Chapter 44
The group chatted aimlessly for a while longer. Chen Lianjie told her to go back and wait for news.
As soon as Xia Linxia stepped outside, Xiang Huaimeng greeted her, asking, "How did it go? Did they ask you to cry?"
"No," Xia Linxia took out the eye drops she had prepared and returned them to Xiang Huaimeng. "We just chatted. Do you think they understood? They talked to so many people one by one. Are they trying to dig up some gossip?"
"Cough, cough." Chen Lianjie suddenly coughed twice.
Xia Linxia was startled, turned around, obediently helped them close the door, and ran away in a flash.
Xiang Huaimeng looked at the eye drops in her hand, opened them, and dripped two drops into her own eyes. Instantly, tears streamed down her face. Damn it, this job was probably going to fall through again.
Xia Linxia got into the car and checked the time. It was almost dinnertime. She said, "Let's go to the airport to pick up some things first."
The airport was bustling with people. Xia Linxia headed straight for the VIP channel. After a short wait, a group of people emerged. From a distance, she spotted that annoying figure and waved.
"Pipi Xia!"
Qiu Xingzhou dropped his agent and ran towards her. The handsome man, over 1.8 meters tall, was rushing towards her like a silly bear, completely devoid of the image of an excellent top student.
She stretched out her hands, stopping Qiu Xingzhou's shoulders and preventing this elementary school-level hug-and-greet.
Qiu Xingzhou blinked. When he wasn't speaking, his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his high nose bridge, and his deep eyes were enough to make countless girls scream and desperately want to drown in his gaze.
However, Xia Linxia was completely unimpressed. She said dismissively, "Where are the things?"
"Heartless," Qiu Xingzhou chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders as they walked out. "They're in the boxes. Let's go out first. Since you personally came to pick up your dad, I'll take you to eat something good."
Xia Linxia batted away his hand. After a lot of effort, she finally pinched his arm, leaving finger marks. Only then did Qiu Xingzhou grin and wince as he let go, looking like he was about to cry. "You're heartless, you're cold-blooded."
"Hmph, you can go eat by yourself," Xia Linxia said triumphantly. "Your dad has plans with someone tonight."
Qiu Xingzhou looked at her playfully, took out sunglasses with his other hand, and put them on with a flourish, a slight smile on his lips. "Is it with your girlfriend?"
"Yes," Xia Linxia said proudly. "The great movie queen. Isn't your dad amazing!"
"Very amazing," Qiu Xingzhou laughed a few times. "I didn't expect that after I was away for more than half a year, you would actually hook up with the movie queen. Tell me the details when you have time."
"Gossipy Zhou."
"Pipi Xia."
The two were fighting at the arrival gate. Xiang Huaimeng and Qiu Xingzhou's agent exchanged a smile and simultaneously scanned their surroundings for suspicious paparazzi.
As it turned out, there were indeed some.
Xiang Huaimeng immediately coughed a few times and quietly reminded them that there were cameras.
The two who were still fighting instantly changed their expressions, looked at each other with a peaceful and friendly smile, and calmly walked towards the van.
As soon as they got in the car, Xia Linxia urged them to get the goods. She checked the time, and after getting the items, she quickly returned to her own car.
"To the restaurant," she said, opening the box. Her eyes lit up, and tears of joy almost flowed out.
She immediately called Ji Fengxue. "I'm on my way now. I'll be at the restaurant in half an hour. Don't be late."
"Got it." Ji Fengxue opened the door, paused, and then returned to the room. "Are you done?"
"Yes, I finished my audition. I don't think I have a chance, so don't stop me from eating dessert later."
"Can I stop you?" Ji Fengxue asked with a smile.
"Heh, what do you think."
Half an hour later, the car arrived at the restaurant. Xiang Huaimeng parked the car and habitually checked her phone for messages. Suddenly, she let out a scream, her face looking grim. "Well, you and Qiu Xingzhou are on the headlines."
"No way, this dog is really making headlines with every little stir," Xia Linxia said speechlessly. "Hurry up and suppress it. I don't want to be beaten to death by his fangirls."
As Xiang Huaimeng was contacting someone to remove the trending topic, she found that Qiu Xingzhou's team was even faster. News of Xia Linxia picking up Qiu Xingzhou and their intimate interaction, hinting at infidelity, was circulating online. In a flash, Qiu Xingzhou's team used an announcement about an upcoming new drama to suppress it.
"He was out for more than half a year, and as soon as he returned, he got a role?" Xia Linxia sighed. "That's the good thing about male artists; their shelf life is much better than ours. If I took a break for half a year, I'd probably be pushed out of the top tier."
"Then you have to work hard," Xiang Huaimeng said as she opened the car door. "If you do as well as Teacher Ji on the big screen, let alone a break of half a year or even five or ten years, your legend will still be in the industry."
Xia Linxia was moved.
She waved goodbye to Xiang Huaimeng and waited for the elevator, holding the bag. When the door opened, she was stunned to see who was inside.
It was Xiao Yuran's agent, whom she had met that afternoon.
When the other party saw her, they raised an eyebrow, smiled, and nodded at her, then stepped out of the elevator and brushed past her.
She walked into the elevator and watched the agent walk away hurriedly, pretending to be bored and playing with her phone.
Xia Linxia couldn't help but frown. Why would an agent be dining at such a restaurant? Even if they had money, they might not have the time. Thinking of her own agent, Xiang Huaimeng, who was constantly accompanied by cars and instant noodles and bento boxes.
As she started to theorize about a conspiracy, she shed a tear of sympathy for Xiang Huaimeng.
The elevator reached the top floor. She stood at the door and looked around. When a waiter approached to ask if she had a reservation, she finally spotted Ji Fengxue. The latter was standing in a corner of the aisle, with a woman opposite her.
Even though the woman had her back to her, she could see clearly. It was Xiao Yuran again.
She strode over aggressively, disregarding the gazes of others, her hand holding the bag clenched tightly, as if eager to strike. As she got closer, she overheard their conversation, and her name was mentioned.
She paused, then naturally sat down at the table in front of them, leaning back in the sofa chair, listening carefully to their conversation. Fortunately, she always wore a hat and sunglasses when she went out, so people only glanced at her a few more times before continuing their meals.
The two were about one or two meters behind her. Xiao Yuran asked, "This is the table I booked. Did you book the same one?"
Ji Fengxue looked at the table number and said, confused, "Xia Xia booked it. Her message to me said this was the seat."
"Is that so... then the waiter must have made a mistake. It's okay, you can sit here. I'll find another seat." Xiao Yuran turned to leave.
Ji Fengxue looked around. The seats were all occupied. The table that was empty earlier now had a bag on it. From her angle, she could see a head, clearly someone had sat down. She said, "Why don't you wait here for a bit? I see a table that's about to finish."
Xiao Yuran apologized, "Will it disturb you?"
"No, Xia Xia hasn't arrived yet, and this one is also empty." Ji Fengxue gestured for her to sit down and talk. "Are you dining alone?"
"Yes, I auditioned for Director Chen's play this afternoon and didn't have much hope, so I wanted to eat something good to comfort myself," Xiao Yuran said with a wry smile.
"Director Chen's play?" Ji Fengxue smiled. "What a coincidence, I'll be appearing in it too."
"Really? Why didn't you tell me?" Xiao Yuran looked at her in surprise, then her eyes dimmed. "That's right, you're Xia Linxia's girlfriend now, so it's better if we don't interact much."
Ji Fengxue drank some water, looked up at her for a moment, and then smiled, agreeing. "That makes sense. She'll probably be angry if she sees us sitting here."
Xiao Yuran lowered her eyes, a hint of imperceptible annoyance flashing in her eyes.
In the past, when she was disappointed or frustrated, Ji Fengxue would accompany her to eat and comfort her. Whenever she mentioned auditioning for a new play, Ji Fengxue would help her contact resources and encourage her.
But now, Ji Fengxue was indifferent to her words, and her sentences revolved around Xia Linxia. Would Xia Linxia be the one being comforted and encouraged from now on?
Ji Fengxue would no longer revolve around her. This thought suddenly surfaced in her mind. The relationship she had always believed to be unbreakable seemed to be on the verge of collapse...
"Yuran? Xiao Yuran?" Ji Fengxue called her a few times.
"Ah? What's wrong?" She looked up in a panic.
"Your complexion isn't good. Are you sick?"
"No, maybe I've been a bit tired lately."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Ji Fengxue suddenly smile looking out the window. Curious, she asked, "What are you smiling about?"
Ji Fengxue waved her hand. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about that little kid Xia Linxia. She never says she's tired. Instead, she posts a few photos on her social media and then shamelessly asks for comfort gifts."
Xiao Yuran's eyelids twitched. She pretended to be casual and said, "I thought you wouldn't like children who actively ask for candy."
Ji Fengxue turned to look at her, remaining silent for a long time, staring at her until she felt a sense of unease.
She suddenly realized something. Ji Fengxue had never looked at her like this before, as if scrutinizing her, as if she could see through her deepest inner self, or as if she were looking at a stranger with indifference.
"Fengxue..."
"I admire her courage to ask for candy," Ji Fengxue interrupted her, smiling. "Yuran, although we've known each other for so many years, you don't really know me."
Xiao Yuran panicked inwardly, wanting to say, "I know you. I know all your preferences, your ideals and ambitions, and that you... like me."
Ji Fengxue suddenly felt a bit bored. It turned out she could also find Xiao Yuran boring. Of course, she couldn't have imagined that Xiao Yuran would repeatedly try to pry information about her and Xia Linxia from her mouth.
What was there to inquire about? It certainly couldn't be for love. As for anything else, she didn't want to delve deeper, but she also felt a sense of dullness.
She glanced at the time. The agreed-upon time had passed. Worried that Xia Linxia might have an accident on the way, she made a phone call.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the front seat, attracting a lot of attention. Then, a woman in a headscarf in the front row calmly stood up, answered her phone, and walked outside speaking in what sounded like Arabic.
Ji Fengxue withdrew her gaze. Seeing that the call had been hung up, she didn't know what she was thinking, but she smiled and put down her phone.
"Are you trying to contact Linxia?" Xiao Yuran asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid she'll forget about our date tonight."
Xiao Yuran bit her lip. She had just received a text message reminder from her agent, and she knew Xia Linxia was nearby. She looked around and said with a smile, "Ah, someone has left that table. I'll go dine over there."
However, as she stood up, her skirt was caught on something. With her movement, it was pulled, creating a tear. She awkwardly pulled her skirt back, exposing a small patch of fair skin on her thigh to the air.
She looked at Ji Fengxue for help, but Ji Fengxue had nothing to cover her with. She said, "Call your agent and wait for her to come here."
At this moment, a considerable commotion erupted around them, and someone whispered excitedly in surprise.
Ji Fengxue and Xiao Yuran turned their heads simultaneously. They saw Xia Linxia walk in with an imposing aura, holding a bag in one hand and a knitted cardigan in the other. She walked up to them, put the cardigan on Xiao Yuran without a word, and smiled, "It's fine now. You can leave."
Xiao Yuran glanced at her. "Thank you. You two enjoy your meal. I'll go home and change."
Xia Linxia made way for her. Xiao Yuran took the hint and turned to leave. After she had taken a few steps, Xia Linxia called out to her again, "Wait."
"What is it?"
Xia Linxia said coldly, "This dress isn't cheap. Remember to return it to me. You know, my things are always my things."
Xiao Yuran responded with a "yes" and gracefully left.
Only then did Xia Linxia turn back and look down at Ji Fengxue. "I chased her away. Are you very angry now?"
"Why should I be angry?" Ji Fengxue looked at her. "You were very cool just now."
"Hahahaha."
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