Chapter 21

Perhaps sensing that something was off with her lately, Jiang Lai was the one who started avoiding Cheng Shuyang on set.

Ever since the two of them had acted opposite each other a few days ago and Cheng Shuyang had become completely immersed in the scene, the atmosphere between them had stirred her heart into a tangled mess. Even now, she still couldn’t put that feeling into words.

She had wanted to find Jiang Lai and talk, but the distance between them only seemed to grow. Yet Cheng Shuyang was the type who never took the initiative or fought for anything, and she certainly would not be the first to bring up something like this. That was how the two of them ended up trapped in an unbearably awkward atmosphere.

“Ah Lai.”

Hearing someone call her name, Jiang Lai looked over and saw Director Zhang sitting beside her.

“Director Zhang.”

Worry flickered across Director Zhang’s face. “What’s been going on with you lately? You look down. Did something happen at home?”

“No.”

Jiang Lai forced out a smile, her tone no longer as lively as before.

Seeing her like this, Director Zhang asked tentatively, “How about I give you a few days off? Go relax and clear your head.”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Lai was surprised. “Give me leave? Now?”

“Mm. What do you think?”

“But filming is at a critical point right now. If I’m not here, won’t it delay everyone else’s progress?”

“Ah.” Director Zhang laughed heartily and patted her shoulder. “Tidy up whatever you need to before you go. Besides, your little assistant is still here, isn’t she? She can handle it.”

Jiang Lai glanced toward Wen Nuan in the distance. “I can’t just leave her here alone...”

“All right, I’ll tell you the truth.”

Director Zhang clapped his hands once. “The idea of giving you leave was brought up by that girl herself. She said she was worried seeing you like this every day.”

Jiang Lai lowered her head and fiddled with the drawing paper in her hands. “I..."

“That’s enough. Go out and take a look around. I hope that when we meet again, you’ll be back to the Jiang Lai who used to smile so much.”

Director Zhang smiled and stood to leave.

As his gaze slowly turned toward the girl’s figure, Wen Nuan seemed to sense it and lifted her head at just that moment, flashing Jiang Lai a bright smile.

Jiang Lai smiled back, understanding everything without a word.

The next morning, Jiang Lai told no one. She only slung a small backpack over her shoulder and left the filming location.

“Jiang Lai jiejie.”

The girl gasped for breath as she stuffed a concert ticket into Jiang Lai’s hand. “The ticket you wanted.”

Jiang Lai placed a hand on the little assistant’s back, helping her catch her breath, and said apologetically, “Sorry. I’ve troubled you again and made you run out here to deliver it.”

“Ah, it’s nothing!”

The little assistant waved a hand dismissively. “Our Shiyuan-jie said that as long as it’s Jiang Lai jiejie who wants to see her, there’ll always be a ticket no matter when!”

Jiang Lai lowered her eyes and smiled. “I know she’s good to me.”

The little assistant looked smug. “Of course. Our Shiyuan-jie is the best boss. Come on, I’ll take you into the inner venue. It probably hasn’t started yet, so we can still make it!”

The two of them slipped into the venue quietly and alerted no one. After finding their seats, the assistant mouthed, “Then I’ll go get busy?”

Jiang Lai nodded to show she understood.

A few minutes before the show started, the girl sitting beside Jiang Lai nudged her arm. Perhaps because of the lighting, the girl didn’t recognize her. “Hey, are you also a fan of Song Shiyuan?”

“Mm. Are you too?”

“Of course!”

When the girl talked about Song Shiyuan, her face was full of admiration. “I’ve been obsessed with her since middle school. I always hoped she’d hold a concert. It was so hard for her to finally do one, and the tickets were impossible to get. I only managed to grab one after trying for so long.”

“She’s always been excellent.”

“Right, right!”

The girl seemed naturally chatty and kept chattering at Jiang Lai the whole time; oddly enough, it was rather entertaining.

Looking at the person shining brightly on stage, Jiang Lai suddenly felt the passage of time. Back then, that girl who sang by the roadside without anyone stopping to listen had worked step by step to reach the sold-out spectacle she had today. Jiang Lai was truly proud of her.

Near the end, Song Shiyuan looked visibly moved, her voice catching slightly as she bowed deeply toward the audience below.

“I’m so happy to have spent this night with everyone. I’m really very lucky to have had all of you keeping me company all this time.

Tears glimmered in her eyes, and she nearly couldn’t control her emotions.

“I also want to thank one more person. This is her first time coming to my concert too, and I’m truly happy. Here, I want to tell her: as long as you’re willing to turn back, I’ll always be here.”

After the concert ended, Song Shiyuan didn’t even have time to remove her stage makeup before she ran straight to the waiting room.

“Ah Lai!”

Jiang Lai frowned. “Why haven’t you taken your makeup off?”

“I was in a rush to come see you, wasn’t I?”

Jiang Lai leaned back on the sofa. “Go remove it. I’ll wait for you.”

“Then wait for me. I’ll be done very soon.”

Song Shiyuan removed her makeup quickly, then pulled Jiang Lai along into a narrow alley.

“This is?”

“I’m taking you to eat something good.”

Song Shiyuan smiled slyly, and for a moment Jiang Lai felt as if she had gone back to their university days, when they used to leave evening self-study together. Back then, too, it was Song Shiyuan walking ahead, holding her hand.

Once they got to the shop, Song Shiyuan ordered with practiced ease, then smiled as she tugged Jiang Lai down to sit.

“Why did you come so suddenly? Aren’t you supposed to be on set right now?”

“You’re holding a concert. Of course I had to come see it.”

“That’s true.”

“But you were a little impulsive today. Tomorrow this’ll probably be trending.”

Song Shiyuan took a sip of wine. “I’m not afraid. What about you? Are you hiding something from me?”

“A-Yuan..."

“What is it?”

Jiang Lai hesitated for a long time, not knowing how to begin.

Song Shiyuan didn’t rush her, only waited quietly.

“A-Yuan, do you know Cheng Shuyang?”

..........................................

After hearing Jiang Lai’s story, Song Shiyuan looked at her with a complicated expression. “Jiang Lai, are you really not understanding, or are you pretending not to?”

“...What?”

“Why did you chase after me back then?”

“I...”

Jiang Lai blushed. “Because I liked you.”

“And now? When you see Cheng Shuyang, what do you feel? Is it the same as when you saw me back then?”

“Impossible!”

Jiang Lai immediately denied it.

Song Shiyuan’s voice turned a little subdued. “Why is it impossible?”

“She’s my friend’s mother, and she’s my senior. How could I possibly fall in love with her..."

“Jiang Lai, but that’s the truth. You’ve fallen for Cheng Shuyang.”

Jiang Lai clenched her teeth, wanting to argue but unable to.

“Looks like you already have your answer.”

Song Shiyuan gave a self-mocking smile. “I always thought you still loved me, that getting back together was only a matter of time. But today, you told me there’s someone else in your heart..."

“It’s not like that... I don’t even know how it happened. How did she get into my heart...? But I don’t dare. I don’t dare!”

Song Shiyuan’s gaze was gentle. “Ah Lai, liking someone isn’t wrong. Senior Cheng Shuyang is that outstanding; falling for her is perfectly understandable.”

“But..."

Song Shiyuan cut her off. “No buts. Jiang Lai, I’ll say it again: I don’t care who you like. As long as you’re willing to turn back, I’ll always be here...”

For three straight days, Cheng Shuyang never saw Jiang Lai. Only on the fourth day did she casually ask Wen Nuan, “Xiaonan, why haven’t I seen Ah Lai recently?”

“Jiang-jie? She took leave.”

“Leave?” Cheng Shuyang frowned. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing like that. Jiang-jie’s just in a bad mood, so she went out to clear her head.”

“I see...”

Cheng Shuyang still couldn’t shake her unease. It sat in her chest like a heavy stone. Helplessly, Wen Nuan seemed dead set on not telling her the reason, and she had no choice but to guess blindly...

Beside her, Xiaoman was scrolling through Weibo when she suddenly let out a gasp. “Jiang-jie went to Song Tianhou’s concert!?”

“What? Let me see!”

Wen Nuan snatched the phone over with lightning speed. “It really is Jiang-jie. Was this photographed by a fan?”

Xiaoman nodded. “Probably. Look at the comments below; they say Song Tianhou made a high-profile declaration of love at her concert, confessing to her former lover. By the way, who was her former lover?”

Wen Nuan shook her head and said she didn’t know either. “When Jiang-jie comes back, we can just ask her. She’ll definitely know!”

“True.”

Cheng Shuyang couldn’t hear a word of what the two of them were saying anymore. She sighed in annoyance. “Cheng Shuyang, Cheng Shuyang, what exactly are you doing? Why are you paying so much attention to a junior..."

Author’s Note:

Jiang Lai: Hehe, I want Aunt Cheng to obediently say she likes me!