RL – Chapter 28

@The Notes-Chen Yuan: Capturing a warm moment 【Image】@The Notes-Xu Shuyan, @The Notes-Lin Yi, good night [wink]

A comment on her own post: Finished work and came back to find two people already asleep on the bed!

[Holy shit???]

[What is this scene…]

[Isn’t Yan Zhi You Yi going too far? How could they just fall asleep on someone else’s bed???]

[Is your own room not enough for you two to mess around in?]

[She’s busy with work, and you two are busy falling in love. Yan Zhi You Yi, you’ve really outdone yourselves!]

[Chen Yuan, a modern-day living Bodhisattva]

[I’m shipping so hard I could puke]

[Don’t do it on someone else’s bed, thank you]

[I’m telling you, this group is seriously ridiculous. Showing off your love all the way to your teammate’s bed. Where is our Yuanyuan supposed to sleep? I’m asking, where is Chen Yuan supposed to sleep???!]

[You little lovebirds, stop bullying Chen Yuan! We could make a compilation of it at this point!!!]

---

Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi were sleeping too soundly. Chen Yuan didn’t have the heart to wake them. She quietly grabbed her pajamas, went upstairs, let Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi, who weren’t coming back that night, know, and slept in their room.

Zhou Shichen saw her Weibo post and hated that she wasn’t there. She told Chen Yuan to take more pictures, or even better, a video. After all, it was material!

Yan Qi coolly commented from the side, “Smuggling in your personal interests.”

Zhou Shichen said with righteous indignation, “I’m gathering material for the documentary that will be shown at their wedding!”

Yan Qi: “…”

She didn’t understand the thought process of CP fans.

Meanwhile, Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi, who woke up to discover that the person they had a crush on had “outed” them on Weibo, were left with only speechlessness and heartache. The complex mix of emotions was something only the other could understand. They exchanged a look and saw endless bitterness in each other’s eyes.

“This is all your fault!” Lin Yi struck first. “Did you put sleeping pills in the bathwater? Otherwise, how could I have just fallen asleep?”

Xu Shuyan chuckled dryly. “If you’re going to blame someone, blame yourself for being so careless. You can fall asleep in your love rival’s arms. Weren’t you afraid I’d sell you off while you were sleeping?”

“You saw I was asleep and you still held me?”

“…Who knew if you were really asleep? Your acting skills are terrible, but you’re a master at pretending to be asleep. What if I let go and you ran off?”

“Oh.” Lin Yi shot her a sidelong glance. “Is that your excuse for falling asleep?”

Xu Shuyan: “…”

Tired of bickering with her, she threw off the covers and got out of bed. She suddenly paused. “Did Yuanyuan cover us with the blanket?”

Lin Yi’s eyes lit up.

Their eyes met.

Lin Yi: Sob, sob, sob, Yuanyuan is so gentle!

Xu Shuyan: Sigh! Yuanyuan is so thoughtful!

The thought had barely formed when Lin Yi beat her to it, getting out of bed and opening the door to look for Chen Yuan. Xu Shuyan quickly followed, only to have Lin Yi slam on the brakes, causing Xu Shuyan to run right into her. She complained, “Why did you stop?”

Looking over Lin Yi’s shoulder, she made eye contact with the three members of the Gu Group eating breakfast in the dining room.

Zhou Shichen raised a hand. “Morning.”

Xu Shuyan: “…”

Yan Qi took a sip of soy milk. “You’re up?”

Lin Yi: “…”

Chen Yuan called to them, “Come have breakfast.”

Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan: “…”

Don’t act like this is a common occurrence, ahhh!

Lin Yi was numb. She shuffled out of the room and asked Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen, “When did you get back?”

“Not long ago,” Zhou Shichen said. “We weren’t planning on coming back, but the company said they wanted to film us all going to work together for a vlog.”

Lin Yi replied with a listless “oh.”

Just as she was about to sit down, Xu Shuyan pulled her up. Already annoyed, she was about to curse at her when Xu Shuyan squeezed the back of her hand and said, “You’re going to eat without brushing your teeth?”

“…” Lin Yi said, irritated. “You’re so nosy.”

But she knew she had to brush her teeth. She followed Xu Shuyan upstairs. Before turning the corner, she glanced back and saw Zhou Shichen smiling at them, which made her feel even more dejected. Back in their room, she flopped onto the bed. “Xu Shuyan.”

Xu Shuyan squeezed out some toothpaste. “What?”

Lin Yi: “Don’t talk to me today!”

Xu Shuyan: “…”

Brushing her teeth, she leaned against the bathroom doorframe. “Trying to uncouple from me again?”

Lin Yi rested her chin in her hands and watched her for a moment, then buried her face in the bed, her voice muffled. “Forget it, forget it. We probably can’t uncouple before the group disbands anyway. The worst that can happen is I’ll pursue Yuanyuan after we disband!”

There she goes again.

Xu Shuyan was used to it. After rinsing her mouth, she just said, “Remember to put some emotion into our duet dance today.”

---

The second concert was set for Q City, and the tickets were already sold out, gone in a flash. After a few rounds of song selection rumors online, most of their other work was put on hold so they could focus completely on preparing for the stage.

As the captain, Yan Qi naturally had to oversee every performance.

After they all went to work together that day, Yan Qi reviewed every performance with the music and dance instructors.

Although Lin Yi really wanted to uncouple from Xu Shuyan, she knew the performance had to come first. They performed a duet to a mournful song, their dance filled with lingering passion and ambiguous tension. The dance instructor singled them out for praise. “I heard you only learned this yesterday?”

Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi said in unison, “Yes.”

…And they learned it while giving each other the cold shoulder.

The dance instructor gave a thumbs-up. “You two have incredible chemistry. I don’t see any problems with this performance. Just one thing: the venue in Q City is a four-sided stage, so hitting your marks might be a bit difficult. Pay extra attention during rehearsal and don’t favor one side.”

Yan Qi nodded. “Alright, next.”

By the time they had run through all the concert performances, it was nearly dusk. Lin Yi was leaning on Zhou Shichen’s shoulder, spacing out. She watched Xu Shuyan slowly eating rice across from her and swallowed. “I want some too.”

Xu Shuyan gave her a disdainful look. “Weren’t you the one who specified only four bowls of rice in the order?”

“Want some of mine?” Zhou Shichen asked. “I haven’t touched this half.”

Lin Yi shook her head pitifully. “I’ll just have some of the other dishes and a couple sips of soup. Eat rice?” She touched her waist, grief-stricken. “I’m not worthy!”

“By the way,” Xu Shuyan said, as if she’d been hesitating for a long time, “for the ‘Sky’ performance, I have an idea, but I don’t know if I should say it.”

Lin Yi had a bad feeling and immediately shut her down. “If you shouldn’t say it, then don’t.”

But Zhou Shichen leaned forward. “Let’s hear it.”

Xu Shuyan glanced at Lin Yi, hesitating, which made Lin Yi’s heart skip a beat. Just as she was about to tell her to shut up, she heard Xu Shuyan say, “I just don’t know if Xiao Yi will agree… Never mind! Forget it!”

Lin Yi: “?”

We’re both thousand-year-old fox spirits; what’s with this playing hard to get?

She snapped, “Just say it!”

“You’re the one who told me to say it.” Xu Shuyan issued a disclaimer first, shifting the blame to Lin Yi, before saying, “For my duet with Xiao Yi, I want her to dance blindfolded.”

Lin Yi: “…?”

She sat up straight. “Xu Shuyan, what kind of-“

“That’s a great idea!” Zhou Shichen slapped her thigh. “That’s a fantastic idea!”

Lin Yi stared at Zhou Shichen in disbelief. “How is that a great idea? I’m supposed to dance like a blind person? What if I fall off the stage? Who’s responsible then?!”

“Not with an eye mask.” Xu Shuyan looked at her, a teasing smile flashing in her eyes. “With a silk ribbon.”

Zhou Shichen gasped. “So ethereal and fairy-like!”

Lin Yi: “…”

She gritted her teeth. As if she didn’t know what Xu Shuyan was thinking of!

“And you don’t have to worry about falling. I’m leading this dance.” Xu Shuyan smiled at Lin Yi. “I’m here, so you can rest assured.”

It’s precisely because you’re here that I can’t rest assured!

Lin Yi thought to herself, With our tense relationship, Xu Shuyan would create opportunities to mess with me even if there were none, let alone when there’s a perfect one? She still wanted to object. “I don’t-“

“Come to think of it, it would be quite beautiful,” Chen Yuan said from the side. “Xiao Yi has such a great figure. Being blindfolded would definitely create a unique kind of beauty.”

Lin Yi: “!!!”

She was all for it again!

Zhou Shichen asked her, “What were you about to say?”

Lin Yi said, “I was saying I agree with Teacher Xu’s proposal. Dancing blindfolded is a great idea!”

Zhou Shichen was dumbfounded. “Why are you calling her Teacher? What kind of kink is this… Don’t talk, let me ship this for a moment. Thanks, I feel like I can work for another eight hours now.”

Lin Yi: “…”

That’s really not necessary!

---

For the sake of filming continuity, if they went to work together, they naturally had to leave work together.

So after having dinner at the company, all the members of the Gu Group clocked out. Fans at the milk tea shop across the street waved at them, vigorously shaking their banners and screaming their names.

The May breeze was gentle. Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan walked together, looking harmonious on the surface but actually battling it out.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Lin Yi smiled and waved at the fans, her words mumbled through gritted teeth. “Are you trying to sabotage me on stage or make sure I don’t forget the embarrassing incident of giving you a bath?”

Xu Shuyan also smiled. “Could you not assume such malicious intent from me?”

Lin Yi laughed dryly. “Then what is it?”

Xu Shuyan suddenly grabbed her wrist, causing the fans to shriek, then whispered, “I just suddenly remembered you in the bathroom that day. The look is genuinely good. I’m doing this for your own good; I guarantee it’ll attract a ton of fans.”

“…” Lin Yi fought the urge to shake off Xu Shuyan’s hand and snorted. “You think I’d believe your praise? I’ll probably look like a total idiot!”

Xu Shuyan got in the car and said, “If you don’t believe me, you can tie it on when we get back. I’ll take a picture for you to see.”

Lin Yi closed the car door and pulled her hand from Xu Shuyan’s grasp. “In your dreams!”

“What dreams?” Zhou Shichen leaned out from the passenger seat. Before Lin Yi could answer, she was overcome with grief. “I have to finish the first draft of my graduation project tonight. I don’t even have the right to dream!”

Chen Yuan shook her hand. “Me too.”

So after they got back, Zhou Shichen and Chen Yuan worked on their graduation projects in the study, while Yan Qi went to bed on time after her economics class. The whole dorm fell quiet. The living room lights were off, and the balcony curtains were open, revealing an endless view of the river illuminated by city lights.

In the upstairs bedroom.

Lin Yi glanced at Xu Shuyan, who was fast asleep in the next bed. She carefully lifted her covers, got out of bed, and after making sure Xu Shuyan was still asleep, quickly left the room and hurried downstairs.

So hungry, so hungry. She rubbed her stomach as she turned on her flashlight. She’d been too angry at Xu Shuyan to eat much dinner, only having a few bites of the side dishes. She had thought she’d stop being hungry once she fell asleep, but who knew she’d end up being too hungry to sleep.

Lin Yi remembered that Yan Qi had bought a case of instant noodles and left it in the kitchen.

Yan Qi didn’t like to surf the internet and didn’t have time to shop. She’d occasionally buy clothes and bags from fashion magazines, but for everything else, she relied on others’ recommendations. If you told her something was delicious and she should try it, she’d buy it immediately, but she wouldn’t eat it herself, leaving it all for her teammates to finish.

…Found it!

Pickled cabbage and beef noodles.

Lin Yi: “…” If she kept looking, she was really going to drool.

She prepared the noodles and, while waiting for them to cook, kept glancing upstairs, afraid that Xu Shuyan would suddenly notice she was gone and come looking for her. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Xu Shuyan, just that she’d be annoyed if Xu Shuyan caught her sneaking food and had something to say about it.

So naggy and annoying!

Fortunately, Xu Shuyan never came down, not even after Lin Yi had finished eating the instant noodles by flashlight. Lin Yi disposed of all the evidence, let out a quiet sigh of relief, rinsed her mouth, and then headed upstairs.

“Finished eating?” a voice suddenly sounded from above her. Lin Yi jumped in fright and opened her mouth to scream, but Xu Shuyan darted down and clamped a hand over her mouth.

Lin Yi struggled. “Mmph, mmph, mmph!”

Bleep-bleep-bleep Xu Shuyan!

“Don’t scream!” Xu Shuyan said in her ear. “If you wake everyone up, it’s on you, okay?” She sniffed the air around Lin Yi. “No wonder I woke up in the middle of the night and you were gone. I thought you were out here practicing diligently, but it turns out you were sneaking food? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Lin Yi: “Mmph, mmph, mmph!”

Xu Shuyan, you big idiot! How am I supposed to talk with your hand over my mouth!

“Oh.” Xu Shuyan seemed to realize and let her go. She clapped her hands together and asked, “You ate instant noodles?”

Since she wasn’t caught red-handed, Lin Yi decided to be stubborn to the end. “I didn’t! Who said I was sneaking food? Don’t you slander me, okay? Careful, or I’ll send you a lawyer’s letter!”

Xu Shuyan was so exasperated she laughed. “Then you were-?”

Lin Yi used Xu Shuyan’s own words against her. “Like you said, I was out here practicing my dancing diligently.”

Xu Shuyan was speechless. “…Give you an inch and you take a mile, huh? What are you dancing in the pitch dark, a creepy nursery rhyme?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Lin Yi moved closer to Xu Shuyan, looked around, and lowered her voice. “Don’t talk about ghosts in the middle of the night, you know? …Besides, of course I was practicing our duet!”

Xu Shuyan sneered. “Is that so?”

Lin Yi nodded. “Mhm!”

Xu Shuyan said, “Alright, keep dancing.”

She produced a silk ribbon from somewhere and handed it to Lin Yi. “Put this on and dance.”

Lin Yi: “…”

She hissed, “Xu Shuyan, don’t push your luck! Who are you that I should dance for you? I’m going to bed now!”

“I’m your dance partner.” Xu Shuyan blocked her way, speaking softly. “On stage, you have to trust me completely, just like with ‘No. 89757’ last time.”

As she spoke, she tied the silk ribbon around Lin Yi’s eyes.

Instantly, Lin Yi couldn’t see even a sliver of light.

When preparing for a performance, they often played various games or experienced different scenarios to build chemistry or find the right feeling. Lin Yi had already claimed she was practicing diligently, so refusing to play a trust game now would be like slapping her own face. So, even though she was reluctant, she didn’t stop Xu Shuyan.

“You sing or I sing?” Xu Shuyan asked her.

Blindfolded, Lin Yi insecurely grabbed Xu Shuyan’s wrist. After a pause, thinking she had to defend her dignity as a vocalist, she said, “I’ll do it.”

Lin Yi followed Xu Shuyan’s dance movements, singing softly, “In the sky after you left / I’m like a kite searching for a dream / The sky after the rain / Does it have a face cleared of clouds…”

The contemporary dance movements were elegant. In a spin, she was guided toward the balcony.

“Xu Shuyan?” In a pull and release, Xu Shuyan’s hand left her waist. Her heart suddenly panicked. She took two steps back and leaned against the balcony railing. She could hear the wind whistling and a ferry slowly crossing the river, the shifting light and shadows flashing before her eyes.

Suddenly, Xu Shuyan’s breathing was right beside her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Yi raised her hand, took off the ribbon, and opened her eyes.

Lin Yi blinked.

The distance between her and Xu Shuyan was only three centimeters.

She was stunned for two seconds.

Lin Yi leaned back slightly, poking Xu Shuyan’s shoulder. “Why are you so close? Trying to push me off?” She glanced down from the balcony. “What did I ever do to you, Xu Shuyan?”

Xu Shuyan took two steps back and pulled her away from the railing. “I wanted to see how much you trust me. Stop being so paranoid.”

Lin Yi asked, “Test results?”

“Zero.” Xu Shuyan shot her an annoyed look. “Do you know how tentative your movements were just now? No strength, no extension, like you thought I was going to throw you off at any second.”

Lin Yi knew she was in the wrong but still mumbled and nitpicked, “It’s all your fault anyway. You’re always trying to mess with me. Why would you miss an opportunity like this?”

“Again?” Xu Shuyan suggested.

“Bring it on!” Lin Yi put the ribbon back on and reached for Xu Shuyan’s hand. “I’m not sleepy anymore anyway. If you want to dance all night, I’ll dance all night with you!”

Xu Shuyan: “…Who wants to dance all night with you!”

Although Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan were better at vocals and rap, they were still in a girl group, had undergone special dance training, and had a bit of natural talent. After running through the moves, they could quickly get into character and dance with emotion.

After dancing it three times, Xu Shuyan let go of Lin Yi. “Alright, time for bed!”

Having adapted to the darkness, Lin Yi began to enjoy it. She didn’t rush to take off the ribbon. She heard Xu Shuyan’s footsteps on the stairs-one, two, three-then they stopped. Her voice came from a short distance away. “What are you still standing there for?”

Lin Yi said mysteriously, “I’m feeling it.”

“Feeling what?”

“The loneliness and desolation of a helpless kite in the dark night sky…”

“If you don’t come up to bed now, I’m locking the door.”

“…”

Lin Yi resentfully tore off the ribbon and glared at Xu Shuyan. “You’re so annoying!”

Xu Shuyan shrugged and walked away without looking back.

Normally, Lin Yi would have been exhausted after a long day of stage practice, sneaking instant noodles, and then dancing it off with her love rival. She should have been sleepy, but when she lay in bed, some nerve was wide awake, and she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She lay stiffly, staring at the ceiling.

She turned on her side, her back to Xu Shuyan, then suddenly jolted. Can’t leave my back exposed to the enemy!

She turned over again to face Xu Shuyan. Seeing her sleeping so soundly, she felt a pang of jealousy. Why should she be suffering from insomnia while Xu Shuyan was having sweet dreams?

Sleeping so sweetly… could she be dreaming about a date with Chen Yuan?

…Does Chen Yuan know that Xu Shuyan was dancing with her in the living room before bed, with less than three centimeters between them?

Using the faint light from the window, Lin Yi stared at Xu Shuyan for a while. She remembered being on the balcony just now, how close Xu Shuyan had been, so close their breaths mingled and she could hear Xu Shuyan’s heartbeat.

Wait! Why am I reminiscing about that?!

Lin Yi pulled the covers over her head. After a moment, figuring she couldn’t sleep anyway, she put on her headphones and started watching the popular historical idol drama starring Chen Yuan. She finished a whole episode, then went to Chen Yuan’s Super Topic and saved a dozen high-quality edited stills, clutching the tablet to her chest in satisfaction.

She thought, I really do like Yuanyuan the best!

---

@BadgerInTheMelonPatch: Sweet Orange female lead Ji Jingmei, male lead Luo Cheng. Filming starts in June. There’s a very subtle yuri storyline, and the director has invited a hegemon CP from a certain domestic girl group for a guest role. CP fans can look forward to it.

[Looking forward to Ji Jingmei!]

[Not believing it until it’s officially announced. Taking our Luo Cheng and leaving.]

[Fans, stop flooding the comments. Am I the only one curious about which girl group’s hegemon CP it is?]

[No way, no way? It couldn’t be our Yan Zhi You Yi, could it?]

[Get lost! We’re not interested!]

[@Sweet Melon Entertainment if you dare to accept this kind of role for my daughter, you’re dead!]

[The Gu Group isn’t the only girl group in the industry, so don’t get ahead of yourselves, okay? Please, this is a drama starring top actress Ji Jingmei! What more could you ask for than a supporting role for her?]

[What are the character settings? I want to read the fanfic already.]

[I’m claiming this role for Yan Zhi You Yi. Our Yan Zhi You Yi, dating in their girl group, and they’ll be dating in the drama too!]

[OP, you might as well just post Yan Zhi You Yi’s ID numbers!]

---

The news about Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi acting in a drama was, of course, Fang Yi’s handiwork. The main purpose was to build hype for the new drama’s official character announcements and also to gauge the fans’ reactions.

Although the fans kept saying they didn’t want them to take on a yuri storyline, they all knew perfectly well that this drama was a great opportunity. It was a primetime drama, good for exposure. Even if there was a yuri storyline, it would only be suggestive. CP fans could ship it, but the average viewer wouldn’t notice. So, they just symbolically cursed out the company a bit and then went quiet.

The CP fans were especially excited, and there was one right in front of Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi.

“This script is amazing!” Zhou Shichen sat in front of the mirror, flipping through Lin Yi’s script and squealing over the lines. “The transfer student meets the class president, and the class president falls in love at first sight, ahhhh! And they live in the same dorm! Bunk beds! Once you pull the curtain-“

“Hey!” Lin Yi finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Can you please empty out the dirty junk in your head?”

Then she glared at Xu Shuyan. “You’re just going to listen to her spout nonsense?”

Xu Shuyan, who was glared at for no reason, looked extremely innocent. “Where is she spouting nonsense? Isn’t it all in the script?”

Lin Yi: “…”

She was so annoyed.

At the same time, she had to admire Zhou Shichen’s energy. They were at the company preparing for the concert, doing physical training before dance practice, and were half-dead from exhaustion afterward. It was a wonder Zhou Shichen still had the energy to ship CPs.

Zhou Shichen didn’t even look up. “You don’t get it. This is how I recover my stamina.”

Lin Yi took a bite of a Snickers bar, took a swig of water, and asked Chen Yuan, who was slowly wiping away her sweat beside her, “Yuanyuan, do you want chocolate or a Snickers? I also have a sports drink if you want.”

Chen Yuan opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Xu Shuyan’s voice came from the side. “I want the chocolate.”

“…” Lin Yi slapped her outstretched hand away. “Who asked you?”

Chen Yuan smiled, took the Snickers from Lin Yi’s hand, and said, “I’ll have this. Give the chocolate to Yanyan. She just ran four more laps than us; she must be exhausted.”

Only then did Lin Yi reluctantly hand the chocolate to Xu Shuyan, muttering under her breath, “Who told her to show off! She’s lucky she didn’t throw up!”

“Who was showing off? I can always run that many laps, okay?” Xu Shuyan tore the wrapper off the chocolate and hummed along to their album’s title track playing in the background. Suddenly, she asked, “We’re filming the second season of the group variety show after the concert, right? They’re not going to spring another surprise on us, are they?”

The pointed question made everyone look at Yan Qi, who was drinking water by the window to rest her eyes. Yan Qi paused, then turned her head to meet her teammates’ mournful, resentful gazes.

She shrugged. “For the show’s effect.”

The four members of the Gu Group: “…”

Sigh! That damned variety show spirit!

“Not this time!” Zhou Shichen put down the script and waved her hands to clear her name. “I guarantee everyone will be well-rested before we start filming this time. And we definitely won’t do anything to split up the group, and there’s no way I’d make everyone suffer just to film a group show!”

Lin Yi: “…”

Xu Shuyan: “…”

Chen Yuan: “…”

Once again, they all turned in unison to look at Yan Qi. Yan Qi took a sip of water, her expression calm. “I hear you, Zhou Shichen. You’re throwing shade at me. You’re getting extra training tonight.”

Zhou Shichen’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Captain, weren’t you seriously admiring the spring scenery outside the window?”

Yan Qi said, “When you started talking, I started admiring you instead.”

Lin Yi: “I’m shipping this so hard, I’m dying!”

Yan Qi: “?”

Chen Yuan: “?”

Xu Shuyan: “?”

Zhou Shichen: “…But there’s some not-so-good news I forgot to tell you.”

The other four: “?”

Isn’t that a bit of an abrupt way to change the subject?!

Lin Yi was the first to react. “What not-so-good news? You just said you wouldn’t make us suffer this time!”

Xu Shuyan chimed in, “Exactly!”

Chen Yuan: “Yeah!”

Yan Qi: “Heh.”

“You won’t suffer,” Zhou Shichen said, sitting cross-legged and making a ‘tiny bit’ gesture with her thumb and forefinger. “There’s just been a teensy-weensy change in the situation. I had originally planned for us to go abroad, since we have visas for all sorts of countries. But for various reasons, filming the show abroad wasn’t approved.”

Lin Yi asked, “So?”

Zhou Shichen spread her hands. “So the location has been changed to somewhere domestic. A road trip along the Qinghai-Gansu Great Circle Route. The basic budget is the same, and the itinerary is all planned out for us. We just have to follow the route.”

She covered her face. “You’re not going to hit me, are you?”

Just then, a song ended, and the intro to the next one was building. The practice room fell silent for a moment, until Lin Yi cheered, “Yay! The motherland has such beautiful landscapes, why go abroad? I’ve always wanted to go to Tibet!”

Zhou Shichen’s eyes lit up. “Xiao Yi!”

She grabbed Lin Yi’s hand, her eyes welling with tears. “You’re the best. Let’s stick together for this recording!”

Xu Shuyan, standing nearby, was not pleased. “What the hell? Are you trying to steal my business partner?”

Lin Yi: “?”

Zhou Shichen instantly let go of Lin Yi’s hand and said seriously, “She’s all yours.”

Xu Shuyan: “…”

She had just said it casually; she didn’t really mean it like that.

Faced with Zhou Shichen’s complicated expression that screamed, “Sis, I get you!” “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” and “I’ll help you two get together,” the explanation she wanted to give died in her throat and turned into a single, “Never mind.”

“Well, in that case, there’s one more piece of news I might as well announce,” Zhou Shichen said. She called over to the cameraman resting in the corner, “Camera teacher, come over and film a little something for us.”

Xu Shuyan asked, “What kind of material?”

Yan Qi also walked over and asked, “The guardian angel game?”

Zhou Shichen snapped her fingers. “That’s right!”

She gathered everyone to sit in a circle around her and said, “The concert is coming up, right? In the time leading up to it, we’ll each have someone to protect. You have to be nice to her, but you can’t let her guess it’s you. Finally, you’ll prepare a gift to give her at the concert.”

Xu Shuyan said, uninterested, “What a lame game.”

Lin Yi fretted, “What if I draw someone I don’t like?”

Yan Qi glanced at her. “Who in our group don’t you like?”

Lin Yi: “…Captain, that’s not what I meant!”

“Exactly!” Zhou Shichen scolded Lin Yi while writing names on sticky notes. “Where’s the group spirit? I’m asking you, where’s the group spirit?” Then she looked up at the camera with a smile and said, “Cut this part out, ‘kay?”

“I want to draw Lin Yi,” Xu Shuyan said, putting an arm around Lin Yi’s shoulders. “Her gift is easy to pick. You’ve had your eye on a bracelet recently, right? I’ll get it for you!”

Yan Qi gave Xu Shuyan a slightly surprised look. “You haven’t drawn her yet.”

Xu Shuyan said, “That’s why I said I’m hoping.”

Lin Yi scoffed internally at Xu Shuyan, but played along for the camera, flirting back, “You think you can get rid of me with just a bracelet? Dream on!”

Xu Shuyan teased her, and she dodged, creating another scene for the camera that would make fans ship them to death.

“Alright.” Zhou Shichen folded the sticky notes and placed them on the floor. “Time to draw! Remember, you absolutely cannot let her find out you’re her guardian angel. If she guesses correctly, you lose the game, and there will be a punishment at the concert. How embarrassing!”

Lin Yi pushed Xu Shuyan away, clasped her hands together in prayer for a moment, and piously picked a sticky note that looked appealing.

She chanted silently in her head.

Not Xu Shuyan, not Xu Shuyan, not Xu Shuyan.

She carefully unfolded the sticky note.

Fuck! Xu Shuyan!

---

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