CHAPTER 95: CHAPTER 91: IT’S LOVE_2

With those words, she moved forward a bit awkwardly.

Xiang Qichen took a long moment to regain his senses, feeling unsettled as he followed behind her.

They had just reached the sofa when two well-matched figures emerged from a side corridor.

Xiang Qichen’s expression froze.

Su Wan pressed her lips and nodded with a smile to him, "Hello."

Xiang Qichen: "Hello."

Zhou Huaiyi heard the voice, looked up, and followed Xiang Qichen’s line of sight.

His eyes lit up.

Fu Fu Fu Fu... Fu Weiheng!

She steadied her emotions and greeted the two, "Hi... idol..."

Su Wan covered her mouth with a light laugh, blinking in response.

Zhou Huaiyi was instantly dazzled by her charm.

Fu Weiheng’s gaze swept over Zhou Huaiyi, then returned to Xiang Qichen’s face, "Car keys."

Xiang Qichen felt his pants pocket and frowned, "I’ll give them to you later."

Fu Weiheng remained expressionless, "Alright, let’s discuss last night’s conditions then."

With those words, Zhou Huaiyi looked at Xiang Qichen with bewilderment: What conditions?

Xiang Qichen nodded in agreement, watching them as they walked towards the banquet hall.

Zhou Huaiyi bent down to rub her sore ankle, the question "What conditions" lingering in her mind, but she ultimately didn’t ask.

Yang Li was a bit slow in arriving, so the two of them sat side by side on the sofa, amidst the joyous laughter of the banquet hall, while they...

Remained as calm as still water...

Zhou Huaiyi licked her somewhat dry lips, opened her mouth intending to speak, when her phone inconveniently rang from her handbag.

Xiang Qichen looked over upon hearing it, only to see Zhou Huaiyi leisurely taking out her phone from her bag. Seeing the unfamiliar number on the screen, her brow furrowed, and she unhesitatingly pressed hang up.

But it wasn’t long before the phone rang again, still with the same unfamiliar number.

Xiang Qichen sensed something at this moment.

Zhou Huaiyi was indeed annoyed, furrowing her brow with an indignant expression as she answered the call, but before she could raise it to her ear, her wrist was held down by Xiang Qichen.

Zhou Huaiyi turned her head in puzzlement to look at him.

"Don’t listen." His hand holding her wrist gradually tightened, and his eyes contained nothing but her reflection.

"Zhou Huaiyi, I don’t want you to listen to his call," he said.

"Hello? Hello? Huaiyi? Are you there?"

Meanwhile, Cheng Yi’s voice kept coming through the call.

Zhou Huaiyi was stunned.

This Xiang Qichen was someone she had never seen before.

Determined, serious, with furrowed brows black as ink, showing some anger, some undeniable force.

"Zhou Huaiyi, your shoes!"

A voice suddenly broke the subtle atmosphere between them, as Yang Li approached from afar, oblivious to the two sitting together.

Zhou Huaiyi snapped back to reality, hurriedly ending the call with Cheng Yi.

Xiang Qichen stood up nonchalantly, taking the shoes and coat from Yang Li’s hands, saying, "You can go back now."

Yang Li naturally caught on, "Oh."

With those words, he turned and left.

Xiang Qichen crouched down, reaching out to hold her ankle.

The cool and unfamiliar touch came with a tingling sensation, making Zhou Huaiyi instinctively withdraw her foot, but he tightened his grip, holding it even more securely.

In the brightly lit banquet hall, he squatted in front of her, deftly using his slender hands to replace her uncomfortable high heels, his gentle eyes entrancing her so she couldn’t look away.

The male idol... holding her foot... changing her shoes...

┬─┬ノ(゜-゜ノ)

"Uh... "

"Alright." He interrupted her, stood up, and extended his hand to her, "Shall we take a walk?"

——

X City, close to Guangdong, has a milder climate compared to Wuxun, though the wind is strong at night.

Putting on the coat Xiang Qichen gave her, the two of them headed to the beach across from the hotel. It was late, and only a few dim streetlights lined the wooden walkway, leaving only the sound of the roaring waves in the tranquil atmosphere.

Pedestrians were few, the dim lighting only allowing for visibility of the road. Zhou Huaiyi walked slowly beside him with her head down, the words she originally intended to say were now embarrassing and she dared not ask anything.

After walking about ten meters, Xiang Qichen suddenly spoke.

"Zhou Huaiyi."

The involved party, who had been walking with her head down, was stopped by his call, turned to look, and only then realized that Xiang Qichen had stopped sometime earlier.

They were now about a meter apart.

"Huh?" She responded blankly.

"Come here." Xiang Qichen stretched out his hand, motioning to the empty space in front of him.

Zhou Huaiyi’s eyes flickered briefly, realizing he was asking her to stand before him?

Someone eagerly complied, cautiously stepping over, stopping in front of him.

"Is there anything you want to ask?" he inquired.

Her heart was pounding, each beat more intense than the last, leaving Zhou Huaiyi nearly breathless with nerves. She opened her mouth, hesitated for a long while, and each time the words were about to spill out, she swallowed them back down with a sigh.

Xiang Qichen watched her little movements from above, smiling with a hint of amusement, before directly saying, "It’s just as you think."

Zhou Huaiyi raised her eyes at his words, unsure of what he meant, so she instinctively asked, "What?"

"It’s just as you imagine," he repeated, gently pressing her hair with his palm, speaking softly.

The warmth from his hand spread from the top of her head, making Zhou Huaiyi tilt her head back and stare at him, speechless.

You know... what I’m thinking?

"Zhou Huaiyi, do you remember what you said the first time we met?" Xiang Qichen tousled her soft hair, then turned to lean against the railing, looking at her sideways.

Zhou Huaiyi pondered for a while, the first time...

The film set?

It seemed like...

Zhou Huaiyi scratched her head, recalling, "That, that... Xiang, Xiang..."

Xiang Qichen: "..."

Seeing his expression change, Zhou Huaiyi thought for a moment more, then exclaimed, "Oh, I remember! I tugged your shirt."

Xiang Qichen: "......"

Still not right?

Xiang Qichen couldn’t help but rub his brow, saying, "The first time I saw you wasn’t on set, it was three years ago, at that birthday party in the capital. You said..."

"He sang three songs that night, all lip-synched."

"...Honestly, Xiang Qichen’s singing isn’t great, yet online reviews praised him for singing live and sounding amazing... My god..."

"People like me who dare to not flatter are the true fans, okay! Otherwise wait and see, once I get to know him better in a couple of years, I’ll ask him if he’s lip-synching."

...

He animatedly mimicked her tone, repeating those words, then smiled nonchalantly at her, "So, now you can ask me if I lip-synched."

Zhou Huaiyi: "..."

Oh my gosh!

Zhou Huaiyi covered her mouth in astonishment, feeling a chill run down her spine, "You you you..."

Xiang Qichen shrugged, raising an eyebrow, "That night, in the men’s restroom, I was in the stall next to you."

Zhou Huaiyi: "..."

Quickly trying to recall if she said anything bad about the idol that night...

"Of course, there’s one more thing."

His voice broke through her thoughts, startling Zhou Huaiyi, "Wha... What?"

"You said..." He suddenly lowered his gaze, subtly licking his lower lip, a shy smile hanging on the corners, "Your name is Zhou Huaiyi, my name is Xiang Qichen. Just like the old saying, ’Jingbi Huaiyi, Lai Xian Qichen’..."

He stepped closer, gently holding her hands, his voice incredibly soft, "We were simply... meant to be."

Zhou Huaiyi was instantly dazed, looking down at her hands held by Xiang Qichen, then back up at Xiang Qichen’s clear, determined eyes, incredulously asking, "You... you like me?"

He gave a faint smile, wrapping her hands around his waist, drawing her into his embrace with a deep, assuring response, "Yes, I do like."

Like you.

To the utmost degree.