leave, Xu Yichi suddenly raised his voice: “Can I talk to you alone?”
“No.”
Before Shu He could speak, the person beside her refused first.
A flash of light crossed Xu Yichi’s pupils behind his glasses. He smiled just right: “Why so urgent, brother? Whatever your relationship with sister, you can’t control her from talking to others, right?”
The word “control” stabbed him like a needle. Shu He gave Xu Yichi an emotionless glance, then turned to the person beside her: “Wait for me for a minute.”
He seemed unable to believe she would choose him. His lips pressed straight, his jaw tense, with stubbornness and grievance in his dark eyes.
Shu He struggled to pull her hand free, then gently squeezed his hand, signaling him to go back to the car first.
But he stood still like a wooden post, refusing to move. She had to look at Xu Yichi, “Let’s talk over there.”
He smiled at the silent man: “Okay.”
“…..”
Jing Yi stood motionless like a standing tree not far away, but his dark eyes fixed tightly on her.
Shu He looked away and got straight to the point: “To be honest, you’ve caused me a lot of trouble.”
Her cold statement made Xu Yichi lower his eyes, appearing remorseful and guilty.
But Shu He wasn’t moved by his pretense of being good: “If you’re really sorry, please control your fans. It’s also best if we don’t have any contact anymore.”
Xu Yichi was silent for two seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Isn’t that too much, sister—”
“I’ve also said before, we’re not familiar, don’t call me sister,” Shu He interrupted him, her voice as cold as the night wind. “I don’t know if you’re doing this intentionally, but no matter how you try to imitate him, it’s useless.”
“I’ve said, I don’t like you, and there’s no possibility between us.”
Shu He finished speaking concisely. Xu Yichi dropped his disguise. “Sister, I’m also younger than you.”
He looked at the man in the distance, came in front of her, deliberately blocking the view.
“I don’t mind that you have a boyfriend.”
“I do mind.” He didn’t seem to know about her breakup, but Shu He still interrupted him without emotion, looking directly at these eyes that, no matter how they disguised, were different from Jing Yi’s.
“I’ve never liked a person because of age, appearance, or hairstyle. So no matter how you try to imitate, you are not him.”
“If you still don’t understand what I mean, then let me clearly tell you one last time: no one can become a substitute for Jing Yi.”
“He is unique to me.”
The person not far away was hidden in the dim light, his expression unclear, not knowing if he was again twisting himself into feeling wronged.
Shu He had said all she needed to say and didn’t want to waste more time. Just as she was about to step away, Xu Yichi instinctively blocked her. “You—”
“Stop bothering me.”
She casually tucked her loose hair behind her ear, turning to look at the still-lit police station, her voice cold to the extreme: “Otherwise, you can go in and accompany your fans.”
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