Chapter 21: Chapter 21 - 21 "Zeqiu, will you take me away with you?

“`

Ji Zeqiu had been swamped with engagements these past few days, and the fans in the group were discussing which event to attend to see him. They even specifically mentioned Lin Xu.

If it were a few days ago, Lin Xu would probably have been very eager to go with them, but today she rejected the idea.

Such abnormal behavior led everyone to think she was going to stop being a fan.

After all, in the entertainment industry, the speed of “wall climbing” could be very fast, loving one artist one day and another the next.

Lin Xu could only come out and explain that she was just busy with something these few days, and then everyone was relieved.

Actually, after returning from the film city last time, Ji Zeqiu had given her a business card with his agent’s contact information.

“After you think it through, call this number,” he’d said.

Then he left.

Although it wasn’t Ji Zeqiu’s cell phone number, Lin Xu felt somewhat reassured having a way to contact him, and she no longer needed to go to great lengths to see him.

After explaining everything to the group, Lin Xu opened the agent’s WeChat.

“Brother Zhao, it’s really hot outside today, remember to ensure Zeqiu has sun protection,” she messaged.

“When filming, make sure Zeqiu stays hydrated. He’s always preferred drinks over water since he was young, not sure if he still does it now, but you should pay extra attention,” she continued.

“Also, he…”

The agent’s WeChat notification sound “ding-dong” kept ringing, he checked his phone and his eyes went black.

More than a dozen messages came through, all of them detailing various things about Ji Zeqiu.

True to the form of Ji Zeqiu’s “mom fan.”

Knowing that celebrities are very busy, Lin Xu was not in a rush for a reply. After sending the messages, she put her phone in her pocket, humming a tune as she went downstairs.

Downstairs, Lin Xu ran into Wen Li and even nodded her head cheerfully before entering the kitchen and asking Aunt Zhang for sour cabbage fish for lunch.

After getting a positive response from Aunt Zhang, she turned to leave, but she did not expect to bump into someone at the corner.

Wen Li fell to the ground, her cup slipping from her hand. With a “bang,” the cup shattered into pieces, scattering all over the floor.

Lin Xu paused for a moment before her first reaction was to reach out to help her up.

But Wen Li didn’t move.

At first glance, one might think Lin Xu had bullied her.

Hearing the commotion, the housemaids all came to rubberneck, seeing it was Lin Xu and another, their expressions changed slightly.

Ji Tingyang liked Wen Li, and this was common knowledge among the Ji Family’s servants. Then suddenly Lin Xu appeared, and she had been spending a lot of time with Ji Tingyang recently.

Two women and one man, was a dispute finally going to break out?

Their faces were full of gossip.

“What happened?” Ji Tingyang strode in, quickly helping Wen Li to her feet.

Wen Li was pale, shaking her head, “It has nothing to do with Miss Lin, I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally bumped into her.”

Lin Xu raised an eyebrow.

Didn’t that sound a bit like some green tea (phony) behavior?

Her love-struck son obviously lacked the ability to discern such behavior, and a flicker of surprise crossed Ji Tingyang’s eyes as he looked at Lin Xu.

Could it be that his mother didn’t like him being with Wen Li and was intentionally targeting her?

He took a step forward, intending to have a proper talk with Lin Xu, when he heard a pained voice beside him, “Ah…”

“What’s wrong?” Ji Tingyang asked quickly.

“I might have accidentally got cut by the glass, it’s bleeding,” Wen Li lifted her arm to show a thin cut.

The wound wasn’t serious, and the blood soon stopped, but it still looked a bit unsightly.

“I’ll go get…”

Ji Tingyang hadn’t finished speaking when he heard another sharp intake of breath.

“`

This time, it was Lin Xu.

She clutched her palm, with tears about to fall from her eyes, appearing pitifully endearing.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Tingyang asked.

“I also got cut by the glass, it hurts so much.” Tears brimmed in Lin Xu’s eyes.

Ji Tingyang immediately became anxious, he let go of Wen Li and quickly took Lin Xu out of the living room.

He asked with concern, “How could you be so careless? Where are you hurt, let me have a look!”

As Lin Xu brushed past Wen Li, she winked at her, a triumphant expression on her face as if the pain she had just shown was an illusion.

Acting like a damsel in distress? She knew how to do that too.

Ji Tingyang quickly brought Lin Xu to the sofa to sit down, and when she lifted her index finger to show him the cut that was barely a few millimeters, he fell silent.

“This wound… Is it going to heal in a few minutes?”

Lin Xu nodded seriously, “It looks like it’s about to heal, but it still hurts a lot.”

Ji Tingyang looked at her skeptically.

Lin Xu immediately started to rub her eyes pitifully, “In the past, when I had even a small wound, your dad would get so worried. Now that your dad is gone, there’s no one to care about me.”

As she spoke, her mouth quivered, and she was on the verge of crying.

Ji Tingyang swiftly surrendered, took a band-aid from the first-aid kit, and carefully stuck it on her, “If it hurts, just be careful over the next few days.”

Lin Xu, “I can’t be careful, I still need to use my hand to hold chopsticks for eating.”

Ji Tingyang, “…”

Wen Li stood not far away, watching the two of them chatting and laughing on the sofa, her expression gradually darkening.

Her own wound was far more severe than Lin Xu’s insignificant cut, yet Ji Tingyang had left her to give Lin Xu a band-aid.

Since when had she not been the top priority in Ji Tingyang’s heart?

Wen Li bit her lip, her mood sinking as she returned to her room.

The cellphone thrown on the bed vibrated – she had received a message.

She reached for the phone. It was a message from an unknown number, but she recognized it – it was from Ji Zeqiu.

“I’ll be joining the crew and shooting in isolation the day after tomorrow, can I see you tomorrow?”

The first thing Wen Li thought of was the image of Ji Tingyang gripping her hand tightly, insisting she cut off all contact with Ji Zeqiu.

Although he had blocked all of Ji Zeqiu and Xiao Yu’s contact information on her phone, he was still fearful she would contact them secretly, almost keeping a watch on her all the time.

Had it been before, she would have deleted the message immediately, let alone replying.

But now, Ji Tingyang was almost always by Lin Xu’s side, did he really still care with whom she met?

Wen Li hesitated for a long while, then replied with a single word, “Okay.”

The next day.

Following the address, Wen Li arrived at a very private small restaurant. When she pushed open the room door, she found that Ji Zeqiu had already been waiting there for her.

Upon her arrival, Ji Zeqiu’s face lit up with surprise, and he quickly stood up, “Wen Li!”

He knew Ji Tingyang kept a close watch on Wen Li. Even though she was willing to meet him, he hadn’t harbored much hope.

Yet, when he actually saw her, his entire being radiated joy.

He eagerly grasped her arm, only to hear her hiss in pain.

Ji Zeqiu looked down and saw a gash on her arm that was scabbing over and coldly said, “Did Ji Tingyang do this?!”

Upon hearing his words, Wen Li’s eyes seemed to open a floodgate of tears, dropping one by one.

She choked up, “Zeqiu, will you take me away, please?”