Chapter 39

Su Yi was woken by a clear phone notification.

She was sleeping on her side, her waist cozily resting in the guy’s big hands, the warmth of his chest hugging her back.

The air-conditioning filled the room, the thick hotel blankets still on her. Outside there was the rare gentle rain.

Why is it so comfortable!

Feeling her movement, Chu Ying opened his eyes and brushed her earlobes with his lips.

“Awake?”

“Yeah.”

Su Yi couldn’t help the smile. Turning around, she kissed him on the chin, then used her hand to cover her face.

Chu Ying couldn’t help laughing as he caught her arm. “What’re you hiding?”

“I cannot let you see me looking this bad.” Su Yi sounded serious.

Chu Ying smiled, looking down and kissing as he said, “I can pretend not to see.”

It’s a pity he didn’t get her to listen as she laughed and hid in his embrace. She was about to lift his singlet and get in some gropes when the doorbell sounded.

There was nothing to do other than rub herself against him a few times before reluctantly getting off the bed to go open the door.

Wu Xue didn’t expect that there’d be no signs of the person who would usually wake earlier than her assistant on filming days today, now that she’s almost late.

After a moment, the door finally opened. She just managed a ‘you’ before she lost her voice.

The person inside had her hair in a mess, cheeks completely red, a silly smile plastered on the face, a loose robe hanging over the body, and a neck riddled with red dots. With one glance she knew what had happened, and exactly how passionately.

Su Yi spoke first. “Something wrong?”

“You’re the one asking, do you know what time it is, are you not going to the set today?” Wu Xue made sure to lower her volume. “I’m not disturbing the big boss’ sleep am I?!”

“What time is it?”

From waking up to up until now she hadn’t looked at the time, she only remembered it now that Wu Xue had mentioned it.

“Eight thirty, today you’re filming at nine.”

Su Yi’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you come wake me up earlier!”

“I called you,” Wu Xue said innocently. “I sent you a WeChat, it’s only because I didn’t get a reply that I came over.”

“All right there’s hardly any time left, you call the driver over, I’ll clean up.”

When she went back in, she saw that Chu Ying had already dressed himself. Seeing that she was in such a hurry, he asked, “What is it?”

“I’m going to be late.” Su Yi rushed into the bathroom. After a moment, there came a- “You want me to help you squeeze your toothpaste?”

The corner of Chu Ying’s lips quirked. “All right.”

When he went in she was still brushing her teeth, a script in front of her. She was studying it carefully with narrowed eyes.

Seeing him enter, after cleaning up she said softly, “It’s all your fault, I forgot which scenes I’m filming today.”

Chu Ying agreed. “Yeah, it’s my fault.”

Su Yi was thus satisfied. She leant against his arm as she washed her face, continuing to read the script.

Just when she was done changing, she heard the doorbell ringing with some urgency. It’s not hard to tell who it was.

Chu Ying opened the door as he came out of the bathroom, and Chu Xi’s voice came in at once. “Brother! I want to go to Disney too! I want bags too!”

Chu Ying didn’t even look at her. “No!”

Su Yi was done cleaning up, and said, “I’m heading to the set, what time is your flight?”

“Two pm.” Chu Ying ruffled her hair. “You have plenty of scenes to film today, you don’t need to send me off.”

The filming time was written on that page of script; it was all today.

Su Yi looked disappointed. “Then let me know before you leave.”

“Okay.”

“When you board and disembark, you need to let me know too.”

“Okay,” Chu Ying said, hiding his smile. “I’ll call you once I get off the plane.”

Chu Xi was really angry at being completely ignored and was just about to say something when she heard her brother say, “Chu Xi, you’re coming with me in the afternoon.”

“What?” She shook her head violently. “No! I’ve only been here awhile!” She hadn’t gone to Disneyland, her emotional wounds weren’t healed, she hadn’t gotten her revenge either, she didn’t want to go back (just yet)!

Chu Ying’s face darkened, and he was about to get angry when Su Yi pulled on his arm. “It’s fine, let her stay, she’s pretty obedient.”

Those who are aware of the situation and act accordingly are the best off.

Chu Xi tugged on the corner of her lips, putting on a smile that wasn’t the most fake. “Yeah, I just want to stay with my sister-in-law.”

She didn’t expect that calling Su Yi her sister-in-law was more useful with her brother than with Su Yi. In the end, not only did she successfully stay in Shanghai, she obtained some spending money too.

All this time, she needed Su Yi’s money to even buy a bottle of water, skies only knew how humiliating that felt!

Su Yi stood at the door hugging Chu Ying’s arm and dragging her feet for a long time before Wu Xue managed to drag her into the elevator.

Once the elevator doors closed, Wu Xue walked to her side. “Hurry up and let me get to know this personalised designer bag.”

“Don’t look like Liu-laolao [1],” Su Yi said. “You can afford to buy one or two a month.”

Wu Xue smiled. “I can’t bear to part with my money that way.”

Su Yi reached out and put an arm around her shoulder. “Then you go pick something, I’ll let you have one as a Qixi gift.”

Wu Xue was thrifty, but not because she was stingy. Liu Minghao was not the richest, and she’d constantly factor in the housing prices, cars and children.

“It’s too far away to be talking about Qixi.” Wu Xue stood up, waving a hand. “I’m joking, I’m not interested in bags.”

They were on the way when Su Yi remembered. “Where’s An Xuan?”

“Don’t mention it,” Wu Xue said with a frustrated, annoyed tone. “She didn’t come back last night too, and didn’t pick up her phone either.”

Su Yi frowned lightly. “Not picking up? It can’t be that something happened.”

“No idea, should we report it to the police?”

“Report what to the police.” Chu Xi interrupted them. She had seen this a lot recently. “The way she is, holding her phone all the time, disappearing from the set regularly, not coming back at night, if this isn’t being in a relationship what is it?”

The two paused. They really didn’t think about it this way.

Wu Xue didn’t understand. “But this is the first time she’s in Shanghai, who can she be dating?”

“I think it’s someone on the set,” Chu Xi said. “Just wait to see who’s late and we’d know.”

There were so many people on the set, who’d notice if there’s one person more or less? Besides, Su Yi wasn’t too interested in her assistant’s affairs.

“Pay some attention to it,” she said, stretching. “If it’s something else we can talk about it later, if it’s a relationship, then I can stand to have someone else as my assistant.”

That meant that she’s about to lay someone off.

“She’s just dating someone, you’re going to fire her?” Chu Xi said, not understanding.

“I’m hiring her to help me do things, not to date someone.”

Su Yi entered the set, where Li Min just happened to be near the door discussing something with the lighting assistant. She went over and greeted her.

“Director, I’m sorry, I woke up late today.”

Li Min did not like her actors to be late, so she had already prepared to be scolded. She didn’t expect the other to turn around, a smile still on her face. “It’s fine, hurry and go do your make-up, once you’re done we’re filming.”

“… all right.”

She turned around, but after just a few steps, Tu Jinglan came towards her, an unfriendly look in her eyes. She walked straight past her, heading for Li Min.

Usually, no matter how unsatisfied the other was with her, she would make a greeting that leaves both of them upset. What was up with today, did she finally achieve enlightenment?

Wu Xue saw her uncertainty, and answered after entering the make-up room. “Yesterday when you were livestreaming, didn’t you answer a question, the one about livestreaming on the set?”

Su Yi spent a long while recalling it. “And?”

“She was the person ‘livestreaming on the set’ referred to in the comment, probably the media is trying to get you to say something they could use,” Wu Xue said. “That you can see that question in so many comments is something I have to respect you for.”

“… the trust between people is something I haven’t felt in a long time.”

Wu Xue lightly sneered. “Forget about it, either way you’re the only one who gets to give her an attitude, it’s none of her business.”

Wu Xue was just done speaking when the make-up artist entered. After helping Su Yi put her hair up, she said a little embarrassedly, “Yi-jie, today you’d have to put some concealer on your neck and your hands.”

Su Yi yawned. “Why?”

“This…” The make-up artist tapped the red marks on her neck.

Su Yi thus reacted. Adjusting her expressions and pretending to be an old hand at this, she nodded. “Yeah, make it thicker.”

She flipped open her phone and just received the message Chu Ying sent before leaving. After replying with a smiley, she opened Weibo to take a look.

As expected, for Wu Xue to say ‘not that little’, the number was really shocking.

She had maybe twelve million fans before, including the unknown number of bought fans. In just yesterday, it had increased by another two million, more than the number of audience she had in the livestream.

“… what’s with this increase in the number of fans?” she asked. “You bought me fans?”

“No.” Wu Xue replied. “About two or three hundred thousand might be gifted by Sina, the others are real fans. This increase is quite normal, actually.”

“What’s normal about it, even when I was livestreaming last night there weren’t this many?”

Wu Xue huffed lightly. “Look at the comments below your Weibo.”

This was more and more unusual; usually Wu Xue would be doing her best to convince her not to look at the comments.

She scrolled down.

[Why did Su Yi choose to livestream in the afternoon!? After school when I finally got home and opened the livestream it was over!!! I’m so angry! Although the replay was really nice too xixixi (sound of laughter).]

[If you like Su Yi like this! If you think Su Yi is cute like this! If you want to marry Su Yi like this too!]

[I watched your livestream yesterday and suddenly like you a lot, entering your support group and waiting for your next show to air!]

…

To say this might make her sound a little like she was asking for it, but…

For these passersby to be this friendly to her, it really was… very strange!

She went through more than half a page and didn’t find a single bad comment!

Was this still her comments section!!

“Right,” Wu Xue suddenly spoke up and said, “Today there’s a crew that contacted me, asking you to audition for a female lead.”

Su Yi put down her phone. “What female lead?”

“Naïve, cute and adorable high school girl.”

“…”

Her expression was very complicated. “It was just a live stream, it’s not as if that would affect the roles I’d get.”

She had just finished speaking when the door to the make-up room was suddenly shoved open.

A set helper hurriedly ran over. “Yi-jie, it’s not good, hurry, go out and see!”

She got up, asking, “What is it?”

“It’s like this, isn’t today Tu Jinglan’s end of filming day, her agent Lin-jie came to celebrate for her…”

Just as she heard the beginning, Su Yi hurriedly took a look around the room.

… Chu Xi was nowhere to be seen!

As expected, the set helper continued. “When Lin-jie took the cake out, your sister picked up a piece and put it on Lin-jie’s face.”

When Su Yi went out, Lin Xia had just wiped her face and was still scolding. “Who are you?! You’re so uncivilised, if you dare you can stand there and not run!”

Chu Xi sneered and opened her mouth, just about to say something, when she suddenly felt a gentle breeze pass by her and a figure going up.

“Ah–”

Lin Xia finished wiping her face off and had just looked up when she saw white. It took her awhile to realise – she had a face full of cake again.

This time she didn’t even see who it was, so all she could do was screech helplessly, “Which bi…”

“Lin-jie!” Su Yi’s voice was light and cheerful, stopping anything else she might say as the cake in her hand went around her face once, her tone completely sincere and moving.

“Happy birthday!”

Lin Xia: “?????”

[E/D: Am still laughing over this… SY is so savagely sly! Love it!!!]

Notes:

[1] she’s a character from one of the four classics, Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦), and she’s an elderly grandmother from the village. since she’s new to the grandeur of the city, she’s awed and shocked by it, and so in this case Su Yi is laughing at Wu Xue’s eagerness to see the bags by analogising it to the village elderly first seeing the city and wanting to see everything in it.

this chapter was edited by larkspur!!

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