Chapter 64

After settling everything, the first thing Su Yi did was move.

Chu Ying didn’t ask anything. That very day, he packed and took her back to the little villa. Having stayed at a place for many years, it’s troublesome to pack. It took her one day to move everything.

Back in Chu Ying’s home, she took a shower and got into bed. These few days she’s really too tired.

Half asleep, she received a call from Wu Xue.

Hearing her voice, Wu Xue said, “— did I disturb your sleep?”

“Nevermind, I haven’t slept yet. What’s the problem?”

“Although I know I shouldn’t be saying this now, but I need to ask you, when can you return?” Wu Xue paused. “You’re the female lead. Without you, they are having a hard time continuing to film. Although Chen Yang didn’t hurry us, we should be more aware too.”

“I know. I forgot to tell you I will be back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? So soon?”

Su Yi tugged lightly on the corner of her lips. “The one hurrying me is you and the one who is upset that I’m back early is also you.”

“Otherwise you can take a few more days off, we won’t be short of these few days.”

“No need, there’s nothing for me to do on my own anyway.”

Wu Xue nodded. “Right, then tomorrow I’ll go pick you up. Right, didn’t you say you’re moving, when? I’ll help you.”

“I’m already done, now I’m at Chu Ying’s house. I’ll send you the address, come pick me up from here tomorrow.”

“— I really admire your ability to get things done.”

“Anything else?”

“Nothing, see you tomorrow.” After saying that the other was about to hang up.

“Wait!” Su Yi called out to her. “If Su Qin comes to find you in the future, ignore her.”

“Got that, relax.”

The call ended, Chu Ying just happened to return from the office room.

Su Yi put her phone aside and the guy got onto the bed, circling her waist from behind. “Let’s sleep.”

Su Yi turned around and nestled against his neck, picking a position she felt the safest in. “These few days you’ve spent them running around with me, did all your work accumulate again?”

“The company won’t die without me. Before, it was because I’d just gotten into the position and it’s more troublesome. Now I’m no longer as busy.” Then he added, “I can accompany you anytime.”

Su Yi nodded.

Chu Ying rubbed her head. “Come back with me for the Lunar New Year?”

The room went silent for a long time.

Su Yi cosied up on his neck. “There’s a rule in Ding County that if a white affair* happened in the house of someone during the spring month, they cannot go visiting during the Lunar New Year, they’d bring bad luck to others.”

[t/l note: white affairs refer to funerals, red affairs refer to weddings]

She wasn’t superstitious, but now she really wanted to do something for Xiao Bao. Even if it was just a superficial thing.

Chu Ying lightly agreed and didn’t force it. “I got it, go sleep.”

**

At first Wu Xue was worried that because of her nephew’s passing, Su Yi might be affected. But not only did she return early she also worked more efficiently than ever before. As long as the other actor she’s working with didn’t make a mistake, basically, all the scenes were filmed and passed in the first take. She really was destined to live as an actor.

Another round of filming later, Su Yi sat down beside her and drank carefully with a straw.

“Have you decided about the Lunar New Year, whether you’d go to Chu Ying’s place or come to mine?”

Su Yi laughed. “Look at the way you say it – as if I’m a child in the orphanage waiting to be assigned someplace to go.”

“What nonsense are you spouting, my mum is talking about you this year. How about you come over, we can buy some fireworks to play with?”

“We can play with fireworks, but let’s forgo going over to yours.” Su Yi said, “I’m going to spend it by myself this year.”

“What?”

Su Yi reached out and grabbed her shoulder. “I said, I’m going to spend the Lunar New Year by myself. I’ll watch Chun Wan* and have my hotpot. No one would be fighting over my meat with me, it’s going to be quite a happy one.”

[*t/l note: it’s the typical show that everyone watches on the thirtieth to the countdown.]

The two argued over this for a while but in the end, Wu Xue still couldn’t win her and gave in. “It’s okay if you don’t come, but if you want to go somewhere or buy something, you must call me up.”

Su Yi nodded. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Right,” Wu Xue asked, “you haven’t been on Weibo recently, right?”

“No, what, I’m being cyber-bullied again?”

“Not really. But at the time you went to Ding County, Yang Ruolin was exposed to the point where she didn’t even have her skin left.”

“Didn’t she already invite the paid posters to go expose her once?”

“That one was different.” Wu Xue opened her Weibo and found a few news pieces for her to see.

“You see. Her degree- bought; face- made (via beauty surgeries); Weibo fans- fake. And a few of those people who studied overseas with her came to expose her as a person who specifically became an interloper.”

Su Yi glanced through it.

Wu Xue said, “Why aren’t you at all surprised?”

“It was expected.” Su Yi leant back. “I’ve always thought that she was too fake and everything was an act. I’ve always been under the impression that those who change faces the moment they close the door only existed in TV shows.”

“The news she spent money to buy became evidence for slapping her in the face now – it’s hard to know what Yang Ruolin’s current feelings must be,” Wu Xue said while taking out a few folders and handing them to Su Yi.

Su Yi took it. “What’s it?”

“The script. I got it the day before yesterday and didn’t give it to you for a long while. Didn’t you say that you want to act as a military man’s wife – here this one is that. The second female lead, but she has quite a lot of screen time and a very positive image. All those acting are bigshots, it took me a lot of effort to get this.”

“Xiao Xue.” Su Yi casually put the script aside. “After this show, I want to take a break for three months.”

Wu Xue was a little surprised. “So long?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit tired and want to rest properly, to recharge.” She emphasised. “I don’t want to even take photos for covers or for inserts*, all right?”

[*t/l note: in magazines, I presume]

“Of course, that’s your freedom.”

“How about you?” Su Yi asked, “You’ve been lazing about for more than half a year and only have me as your celebrity, would it be alright?”

“What’s not right about this? I can get a salary as an assistant on top of this.”

Su Yi shook her head with a smile.

In the Chu office.

A stack of photos was put on Chu Ying’s office table.

In the first photo, the woman was hugging her knees and sitting on the floor crying. Chu Ying nudged the photo with a fingertip and the next photo was one of him and Su Yi on the way to Ding County. She was hugging her little box, her features tired.

The assistant standing in front of him said, “Director Chu, these are the photos taken these past few days by the media. We’ve bought them all.”

“Yeah, which media took them?”

The assistant gave a name. “This media has followed Miss Su before. The previous scandal with Liang Bo was also reported at the quickest by this media, and they had the most photo evidence.”

Chu Ying tapped the table lightly, his expression unchanging. “You’re sure these are originals in our hands?”

“Yeah, the contract is signed.”

“Okay, go check all the media’s previous false reports about the celebrities in our company.” Chu Ying organised the photographs and put them in the outermost pocket of his laptop bag. “Get a report out of it and sue them.”

**

Recently, the news online was very busy.

Yang Ruolin’s history first gave people a lot to talk about because she really had such a rich history. The people in her list of ex-boyfriends even contained two overseas celebrities. In the end, the netizens found the two overseas celebrities’ social media accounts, and the current lover of one of them even used their boyfriend’s account to post a blog lecturing Yang Ruolin, asking her to stop harassing their boyfriend.

Yang Ruolin was laughed at and ridiculed, but the interest in her had been stirred.

There was something else. A pretty famous media known for their exposés was completely uprooted. The people who sued them were very good at what they did. They were so thoroughly dealt with that not only did they put out a notice of apology, they cleared every bit of Weibo they’d posted before.

This media was one that kept getting sued and in the past, usually, they’d post a public notice and then come back at it again. But now, it seemed like they’d reached their end – even their official blog name had turned into some indistinguishable characters.

The netizens said that there’s no paparazzi that cannot be dealt with, there are only some powerful figures that were too lazy to do things.

When Su Yi finished reading the news, Chu Ying had just reached her make-up room. Off late, he came to pick her up every day, unfailingly. The crew basically had gotten to know him.

The guy very naturally picked up her bag. “What do you want to eat tonight?”

Su Yi tilted her head back. “Second Battalion Commander, I can go cook you some Italian spaghetti?”

Chu Ying lost it and laughed. “All right.”

Wu Xue got up and said, “Then I’ll go back first.”

Su Yi nodded. “All right, if there’s anything call me.”

After filming ended today, it’s the holidays arranged for by the filming crew.

“Wu Xue!” From the door came a male voice. “Why don’t you pick up!!”

Su Yi looked in the direction and saw a very familiar-looking man at the door.

Liu Xi saw the person standing inside and also paused. “Ying-zi, what a coincidence.”

Su Yi leant against Chu Ying. The two looked between Wu Xue and Liu Xi in unison, eyebrows slightly raised.

Wu Xue said very impatiently, “Why are you here?”

Liu Xi got anxious. “Why do you refuse to acknowledge a person you slept with?”

Wu Xue sneered. “It’s not like you’ve never done this before, who are you acting pitiful for?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“— I didn’t do this to you?”

“Talk it out slowly you guys, bye.” After those words, Chu Ying caught the hand of the person beside him and strode out of the make-up room.

Not long after they came out Su Yi complained, “Why didn’t you let me hear for a bit longer?”

It was already deep in the winter. She wore a thick, light gray scarf that covered most of her face. It was the one Chu Ying had gifted her a few days ago, a tiny ‘Y’ embroidered at the end. It’s hard to say if it’s for ‘Yi or for ‘Ying’.

Because the scarf covered her, the guy leant over and kissed her eye.

“You’re so gossipy?”

“I’m not gossipy; if it’s anyone else I’m too lazy to care.” Su Yi put her hand in his suit pocket. “Nevermind, I can see that Xiao Xue has Liu Xi in the middle of her palms, she shouldn’t be getting any worse off.”

On the way, Su Yi quietly listened to the radio. The phone rang. She side-eyed it, it was a strange number that belonged to Beijing. It was nearly the Spring Festival so there wasn’t a shortage of people coming to send their blessings, so she picked up without thinking too hard.

“Hello.”

“Su Yi, you’ve moved? Something happened here in your county hospital, come visit me and help me pay—”

Su Yi immediately hung up.

“Let’s go to the mall first,” she said calmly, “I forgot to change my number.”

“At this time they should be closed.” Chu Ying glanced at her. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, then I’ll change tomorrow.” She set her phone to airplane mode.

She didn’t think that it had been only a month and Su Qin had spent all her money. That’s true, it’s the festivals, it was the time the gamblers spent the most freely. Recalling this person again, Su Yi automatically felt disgusted, physically.

The car drove for a while again then she suddenly thought of something. “The day after tomorrow is thirtieth, when do you plan on returning? Let’s go buy some gifts tomorrow so you can take them back to gift your relatives.”

“I’m not going back.”

Su Yi first paused, then immediately turned around and asked, “What?”

“I’m not going back on the thirtieth.” The guy raised a hand and touched her cheeks. “I’ll stay and eat with you.”