Chapter 18

Ever since that last drunken incident, Jiang Lai could clearly feel that Cheng Shuyang seemed to be avoiding her a little. But she was also afraid she was overthinking it, so she could only force herself to stay calm and look for the right time to talk to her. Unfortunately, before that chance came, someone else had already noticed something was off...

That day, because they were filming several important scenes, almost everyone on the crew was on set. Jiang Lai was hiding behind the camera, yawning nonstop.

Gu Xizhou had a steamed bun between her teeth as she handed over a cup of coffee. “Drink some. Wake yourself up.”

“Thanks.”

Jiang Lai’s eyes were half-closed; she looked like she could fall asleep any second.

Gu Xizhou sat down beside her and chattered away like a faucet that couldn’t be shut off. “Hey, I noticed you haven’t been hanging around Teacher Cheng much lately?”

Jiang Lai opened her eyes, took a sip of coffee, and shot back, “What kind of question is that? I’m not Aunt Cheng’s daughter. Why do I have to stick to her side all the time?”

Gu Xizhou blinked. “Doesn’t your face turn red when you say that? I’ve never seen you spend less time around Teacher Cheng before.”

“You said it yourself. That was before...”

Sensing the change in Jiang Lai’s tone, Gu Xizhou couldn’t help but worry. “I think Teacher Cheng’s been avoiding you lately too. What did you do to make her angry?”

Jiang Lai’s heart jolted hard. She had originally thought those little changes between the two of them wouldn’t be noticed by anyone, but she hadn’t expected...

She kept it off her face and still answered lightly, “No. Aunt Cheng has such a good temper. How could she be angry with me? She’s just been too busy lately to pay attention to these things.”

“Really? But I keep feeling like...”

“Alright.”

Jiang Lai cut her off in time. “That set of figurines you wanted, I had a friend overseas bring it back for you. See if it’s this one?”

“A-Lai, I love you to death!”

Gu Xizhou’s eyes lit up. She immediately wrapped her arms around Jiang Lai and kissed her cheek hard before happily taking out her phone to check.

With Gu Xizhou’s voice gone, the space beside her fell quiet at once. Jiang Lai’s gaze drifted toward Cheng Shuyang, who was surrounded by the others at the center of the crowd, and her expression dimmed slightly. Perhaps sensing her gaze, that person looked back at the same time.

For a moment, their eyes met. Cheng Shuyang didn’t flinch or look away; she only watched her quietly.

Jiang Lai forced aside the tangled thoughts in her head and had just started to form a smile, ready to greet her, when Cheng Shuyang shifted her gaze away and refused to look at her again. Jiang Lai’s hand froze awkwardly in midair; in the end, she could only pull it back in disappointment.

Finding a corner where no one was paying attention, Jiang Lai sat down quietly and stared ahead, lost in thought.

“Jiang Lai.”

Hearing someone suddenly call her name, she reflexively stood up. “Senior.”

A soft laugh brushed past her ears, the tone teasing. “I say, you shouldn’t be so biased, should you?”

Jiang Lai pretended not to hear. “Senior Xu.”

Xu Zhiyi’s lips curved. “You call Cheng Shuyang Aunt Cheng, and you’re even very close with Xizhou. So why is it only when you get to me that you have to use such a stiff ‘senior’?”

Jiang Lai, who was usually quick with a retort, found herself speechless in front of Xu Zhiyi.

“I...”

Just as she was about to explain, Xu Zhiyi’s next move shocked her into silence.

The woman gently pressed a finger to her lips, and Jiang Lai went rigid all over, her mind going blank.

“I don’t like that title. Don’t call me that next time.”

Seeing her reaction, the instigator seemed to be in an especially good mood. With mischievous fingers, she brushed across Jiang Lai’s upper lip. Jiang Lai suddenly grabbed her hand, emotion surging in her eyes. “Senior, I don’t want to make the trending searches tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Xu Zhiyi obediently withdrew her hand and stated her purpose directly. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

“And the reason?”

“Don’t you want to see what Cheng Shuyang will do when she finds out the two of us went to eat together?”

Jiang Lai opened her mouth. She had countless things she wanted to say, but what came out were only a few syllables. “I’m not going.”

“But you should be very tempted by the result of this game.”

Xu Zhiyi looked straight at her, as though she could see right through her.

Jiang Lai lowered her eyes and said nothing. The bargaining chip Xu Zhiyi had offered was indeed tempting; she... really was tempted.

“Eight p.m. tonight. I’ll send you the address then. Don’t stand me up.”

Not caring what Jiang Lai’s reaction was, Xu Zhiyi smiled and turned to leave. As she passed Cheng Shuyang, she glanced at her. Cheng Shuyang understood the emotions in that look all too well.

Around the corner, the very pleased Xu Zhiyi was suddenly dragged into a hidden corner by someone. Just as she was about to shout for help, she stopped abruptly when she saw the face of the person in front of her. Instead, her lips curved, her tone carrying a hint of provocation. “Teacher Cheng, do you also want to make the trending searches tomorrow?”

“What exactly are you trying to do!”

Hearing the panic she couldn’t quite hide, Xu Zhiyi brushed back the long hair by her ear, her tone languid. “Do I need to report every single thing I do to you? I don’t have that much time.”

“You know what I mean.”

At that, Xu Zhiyi laughed outright. She reached out, intending to touch the other woman’s face, but her wrist was caught at once. She wasn’t annoyed; her expression stayed faint. “I say, Cheng Shuyang, aren’t you being far too controlling?”

The dim yellow light fell over both of them. Xu Zhiyi watched Cheng Shuyang’s expression with great interest.

“I said she can’t.”

“I like her. What can you do about it?”

Cheng Shuyang took a deep breath, her gaze dark. “Xu Zhiyi, you already destroyed one rose with your own hands. Do you want to do it again?”

Xu Zhiyi’s smile froze. Her eyes reddened, and anger she could no longer suppress rose in her voice. “Shut up. You’re the last person qualified to mention her!”

“I said before, what happened back then was the fault of both of us.”

“Shut up! I hate that sanctimonious look of yours the most. It disgusts me.”

Cheng Shuyang fell silent. After a long while, she finally said, “What about A-Lai? What did she do wrong?”

A wild flame flashed through Xu Zhiyi’s eyes. “Why should this be my wound alone? I live in darkness, so don’t you dare stand there spotless in the sunlight and enjoy everything. The rest of your life should be spent repenting!”

Cheng Shuyang sighed, her tone softening. “Zhiyi, that’s something between the two of us. Don’t drag an innocent outsider into it.”

“But you care about her, Cheng Shuyang. You can’t lie to me; I know you better than anyone.”

“Last chance. Stay away from her.”

Cheng Shuyang refused to back down. “Then let me tell you too: impossible!”

The atmosphere froze. Neither of them spoke for a while. Cheng Shuyang silently released the hand she was holding, and Xu Zhiyi rolled her wrist once. Then she rose onto her toes and leaned close to Cheng Shuyang’s ear.

“The game has only just begun. Don’t give up too early; that would make it no fun. My... ex-girlfriend.”

The matter that had gone unmentioned for years was suddenly laid bare. Cheng Shuyang only felt as if she had been thrown into the bitter cold of midwinter; her whole body went icy to the bone. It was as if something had locked her throat, leaving her unable to make a sound. She could only watch helplessly as Xu Zhiyi left.

After a long time, Cheng Shuyang seemed to lose all strength and leaned against the wall. She closed her eyes, and tears began to fall in large drops.

“Jiang Lai, what should I do? What am I supposed to do with you..."

Author’s Note:

Gu Xizhou: “Suddenly sensing something unusual.”