The air fell silent for a tenth of a second, and Lin Yi was already filled with regret.
She closed her eyes in frustration, thinking she must have been possessed. After stumbling upon her love rival watching porn, instead of getting as far away as possible, she had actually offered to give lessons, making it sound like she was some kind of seasoned expert.
Judging by Xu Shuyan’s astonished expression, she was probably cursing her out for being a lunatic in her head.
Nope. Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing was the best!
Lin Yi gave a dry laugh, trying to save face. “I was just saying. You carry on with what you were doing. My house is on fire, so I’ll be leaving now, bye-”
“Stop!” Xu Shuyan called out to her.
Lin Yi, who had been about to grease the soles of her feet and slip away: “…”
She knew she wouldn’t be able to escape!
Dejectedly, Lin Yi stood her ground, tracing circles on the wall with her finger. “What is it?”
“How do you plan on teaching me?” Xu Shuyan pressed the play button. The video on the computer resumed, and the sounds of moaning and splashing filled the room. She stared at Lin Yi. “Is there a fee?”
“…?” Lin Yi blinked and blurted out, “With our relationship, talking about money is so tacky!”
Xu Shuyan said flatly, “What kind of relationship do we have?”
“Years of business partners and love rivals, of course.” Seeing that Xu Shuyan showed no signs of wanting to beat her up, Lin Yi’s confidence surged. She pushed her suitcase aside and strode right in. “I think… people need to have some worldly desires.”
“Is… that so?”
“You’re in a bad mood and giving me the cold shoulder because you don’t have these desires, right?” Lin Yi climbed onto the bed, then added with an “oh,” “Actually, you don’t need a reason to give me the cold shoulder.”
Xu Shuyan shot her a look and lifted the covers. “Getting in?”
Although it was cold here, it was already April. The heating had been turned off, and even with the central air conditioning blasting hot air, it still felt chilly. Lin Yi had chosen style over warmth, wearing only a thin pair of leggings that offered no resistance to a cozy bed.
She simply took off her pants and slipped under the covers.
“Where did you find this stuff?” Lin Yi couldn’t stand the vulgar language any longer and slammed the pause button. She burrowed into the blankets to warm up, teasing Xu Shuyan, “Do you have any idea what a negative impact this would have on our group if it got out?”
She was throwing Xu Shuyan’s own words right back at her, verbatim.
“You really hold a grudge.” Xu Shuyan retorted with Lin Yi’s words as well. “I bought it through legitimate channels with a side account. I wanted to watch it in secret when no one was around, but who knew you’d get here so fast.”
“Let’s not even talk about how my flight information was resold by scalpers. You could have seen my gorgeous airport photos just by scrolling through Weibo, right?”
“Who cares about your airport photos? My side account only follows Yuanyuan’s fan sites.”
“…Oh.” Lin Yi fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Where’s my phone?”
“What for?”
“To unfollow our CP fan sites!”
“…” She pushed Lin Yi back down into the covers. “Don’t move around, you’re letting all the warm air out!”
Lin Yi immediately stilled obediently. She had styled her hair for the airport, and her slightly curled long hair fanned out on the pillow. Her fair little face was buried in the blankets, her large eyes blinking. “Xu Shuyan.”
“Hm?” Xu Shuyan was looking at the computer, distracted.
Lin Yi had a knack for pausing. The screen was frozen on a scene where the female lead was hugging her lover from behind, her butterfly bones prominent on her pale back. Her long fingers rested on a certain secret place. Her lover turned to kiss her, the corners of her eyes red with unbearable pleasure as her soft cries were swallowed.
“You’re not actually unresponsive, are you?” Lin Yi’s fingers snaked out from under the covers and poked Xu Shuyan’s waist. “Are you holding back?”
“…” Xu Shuyan’s brows furrowed. “You know everything, don’t you?”
“Unless you’ve become a nun!” Lin Yi declared confidently. “Otherwise, how could you not have a reaction?” Her fingertip slid down Xu Shuyan’s waistline, then stopped abruptly and retracted. “You’re… you know, right?”
Xu Shuyan was impatient. “Are you going to teach me or not?”
Lin Yi couldn’t resist poking her waist again. “What’s with your attitude? Is that any way to treat a teacher? I’ve changed my mind, I’m charging you! Pay up first, then we’ll have the lesson!”
Xu Shuyan couldn’t be bothered with her. “Teach or don’t.”
Lin Yi: “…”
So annoying. Why wasn’t Xu Shuyan begging her?
Xu Shuyan rewound the progress bar a little. When she didn’t hear a comeback from Lin Yi, she was surprised. Only then did she notice Lin Yi’s face scrunched up, lost in thought. She snapped her fingers by Lin Yi’s ear. “What are you thinking about?”
Lin Yi turned her face away. “I’m sleepy. Leave me alone.”
As if Xu Shuyan would believe that. “When a brat suddenly goes quiet, she’s definitely up to no good. Spit it out. What mischief are you plotting?”
“You’re the brat!” Lin Yi fumed, kicking out with a leg sweep under the covers. Xu Shuyan was prepared. She lifted her long leg, trapping Lin Yi’s. Just as she was about to say something, she saw a triumphant glint in Lin Yi’s eyes and had a bad feeling. “You-”
Lin Yi’s knee shot upward, hitting a certain spot. Caught off guard, Xu Shuyan let out a short cry. “Lin Yi!”
But Lin Yi was staring at her intently. “How does it feel?”
Xu Shuyan: “…Do you need to ask for user feedback for this too?”
It was a strange, wonderful pleasure.
She had felt something like it in her dreams. She rarely had wet dreams, and the few times she did were during afternoon naps, in a half-awake state. A knot of tension would coil in her lower abdomen, her back would grow damp, and she would jolt awake just before reaching the peak.
But to feel it so directly, a pleasure so intense it made the top of her head tingle-that was a first in her life.
She licked her dry lips and, under Lin Yi’s gaze, turned her face away. What was this all about, she wondered. She’d just had a whim to watch a video and see what it felt like, but then Lin Yi had to walk in. And then Lin Yi wanted to teach her all this weird stuff, and she had actually agreed.
Lying in the same bed with her love rival, getting turned on by her-it was absurd no matter how she looked at it.
“Not bad,” she said.
Lin Yi had a “told-you-so” look on her face. “Looks like you won’t be joining a convent anytime soon.”
Xu Shuyan pressed play. She had just rewound to the very beginning, where the two female leads were kissing uncontrollably, their clothes scattered from the entryway to the bedroom. The sound of their kisses was ambiguous and tantalizing.
“I’ll teach you another trick.” Lin Yi rolled over onto her stomach and instructed Xu Shuyan, “Press your legs together.”
Xu Shuyan paused. “Okay.”
“Tighter. And move a little.”
“…”
“Don’t be shy. Just think of it as academic research.”
“That rhymed.” Xu Shuyan’s inner rapper stirred for a moment, but she still did as Lin Yi asked, applying pressure. A current seemed to pass through the spot Lin Yi had kneed, and she shivered slightly.
Before she could say anything, Lin Yi suddenly buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled. “You do your thing. Stop staring at me! I have a reputation to maintain, you know?”
“Do you?” Xu Shuyan refused to let Lin Yi escape, pulling her out of the pillow. She looked at her flushed face and patted it lightly. “Teaching your love rival how to do this… it’s all for Yuanyuan’s happiness, isn’t it? How thoughtful of you.”
Lin Yi flew into a rage. “Get lost! I was just afraid you’d die from frustration!”
Xu Shuyan looked at her with a half-smile.
Lin Yi, infuriated by her gaze, gave her a hard shove. “I won’t be grading your performance. You just stay here and enjoy yourself.”
She sat up to get out of bed, but then felt that leaving just like that would be a loss of face. After a moment’s thought, she raised her hand and patted Xu Shuyan’s head with a gratified expression. “Our Yanyan… you’ve finally grown up!”
Xu Shuyan’s smile froze. “…Get out.”
Lin Yi chuckled. “Out I go!”
Fearing Xu Shuyan might retaliate, she didn’t even bother putting her leggings back on, just threw on her coat and fled. Once she was outside, the draft blowing through the hallway cleared her head a little. She messaged her assistant to ask for her room number so she could go get her ID card.
The moment the assistant opened the door, she was shocked. She quickly pulled Lin Yi into the room. “Why are you running around looking like that?”
“Like what?” Lin Yi was shivering from the cold. She glanced casually at the full-length mirror by the door and froze.
Not only was her carefully styled airport hair a complete mess, but her face was flushed-which could be blamed on the warm air. But what was with the faint, seductive glint in her eyes and that pitiful expression, as if she’d been ravaged?!
The assistant asked cautiously, “Did you get into another fight with Teacher Xu?”
…And lost, and got kicked out.
“Who fought with her?” Lin Yi pulled a hair tie from her pocket and tied up her hair. “She and I… Ugh, I can’t be bothered to talk about her. Stop asking so many questions. Just give me my ID card, I’m going to get another room.”
The assistant asked, “You’re going down like that?”
Lin Yi retorted, “What other choice do I have?”
“If you go down like that, there’ll be articles tonight saying you were ravaged in a hotel.” The assistant sighed and pushed her onto the bed. “You just wait here. I’ll go get a room for you.”
Lin Yi grabbed the assistant’s hand, her eyes welling with tears. “It’s true! This world is full of good people, except for Xu Shuyan!”
The assistant: “Actually, Teacher Xu is pretty nice.”
Lin Yi immediately let go of her hand. “If you say she’s nice, we can’t be friends!”
The assistant: “…Teacher Xu is a big meanie!”
Lin Yi patted her shoulder encouragingly. “Now we’re good friends.”
The assistant: “…”
Money is hard to earn, and this job is shit.
While waiting for her assistant, Lin Yi received a message from Xu Shuyan asking where she went and if she was coming back to sleep.
Lin Yi: Are you done?
Annoying Person: .
Lin Yi: Oh, forgot something.
Most Annoying Person: What?
Lin Yi: Changing your contact name.
Most Annoying Person: …
Most Annoying Person: If you’re not coming back, I’m locking the door.
Lin Yi: Do whatever you want!
Lin Yi: I’m not coming back tonight.
Lin Yi: Let’s see how you like sleeping alone in an empty room!
Most Annoying Person: …
Most Annoying Person: I was gone from the dorm for a week. Did you miss me?
Lin Yi: Did you fail reading comprehension?
Most Annoying Person: [You’re just playing hard to get, sweetie.jpg]
Lin Yi: …
Most Annoying Person: Really not coming back?
Lin Yi: Nope.
Most Annoying Person: Shy? Feeling embarrassed?
Lin Yi: Bullshit!
Lin Yi: I just don’t want to see your face!
Most Annoying Person: Oh.
Lin Yi waited for a while, but Xu Shuyan didn’t send any more messages. Just then, her assistant returned, saying there were no more suites available, so she had gotten her a deluxe king room. She could make do for the night, or if she really couldn’t, she could always go back to Xu Shuyan.
“Who wants to go back to her!?” Lin Yi took the room key. “If I go back to her tonight, I’ll eat this key card!”
The assistant: “…”
That’s a bit much.
Lin Yi hadn’t planned on going back to Xu Shuyan, but she had left in such a hurry that her luggage was still there. So she consoled herself: she wasn’t going back for Xu Shuyan, she was going back for her suitcase.
And so, at eleven o’clock at night, she knocked on Xu Shuyan’s door.
Xu Shuyan pushed the suitcase out. As Lin Yi took it, Xu Shuyan pulled back slightly, smiling as she asked, “Lin Yi, do you want your room key steamed or braised?”
Lin Yi: “…”
She officially declared that she and her assistant were no longer friends!
Topic: Yan Zhi You Yi Dual Magazine Cover
OP: Heard from a scalper on my Moments. It’s one of the top five magazines. The shoot is tomorrow, both indoor and outdoor scenes.
[OMG? I’m so jealous of this opportunity.]
[A dual cover! That’s treatment for a real couple!]
[Is it that one top-five magazine that specializes in shooting wedding photos for CPs? If so, I’m really looking forward to this!]
[I don’t ship Yan Zhi You Yi, but I’ve enjoyed a lot of their sweet moments. I’ll definitely buy this magazine when it comes out. Consider it my wedding gift to them.]
[I was wondering why both of them flew to Yakutsk yesterday. So the outdoor scene is going to be a snow scene?]
[The little couple gets a company-sponsored vacation!]
…
Sister Fang arrived the next day at noon.
Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi had just finished an indoor shoot. Each holding a cup of iced Americano, they were huddled in front of a computer looking at the previews. The photographer clicked to the next picture, praising them effusively. “You two are incredible. You’re so good at catching the camera, and your CP chemistry is off the charts.”
She was familiar with Sister Fang and gave her a light punch on the shoulder. “Where did you dig up these two treasures?”
Sister Fang beamed with pride. She told Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi to go rest while she bragged to the photographer. “Our Yan Zhi You Yi is the group’s hegemon CP, so of course their chemistry is amazing. You don’t go online, so you wouldn’t know, but the two of them-”
Before she could hear any more over-the-top flattery, Lin Yi grabbed Xu Shuyan and they fled in a panic.
It was still snowing outside the studio. Large flakes drifted down from the overcast sky. Lin Yi tilted her face up to catch a few, took a deep breath, and nudged Xu Shuyan with her elbow. “Wanna have a snowball fight after the shoot?”
“No.” Xu Shuyan wrapped her scarf tighter. “What good would come from having a snowball fight with you? You’re the queen of playing dirty!”
Lin Yi’s face fell. “Hey! Don’t slander my character just because you lost to me last time, okay? I really just slipped and fell on you! And my heart ached too when Yuanyuan took out her phone and snapped a picture of us rolling around in the snow!”
Xu Shuyan handed her another scarf. “And then you posted that photo on your Moments with the caption ‘The Notes’ Number One Top [Yes].’ Oh, your heart must have ached so much.”
The scarf hung in mid-air for a moment. Perhaps Lin Yi was reminiscing about that post, because a mysterious smile appeared on her face, and she didn’t see the scarf being offered to her.
Xu Shuyan tugged the corner of her mouth impatiently, then threw the scarf around Lin Yi’s neck and wrapped it haphazardly. Only then did Lin Yi say, “I deleted it in the end, didn’t I!”
“A reminder,” Xu Shuyan said, “you were forced by my threats to change the post’s visibility to ‘friends only.’”
“…Oh.” Lin Yi pulled the scarf down a bit, her gaze wandering. “Was that it?” She tried to change the subject by finding fault. “Xu Shuyan, do you even know how to tie a scarf?! Are you trying to strangle me?!”
Xu Shuyan chuckled. “You figured it out?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Xu Shuyan was so damn annoying!
“Teacher Xu! Teacher Lin!” An assistant from the magazine ran over. “It’s time to change for the next set.”
The second set had a different style. They wore a luxury brand’s new autumn pajamas, one in white and one in red, like twin manifestations of a white moonlight and a crimson birthmark, blossoming with life on the silk sheets.
Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan slipped into their business mode with ease.
“Teacher Xu, sit up a little,” the posing director instructed them from behind the camera. “Yes, that’s it. Lean back against Teacher Xu’s shoulder. Look up, yes, yes, touch Teacher Xu’s face.”
Xu Shuyan lowered her head and smelled the scent of Lin Yi’s hair-a pleasant gardenia fragrance mixed with the coconut milk and amber from her perfume, like white snow reflecting on a shimmering stream.
Lin Yi tilted her head up to touch her face, her long hair brushing against Xu Shuyan’s bare skin, making it itch.
“Teacher Xu, hold that pose, keep looking down at Teacher Lin with that expression!” the photographer shouted, pressing the shutter. “Great! That’s a wrap for this set! Such an affectionate gaze, such a beautiful scene.”
Ambiguity in the haze, purity in the ambiguous light and shadow.
And in that purity-
Lin Yi stared into Xu Shuyan’s eyes and asked in a low voice, “Your fans say you look at dogs with affection. When you look at me, are you thinking of Yuanyuan or a dog?”
“…” Xu Shuyan had never met anyone so good at ruining the mood. She pushed her away. “A dog.”
Lin Yi: “?”
Xu Shuyan then asked her, “What kind of dog do you want to be? How about a Chihuahua? Small and fierce, just like you.”
Lin Yi was furious. “Xu Shuyan!”
Xu Shuyan got off the bed. “What?”
Lin Yi said, “I want to be a Pomeranian!”
Xu Shuyan: “?”
Sister Fang, who had just walked over and only heard Xu Shuyan ask Lin Yi what kind of dog she wanted to be: “…”
She was speechless. “Can’t you just be a person?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Oh, right!!!
For the outdoor scene, Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan wore the brand’s new winter collection. The wool coats looked thick but offered little protection against the cold wind. The scarves were tied purely for aesthetic appeal, fluttering with the snowflakes when the wind picked up.
Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan walked hand-in-hand through the snow, turning to look at each other with brilliant, sweet smiles.
“Ahhh! So sweet!”
“How can two people be so perfect for each other?”
“Yuri is the best!”
“When I was looking up their info online, I saw a compilation of evidence from fans that they don’t get along. I was thinking, are girl groups really this hostile nowadays? I never expected to be so deceived by the fans! They couldn’t be any sweeter, okay?”
Off-camera, the staff on break were chatting excitedly, completely smitten and lost in the moment.
This photographer specialized in portraits. In the collision of person and scenery, the person blended into the scene, and the scene complemented the person, creating a unique romance and atmosphere amidst the swirling snow.
The final shot was the boldest, an impromptu creation by the photographer.
The photo was in black and white. Lin Yi leaned against the hood of a jeep, a cigarette between her fingers. Through the curling smoke, Xu Shuyan, with a cigarette in her mouth, leaned down to ask for a light.
The scene was a snowy wilderness, the makeup was retro and glamorous. Two beauties meeting in a foreign land, creating a strong sense of story and atmosphere.
It would become one of Yan Zhi You Yi’s most iconic photos.
Of course, Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan were completely unaware of this. All they knew was that the smell of smoke during the shoot was unbearable. Afterward, Xu Shuyan accidentally took a sharp inhale of smoke and was choked to the point of tears.
Lin Yi quickly threw down the cigarette butt and patted her back. “Why did you have to smoke it? That’s not how you rebel, you know?”
Xu Shuyan was coughing too hard to retort, forced to listen to Lin Yi’s jabs. In the end, seeing Xu Shuyan’s red-rimmed, teary eyes, Lin Yi softened. She draped a down jacket over her and stomped hard on the cigarette butt. “It’s all its fault! I stomped on it for you!”
Xu Shuyan wiped her mouth and finally managed her first words. “Littering cigarette butts gets you a fine.”
Lin Yi: “…Get lost.”
If she ever felt sorry for Xu Shuyan again, she was a dog!
A Chihuahua!
Xu Shuyan, afraid she had truly angered her and created a scandal about discord within Yan Zhi You Yi that would ruin their ability to do business, quickly tried to pull Lin Yi back. “Didn’t we agree to a snowball fight after the shoot? Are we going or not?”
“No!” Lin Yi shook her off. “Stay away from me!”
“How can I stay away from you?” Xu Shuyan put her arm around her shoulder again. “We’re on the job right now. To be professional, I should be as close to you as possible.”
Lin Yi angrily stomped on her shoe. “Have you no shame, Xu Shuyan!”
“Nope.” When Xu Shuyan was trying to coax someone, she lost all trace of her cool-girl persona. “Snowball fight~ Let’s go have a snowball fight~ You can even play dirty this time.”
Lin Yi narrowed her eyes. “Really?”
Xu Shuyan had a bad feeling and hesitated. “You wouldn’t stoop to playing dirty, right?”
Lin Yi smiled. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m not as strong as you. Playing dirty is all I have.”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Lin Yi’s version of playing dirty was always brazen and unapologetic. So when they snuck out for a snowball fight after dinner with the magazine staff, Xu Shuyan truly regretted her words.
Sure enough, despite all her precautions, she couldn’t defend against Lin Yi’s little tricks. By the time she realized what was happening, a snowball had already slipped down her collar, sliding down her warm skin. Xu Shuyan shrieked, “Lin Yi! You’re dead!”
Lin Yi ran off, laughing. “What are you gonna do about it? Nyah nyah nyah!”
Xu Shuyan grabbed a handful of snow and threw it wildly at Lin Yi. It was a good thing they were in a foreign country where no one recognized them, allowing them to be so reckless. But the difference in strength was too great, and Lin Yi was the first to wave the white flag. “I give up, I really give up!”
Xu Shuyan was still wary of her. “The last time you surrendered, you launched a sneak attack.”
Lin Yi looked aggrieved. “Why don’t you believe me?”
Xu Shuyan scoffed. “Past experience.”
Lin Yi huffed, plopped down in the snow with a crunch, and then lay back, looking at the dark sky. “Believe it or not, I’m not fighting you anymore.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Shuyan also lay down, two meters away from Lin Yi.
Lin Yi turned her head.
Xu Shuyan also turned her head.
Both their faces were red from the cold, and the snowflakes scattered on them fell away, quickly melting into the snow on the ground. Lin Yi pulled her scarf down a little and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xu Shuyan was quiet for a moment, then said, “The same thing as you.”
Lin Yi sighed, voicing what was on both their minds. “I wonder what Yuanyuan is doing. Is her drama shoot going well? Why isn’t she here?”
Xu Shuyan looked at the sky and also let out a faint sigh.
“Speaking of which,” she changed the subject, “we have to record the second season of our group variety show when we get back, right? Zhou Shichen was being all mysterious when she asked for our passports. The location isn’t abroad, is it?”
Lin Yi’s eyes lit up. “Is the theme travel? Another company-sponsored trip?”
“Her proposal was apparently submitted even earlier than the Captain’s. Damn it! I hate people who work hard in secret!” Xu Shuyan asked Lin Yi, “Have you planned your episode yet?”
Lin Yi was puzzled. “Isn’t my episode last? What’s the rush?”
Xu Shuyan was satisfied. “I like slackers like you.”
Lin Yi: “…That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
Xu Shuyan: “It is.”
Lin Yi: “It’s not.”
Xu Shuyan: “It is.”
The words had barely left her mouth when a handful of loose snow hit her in the face. She was stunned for two seconds. When she opened her eyes again, Lin Yi was already far away, laughing wildly. “Xu Shuyan! Didn’t see that coming, did you! You lose, hahahaha!”
Xu Shuyan wiped her face, gritting her teeth. “Lin! Yi!”
She yelled, “You Chihuahua!”
A moment later, Lin Yi’s indignant voice drifted back from the distance. “It’s Pomeranian!”
That night, Xu Shuyan posted on Weibo: Chihuahua or Pomeranian, which is better?
[Baby, are you getting a dog? Both are good! Baby is the best!]
[I prefer Pomeranians, they’re cute and pretty, just like you, baby!]
[Wife!!!]
[Chihuahuas are good! They’re small and fierce, but they can protect you, baby!]
[Wife, whichever one you want to get, I’ll become that kind! Actually, Samoyeds are cute too! Huskies aren’t bad either!]
【@Thenotes-LinYi: Pomeranian!!!】
[???]
[Are they getting one together???]
[Nooo, nooo!]
[I’m sensing some drama, but I don’t know where to start shipping. This is definitely more than just a simple Weibo comment. There’s a story behind Chihuahua and Pomeranian that I don’t know.]
[Someone from Yan Zhi You Yi, please explain to me how to ship this.]
[Why not get both? A Pomeranian and a Chihuahua, a happy family of four, sob sob.]
Three days later, all the members of The Notes gathered in the company meeting room to prepare for the Q City concert. Zhou Shichen also announced the plan for the second season of their group variety show-an RV trip.
“Wow!” Lin Yi jumped up. “Thank heavens, thank the earth, thank my dear Shichen, I get another company-sponsored trip!”
Zhou Shichen beamed. “If you’re thankful, then give me some more sweet moments to ship.”
Lin Yi received the command, grabbed a drowsy Xu Shuyan next to her, pinched her cheek, and planted a loud kiss on the back of her own hand. “Did that kill you with sweetness?”
Zhou Shichen was not satisfied. “You think I can’t tell that was a forced perspective kiss?!”
Xu Shuyan, whose face was still being pinched by Lin Yi: “…”
Did anyone even consider her feelings?!
Yan Qi tapped the table.
Xu Shuyan: “Captain!”
Yan Qi: “Don’t hold up the meeting.”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Right. No one cared about her at all.
“Alright, alright,” Zhou Shichen said. “Although our travel funds are provided by the production team, variety shows need drama, so you know the old routine.”
Chen Yuan raised her hand. “Don’t tell me we’re only getting a hundred yuan each.”
Zhou Shichen: “It’s not that exaggerated.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Yuan: “One hundred US dollars each.”
Xu Shuyan rose up in protest. “That’s not much more!”
Zhou Shichen looked deeply regretful. “But there’s nothing we can do. It’s a budget trip, after all. It’s not like we haven’t done it before. If you don’t want to go, we’ll have to cancel…”
Xu Shuyan & Lin Yi & Chen Yuan: “We’ll go, we’ll go!”
Zhou Shichen: Smile.jpg
Yan Qi asked, “Are you done?”
Zhou Shichen made a “please” gesture. “Captain, you’re up.”
The variety show was important, but not as important as the upcoming Q City concert. This time, building on the C City concert, they were removing the original duo stages and adding a four-member stage and a three-member stage.
“Now to announce the stage lineups. Four-member stage: Zhou Shichen, Lin Yi, Xu Shuyan, and Chen Yuan.” Yan Qi held the schedule. “Three-member stage: Zhou Shichen, Yan Qi, Lin Yi. Duo stage: Yan Qi, Xu Shuyan. All song choices must be submitted by midnight tomorrow.”
Yan Qi looked around. “Any other questions?”
The four members: “No.”
Yan Qi nodded. “Then meeting adjourned.”
She took the phones out of a drawer and handed them out. “Lin Yi, your phone has been vibrating nonstop.”
“Is it a call?” Lin Yi took it, muttering, “These days, the only people who call me are delivery drivers and-oh?”
“Who is it?” Xu Shuyan asked.
“My dad.” Lin Yi looked at the long list of missed calls and could already picture her dad’s stone-faced expression. She handed the phone to Xu Shuyan. “Fifty yuan. Call him back for me.”
Xu Shuyan immediately raised the price. “Five hundred.”
“In your dreams!” Lin Yi pressed redial, shot Xu Shuyan a glare, and walked out. The moment she closed the practice room door, the call connected. She walked to the window. “Dad, I was just in a meeting.”
Her dad grunted an “oh.” “Come home the day after tomorrow.”
Lin Yi forced a smile. “I know, I’ve already requested the time off. What flowers are we getting Mom this year? Should I order them in advance?”
“I don’t need you to.” Her dad’s tone was flat. “I’ll buy the flowers for my wife myself.”
Lin Yi mumbled a dejected “oh” and made a face at her reflection.
The day after tomorrow was her mother’s birthday. Her mother, who, due to illness, would forever be a beautiful thirty-two.
After her mother passed away, her dad lost his spirit and had been living a listless life. When Lin Yi was in elementary school, he opened a small convenience store behind the school but didn’t run it properly. Instead, he spent his days teaching elementary school students to play the piano. Lin Yi grew up there, and it was there that she met Do-Re-Mi and fell in love with music.
And every year, on her mother’s birthday, they would commemorate and remember her together.
“By the way,”-when she came back to her senses, her dad still hadn’t hung up. Lin Yi responded, and her dad sighed. “You’re not getting any younger.”
Lin Yi’s face darkened. “What do you mean I’m not getting any younger? I may have started working early, but I’m only a junior in college, okay? And I’m an idol, I can’t date.” She grew more agitated as she spoke. “Don’t even think about making me bring a boyfriend home! The second I do, I’ll be all over the hot search and become a total flop.”
“Bring a boyfriend?” her dad asked. “Don’t you like girls?”
Lin Yi was stunned. “How did you know?”
“Never mind how I know,” her dad said. “That girl in your group, the one named Xu… Xu something?”
“Xu Shuyan?” Lin Yi’s mouth twitched.
“Right, that’s her. Bring her home this year for your mom to see. It’ll put her mind at ease in the afterlife.”
“What! I have nothing to do with her!” Lin Yi paced back and forth anxiously, on the verge of a breakdown. “We’re just business partners! Do you know what that means? You should go online and learn a thing or two about idol groups, okay? Also!”
She put on a righteous expression. “We must fight feudal superstition! What’s all this about the afterlife? Can’t you be a little more materialistic?”
Her dad gave another calm “oh” and continued on his own track. “Don’t pretend with me. When I went to buy stickers, the shop owner recommended the ones with you and Xu Shuyan, and even said you two were dating.”
He said, “I’m not asking you to go public. Just bring her back to put your mom’s mind at ease.”
“Dad!” Lin Yi was losing her mind.
“If you don’t bring her back, then don’t you come back either.” Her dad coughed a few times to threaten her. “That’s it. I’m hanging up.”
“Beep, beep, beep-” Lin Yi brought the phone to her face and looked at it, then at her own incredulous reflection in the window. She groaned and squatted down, ruffling her hair. “That old man can usually climb ten flights of stairs without breaking a sweat, and now he’s coughing to threaten me?”
And besides, bringing Xu Shuyan home was just too ridiculous.
Was she fated to be business partners with Xu Shuyan for life? At the company, on stage, on Weibo, and now she had to do it in front of her parents? Wait-
Lin Yi suddenly remembered something important.
Even if she was willing to bring Xu Shuyan home for business, Xu Shuyan might not be willing!
No, that’s not right.
Lin Yi cleared her head. It wasn’t that she might not be willing. Xu Shuyan would definitely not be willing!
After Lin Yi had snuck her eighth glance at her with that “wanting to speak but holding back” look, Xu Shuyan finally couldn’t take it anymore. She put down her chopsticks, manually turned Lin Yi’s head to face forward, and reminded her, “There are no cameras. You don’t need to be on the job.”
Lin Yi stared ahead stiffly. “Huh?”
Xu Shuyan picked up her chopsticks and said bluntly, “If you keep looking at me with that affectionate gaze, I’m seriously going to puke.”
“…” Lin Yi was about to retort, “Who’s looking at you affectionately?” but then remembered she needed a favor and immediately put on a smile. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop looking.”
Xu Shuyan looked at Lin Yi as if she’d seen a ghost. “Are you crazy?”
Lin Yi smiled benevolently. “What? No, I’m not.”
Xu Shuyan sat up straight, wary, and leaned back tactically. “Or are you plotting something else?” She glanced around. “Are there hidden cameras? Are you trying to prank me?”
Lin Yi shook her head, her big eyes wide with innocence. “None of that.”
Xu Shuyan was still skeptical. “Then why aren’t you talking back to me?”
Lin Yi: “…”
She gritted her teeth internally. Was Xu Shuyan sick in the head? Did she only feel good when she was being talked back to?
“Why would I talk back to you?” Lin Yi continued to radiate goodwill. “You’re my roommate and my teammate. We should love and help each other!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
She pressed her forehead and took another sip of water. “Just say it. What do you need my help with?”
Lin Yi’s eyes lit up. “You know me best, Shuyan! You catch on quick, sis!”
Xu Shuyan couldn’t stand it any longer. “Are you going to say it or not?”
Lin Yi’s bravado instantly deflated. She touched her index fingers together and hesitated for a long time before finally explaining the situation. In the end, she added, “My dad… he’s really not in good health.”
She looked up, her eyes pitifully fixed on Xu Shuyan. “You’ll help me, right?”
Xu Shuyan was stunned for a moment, then let out a slow “ah” and crossed her legs. She looked down at her nails and couldn’t help but laugh. “Lin Yi, so there’s a day when you have to beg me for a favor, huh?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Damn it! Look at Xu Shuyan, like a petty person savoring their victory! Her fists were clenched!
Xu Shuyan glanced up. “Hm?”
Lin Yi: Pitiful.jpg
Xu Shuyan asked, “You want me to go home with you?”
Lin Yi: “Mhm, mhm!”
Xu Shuyan: “Beg me.”
Lin Yi: “I’m begging you.”
Xu Shuyan nodded. “But I don’t want to agree so easily.” She picked up her chopsticks. “Other than you, I’ve never come out to anyone else. It wouldn’t be good if this got out.”
“What do you mean, anyone else!” Lin Yi played the sentiment card. “Our Seven Musical Notes are a family. My dad is your dad!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
She took a bite of rice. “I’ll think about it. It depends on your performance.”
Lin Yi: “…”
She knew it! With an opportunity like this to mess with her, Xu Shuyan wouldn’t let it go! Just as she was grumbling internally, Xu Shuyan shot her a cool look. She instantly turned into a suck-up. “Which dish do you want? I’ll get it for you.”
Xu Shuyan didn’t hold back. “The chicken leg in your bowl.”
Without hesitation, Lin Yi placed the chicken leg in Xu Shuyan’s bowl, then stared at her with eyes full of reluctance, heartache, and a hint of grim determination. Xu Shuyan paused. “It’s just a chicken leg. This isn’t a life-or-death parting, is it?”
“You don’t understand.” Lin Yi swallowed. “The concert is coming up soon, so I have to watch what I eat. This might be the only chicken leg I get for days.”
“I…”
“It’s okay,” Lin Yi turned her face away. “You eat it. Don’t mind me. As long as you want it, and I have it!”
“…”
Who could eat after being guilt-tripped like that?!
Xu Shuyan put the chicken leg back in her bowl, annoyed. “You eat it.”
Lin Yi: “You-”
Xu Shuyan: “Don’t get me wrong, I just…”
Lin Yi grabbed her hand, her eyes welling with tears. “We really are a loving family!”
Xu Shuyan: “…Get lost.”
Lin Yi: “You got it!”
Lin Yi felt she was truly a filial daughter. To avoid angering her dad to death, she had actually managed to put aside her pride and beg Xu Shuyan. When Xu Shuyan told her to get lost, she got lost. When she told her to come back, she came back. If she said go east, she wouldn’t go west.
She even managed to restrain herself and only watch from the doorway when Xu Shuyan was talking to Chen Yuan alone.
“It looks like Xiao Yi needs you for something,” Chen Yuan said, looking up towards the door and meeting Lin Yi’s mournful gaze. “My thing isn’t urgent. You should go be with her.”
Xu Shuyan didn’t even look up. “She’s fine. Just bored.”
“Really?” Chen Yuan cupped her face. “It feels like Xiao Yi can’t be without you. You two are so close.”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
She really wanted to tell Chen Yuan that Lin Yi was looking at her.
Forget it.
Xu Shuyan thought she must really owe Lin Yi something. She’d had enough fun tormenting her for the day. It was time to drop the act. What was the big deal about going home with Lin Yi? Business was her specialty, after all.
Xu Shuyan pushed open the door, looking annoyed. “Didn’t you say you’d be obedient?”
Lin Yi looked innocent. “I am being obedient. You told me not to disturb you and Yuanyuan, and I didn’t go in and disturb you.” She peeked into the room. “How come you’re out so quickly? Aren’t you going to spend more time with Yuanyuan?”
“You’re asking a question you already know the answer to!” Xu Shuyan pulled Lin Yi up the stairs. “Go back to sleep!”
“We’re sleeping already?” Lin Yi stumbled along behind her, secretly pleased that she had interrupted Xu Shuyan and Chen Yuan’s private time. Her tone became unconsciously cheerful. “Is there anything else I can do for you, dear?”
Xu Shuyan stopped abruptly and turned to stare at her.
Lin Yi was startled and stammered, “Wh-what’s wrong?”
Xu Shuyan asked, “You’ll agree to any request?”
Lin Yi nodded dumbly. “Yeah.”
“Alright,” Xu Shuyan leaned down, lifting her chin from a step below. Her tone was casual and mocking. “I’m really tired right now. Why don’t you… help me take a bath?”
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