First Encounter
“Sis, are you really sure you want me to act in this?” Bai Mo leaned back in his seat and turned to look at Xi Zhen beside him, his tone cautious and uncertain.
Xi Zhen didn’t even blink at the computer screen, not sparing him a glance. But to ease the unease in Bai Mo’s heart, she still answered, “No, I’m not sure. That’s why I’ll be watching you the whole time. Perform properly for me.”
“Huh?” Bai Mo’s voice shot up at once. His sister, this perpetually busy woman, was actually going to follow him onto the set?
“What do you mean, ‘huh’? Can’t I come along?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” Bai Mo hurriedly shook his head, his voice dropping immediately.
“Fine. Write a character profile first, and hand it to Ah Ke when the time comes.” Xi Zhen gave the instruction with perfect seriousness.
Sending a character profile to the director before joining the production was indeed standard procedure, but the official tone in her words still carried a hint of deliberate teasing.
“Got it.” Bai Mo nodded and leaned back in his chair, already able to picture the dark, joyless days of his life on set.
A City and D City were far apart, so the usual way to travel was by plane. Unfortunately, Bai Mo got a little airsick, so he had no choice but to pester Xi Zhen into taking the high-speed rail with him.
Xi Zhen had initially wanted to refuse, then thought better of it. Bai Mo’s new assistant hadn’t arrived yet, and accompanying him for one trip was nothing. After all, though Bai Mo was only her cousin, the two of them were closer than many actual siblings.
But unfortunately, Xi Zhen still missed one thing.
She was not the kind of person who could waste eight or nine hours on a train.
So, in the dim carriage where the surrounding passengers had all settled down to rest, Xi Zhen sat alone in front of her laptop, working with full concentration, cold light reflecting on her face.
Ding dong—
Her phone rang. Xi Zhen picked it up and double-tapped the screen; a message popped up at the top.
[Zhen-jie, we’ve found someone.]
She glanced at it, swiped in, and typed back a line at speed. [Got it. Have them come as soon as possible; the script reading is tomorrow.]
The other side replied quickly. [No problem. They said they can arrive tomorrow.]
Xi Zhen sent back a “Okay,” then closed her phone.
The train thundered onward. Xi Zhen glanced out the window.
—The sun had been blazing overhead.
By the time they arrived, the sun was long gone from the window, and even the night had been blocked out by the thick curtains.
Xi Zhen woke Bai Mo, who was sleeping like the dead beside her, and motioned for him to get the luggage while she went down first with her bag.
A long-distance trip of eight or nine hours was punishing enough even in business class, let alone after she’d worked on the train for at least six of those hours.
Her stiff bones finally loosened up. Standing on the platform and looking up at the black sky, she subconsciously reached into her pocket. Her fingertips touched cold metal, and then she seemed to remember something; she pulled her hand back out.
Bai Mo was dragging his feet and who-knew-what else he was doing. Xi Zhen stood on the platform waiting with growing impatience. She called him, and the ringing went on and on, irritating her further.
She shook her hair out, then suddenly spotted someone.
The other person was wearing a slightly oversized T-shirt, but it couldn’t hide the tall, slender figure beneath it. From Xi Zhen’s angle, the short hair by that person’s ear was neatly gathered back, leaving the smooth, striking line from forehead to nose bridge to cupid’s bow completely unbroken. A few longer strands at the nape hung carelessly there, making the exposed neck look even whiter and more elegant.
Some breeze had risen from nowhere and messed up Xi Zhen’s hair.
But she didn’t care at all. She stared fixedly at the person in front of her.
The phone automatically hung up because no one answered, and Xi Zhen didn’t notice at all. The other person, however, hadn’t noticed that gaze on her either, and was currently coaxing a child in a gentle voice.
“Little one, don’t cry. Did you lose your mom?” Li Xingqing crouched down in front of the child and gently took hold of his little arms.
Her beautiful eyes and brows looked especially soft under the station lights, and her voice was low and soothing, with a calming warmth. The child quickly relaxed, even his crying fading a little.
“S-sis... I... my mom is gone.”
“Then do you know your mom’s phone number? Big sister can call her for you, okay?”
“O-okay... my mom’s number is 187xxxxxxxx”
Li Xingqing immediately took out her phone and dialed it, still coaxing him as she did. “Mm, you’re amazing. You can remember such a long number.”
Comforted, the child’s fear eased a lot, and when he heard the sister on the other end praising him, he became a little shy. “It... it was the teacher who told us to memorize it. Every child in kindergarten knows it.”
“So you really listened to your teacher. You’re an even better little kid.” Li Xingqing pressed the phone to her ear and reached out to pat his head.
The call connected quickly. Hearing her son’s voice, the person on the other end immediately grew anxious. After both sides confirmed the location, a middle-aged man hurried over not long after.
“Liangliang.”
“Dad.” The little boy threw himself into his father’s arms, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck.
Now reunited, the middle-aged man scratched his head awkwardly. “Sorry, I walked too fast just now and didn’t notice the child had gotten lost. Thank you, miss. Why don’t I add you on WeChat and send you a red packet?”
“No need; just be more careful with the child next time.” Li Xingqing declined politely, then waved to Liangliang, who had been picked up. “So your name is Liangliang? Goodbye, Liangliang.”
“Goodbye, big sister.”
After the father and son walked off, Li Xingqing didn’t linger. She pulled her suitcase and turned to leave.
Xi Zhen, who had watched the whole thing from not far away, rarely let the corners of her lips lift. Even the fatigue from the long journey seemed to ease a little. Her phone rang; it was Bai Mo.
Xi Zhen answered.
“Sis, where are you?” He was asking the same question someone else had just asked.
“Exit number five.”
“You’re still at the exit? Take the elevator down first. I’m waiting for you below.”
“Okay.”
Sure enough, Bai Mo was waiting downstairs. Xi Zhen raised a hand to greet him. “Ah Ke is already at the parking lot. Let’s go to the hotel first.”
“Got it, sis.” Bai Mo answered obediently and dutifully took her suitcase.
---
Li Xingqing only discovered it was raining after she left the high-speed rail station, but she had arranged for a car in advance, so she didn’t get wet at all.
Just after she got into the car, her phone rang. The number flashing on the screen made her pause, then she closed her eyes and answered.
“Qingqing? Are you at school right now?” The woman on the other end sounded unreadable.
“Yes. What is it, Mom?”
“Nothing.” The woman’s voice went a little hoarse, but she quickly adjusted. “Qingqing, are you sure you want to stay in the country for graduate school?”
“...Yes.” Li Xingqing paused, and in the end still gave the answer.
The woman on the other end seemed to sigh. “Studying for your master’s here is fine too. A University is close to home, and it’ll be convenient for coming back...”
Heh.
Li Xingqing gave a cold laugh inwardly. Whether it was convenient for coming home, or convenient for something else, only her mother herself knew. But she was already grown now, and she understood that some things were better left unsaid for the sake of both sides.
“Mom, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to hang up first. I still have things to do at school.”
“Okay, then you go ahead and take care of them.” Yin Yi hurried to say, but just as Li Xingqing was about to hang up, she added, “Qingqing, Mom only has you.”
Click. The call ended.
Li Xingqing’s tense body suddenly loosened. Yin Yi was always like this; she made the most unyielding decisions in the gentlest possible way.
Just like choosing finance as her major back then.
Li Xingqing had never wanted to study finance, much less continue her education in it.
Whether it was staying at her current school or going abroad, as Yin Yi had wanted, she didn’t want either.
The suffocating feeling of being submerged in water had not yet faded when the phone rang again.
Li Xingqing thought it was Yin Yi calling again, and only after glancing at the screen did she realize it was an unfamiliar number.
Who is this?
She answered, and found it was the academic affairs teacher from her college.
“Li Xingqing, are you confirming that you’re giving up your recommendation for graduate study?”
“...Confirmed.”
“Your parents’ side...”
“They both know.”
“Alright. I’ve seen your application form; the public list will be updated tomorrow.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
“You’re welcome.”
The call was hung up again, and the surroundings fell silent, leaving only the navigation voice reporting road conditions.
This morning, the Finance School of A University announced this year’s recommendation quota for graduate study.
At noon, Li Xingqing received the notice that she would be joining the production.
In the afternoon, Li Xingqing submitted her application to give up the recommendation qualification.
At night, Li Xingqing arrived in D City.
A day of constant change, just like the weather along the way. Clearly, when she left A City in the morning, it was blazing sunshine; by the time she arrived in D City at night, it had started raining.
Li Xingqing looked out the car window. The pattering raindrops blurred her vision; it was pitch-black outside, and even the streetlights on this road had gone on strike.
The only visibility came from the headlights of the car behind them. She looked over; it was a silver-gray car.
It seemed this road wasn’t occupied by her alone.
See? Even on such a remote road, even though it was already late, even though the rain was pouring down at this very moment, there would definitely still be others on the road.
---
The rain was indeed heavy. The windshield wipers swept back and forth, but the road ahead remained blurry.
Ke Wei deliberately kept the speed down to avoid any accidents.
Xi Zhen, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at this situation and couldn’t help asking, “Can we still start work like this?”
“No problem. D City’s rain comes fast and goes fast; tomorrow will definitely be a clear, sunny day. Besides, there’s still some time before the script reading, and the actors haven’t even been fully cast yet.”
“That’s true.”
“But Zhenzhen, do you really trust me...”
“Running away isn’t something Ah Ke would do. Besides, the Ah Ke I know wouldn’t be this lacking in confidence.”
“...” Hearing her say that, Ke Wei couldn’t help giving a bitter smile. “Only you never changed.”
Xi Zhen heard this and raised her brows, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“Drive properly.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sit tight.”
The two people in front chatted happily in coded language, while Bai Mo, sitting alone in the back seat, idly played with his phone.
What should a rank amateur do after stumbling into a high-level match?
Online, urgent.
Fortunately, Ke Wei, who was driving, didn’t ignore her male lead. She turned the topic to him.
“Xiao Mo, right? Your sister often mentions you. How’s the script reading going?”
After hearing this, Bai Mo wanted to die all over again. “D-Director Ke, I’ve finished the script, and I also went to read the original novel. I think Yu Qing this person...”
Fortunately, although Bai Mo looked unreliable, he was actually quite dependable when it came to doing real work.
He spoke in a well-organized way, and Ke Wei actually laughed.
“Xiao Mo, no need to be so nervous. Just call me Sister Ke or Sister Wei. Your understanding is very good, but we still need to discuss some specific things in more detail.”
“Oh, okay, Sister Ke... Sister Ke.”
Bai Mo nodded frantically, though in truth he was already almost crushing his phone in his hand.
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading; may you be blessed with peace and good fortune!
PS: A few more things to add. It’s my first time writing a long yuri story, and there are a lot of possible pitfalls I’m not very clear on; if there’s anything I didn’t consider properly, I’m sorry, sorry!
1. The whole story is already drafted in advance, so feel free to read without worry~
2. To emphasize again, Bai Mo’s line is BL, but there won’t be detailed depiction of it. Its main function is to push the main couple’s relationship forward. I also won’t write anything else about these two, and there won’t be any extras either; they exist entirely to serve my little couple. Absolute tool-persons.
3. The pacing at the beginning will be a bit slow.
4. Everything related to professions is complete author nonsense, so please don’t take it too seriously.
TL Note:
red packet (红包) = a cash gift in a red envelope, often given as a thank-you or celebratory gesture.
tool-persons (工具人) = people treated as plot devices or disposable helpers