CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84: WHY DID WE BREAK UP

Yu Xia recalls the breakup.

She actually seldom thinks of the ending, and more often reminisces about the ambiguity and joy of their encounter and relationship.

The elation and confusion brought by career advancement made her restless and uneasy. On a dull summer evening, walking with a stifling mask and hat through the throng, she collided with a group of high school students.

Then, raising her head, she saw across the road a young man who drove away the summer boredom.

Expecting a sweet dessert, who knew it was spiked liquor with ice that intoxicated her.

What a beautiful encounter.

How did it end?

She lay on the sofa, trying to remember that day.

They agreed to meet outside his school; Xie Qingci promised to buy groceries to cook her a recently learned low-fat meal.

Her restlessness would be well soothed by him, although she didn’t know why, she began to crave this feeling.

As the car was nearing the school, she turned her head humming a tune and instantly spotted the paparazzi ahead on the left—a sensitivity to cameras developed from being in the entertainment circle for so long.

That paparazzi seemed to have been following her for quite some time, the camera directed at her.

Her mind hadn’t yet processed how dire the situation was when she heard the school’s bell ring.

The last Friday class ended, Xie Qingci had already come down from upstairs, walking toward the school gate, seemingly having spotted her, he tilted his head and smiled this way.

She instantly snapped to attention, a cold sweat breaking out.

Xie Qingci must not be caught on camera.

If their dating was exposed... what repercussions would an affair with an eighteen-year-old high school senior bring?

She’d be criticized until her career was stalled, Xie Qingci would be endlessly harassed by irrational fans and paparazzi, possibly even expelled from school.

At that moment her heart raced uncontrollably, making a swift decision to have the driver keep moving straight on, only stopping after driving far away, at a local tourist spot, before pretending to be a visiting tourist and getting off.

Had the paparazzi already photographed Xie Qingci?

Had they been following them for a long time, or just happened to catch her today?

If detrimental evidence had indeed been captured, how should she deal with it?

She wandered around the site like a headless fly for a long time, her feet growing stiff before finally calling a car to return, her face expressionless.

Xie Qingci called asking why she stood him up; she was at a loss for words.

For a long time afterward, she dared not see him again, took on two movie roles and filmed relentlessly, rarely calling or messaging anymore.

She would never give up her career, nor did she want any influence on it, plus his future... Ultimately, despite apprehension, she silently chose to let him go.

She felt as if she were a malicious woman who seduced an innocent young man only to heartlessly abandon him, unable to utter cold words nor bear to continue holding him back, leaving him only two words instead: breakup.

Xie Qingci too sensed her perfunctory responses and silence, replying with a single word before the college entrance exams.

[Okay.]

Breakup? Okay.

Yu Xia took a deep breath, her closed eyes even feeling sore.

She initially thought this was it: she wouldn’t delay his future, he wouldn’t actively contact her anymore, just treating it as a dream tinted in the hues of a summer sunset.

But she didn’t expect him to debut through a talent show, stepping into her survival circle.

The back of her hand over her eyes, blocking the dazzling lights, Yu Xia’s mind was in a mess, thinking again of their future relationship.

Rekindling?

An emerging top trending person, having a romance with a scandal-ridden, former mentor and older second-tier actress? At his peak of rise?

And then waiting for career collapse?

No way, Changhui wouldn’t allow it, nor would she.

Just deep in thought, the phone beside her began vibrating with hums.

She returned to reality, picked up the phone to see inadvertently it was already ten at night.

It was a call from Xie Qingci.

Thinking of someone leads to their appearance.

She looked down at the odd name in the caller ID, managing to answer just seconds before it would’ve been automatically disconnected.

"Hello? Why call at this hour?"

Xie Qingci didn’t sense anything amiss, gently responding, "There’s no task this week, mostly ad shootings ahead. The program group just handed out phones for everyone to contact their families."

Yu Xia reached for a cup, the cold water calming her emotions.

"Contact your family, and you call me? Didn’t you contact your parents?"

"I did, they are still mad at me, didn’t say much."

Yu Xia fell silent.

"Mad because you entered the entertainment industry? Why do it despite their anger?"

"Sister doesn’t know? Want me to say it again?"

She bit her tongue and diverted the topic: "You are bold, not afraid of being recognized? Aren’t there cameras around on site?"

"Yes," he slowly mentioned, "though no worries, they can’t exactly force the camera on me. I don’t have videos and there’s nothing worth shooting."

Although really wanting to video chat with her.

"Then," she paused, playing with the lid of her water cup, "I’ll ask the usual greeting questions. Rest well? Feeling tired? Getting along well with dorm mates and others? Is anyone bullying you?"

After a while, Xie Qingci softly replied, "Tired."

Yu Xia felt on the verge of tears.

"If tired, yet you came, you asked for it."

Xie Qingci laughed again, "What isn’t tiring? Not doing this would end up doing other things anyway."

"Yet other things would be slightly better, here, you could tire yourself out without gaining any good remark, and still get cursed, making you suffer."

"It doesn’t matter, I’m here looking for sweetness, a bit of bitterness is normal."

He spoke in a careless tone, wandering casually.

Seemed like the sweetness he referred to was her.

Yu Xia snorted at him, "Silver-tongued."

After saying this, she grinned, elongated her words sweetly, calling him, "Little Sweet."

"..." Xie Qingci was silent.

She called again, "Xie Honghong?"

"Baibai?"

"Little Sweet? Xie Baibai?"

Xie Qingci helplessly asked, "Can’t you just call me by name? Always giving me nicknames."

"Nicknames are cute."

"But I’m not cute."

Yu Xia argued, "Who says you aren’t? You are cute."

Xie Qingci sighed, "I’m twenty, cute isn’t a compliment for me."

"Fine, then... delicious?"

There was a pause for two seconds, then he lowered his voice and said:

"Sister, are you flirting?"

——

Jiu Jiu: Do you have any pet names for your little brother?

Yu Xia: Yes, there are two commonly used.

Jiu Jiu: What is the first one?

Yu Xia: (seriously) Look, Qingci, farewell to the youth; what does it remind you of? The plum blossoms fell and spring red passed swiftly.

Jiu Jiu: So what is it called?

Yu Xia: Xie Honghong.

Jiu Jiu: ...

Jiu Jiu: What’s the second one?

Yu Xia: Qingci, farewell.

Yu Xia: That’s why I call him Baibai.

Jiu Jiu: ...Good name, artisanal with stability, mature with elegance. Goodbye. (Packing up to leave)