CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: SAY MY NAME

Yu Xia buried her face in the pillow and laughed for two minutes.

Then, out of great compassion, she rescued his rotten mood by speaking directly into the receiver.

"Let me see if you’ve poked sparks into the screen?"

In the quiet of the night, it seemed there was only the two of them on opposite ends of the phone. Her sleepy, hazy voice sounded as if it came from a blanket-covered enclosed space.

Unbelievably gentle.

Xie Qingci’s breathing became heavier.

He sent another message.

[Xie Qingci: Video? I’ll show you.]

"You wish," she huffed twice, "Get some sleep."

[Xie Qingci: Can’t sleep, can you soothe me?]

"Do you have any shame, Xie Qingci? Do you think you’re eight years old?"

[Xie Qingci: If you insist on liking me, I can be just eight.]

Yu Xia was speechless, whispered a curse at him: "Shameless."

[Xie Qingci: Yes, I’m shameless, I only want you.]

"..." She opened her mouth but didn’t know how to respond.

After saying that, anything else seemed like flirting.

So she just ignored his words and urged him to sleep again.

"You’ve been filming ads for so long, rehearsing for ages, aren’t you tired? Don’t you have to rehearse early in the morning too? Just go to sleep already."

[Xie Qingci: I really can’t sleep, too tired to sleep.]

She felt concerned: "Are you insomniac? Can your body handle this... Just close your eyes, don’t reply anymore."

[Xie Qingci: Don’t hang up.]

"Okay, okay," she pursed her lips and said, "I’ll hum a song for you."

Then started humming the tune she was most familiar with.

A while into the humming, before she could catch her breath, Xie Qingci sent another message.

[Xie Qingci: Are you doing this on purpose?]

She hummed a tune called "There’s a Kind of Love That Means Letting Go," the very first song she learned in her teenage years, even after the non-mainstream trend outdated, it still remained in her playlist.

Yu Xia chuckled: "That’s the only song I know. Blame me?"

[Xie Qingci: Stop humming]

"I can’t help it, just close your eyes and pretend to sleep."

[Xie Qingci: Say my name]

[Xie Qingci: Put the phone aside, not too close to your head, say my name]

Yu Xia thought this approach was a bit extreme, and seriously scolded him: "You’re in the dorm, thinking of such things at this time, aren’t you afraid Ning Yunchao and the others will hear? So young but can’t learn something good, can you have some shame?"

A long pause before a reply came from the other side.

[Xie Qingci: I, never, thought, about it]

[Xie Qingci: But you reminded me. Say my name.]

They communicated in this peculiar way for half an hour, Xie Qingci said nothing else, stubbornly insisting she call his name.

Yu Xia felt if she kept humor him, she’d probably wake up swollen with dark circles tomorrow.

So she gave up struggling, put the phone aside, lay down, and called his name a few times casually.

"Xie Qingci, Xie Qingci, Xie Qingci—"

As she called him, her voice neared dreaming, consciousness blurred, the sound became soft, almost like whispering in someone’s ear.

"Xie Qingci, Xie Qingci..."

Until she fell asleep and there was no sound.

Xie Qingci still hadn’t hung up the phone, but the screen was dark. He lifted the blanket, sweating profusely, breathed controlled breaths of fresh air.

This time he closed his eyes, listening to the soft breaths in the earphones, and slowly fell asleep.

...

The Yuan Mountain TV festival is one of the medium to upper-tier TV drama awards; rather credible with the public. The selected TV series and actors all have some buzz.

Yu Xia attended because one of her previous dramas was well-received and nominated, even though she didn’t win, and she was going to promote an upcoming drama with Yuan Wang.

After getting off the plane, she entered the busy cycle of makeup and outfit changes.

Her gown was a high couture piece from Kied, a strapless, waist-hugging design with a clear, light ink-green skirt, covered with a shimmering veil, looking misty and fresh, like a forest after a rainy day.

This color was perfect for the summer outdoor red carpet, just the sight of it lifted spirits.

With her hairstyle and makeup, they spent a considerable amount of time but the result was impressive. Mei was snapping photos enthusiastically, and He Ci boldly declared:

"This time, we must overshadow Fan Chu completely! I’m telling you, no snacks or drinks, chest up, head high, keep perfect posture!"

Sounded even more fervent than her, as if longing to personally pin her rival down on the red carpet.

If not for mismatched looks and gender, she felt He Ci should’ve been the female star instead.

Spending so much time was worthwhile; as she opened the car door onto the red carpet walkway, Yuan Wang stepped out of the next vehicle with a flash of awe in his eyes.

Yu Xia lightly placed her hand over his elbow, facing countless flashing cameras with a graceful smile.

Meanwhile, listening to Yuan Wang’s praise: "Very beautiful today! Outshining all others, huh?"

She shifted her gaze: "Thanks for the compliment, you’re not bad yourself, matching colors with eighty percent of the crowd."

Yuan Wang didn’t mind at all: "As long as it’s not the same style, men’s suits usually come in few colors; black is the safest choice."

Yu Xia acknowledged, seriously reminding him: "Watch your step, don’t step on my dress."

Yuan Wang hastily shifted: "Your dress is so wide, what if it deliberately grazes me?"

"It means I think highly of you."

Yuan Wang: "......"

Slowly, they reached the red carpet’s center, signed and posed for photos, smiling throughout.

Even the host kept her back for a few questions.

"We’ve heard that Yu Xia recently became a mentor for a talent show; everyone is curious about your thoughts facing a hundred young lads?"

Yuan Wang chimed in: "What thoughts? Are you happier seeing handsome guys every day?"

"Of course," she firmly declared, "They’re young, can sing and dance, lively and bustling. They make me feel eighteen again every time I see them."

"Are the guys handsome? Do you think they’re more handsome than Yuan Wang?"

"They’re definitely handsome, Yuan Wang is too familiar too me, I can’t see the handsomeness anymore." Finished speaking, she looked at Yuan Wang and laughed.

Yuan Wang pretended to look pitiful, shaking his head: "Sigh, already feeling rejected, guess I’ll have to wait till August 12th on ’As It Is’ to reminisce your admiration for my handsome face."

What a quick response.

The host let them go, Yu Xia kept smiling as she walked off the red carpet and into the venue, Yuan Wang behind her helping gather the dress, chatting along.

"You’ve been on the show for only a month, yet several rounds of gossip have surfaced, thanks to those young guys, granting me escape from your web."

Yu Xia rolled her eyes: "You have the nerve to mention it, if you weren’t chased by a dog... Hey, how’s it going with the dog’s owner?"

"What, what do you mean, how’s it going?"

She scrutinized his expression: "Stop pretending, back then you almost flew when you got their contact info, haven’t you been using your white gloves’ love story with the dog to cozy up to them lately?"

————

ps: If all goes well, within 24 hours (early morning of 12.28) this will be launched, with a burst update of 30k!

The first subscription is crucial, so I hope everyone can fully support then, mua

After launching, there will be more little dramas written~