CHAPTER 94: CHAPTER 94: SISTER, YOU’VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH

During the meal, Yu Xia was exceptionally attentive and amiable towards Yu Heng.

"Brother, try this, is it good?"

"If it’s good, then great. I was worried it wouldn’t taste good, and I didn’t dare to serve it to you."

"Brother, have some soup. It’s refreshing and sweet, just like you, the sweetest thing this summer."

"Brother, you..."

Yu Heng interrupted her expressionlessly, "Shut up."

"Okay, brother."

She quietly withdrew her hand and focused on her own meal.

After filling up, Yu Heng assumed his role as the older brother and started asking questions.

"Why did you eat so little? Weren’t you the one who wanted to eat here?"

Yu Xia took small bites of beef and answered him, "Just tasting a little of everything is enough."

He frowned and moved the crab roe tofu in front of her.

"It’s not even dinner time. If anything, just exercise an extra hour this afternoon. Hurry and eat."

Yu Xia stared at the crab roe tofu for three seconds, then decided to accept her dear brother’s kindness.

Seeing her eat, Yu Heng put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and asked, "How’s work recently? Not facing any trouble, are you?"

"Do you think I’m someone who gets troubled easily?" She retorted without lifting her head.

"Then why are those groundless rumors still spreading?" He said indifferently.

Yu Xia paused, wiped her mouth, and said, "This will be resolved in the next couple of days, don’t worry. Besides, netizens think being rumored with me is the other party’s loss."

"What loss for the guy? Only someone as silly as you would lose out." Yu Heng said with irritation.

She laughed at him but before she could say more, her smile froze, and she instinctively turned to look out the window.

Paparazzi.

She squinted to take a look, then nonchalantly turned back.

"Looks like I’ll have to deal with this sooner than expected."

She put down her chopsticks and called He Ci.

"He, you need to speed up."

He Ci was a bit puzzled, "What?"

"New rumors of me are about to come out; let’s issue a statement quickly while this wave lasts."

"Another rumor... caught with whom?!"

"...With my real brother, eating out and got snapped by the paparazzi!"

He Ci coughed twice, "Alright, alright, this is a decent trigger. Also, eat less."

"Got it!"

After informing He Ci, she turned to Yu Heng with a smile, "Brother~ dear brother~"

Yu Heng’s expression was cold, "You want me to take the blame?"

"Just for a little while, I’ll clarify soon. Besides, maybe when everyone sees how handsome you are, the company’s stock price will soar! Isn’t that a good thing?"

"If the company’s stock could rise that easily, it could fall just as easily," he glanced at her and added, "go report to your sister-in-law yourself. If someone accuses me of cheating, it’d be your fault."

She waved her hand, "I know, I know, I’ll definitely report it."

Her brother was clearly kept under tight control; she had grown used to it.

It’s no wonder; after all the effort he put into marrying her, he treasures her dearly.

After exchanging a few more words, she asked about her little nephew.

"Has Yue been behaving lately?"

Yu Heng snorted, "Him? He’s planning to cry the Great Wall down like Meng Jiangnu."

Yu Xia was intrigued, "What’s going on? He texted me the other day saying he broke up with his little girlfriend."

"Oh, so that’s why he came home looking so lifeless, lying on the sofa crying."

She held back a laugh, "And then? Did you comfort him?"

"Comfort?" He raised an eyebrow, "His mom gave him a good beating, and he was fine."

Yu Xia: "......"

Her sister-in-law was such a gentle person back then; how did she become so fierce after having a child?

After finishing the meal, Yu Heng had the waiter pack a dozen of her favorite dishes to take home for her.

Before leaving, he reminded her again, "Stop pretending to be poor and heat those dishes during mealtime. If you keep losing weight, you’ll turn into a ghost."

She waved from the door, "Alright, dear brother, remember to visit again when you’re on a business trip nearby!"

Yu Heng rolled his eyes at her and turned to leave.

Once he was gone, she stood at the door, chuckled to herself, then closed the door and joyfully put all the dishes in the fridge.

...

That afternoon passed by.

Yu Xia looked up from her script, sipping water through a straw as she messaged He Ci.

It’s been several hours, yet the paparazzi who took the photos hadn’t released anything.

Are they waiting to extort money for the photos?

Thinking about it, she checked through the journalists she had added as friends.

Not all relationships between celebrities and reporters are bad; she got along well with a few she collaborated with frequently, even exchanging red packets during the new year.

They had a special channel to find out about paparazzi scoops. After asking a couple of journalists, she found out there were no news updates yet.

What was this paparazzi trying to do? Waiting for her to come out with money to buy the photos? Or planning a big scoop?

She waited a while longer, but with no word from He Ci either, she decided not to bother.

She refilled her water and put one of the dishes in the microwave. The pleasant aroma filled the kitchen, elevating her mood as she hummed a tune.

After leisurely finishing her meal, it was yoga time.

Living each day to the fullest prevents overthinking and blaming the world, or even stagnation. If you don’t know what to do that would be useful, choose something and keep doing it; only through doing will you gain.

This is what she learned after a few years in the entertainment industry.

Eleven o’clock.

The special call time had arrived.

Yu Xia answered the call as naturally as chatting with a friend about food.

It only took a few days for her to get used to this strange contact, even considering it a daily routine.

"Hello."

[Xie Qingci: Good evening, sister]

[Xie Qingci: Have you waited long?]

She pouted, "Who was waiting for you."

[Xie Qingci: You weren’t waiting for me? How sad]

"...Since when did you learn this trick, acting cute at your age."

Though she murmured this, her reflection on the screen wore a smile.

[Xie Qingci: A few days ago, you called me a misbehaving kid, yesterday I was just a simple college student, and today you’re accusing me of being old]

Yu Xia cleared her throat, "I can say that, but nitpicking is your fault."

[Xie Qingci: You’re right, my bad]

[Xie Qingci: I saw your advertisement today]

"Huh? What advertisement?" She reached for a cushion to place behind her back, laying comfortably on the bed, and asked casually.

[Xie Qingci: A jewelry ad, on the big screen at the mall]

[Xie Qingci: Over the past year, I’ve seen many of your ads; it feels like my school and home are surrounded by your pictures]

Yu Xia instinctively refuted, "How is that possible? I haven’t endorsed that many products; I’m not at the forefront, so how could there be that many ads?"

[Xie Qingci: But no matter where I go, I always see you, in places I pass by daily, when I was about to give up on you]

[Xie Qingci: At the bus stop posters, on plaza 3D screens, giant banners in shopping centers, on my phone, you’re everywhere]

She slowly pressed her lips together.