Chapter 28

When filming for the first episode began, the island happened to be blessed with unusually fine weather. After going over a few notes and reminders, Director Zhang announced that recording would start.

Everyone chatted and laughed as they headed toward the destination. Jiang Lai deliberately slowed her pace and stayed out of the cameras’ way, walking side by side with Cheng Shuyang.

The woman glanced at her. “Aren’t you going to walk with Xizhou and talk for a bit?”

Jiang Lai shook her head. “How is your foot? Is it better?”

The woman blinked, then looked down at her own foot as if only then remembering it. A bright smile spread across her face. “Much better.”

“If you feel uncomfortable during filming, you can come to me anytime.”

Cheng Shuyang tilted her head to look at the girl beside her. Jiang Lai had her head lowered, her voice muffled.

If Jiang Lai hadn’t been right beside her, Cheng Shuyang might have thought she’d misheard.

She smiled. “I thought you’d stay mad at me forever.”

“...If I really stayed mad at you, what would you do?”

“What would I do?”

The woman tilted her head, her tone a little playful. “Then I’d have no choice but to spoil you. You’re young; to me, you’re just like Wanwan.”

“Just like that...”

Jiang Lai murmured under her breath. The woman didn’t catch it and leaned closer. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

She turned her face away, her mood a little low. It wasn’t until she felt a pair of hands settle at her waist that Jiang Lai’s eyes flew wide and her ears went completely red. “You...”

“Stand up straight. This isn’t like anything else; if you’re upset, don’t show it on your face. The cameras will catch it.”

“And you?” Jiang Lai couldn’t help asking.

“What about me?”

Jiang Lai let out a breath. “You really don’t have to force yourself to do things you don’t like. That includes taking care of me. I’m not a three-year-old. I can look after myself, so don’t push yourself, all right, senior?”

“And how do you know I’m not doing it willingly?”

“You...”

The girl stared at her in shock.

“Jiang Lai, I’m a lot older than you. No one can force me to do things I don’t like. But if I do them anyway, you should understand what that means.”

The words held a double meaning, and Jiang Lai naturally understood.

Watching the woman walk away, Jiang Lai swallowed back what she had been about to say. In the end, she could only shake her head helplessly and follow slowly behind.

“Your face looks awful. Didn’t you rest well last night?”

Xu Zhiyi deliberately leaned closer to Jiang Lai, her tone carrying a hint of teasing and a hint of concern.

“Of course I slept well. You, on the other hand...” Jiang Lai studied her face carefully. “Why do I feel like your eyeliner’s gone crooked?”

“Huh? Impossible!”

Xu Zhiyi’s expression changed at once. She hurriedly asked her assistant for a mirror, muttering nonstop, “My makeup can’t have a single flaw. I’m their perfect goddess, okay!”

But after checking over and over, she still couldn’t see what was wrong. Just as she was about to look up and ask Jiang Lai, the latter had already run far away and was sticking out her tongue at her.

“Hahaha, Aunt Xu, you fell for it! You’re way too easy to trick!”

Xu Zhiyi ground her teeth so hard they practically ached. After holding it in for a long time, only three words finally escaped her lips.

“Little brat... just you wait!”

Seeing the interaction between the two, a trace of quiet envy flashed through Cheng Shuyang’s eyes before it disappeared just as quickly, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.

“Senior, let me take that for you. I’ll carry it.”

Cheng Shuyang withdrew her gaze and looked at the person beside her. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Alai told us to take good care of you.”

Cheng Shuyang didn’t say anything after that, only lowered her eyes with a helpless expression. “This child...”

“Has something happened between you and Alai recently? She doesn’t seem very happy.”

Gu Xizhou looked worried. “Her mood hasn’t been great lately. I’m a little concerned about her.”

“I...”

Cheng Shuyang didn’t know how to explain her relationship with Jiang Lai, so she brushed it off. “It’s fine. We just had a small disagreement. It’ll be all right in a few days.”

Hearing that, Gu Xizhou finally relaxed. “That’s good.”

Jiang Lai, who should have already walked on ahead, suddenly slowed down and turned back to the woman’s side. Gu Xizhou looked back and forth between the two of them, then very tactfully found an excuse to leave.

The woman curved her lips. “Why did you suddenly come back?”

Jiang Lai looked elsewhere and insisted, “I just got a little tired and didn’t want to walk so fast. What, does Aunt Cheng want to scold me for that too?”

“You seem to have a lot of prejudice against me now.”

“No, you’re misunderstanding.”

The woman suddenly stopped and turned to face her. “Jiang Lai, you’re a good child. Auntie really likes you; even more than I like Wanwan.”

Jiang Lai tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes. “...What do you mean?”

Cheng Shuyang rose onto her toes and brushed at the nonexistent dust on her shoulder. “For this reality show, I hope you have more fun.”

“Then I hope Aunt Cheng has fun too.”

“Alai, come over here! There’s so much good food here!”

From a distance, Gu Xizhou waved at her excitedly.

“Go on. Don’t keep people waiting.”

Jiang Lai looked at the woman and was silent for a long moment. “Then wait for me. I’ll go buy you something tasty.”

“All right!”

The woman smiled, her eyes crinkling. “I’ll wait for you.”

She stepped toward Gu Xizhou.

“This is delicious; try it.”

Gu Xizhou stuffed a piece of food into her mouth.

Jiang Lai’s eyes lit up.

“Good, right?” Gu Xizhou laughed and nudged her arm.

Jiang Lai ignored her and said softly to the vendor, “Could you make me another portion, please? No chili, and no minced garlic either.”

“No way, don’t you love chili the most? Why aren’t you eating it now?”

Carefully taking the food the vendor handed over, Jiang Lai put it into a paper bag. “My stomach hasn’t been feeling well lately. I can’t eat spicy food.”

“Cut it out.” Gu Xizhou rolled her eyes. “You’re from Yunnan, Guizhou, or Sichuan, and you’re telling me you can’t eat chili? Be honest; who is this really for?”

“You’re so smart. I thought you’d understand.”

Jiang Lai left that sentence behind and walked in the opposite direction.

“For me?”

The woman looked at the pile of food in front of her, both amused and helpless.

“Mm. I picked out the ones without chili. I tasted them for you; they’re really good.”

“Thank you, Alai.”

The woman rubbed the top of her hair and took the food.

Gu Xizhou stood by and watched, shaking her head with a series of tsks under her breath.

“What are you looking at?”

Xu Zhiyi came over to her side. Gu Xizhou pointed toward the distance. “Look.”

With a playful smile, Xu Zhiyi lifted her skirt and was about to walk over, only to be yanked back by Gu Xizhou. Her tone turned serious. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t stand seeing them being all lovey-dovey right in front of me.”

“Stop messing around, big sister.” Gu Xizhou’s voice softened. “Alai finally made up with Teacher Cheng. Don’t go disturb them, okay?”

Xu Zhiyi: “...Whose side are you even on?”

“What she’s doing is wrong. I’m not going to let you go over there and bother Alai.”

Xu Zhiyi was so mad her temples throbbed. She slapped Gu Xizhou hard on the forehead. “Fine, I’ll remember this!”

“Is it good?”

“Yes, it’s good. Do you want to try some?”

“No need.”

Jiang Lai shook her head and dodged the woman’s attempt to feed her. “I already ate just now. This was specially bought for you.”

“Then help me eat a little, okay?”

The woman’s final syllable lifted slightly, carrying a hint of allure. “I can’t finish it by myself. Help me, Alai is the best...”

“Aunt Cheng.”

“Hm?”

Cheng Shuyang lifted the bag in her hand.

Jiang Lai let out a sigh and reached out to take it. “...Aunt Cheng, I’m on a diet lately.”

The woman looked surprised, scanning her figure up and down. “Your figure is fine. You don’t need to lose weight.”

“I’ve even put on a double chin, look.”

She raised her chin for the woman to see. Cheng Shuyang smiled, her eyes curving with amusement. “It’s very cute. I like cute girls.”

“Really?”

“Of course it’s true.”

Cheng Shuyang tapped her on the forehead. “Alai, you’re very good. Really very good.”

The sun was setting, and their shadows stretched longer and longer.

Toward evening, many people were strolling along the beach. Jiang Lai sat in a corner, quietly watching the sea.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

Sensing someone approaching, she looked up and met Xu Zhiyi’s half-smiling eyes.

“I’m not hungry. I was full from the snacks earlier.”

“Right; getting fed by your idol personally, even if you burst from it, it’s still worth it, isn’t it?”

Jiang Lai didn’t answer. Xu Zhiyi didn’t mind and simply lay down on the recliner beside her.

Not far away, Cheng Shuyang stood on the balcony on the second floor, watching the two of them.

“Aunt Cheng, come to the beach and play with us!”

Gu Xizhou stood below and kept waving at the woman.

“No...”

The refusal was already on her lips when she glanced at the two people in the distance and suddenly changed her mind. “You two go ahead. I’ll be there in a bit.”

The beach at night was a little cold, and Jiang Lai couldn’t help rubbing her arms. A blanket settled over her shoulders. She turned and looked at the person beside her.

“The beach gets cold at night. Why aren’t you wearing more?”

“You say that to me? Aren’t you not dressed very warmly yourself?”

“I’m old; I can’t really feel cold or heat anymore.”

“How can that be? Aunt Cheng is obviously still very young...”

“Alai.”

Cheng Shuyang suddenly turned her head to look at her. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do in the future?”

“What?”

The woman’s gaze remained fixed ahead. “After the reality show ends, what are your plans?”

Jiang Lai tilted her head and thought for a moment. “I can’t really think of anything. I’ll just take it one step at a time.”

“Jiang Lai, when it’s time to look forward, you need to look forward. Don’t stay in the past and be sad over people who don’t matter.”

The girl followed her gaze and finally landed on the man not far away.

She gave a soft laugh and leaned toward the woman with an innocent expression. “You don’t think... I still like Qin Huaicheng, do you?”

“...No.”

Sensing how dangerous the distance between them had become, the woman immediately thought of that kiss from that night and unconsciously moved back a little, widening the gap between them.

“I was teasing you.”

Seeing the woman’s expression, the courage Jiang Lai had just managed to gather instantly deflated. She pretended to be relaxed and returned to her seat.

“For now, I’m not thinking about relationships. Being on my own is pretty good.”

“Alai...”

“Aunt Cheng.”

Jiang Lai suddenly turned to look at her. Her eyes seemed to hold a sky full of stars; the woman’s chest tightened, and whatever she had been about to say vanished completely.

She had to admit that at times, when it came to Jiang Lai, she really did have a kind of indulgent surrender.

“Miss, would you like to buy a bouquet of flowers?”

A timid voice broke the awkward silence between them.

“Oh? How much are your flowers?”

Jiang Lai leaned forward and took a bouquet from the basket, bringing it up to smell it.

“They’re very cheap.” The little girl gripped the straps of her basket. “Twenty yuan a bouquet.”

Jiang Lai took a fifty-yuan bill from her bag and put it into the little girl’s hand. “No need for change. It’s late. Go home early.”

“Then I’ll give all of these to you.”

Before Jiang Lai could respond, the little girl dropped her basket and ran off, leaving only the two of them staring at each other, with the basket sitting between them.

Jiang Lai held up the flowers for a long moment before silently offering them to the woman beside her. “Aunt Cheng, these are for you.”

“For me?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Lai drew her hand back and nervously rubbed her palm.

Just when she thought the woman wouldn’t answer, an almost inaudible sigh suddenly drifted down from above her head.

“Jiang Lai, thank you. This is the first time I’ve ever received flowers.”

Author’s Note:

I feel like no matter how I write this chapter, I can’t quite capture the feeling it had back then. I’m thinking about locking the story and revising it properly from scratch.