Kiss? Come Here

The sweet, cloying taste of strawberry filled their lips and teeth, yet the worry on Xi Zhen’s face did not ease even a little.

Ke Wei stood beside her, clutching a coffee that had long gone cold.

She felt that comforting her now wasn’t quite right, but she didn’t know what else to say. In the end, she could only stand there helplessly.

“Sorry.” At last, Xi Zhen spoke first, offering an apology.

The apology sounded completely out of place, but Ke Wei knew exactly what she meant.

Xi Zhen simply felt that she had delayed the crew’s work again.

But none of this had anything to do with her in the first place; it was all that bastard Zhou Ping’s fault. He was like a mad dog, biting anyone he could sink his teeth into.

“Zhen-jie, this has nothing to do with you.” The tears Ke Wei had just forced back surged up again.

Her eyes were red, her nose was red, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. “There are still two days left, Zhen-jie. Trust me.” Her voice trembled, but her hands were clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms.

Seeing her like that, Xi Zhen actually laughed.

Yet beneath that smile lay endless bitterness.

“Mm. Our A Ke is the most outstanding director; it’ll definitely work.”

Cut off the investment? Block the location? Back when things were at their hardest, Xi Zhen had already made it through those years. There was no reason for her to fall here.

Only, this debt had to be paid back. As for when, that would have to be carefully planned.

The two of them steadied their emotions and composed themselves before stepping back inside.

There were not many people in the room. Xi Zhen immediately met Li Xingqing’s worried gaze; it seemed the other woman was asking her what had happened, staring at her without blinking.

To avoid stirring up more negative emotions, Xi Zhen shrugged and, rarely, cracked a joke.

“Looks like we really can wrap up early now.” Her tone was light, but Li Xingqing could still hear the sadness in it.

Ke Wei chimed in from the side. “It’s fine. The major scenes are already shot; we’ll just patch a few more shots, and everyone can get off work early and rest properly. You’ve all worked hard these past few days...” But her voice grew more and more choked up, to the point she could hardly continue.

Bai Mo, standing nearby, had no choice but to call out, “Director Ke...” and then turned to look at Xi Zhen.

Xi Zhen gave him a reassuring look; she really hadn’t expected Bai Mo’s first scene to run into so many twists and turns.

Li Xingqing, meanwhile, had been standing off to the side the whole time without speaking, her eyes fixed on Xi Zhen without wavering.

A question was forming in her heart: how could it be such a coincidence? She was secretly suspicious that the Li family had done something behind the scenes because of her, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

If Li Taihong really found Xi Zhen intolerable, he would have stepped in directly long ago. Her father didn’t like these empty, bluffing tricks; it probably wasn’t him.

Then who was it?

Judging from Xi Zhen’s expression, she already had someone in mind. If it wasn’t Li Taihong, then the matter should be easier.

Only, how exactly was she supposed to help?

Deal with it openly?

Or trip the other side up in the dark?

Before Li Xingqing could figure it out, the set was once again swept up in a frantic round of activity.

There was already very little time left; not a single minute could be wasted. Ke Wei quickly sorted through her thoughts and pulled out the wide shots that absolutely had to be filmed, focusing on the most important parts.

She moved fast, and her pace was even faster.

The set got back to work, the cameras started rolling again, and Xi Zhen and Li Xingqing suddenly became idle onlookers.

To avoid disturbing everyone else, they silently moved to a corner.

The corner was cramped; daylight couldn’t reach it, and the big lights weren’t aimed there either, so the area seemed rather dark.

In the dimness, Xi Zhen couldn’t make out Li Xingqing’s expression clearly; she only felt that the low pressure around her had been off ever since earlier.

Her shoulders were tight, her whole body showing a guarded posture.

She was a little worried about this kid and reached out to hook her finger around Li Xingqing’s, testing to see whether she would respond.

But in the next second, her hand was taken and held.

Xi Zhen thought the other woman was scared, and the words that came out of her mouth were instinctive comfort: “It’s fine. It has nothing to do with you.”

That made Li Xingqing go a little mute.

She had had a lot she wanted to say, but at that moment, all of it was forcibly stuffed back down her throat by Xi Zhen.

With no choice, she tightened her grip on Xi Zhen’s hand and, with one forceful motion, pinned her into the corner.

Afraid she might hit her head, she slipped a hand under Xi Zhen’s head to brace her, then lowered her own head and lightly rested it against Xi Zhen’s shoulder. “But it’s about you.”

Li Xingqing couldn’t get an answer out of Xi Zhen, but the vague words the two women had exchanged just now made her realize something was wrong long ago.

What’s more, Xi Zhen’s emotions had been obviously off ever since earlier; it didn’t look like anger, nor did it look like worry. Instead, it felt like a faint, indescribable exhaustion.

Could the group that had just come be connected to Xi Zhen? Or rather, had Xi Zhen known all along who had come?

Li Xingqing couldn’t deny that she was furious right now.

She had just been turning the matter over in her mind, her heart burning with rage as she wanted to get revenge for Xi Zhen, only to turn around and find that Xi Zhen wouldn’t say a single thing to her.

Li Xingqing hated that the other woman never said anything, that she hid everything from her, treated her like a child.

But she had no way to refute it, because at this moment she knew nothing at all; because in everyone else’s eyes, she was immature and powerless.

So in the end, what she hated was herself; hated her own lack of ability, hated that she couldn’t help Xi Zhen solve the problem.

The age gap between her and Xi Zhen really was a little too large. A ten-year difference was not just 3,650 days; it was an entirely different set of life questions.

Sometimes Li Xingqing would think that if she weren’t twenty but thirty, or even if she had met this version of Xi Zhen when she was twenty-five, she would not feel so powerless.

Feeling Li Xingqing trembling, Xi Zhen slowly stroked her face. “Be good, baby. Sister’s fine; don’t worry.”

At a time like this, Xi Zhen’s first reaction was still to treat her like a child and comfort her. Li Xingqing was somewhat helpless, but words alone were useless; in the end, she still followed the motion of Xi Zhen’s hand and buried her face in the crook of her shoulder, her voice muffled.

“But I feel sorry for you.”

Yes; precisely because it was about Xi Zhen, she couldn’t help worrying and being afraid.

That was why she kept blaming herself for being weak, for not being able to become Xi Zhen’s backing.

From that muffled sentence, Xi Zhen finally understood the child’s awkward little mindset.

She had originally thought that Li Xingqing was angry because she hadn’t told her the truth, angry because she had concealed her identity and only said she was an assistant.

But looking at it now, that wasn’t what Li Xingqing cared about at all; she didn’t even realize yet that something was off.

Xi Zhen couldn’t help finding it amusing. In the entertainment industry for so many years, she had seen all kinds of people, yet she had never met anyone like Li Xingqing.

Sincere, brave, kind; she said whatever was on her mind. Even with someone like her, whom she had only known for less than a month, she dared to hand over a whole heart, intact and genuine.

Xi Zhen patted Li Xingqing’s head and held her tightly. Leaning close to her ear, she said, “Be good, baby. Sister’s fine; don’t worry.”

Feeling her embrace, Li Xingqing tightened her hold in return. “Then I’ll be good, and sister has to be fine.”

It was a completely unreasonable statement, yet it made Xi Zhen feel as though her heart had been stuffed into a jar of honey; sweet and sticky, even sweeter than the strawberry candy still lingering in her mouth from earlier.

“Then does the good girl want a kiss?” Xi Zhen deliberately pinched Li Xingqing’s waist and pressed her forehead against hers.

“W—” The latter half of the sound was swallowed back into her throat. The two of them curled up in that cramped corner and, amid the noisy set, kissed as if no one else were there.

The set was actually noisy to an excessive degree; lines being read, props being moved, the director’s loudspeaker... and many, many other sounds. But in Li Xingqing’s ears, there was only Xi Zhen’s heartbeat.

Thump— thump—

One beat after another, urgent and reassuring.

Ke Wei was no longer fixated on how many shots had yet to be filmed; instead, she was focusing on how many useful shots could still be kept.

Any missing scenes could either be filled in with narration or, at the very least, be edited together as tightly and carefully as possible.

Two days later, before Zhou Ping’s people could come looking for trouble again, *Seal the Heart* had already wrapped.

The crew handed out wrapped-up red envelopes to the actors, and even Li Xingqing got one.

She held the red envelope and looked toward Ke Wei, only to see the other woman casually nod.

“Take it. You’ve worked hard these past few days; your salary should be transferred to your card in a while.”

Looking at the little red envelope in her hand, with a rabbit drawn on it, Li Xingqing suddenly realized whose handiwork this was.

So, when no one was paying attention, she pulled Xi Zhen, who was playing with her phone, into her arms.

Her height and large frame were useful again.

With Li Xingqing holding her, Xi Zhen could be completely wrapped up in her embrace.

Li Xingqing leaned close to her ear. “Did sister prepare this red envelope for me?”

Xi Zhen hadn’t even had time to lock her phone screen when she was suddenly stopped, but she didn’t get angry. Instead, she turned her head and moved even closer to the other woman. “Of course. What everyone else has, my little one has to have too.”

Xi Zhen’s voice was indulgent. Even though she was being held down by Li Xingqing, she showed no sign of backing down.

She let Li Xingqing do as she pleased, feeling the other woman’s hand rubbing lightly at her waist.

“Alright, alright, you two; do you have to publicly torture the rest of us?” Xi Zhen hadn’t left, so naturally Bai Mo was still there too. *Seal the Heart* had finally finished filming after all its twists and turns, and he felt a little miserable inside.

Zheng Yuyu had already left D City early because his next production had been arranged. Bai Mo, unsurprisingly, had become a true loner, not even having anyone to complain to about his sister; then he saw the leads openly showing affection right in front of him, and his resentment shot up.

Li Xingqing felt a little guilty, as though she had occupied someone else’s assistant, and said nothing.

But Xi Zhen wasn’t about to bother with Bai Mo, that idiot who knew nothing of her relationship. After all, Zheng Yuyu had already gone to that extent, and this man still thought he just wanted to be her brother.

Who knew what kind of “good brother” would keep finding excuses to hug and cling to someone all day, and even steal kisses from time to time.

Xi Zhen rolled her eyes at Bai Mo, but still pulled away from Li Xingqing’s arms and said to him, “If you finally get the chance to rest properly, don’t be annoying here. Just wait and see how you cope when you’re busy every single day later.”

“With my current level of fame, I probably haven’t even dreamed of getting that far.” Bai Mo sounded as if he’d swallowed gunpowder; he even dared to snap back at his sister.

Hearing that, Li Xingqing buried her face and let out a low laugh.

Xi Zhen, however, didn’t want to bicker with him. She took Li Xingqing’s hand and left.

The filming of *Seal the Heart* was over, and the editing and all the other work afterward seemed to have nothing more to do with Li Xingqing. Only then did she vaguely realize that the first real production job of her life, one that she had completed outside her family’s influence, had come to an end.

But, it seemed, not completely.

Before the wrap-up banquet began, Xi Zhen asked her, “What are you planning to do next?”

Next? Li Xingqing froze, unsure whether Xi Zhen was really asking about her future plans, or whether she was asking how they should handle things between them after this.

If it was about her future plans, Li Xingqing had already thought things through clearly. Graduate smoothly, then take the opportunity to flee from Madam Yin and pursue the things she wanted to pursue.

But if it was about the relationship between them... Li Xingqing licked her lips, not knowing where to begin.

Fortunately, Xi Zhen really did seem to have only asked casually and did not press the matter further. Li Xingqing also pretended that nothing had happened, continuing to maintain the current peace.

Ke Wei had organized the wrap-up banquet and hadn’t chosen any fancy star-rated hotel, instead picking a home-style restaurant near the set.

Bai Mo loudly proclaimed that they’d drink until they dropped, but when the alcohol actually arrived, he became a little hesitant.

In the end, Ke Wei led the way, toasting everyone with tea in place of wine and saying that although the *Seal the Heart* crew had many regrets, there was no such thing as a perfect thing in this world to begin with.

At the table, everyone opened up and started talking freely. They were all roughly the same age, and most of them were relatively obscure no-name actors, so there wasn’t much they had to worry about. Naturally, the conversation grew lively.

Xi Zhen still kept to her usual style and said very little, sitting quietly in her seat. Li Xingqing reached out and took her hand, and the two of them started making little secret moves under the table.

After the wrap-up banquet ended, Ke Wei told Li Xingqing that the lease on the place she was currently living in would run out at the end of this month, which meant she could still stay for a while; there was no need to rush. After all, no one had expected the shoot to finish so quickly.

Li Xingqing nodded to show that she understood, then turned around to look for Xi Zhen. But Ke Wei stopped her again. “You and Xi Zhen... never mind. I wish you happiness.” Ke Wei clearly hadn’t finished speaking, and Li Xingqing was left somewhat baffled.

But looking at Ke Wei, who had gone quiet, she didn’t say anything else either.

Author’s note:

Li Xingqing: Anyone who bullies the person I care about is finished. (Putting you all in my little black book)

Xi Zhen: She loves me so much. She’s so cute. Kiss kiss.

Li Xingqing silently puts away the little black book: Kiss kiss