After the morning clouds dispersed, the sky looked exceptionally clear.
It was a rare, warm day.
Su Xixia carried the bamboo basket she had just bought.
Inside was a layer of old black cloth, which looked a bit outdated to passersby.
However, when they caught a glimpse of her stunning face beneath her hat as she approached, they couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.
At times like these, she would always lower her head and walk past silently.
It was only when she encountered someone who wouldn’t stop pestering her that she would get annoyed and put on a fierce expression, claiming she had a boyfriend.
Her pale face was unexpectedly intimidating.
Over time, word spread through the vegetable market that the “moody beauty who just moved nearby is already taken,” and things finally settled down.
She looked left and right before finally making up her mind, murmuring, ‘I’ll buy some beef and stew it with potatoes. He ate potatoes all the time when we went out before.’
When she reached the stall, she only dared to speak in a soft voice.
Fortunately, she was quite famous, and the owner wanted her to visit more often, so he took extra care of her.
“Not using cash this time?”
The owner pointed at the payment code.
“Yeah, it saves you from having to find change.”
“Alright! It’s rare for you to buy beef. Planning to cook something nice for your boyfriend?”
She nodded, put the vegetables into her basket, and left in a hurry.
Now that she was outdoors, her breath still came out as white mist, which couldn’t hide the flush on her face.
More than a month had passed, and she was finally able to go out for groceries naturally.
She thought back to what her mother used to say: “The city is full of traps. The place and the people are unfamiliar, so it’s easy to be kidnapped.”
She let out two “he-he” laughs of mockery, feeling that those were just threats her mother used to stop her from running off to this place.
Now that she was in the city with the person she loved, she was very happy.
As she walked down the street, she suddenly heard someone shouting ahead.
“Palm reading, marriage predictions! If it’s not accurate, it’s free — palm reading…”
She figured Li Mingshan was still at work anyway and she wouldn’t see him even if she went back, so she curiously walked over to the fortune-telling stall.
The person dressed as a Taoist priest saw how beautiful she was and grinned.
“Little beauty, are you here for a marriage prediction?”
“No! I have something else for you to calculate. Calculate how I can make him forget some things. Can you do that?”
“Well, I can try.”
The Taoist hesitated slightly, then looked at her face and palms, remaining silent for a long time.
“Regarding what you asked… before the apology in your heart is settled, it’s better not to bring it up. It isn’t a long-term strategy.”
“What did you say? Don’t bring it up?!”
Su Xixia gripped her basket, her face darkening.
Then, she shook her head.
“You’re talking nonsense! Here’s your money. I never want to see you again!”
She dropped the agreed-upon ten-yuan bill and walked away without looking back.
The Taoist looked at the bill and sighed.
When she reached the front door, she bent down to look at the small drawer inside the shoe cabinet used for storage.
This cabinet had three layers, all of which were originally locked.
She had only discovered it a month ago while cleaning.
It was the only “closed-off” spot in the house.
Even though it hadn’t been cleaned, there wasn’t much dust on the surface.
At that time, she had thought of something and was certain there was something inside the innermost part of the third drawer at the bottom.
So, she had pulled the drawers one by one.
Unexpectedly, the lock on the second layer was loose, and she successfully forced it open using brute strength.
Reaching inside desperately, she felt some papers.
She managed to grab a few and pull them out; they turned out to be 100-yuan bills —
After confirming the drawer hadn’t been touched recently, she let out a happy hum and walked into the house.
Afterward, she set up the pot, calculating the time when Li Mingshan would return.
‘Stupid priest, what do you mean “don’t mention it”! There’s no need to mention it at all. He has me in his heart; he’ll forget that An Zhi soon! Eat the food I cook and forget her.’
The happiness brought by cooking for the person she loved made her quickly forget the unpleasantness from earlier.
She couldn’t help but think about how to “reward” him tonight when he got back. Her face felt hot.
It would be just like any other day.
But today, Li Mingshan seemed very busy.
No matter how long she waited, he didn’t appear.
***
After becoming a regular employee, the workload had clearly increased.
Some familiar clients even specified that I should be responsible for the first drafts of the copy.
I suppose that’s a good thing.
“Li Mingshan, there’s another revision here. I’ve sent it to you!”
There it was — more work.
“Got it!”
As I opened the document, my phone screen lit up.
It showed a new friend request.
The profile picture was a cat holding a book.
Looking at the note, I realized it was from Xu Yinyin.
I hadn’t added her before to avoid any suspicion, but now she was adding me.
Did she want to talk?
No, Xiao Ji should have replied to her by now.
There was no reason for her to talk to me.
“Hello, Li Mingshan. Xiao Ji replied to my message. Thank you for helping me.”
So she was just saying thanks.
What was I panicking for…?
“No need to thank me. He’s a blockhead and didn’t understand what you meant.”
“Oh? And what did I mean?”
Is she playing dumb?! Or testing me?
“Why don’t you try asking him?”
“Hmm, I know why he’s giving me romance books again and saying strange things like he’ll never leave my side. It seems an expert has been guiding him. This ‘expert’ seems to know me quite well.”
Could I have misread her meaning?
No, my senior wouldn’t be so sarcastic.
The secret’s out.
My role in guiding Xiao Ji…
“Maybe that expert just gave a little reminder…”
“Haha, that’s right. Now that we’re friends, talk to me more in the future. That includes anything about An Zhi. Are you running into problems?”
The sound of my mouse hitting the desk startled my colleague behind me, who turned to glance at me.
Did Xiao Ji say something to Xu Yinyin?
No, no matter how stupid Xiao Ji is, he wouldn’t leak secrets.
Xu Yinyin must have figured something out on her own.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle it.”
“Hmm, you seem very reliable ~ Good luck.”
Seeing that she didn’t send any more messages, I turned off the screen and leaned on the desk to rest for a bit.
Even if I deliberately tried to avoid the matter regarding An Zhi, I couldn’t escape the people around me.
What should I do?
After work, the cloudless sky was as clear as a mirror.
Could I see myself, or perhaps An Zhi, within it?
I walked toward the subway station like a zombie.
I accidentally noticed that among the stations following the one I was at, “Dongguan Station,” there was “Nanhuan Station.”
Although it was in the opposite direction of my home, it would only take two or three stops to get there.
‘If you were there, you would have understood it more clearly…’
Since that night, Xiao Ji’s words had been replaying in my head.
Whether I was eating, sleeping, or working, they gave me no peace.
Just go once, take a look, and come back?
I’ve already decided to live my life with Su Xixia, so taking a look with that decision in mind won’t change anything.
I’ve already decided.
I’m going to spend my life with Su Xixia —
I’ve decided —
Repeating those words to myself, I boarded the subway headed in the opposite direction.
Nanhuan was located at the southernmost tip of the old district.
Upon exiting the subway station, one could see the ancient city gate and the calm moat in front of it.
Walking further, just as Xiao Ji had said, the main road was blocked off for repairs and surrounded by high tin walls.
However, there was a small opening on the far right of the sidewalk that one could step through.
It was said that the studio where An Zhi was located was not far inside.
Right now, she was probably the only one in there.
After all, she still hadn’t resumed her livestreams, while the other female streamers had returned long ago.
No matter how you looked at it, suspending broadcasts for over a month was unreasonable.
How was she doing in there?
As I thought about it, I had already stepped into the construction site.
The workers seemed to have gone to eat.
The asphalt on the road to the right hadn’t dried yet, and parts of it were covered in messy footprints.
They were probably the work of that big star’s fans from before.
That asphalt is toxic, though…
Then again, I wasn’t much better.
After walking a few steps, I stood outside the walls of a multi-story building.
It was the largest structure nearby, with a large sign reading “Star Dream International Photography” on the top floor.
According to Xiao Ji’s information, the studio was inside.
Just as I was about to walk into the main entrance, a security guard ran over and pointed at me, cursing.
“You little brat, what are you doing? This place is closed! No entry! Get out!”
He was probably annoyed by the previous fans, which explained his foul temper.
“Mister, may I ask if the studio is currently in use? I work in platform operations and would like to rent a room.”
“Scram!”
Damn it, the lie was a total failure.
It seemed there was no room for negotiation.
Going through the front door wouldn’t work.
Should I just go back like this?
I quickly ran away from the main entrance, and only after confirming the guard wasn’t watching did I sneak back.
Just then, my phone vibrated. I looked at the message from Su Xixia on the screen: “Not back yet? Where are you fooling around?”
I unconsciously clenched my teeth.
It was getting late.
If I didn’t head back soon, Su Xixia would get suspicious.
Besides, I couldn’t be sure An Zhi was even inside… It would be trouble if I got caught.
I could even face charges.
If I wasn’t sure I could avoid getting caught, I shouldn’t take the risk.
That’s what I should have been thinking —