RL – Chapter 82

01 Romance

On the tenth anniversary of The Notes’ debut, the company released a special broadcast of unreleased clips from their past variety shows, including but not limited to segments like a maid cafe, a seven-day luxury cruise, deserted island survival, and a murder mystery game at a vacation villa.

The segment where the five of them had to survive for half a month in S City with only five hundred yuan had a particularly long filming period, resulting in a large amount of unreleased content. On the day of the special broadcast, they actually managed to edit together over an hour of footage from it.

Instantly, the group fans and CP fans, who had been suffering through the long wait for a comeback, felt like they had struck gold. The fandom buzzed with activity once more.

On the day of the release, Lin Yi was in the middle of her solo concert. During the talking segment halfway through, a fan shouted, “Lin Yi! On the night of the blackout at No. 5 Jiusi Lane, who was it that touched you?!”

Lin Yi froze for a moment. “What Jiusi Lane?”

The fans below burst into laughter and joined in the teasing. “Who was it! Who was it really! I’m going to settle the score with her! How dare she get handsy with my wife during a blackout! Don’t let me catch her!”

Lin Yi was even more confused. She glanced at the time; there were still five minutes left in the talking segment. So she simply sat down at the edge of the stage, drawing another round of screams. She made a hushing gesture, took a sip of water, and asked, “What are you all talking about? My memory isn’t the best. Jiusi Lane… that sounds so familiar.”

“Stop making things difficult for my wife! It’s obvious she’s been too busy to watch the new clips!”

“I’ll confess! I did it! I’m the one who touched my wife!”

“Baby, you’re so cute! If you can’t remember, just forget it! It’s not important! We’re more excited for your solo cut anyway!”

The fans below were all talking at once. Lin Yi tilted her head and listened for a while but couldn’t extract any useful information. Just then, the director’s voice came through her earpiece: “This afternoon, the official account uploaded unreleased clips from your group variety show, Cheers. You lived at No. 5 Jiusi Lane for half a month, and there was a blackout one night.”

…Oh, Lin Yi remembered.

Memories, like yellowed letter paper soaked in the long river of time, turned page after page, heavy yet light. Lin Yi didn’t have time to dwell on it, so she played along with the joke. “Oh, you’re talking about that. I’d forgotten all about it. I’ll ask in the group chat when I get back. Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist. I’ll definitely find this person and make them take responsibility for me!”

“No way, baby! Just give her a beating! I can be the one to take responsibility!”

“What if it was Xu Shuyan! No, no way!”

“Wow! So Xu Shuyan has had designs on my daughter for a long time? She could have touched anyone, but she had to touch my daughter? She’s finished! I’m going to fight her! Responsibility! She must take responsibility!”

So, by the time Lin Yi’s concert ended, the hashtag #WhoExactlyTouchedLinYi# had already been trending for half the day, and it had been the topic of discussion in their five-person group chat for just as long.

Zhou Shichen was the first to deny it: “It definitely wasn’t me. I was sitting with the Captain at the time. If I was going to touch anyone, it would have been her.”

Yan Qi stated the facts: “Shichen did touch me, but I didn’t say anything.”

Zhou Shichen: “Sorry, Captain.”

Yan Qi: “It’s fine.”

Chen Yuan also explained at a leisurely pace: “I was looking for candles with a flashlight at the time. The flashlight was about to die, so I was in a hurry. I have no idea what was happening in the living room.”

Zhou Shichen: “Then the culprit is obvious!”

Chen Yuan: “There is only one truth!”

Yan Qi: “@Xu Shuyan”

Xu Shuyan: “…”

Xu Shuyan: “Waiting for my wife’s concert to end. Do not CUE.”

Xu Shuyan: “It had better have been me. If it was one of you, I’m going to be angry!”

Zhou Shichen: “Oh?”

Yan Qi: “Oh.”

Chen Yuan: “Oh oh.”

Xu Shuyan: “Leaving the group.”

After sending that message, she didn’t bother with anyone’s replies and tossed her phone into her bag. She stood furtively behind the door, ready to surprise Lin Yi after her concert.

Normally, she wouldn’t have needed to be so secretive.

After all, as Lin Yi’s official girlfriend, it would have been perfectly reasonable for her to attend the concert as a guest performer. Although they hadn’t gone public, their occasional interactions during The Notes’ hiatus were enough to prove their relationship was very good. But Fang Yi, afraid Xu Shuyan would get emotional and come out on the spot, had done everything to stop her.

She wouldn’t even give her a ticket to attend as an audience member. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. After “bribing” Lin Yi’s assistant, Xu Shuyan had driven from the next city over and arrived at the venue without anyone knowing. Although she couldn’t be in the audience, she listened to the entire show from backstage.

Lin Yi had been busy with the concert all month, and the two of them hadn’t been on a date in a long time. Tonight, she was planning a proper romantic evening.

But after waiting by the door for ages, she only heard the noise outside grow quieter and quieter until only scattered sounds remained. She realized something was wrong. She pulled out her phone and saw a message from Lin Yi’s assistant sent ten minutes ago: “Ms. Xu, we’re heading to the after-party now. Would you like to come with us?”

Xu Shuyan: “?”

She felt like a potato left on a supermarket shelf, forgotten until it sprouted. She was numb.

After standing there for a moment, she resentfully pushed the door open, thinking, if the mountain will not come to me, I must go to the mountain. At the after-party, she’d drag Lin Yi back to bed and fiercely-

Before she could finish the thought, her vision suddenly blurred. Glimmering gold streamers rained down from above, accompanied by a small cheer. Her face was cupped in someone’s hands, and she met Lin Yi’s smiling, crescent-shaped eyes. “Surprise reversal, success!”

Xu Shuyan blinked slowly.

Lin Yi found this amusing and pinched her cheek. She snapped her fingers by Xu Shuyan’s ear. “Xu Shuyan? Are you dumbstruck?”

Xu Shuyan seized the opportunity to grab her hand. Feeling helpless against her little prank, she gave her fingers a punitive squeeze. “I’m a fool, a real fool. I only thought about surprising my girlfriend, but I never expected my girlfriend to play a trick on me. To think the one who hurt me was the person I share a bed with. It’s terrifying when you think about it!”

“…” Lin Yi rolled her eyes at her. “That’s enough out of you. You’re really getting into character, aren’t you?”

Xu Shuyan feigned pitifulness. “Is my acting that bad?”

Lin Yi was merciless. “It’s terrible!”

“Alright, you, Lin Yi! How dare you slander me!” Xu Shuyan wrapped her arms around Lin Yi’s waist. “I’ve already reported you to the Xu Shuyan Anti-fan Defense Station. Just wait until your account gets banned!”

Lin Yi’s final stage outfit was revealing—a black crop top with spaghetti straps that accentuated her beautiful waistline and defined abs. It felt good to the touch. Xu Shuyan’s fingertips traced over her skin like a trail of fire as jealousy bubbled up inside her. “Everyone got to see.”

“What are you getting jealous about?” Lin Yi slipped out of her embrace and grabbed her bag and jacket from the coat rack. “Who was it that rocked the stage at the music festival last week, getting even other artists’ fans to shout ‘wife’ at you? I remember it even trended. What was it called? #TonightWeAreAllXuShuyansWife#, right?”

Xu Shuyan glanced upward. “I don’t remember. Who bought that trending topic? So unreasonable!”

Lin Yi: “Heh.”

Fang Yi was the one who had someone buy that trending topic. It stayed on the list for a full twelve hours.

In the end, a prominent CP fan had boldly posted on Weibo, tagging Lin Yi and saying that everyone should stop fighting over her, because only Lin Yi was Xu Shuyan’s wife. The CP fans were numerous and powerful, and they pushed the duo’s stage performance to the number one trending spot. That night, many more people were drawn into the fandom.

Xu Shuyan changed the subject. “I just saw the message. I thought you’d already left for the after-party.”

Lin Yi put on her jacket. “I wanted to, but then my assistant told me that my wife had driven all this way to surprise me and was waiting right here in the dressing room. How could I possibly walk out that door?”

Xu Shuyan said seriously, “Of course you couldn’t.”

Lin Yi couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her cheek.

Xu Shuyan added, “But you can open your legs.”

Lin Yi: “…”

She slapped her lightly, her face flushing. “Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Xu Shuyan clung to her, whining playfully, “Then you tell me where to drive, and I’ll drive there.”

They had both been busy lately, meeting only a handful of times, let alone being intimate. Having held back for so long and finally being alone, their desires could no longer be controlled. A single look was enough to ignite a raging fire between them. Before they could even leave, they were pressed against the sofa, locked in an inseparable kiss.

The strap of her top hung precariously on her shoulder as shallow kisses deepened. Lin Yi, still clinging to a thread of clarity, panted and tried to push her away, saying they still had to go to the after-party, but Xu Shuyan silenced her with her mouth before she could finish. Repeated friction and touch, moisture and fire, intertwined and burned ever hotter.

In the end, she collapsed into Xu Shuyan’s arms, her makeup ruined by tears.

Xu Shuyan coaxed her softly, kissing the tears from the corners of her eyes with a mix of helplessness and adoration. “Happy now?”

Lin Yi sobbed. “What about… what about you?”

Xu Shuyan said, “Let’s go to the after-party first.”

Lin Yi was completely languid, her eyelids heavy. She leaned against Xu Shuyan’s shoulder and said, “I don’t want to go.”

Xu Shuyan pulled out a tissue to wipe her face. “It’s your celebration. You have to be there. How could it go on without you?”

Lin Yi whimpered softly.

Xu Shuyan smiled again. “How about I get to be happy after the party is over?”

Only then did Lin Yi relent. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and said softly, “My makeup is ruined.”

Xu Shuyan said, “I’ll fix it for you.”

Xu Shuyan was skilled at makeup and was familiar with Lin Yi’s face and skin condition. She fixed her makeup in just a few strokes, zipped up her skirt, and placed a hand on her waist. “Let’s go.”

This concert was the finale of Lin Yi’s solo tour, so the after-party was a grand and extravagant affair. The rented party venue wasn’t far from the concert hall, and when Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan arrived, it had just started.

Although this fan-appreciation concert was mostly intimate and featured slow, lyrical songs, singing for the entire duration was still exhausting.

After her session with Xu Shuyan, her back was sore and her legs were weak. Lin Yi made one round at the after-party, then used the excuse of being unable to hold her liquor to leave things to Fang Yi and her assistant and return to her room with Xu Shuyan.

Since it was her party, the necessary socializing was unavoidable, and she did have a little to drink. Combined with the fact that she and Xu Shuyan started kissing the moment they entered the room, shedding clothes in a trail from the entryway to the bedside, the vigorous activity made the alcohol take effect faster.

When she kissed Xu Shuyan’s lips, her mind was already paste. She felt that Xu Shuyan’s lips were more intoxicating and addictive than any wine. She kissed her as if drinking poison to quench her thirst, unable to stop, until Xu Shuyan guided her hand and whined softly, “You should take care of me, too.”

Only then did she dizzily sit up, pleasing Xu Shuyan purely from muscle memory. Xu Shuyan wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her down for a kiss. Halfway through, Lin Yi’s eyes suddenly flew open as if she’d had a moment of terminal lucidity. “Xu Shuyan!”

Xu Shuyan couldn’t speak. The moment she opened her mouth, she couldn’t suppress a muffled groan. “Hm?”

Lin Yi’s distraction didn’t affect her performance in the slightest. She knew every inch of Xu Shuyan and didn’t need to concentrate to make her happy. While she worked, she asked, “On the night of the blackout at No. 5 Jiusi Lane, was it you who touched me?”

Xu Shuyan was in no state of mind to answer her question, but the more she stayed silent, the fiercer Lin Yi became. Amid the intensity, she finally got a chance to breathe, gasping for air as if she had just died and come back to life. All the strength drained from her body. As her arm rested limply on Lin Yi’s back, she heard Lin Yi whisper, “So, was it you or not?”

Xu Shuyan asked, “What?”

Lin Yi repeated the question.

Xu Shuyan closed her eyes and let out a long “Mmm.” “I think it was me?”

Lin Yi was not satisfied. “What do you mean, ‘you think’?”

Xu Shuyan said, “It was me!”

“I knew it was you!” Lin Yi immediately latched onto her as if she’d found the culprit, nuzzling against her neck and whispering threateningly, “I knew it! You took advantage of the chaos to touch me. You have to take responsibility!”

Xu Shuyan wrapped her legs around hers and said, “Okay, I’ll take responsibility.”

Lin Yi was completely drunk and dazed, and her demand was outrageous. “Then go post on Weibo right now. Say you like me, that you’ve loved me, that you’ll take responsibility for me, and that I’m your only wife.”

Xu Shuyan froze for a second, then pinched her waist. “Let me take a sniff. Who is this? Why do you smell so sour?”

Lin Yi took her seriously and lowered her head to sniff herself. “Sour? The perfume I put on today is really nice. Smell again, it’s not sour.”

Xu Shuyan placated her. “It’s very nice.”

Lin Yi nodded, then became unhappy again. “Don’t change the subject! Are you scared to do it?”

Xu Shuyan said helplessly, “I’m not scared.”

Lin Yi said, “Then post it now.”

Xu Shuyan agreed. “You have to get off me first so I can post it.”

Lin Yi was quiet for a moment, probably figuring that even if she let Xu Shuyan go, Xu Shuyan couldn’t run away dressed like that. She slowly got off Xu Shuyan and flopped onto the bed, not forgetting to order her around. “Your phone… your phone is in your bag.”

Xu Shuyan picked up the bag from the floor, pulled out her phone, and studied Lin Yi as she unlocked it.

There wasn’t much fabric left on Lin Yi’s body. Her slender, beautiful form was nestled in the bedding, a perfect embodiment of both innocence and desire. Xu Shuyan’s fingertips brushed over Lin Yi’s delicate, slender collarbone as she murmured, “You’ve lost weight.”

Lin Yi hummed in response.

Xu Shuyan leaned in to kiss her lips, typing out a Weibo post with one hand. “Even though you definitely won’t remember any of this when you wake up,” she said, “I’m still going to tag you. That way, when Fang Yi comes to condemn us, it’ll be our crime together.”

If they were going to be locked up, they’d be locked up in the same prison, convicted on the same evidence, and receive the same punishment.

Lin Yi hummed again.

Xu Shuyan chuckled. She hit send on the post and tossed her phone aside, letting others point fingers and pass judgment on her relationship with Lin Yi. She focused only on the person before her and the long, romantic night ahead.

@Thenotes-XuShuyan: @Thenotes-LinYi, I did it.

People who saw the post: “!!!”

Xu Shuyan’s solo fans: “Ahhhhhhh what are you doing?! No! Just tell me, no! There’s no proof, just deny it! Delete it, delete it now!”

Lin Yi’s solo fans: “??? Xu Shuyan, what do you mean by this? You think touching Lin Yi makes her yours? Stop dreaming and trying to ride her coattails! So you touched her, big deal! What era is this! Just let my daughter touch you back and we’ll call it even!”

Yan Zhi You Yi CP fans: “Did Yan Zhi You Yi just come out?”

Netizens: “Yan Zhi You Yi just came out!”

Gossips immediately took the news to the forums for discussion. The onlookers never expected a follow-up to the story, let alone one from the main person involved. Adopting a “might as well ship it” attitude, they feasted on the drama. By the time the after-party ended, Fang Yi picked up her phone and saw a link to a forum post sent by her secretary-

Shocking! Yan Zhi You Yi Has Come Out!

Fang Yi’s vision went black.

---

02 Blackout

Time rewinds to the night of the blackout.

They were filming this variety show in March, and S City was experiencing a late spring cold snap. The blackout made the already “impoverished” household at No. 5 Jiusi Lane’s situation even worse.

Wind whistled through the poorly sealed windows, causing the newspapers on the coffee table to rustle loudly.

“Yuanyuan!” Yan Qi pulled a lighter from a box in the shoe cabinet and called out, “I found a lighter. Are there any candles? If not, Shichen and I will go buy some.”

Chen Yuan was holding their only flashlight, its weak beam shining from upstairs. Hearing Yan Qi, she called back, “I found some! No need to buy any! I’ll bring them down now!”

Yan Qi said, “Okay!”

Meanwhile, in the living room, a sense of calm had just returned after the initial panic of the blackout. The production team’s cameras were everywhere, their red lights blinking even without power. And under the blatant gaze of these cameras, Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi… were clinging to each other, trembling.

“I heard old houses like this are the most likely to be haunted.” Zhou Shichen, who had been ordered by Yan Qi not to move, was still trying to scare them from across the room. “Last night when I was sleeping, I heard creaking sounds somewhere.”

Lin Yi hugged Xu Shuyan tighter. “Ahhhh, Shichen, stop talking!”

Xu Shuyan also hugged Lin Yi tighter. “Ahhhh, Lin Yi, stop screaming! My ears are going to go deaf!”

Lin Yi retorted, “You’re not exactly quiet yourself!”

Xu Shuyan shot back, “At least it’s better than your screaming, which could probably wake the dead! Even if there weren’t any ghosts, you’d summon them with your shrieking! Besides, ghosts love pretty, cute little girls like you!”

Lin Yi: “Ahhhhhh!”

When Yan Qi walked over with a lit candle, the first thing she saw was Zhou Shichen cupping her face, watching the tightly embracing Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi with the blissful expression of a hardcore shipper. “She said she’s cute and pretty! She loves her so much!”

Yan Qi: “…”

Don’t just hear what you want to hear.

The candlelight flickered, sticking to the dripping wax. The dim red flame enlarged their shadows, casting them onto the old walls. Chen Yuan brought a bowl of washed strawberries from the kitchen. “Have some strawberries first,” she said.

Lin Yi looked at her with admiration. “Yuanyuan, you’re so brave!”

Chen Yuan smiled and patted her head. “Ghosts aren’t real. Don’t be scared. If you’re really afraid tonight, you can sleep with me.”

Lin Yi: “Okay!”

“No!” Xu Shuyan immediately exercised her veto power, wrapping an arm around Lin Yi’s shoulders. “You have to sleep with me. I can’t sleep if you don’t.”

Zhou Shichen: “Hehe.”

Lin Yi glared at Xu Shuyan. “If you can’t sleep, that’s your problem. I can sleep just fine!”

Xu Shuyan spouted nonsense. “You know you can only fall asleep when you’re hugging me!”

Zhou Shichen: “Hehehe.”

Lin Yi gave her a speechless look. “You’re drooling.”

Zhou Shichen wiped away some nonexistent drool and continued to ship them from the front row. “That’s right, that’s right! You two can’t live without each other!”

Just as Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi were about to object, they heard Yan Qi say, “We’re still filming, so sleep in your assigned rooms. I called and asked; the power will only be out until midnight. We just have to wait until then.”

Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

She picked up a strawberry and took a bite, her eyes brightening. “This strawberry is so sweet! Sweeter than the ones we bought yesterday!”

“Right?” Chen Yuan’s voice was soft and gentle. “I mostly bought from that other place yesterday because I felt bad for them and didn’t look closely. I compared carefully today. These are definitely big and sweet.”

Lin Yi said, “Yuanyuan, you’re the best!”

Meanwhile, the production staff, hiding around every corner to film, had bitter expressions on their faces. “…”

What was wrong with this girl group! The theme of the show was supposed to be about appreciating the simple life and struggling to get by on five hundred yuan for half a month! Why had they turned it into a power-fantasy story about a strong female lead’s comeback?

After getting the five hundred yuan, instead of first thinking about how to survive for half a month, they went and bought a megaphone. They sent Lin Yi to stand in a busy district, and with the megaphone they’d haggled down to thirty yuan and her angel-kissed voice, she managed to create the effect of a full-blown concert.

In one night, their four hundred and seventy yuan turned into twelve hundred.

The production team: “…”

The five of them weren’t picky. They bought the cheapest boxed meals, squatted by the roadside, and started discussing how to make their money grow. They even got to the point of planning to hold a mini-concert on credit at XX Plaza and sell tickets on the spot. Just as they were about to finalize the setlist, the production team hastily intervened: “You’re here to film a variety show! Not to hold a concert!”

Only then did the five of them reluctantly give up. Xu Shuyan complained about the production team, “Who says you can’t hold a concert on a variety show?”

But since that was forbidden, they changed their approach. The five of them bought semi-finished products from a wholesale market, made them into hair clips, hair ties, and jewelry, and then set up a stall to sell them. They made a hefty profit in one night.

After costs, they had earned another five hundred.

The production team: “…”

The blackout happened on the fifth day. They had already been happily eating strawberries for two days, not at all living the miserable, belt-tightening life the production team had anticipated. While the team felt a bit regretful, they also thought it made for great television.

“Tomorrow, the five of us will hand out flyers.” Yan Qi methodically assigned the next day’s task. “The weather is just right. It won’t be too hot to wear mascot costumes, but they’re heavy, so it’ll be tough. I hope everyone can bear with it. After all, it’s one hundred and fifty yuan per person for a day’s work.”

Zhou Shichen was the first to respond. “Alrighty!”

Chen Yuan also nodded. “Okay.”

Lin Yi teased Xu Shuyan. “Can you handle it? Want me to cover for you for a couple of hours? Your delicate shoulders rarely even carry a shoulder bag. Can you stand for a whole day?”

Xu Shuyan’s competitive spirit was ignited. “You’re the one who whimpers at the slightest hardship. Don’t come crying to me tomorrow after a long day of work!”

Lin Yi: “Who cried while hugging you?”

Xu Shuyan: “Wow, there’s camera playback. You think you can deny it!?”

Lin Yi: “Who’s afraid of you! Be careful, I’ll send you a lawyer’s letter for spreading rumors!”

Xu Shuyan: “Go on, sue me!”

The two of them were used to bickering. Their argument devolved into pulling and shoving until they tumbled onto the rug. Finally exhausted, after Lin Yi called for a truce, Xu Shuyan couldn’t be bothered to get up either. She pushed at Lin Yi, who was lying on top of her. “Move.”

Lin Yi was too lazy to move. “You get up first.”

Xu Shuyan thought that Lin Yi was being completely unreasonable. How was she supposed to get up with Lin Yi lying on top of her? But she couldn’t be bothered to argue, so she just held her.

The sweet scent of strawberries drifted through the air. Zhou Shichen, Yan Qi, and Chen Yuan spoke in low voices, their soft whispers especially gentle in the candlelight.

Lin Yi grew sleepy. She found a comfortable position in Xu Shuyan’s arms and closed her eyes.

Xu Shuyan didn’t hesitate to rest her chin on top of Lin Yi’s head. In the hazy state between waking and sleeping, she heard Zhou Shichen say, “Look at them, they’re so sweet together.”

–Sweet, my ass.

“It reminds me of a very artistic quote!”

–Cringey sentimentality should get you kicked out!

“I remember when we were young, you loved to talk and I loved to laugh. Once we sat side by side under a peach tree, the wind in the treetops, the birds calling. Accidentally, I fell asleep…”

–What does that have to do with me and Lin Yi?

But what was the last line again?

Oh, she remembered.

How many flowers have fallen in the dream.