"You must be sleep-drunk or something?"
"No, I really saw it clearly. Last night at three, he was downstairs from my apartment."
"Qin Xiaoyi came to wait under your building after work without going upstairs? That sounds absurd. Shouldn't he have come up to find you? And you've known each other for so long without exchanging contacts? Ridiculous."
"Maybe he just came to space out. Also, we should correct his name - it's Diao Zhiyu..."
"Not everyone drives three kilometers just to zone out like you do. Use your brain.
If Diao Zhiyu isn't interested in you, I, Zhao Xiaorou, will eat this entire row of cameras.
Can't talk now, shooting's starting. Shooting a commercial at 9AM - if not for this 100,000 yuan collaboration fee, I wouldn't be up this early getting sun exposure. My hydrating injections were wasted."
Zhao Xiaorou's words couldn't be fully trusted. After all, Hu Xiu still remembered Li Rong's expression when that blue-haired socialite said "let's get married," and he was the one who personally delivered the line about "serving the country, being loyal to my wife" - no escaping that.
After a good night's sleep cleared her mind, Hu Xiu even managed to buy shengjian and soy milk -
She misjudged the quantity, ordering four liang of shengjian. Now two large boxes sat on her table like ammunition for a mortar.
When the new scheduling document arrived on her computer, Hu Xiu glanced at it - these shengjian had found their destination.
Since meeting Dr. Pei, she'd been paying extra attention to Pei Zhen's schedule on the roster. As a final-year resident, he finished work around 8-9PM, staying overnight for complicated surgeries. Besides that, he worked three night shifts weekly, totaling eighty work hours per week.
On top of that, he had to research topics, write papers while pursuing his medical doctorate at Jiaotong University - the man was so diligent he had no rest time. When he got off night shifts, he likely hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
Carefully packing twelve shengjian into a disposable container piled mountain-high, Hu Xiu slipped into Pei Zhen's office, placed them on his desk and prepared to escape.
Just as she reached the door, she bumped into someone. Looking up - Pei Zhen. His monolids were truly single-lidded, his nose truly straight. When sleep-deprived, his eyes looked like slits cut by razor blades, narrow and long - not ugly, even somewhat captivating.
Pei Zhen wasn't short, leaning against the doorway almost asleep: "Looking for me?"
"No, just delivering the schedule."
"Oh. But no need next time. I only asked for your schedule before to avoid the head nurse's matchmaking attempts."
"Breakfast? For me?"
"Yes..."
"Thanks..." Pei Zhen draped his white coat over the chairback, threw his shirt over his shoulder wearing just a T-shirt ready to leave work - November, wasn't he cold?
The next moment he paused, shaking his head with a smile: "Can't do it, I'm too hungry."
Walking out, she could hear Pei Zhen slurping the soup - truly starving, devouring twelve shengjian like a storm.
The actors backstage at Snowpiercer ate similarly during their five-minute meal breaks. Actors, doctors - scene after scene, surgery after surgery, their professions didn't allow them to sit and enjoy meals easily.
Compared to them, she could still walk to the cafeteria, queue up, then sneak out for coffee after eating - relatively leisurely.
For ten consecutive days, Hu Xiu hadn't returned to Snowpiercer. Scrolling through other Live Action Role Playing Games on her phone, the reviews all seemed somewhat boring.The only one that piqued my interest was located in the distant suburbs—fifty real players and fifty NPCs, ten gangs, with actors all being students from the Shanghai Theatre Academy. It sounded incredibly tempting, but sessions were only available on weekends.
I spent my weekends solely on translation work, and intermittently managed to save up fifty thousand yuan.
Indeed, with a stable income and no reckless spending, one can still accumulate some savings.
Looking back now, those days of relentlessly practicing spoken English and studying for translation exams were worth it.
Sitting in the suburban forest park, Hu Xiu watched Zhao Xiaorou filming a video while Ning Zechen, hiding off-camera, tried to make her laugh. Hu Xiu had a sneaking suspicion that Zhao Xiaorou's sunglasses would give them away.
Sure enough, after filming, the two walked over to Hu Xiu. Zhao Xiaorou deliberately whined, "You were intentionally causing trouble. All this footage is ruined because you kept reflecting in my sunglasses."
"Why do you have to wear sunglasses? It's just a park. Being an internet celebrity is so exhausting—so affected and artificial."
Ning Zechen sat cross-legged on the grass and poked a dimple into Zhao Xiaorou's cheek.
His hand was, of course, playfully swatted away: "None of your business..."
What sin did I commit to come to the park and watch others flaunt their affection? Hu Xiu sat by the picnic basket, smelling the aroma of bread, and let out a miserable sigh.
Her phone vibrated. She glanced down: "Li Ai wants to meet us for coffee on Friday."
"Oh..." Zhao Xiaorou was spreading out the picnic blanket. The basket was filled with plump, fresh fruits and sandwiches—she had come prepared.
"Where is it? Take me along..."
"No, that's our secret paradise."
"But I'm your boyfriend."
"Private contact comes with a two-thousand-yuan fine."
Ning Zechen wrapped his arms around Zhao Xiaorou in a spoiled manner: "Baby, it's fine. This isn't Snowpiercer. Besides, if we really get caught, we can just say we've known each other for a long time."
To his surprise, Zhao Xiaorou immediately pushed him away: "You were the one who said we should keep our distance outside the show. Now you want to unilaterally change the terms? Did you ask me?"
Zhao Xiaorou's firm and unyielding demeanor left Ning Zechen stunned for a second, but he still leaned close to her with a smile.
His muscles tensed under his fitted athletic sweater, as he exerted effort to exude charm, seemingly afraid of being abandoned by Zhao Xiaorou.
In the past, when faced with Wang Guangming's moral pressure, Zhao Xiaorou would always pretend to be gentle and considerate, seemingly accepting everything, but in reality, she only fueled his increasingly intense behavior. Wang Guangming was molded into porcelain, only to be shattered by her own hands in the end.
Now, she was direct, sharp, and decisive with Ning Zechen, asserting her identity and refusing to be a man's slave any longer. Ironically, this made Ning Zechen even more infatuated.
Thinking back to the reason her ex-boyfriend abandoned her—how she had submissively tolerated everything by his side, accepting it all—the expression she saw most often on his face was... disgust.
Men are truly peculiar creatures. Or perhaps, human nature is always like this. A relationship is like sitting on a seesaw, playing tug-of-war, stacking weights on a scale. Whether joyfully swaying or angrily wrestling, there is no absolute equality. The one who is cherished always acts without fear.
"What are you spacing out for? Still thinking about Diao Zhiyu?" Ning Zechen, feeling awkward, waved his hand in front of Hu Xiu's face. "I already told you, this is work. There's no need to avoid Diao Zhiyu.""Seeing you all costs money." Hu Xiu leaned against the tree with her hands behind her head. Noticing Ning Zechen's gaze drifting to her chest, she rolled her eyes: "Watching you guys take advantage during filming to earn extra money and private contacts—what's the point? I've almost finished my tasks anyway."
"I can tell you're resentful," Ning Zechen laughed. "It's the same principle as slacking off at work. Our little maneuvers inside are essentially just like goofing around."
"Diao Zhiyu earns money to fund his projects, not to actually offer himself to rich women. Why are you so jealous?"
Projects. Hu Xiu mentally noted this, though her expression remained dejected: "Maybe I've shown too much affection in front of him, so to him, I'm not that important."
Zhao Xiaorou patted Hu Xiu's leg: "How much of your feelings for Qin Xiaoyi are real, and how much are fake? It's time to change your persona. Constantly showing your true feelings and desperately confessing won't make a man care more about you."
"I think your refusal to go downstairs was a great start. It's time to make him chase you instead."
Hu Xiu didn't respond. From Qin Xiaoyi to Diao Zhiyu felt like her feelings had deteriorated.
If Qin Xiaoyi's depth and aloofness were what fascinated her, then what captivated her about Diao Zhiyu was merely his acting skills.
Li Rong was cunning and shameless, yet he proved how dedicated he was to protecting his clients. Last night, she still hadn't gone downstairs despite her tears, and she couldn't understand why herself.
But a voice in her heart kept telling her: Don't go down. If you go down, you lose.
Even in a romance script, the advanced approach should be to make him panic once.
But now, stuck in this stalemate of not going to Snowpiercer, she might indeed never see Diao Zhiyu again. After all, the chance for him to come to her doorstep only came once.
It wasn't a big deal originally, but seeing Ning Zechen, who was also in Rong City, made her miss Qin Xiaoyi even more.
On the eleventh day of not going to Snowpiercer, Friday, Hu Xiu found a bag on her desk before leaving work. Inside was a box of GODIVA chocolates with a note that looked like cryptic writing. She spent half her subway ride deciphering it: "Twelve shengjian, thanks."
The gift box probably contained twelve chocolates. The handwriting clearly came from someone who wrote too many medical records.
Carrying the chocolates to REGARD, she found Zhao Xiaorou helping Li Ai pack coffee beans.
The 250g coffee beans wrapped in kraft paper were sealed and placed into Thanksgiving paper bags. Winter had arrived so effortlessly.
Zhao Xiaorou's video was answering questions. Her page specifically hired an editor—the left side showed netizens' questions, while the right showed her holding a phone making comments.
Her videos had completely lost their former delicate charm. After her whole transformation, her relationship advice had become much more cutting: "Rourou, a blind date told me it was love at first sight and messaged me late at night."
"If wishes could come true, he'd want to be with me in his past and future lives. How much does he like me? He says if he brought me home, his dad would definitely approve, and his future son would see me as his ideal type—how should I respond? Simple. A toad dreaming for three generations—Golden Toad dynasty."
"Rourou sister, can you tell me what the meaning of love is? My boyfriend often works overtime and doesn't come home, using business dinners as an excuse."
"Dear friend, love has no meaning. Don't bother pondering such broad theoretical knowledge.""Instead, you should focus on the issue at hand. If he doesn't have time for you, then don't reserve any time for him either. There are 3.5 billion other men in this world besides him."
"'Hello Rou Rou, I'm a male fan. I'm really happy to see you getting divorced and being yourself. What's your ideal type now? Do you feel inferior because of the divorce?'
Thank you very much for your question, male friend. I don't want to date again recently - I'm enjoying being single. My career won't abandon me.
But divorce is just the normal end of a relationship, it's not like having a criminal record. We need to separate these concepts. The term 'divorcee' carries prejudice - I'm simply single now."
Enjoying being single - while Ning Zechen was just ten kilometers away, rushing to Xiafei Garden after work to secretly meet with her.
Hu Xiu smiled and asked Zhao Xiaorou why she was watching her own videos. "There should be limits to narcissism," she said.
Zhao Xiaorou, wearing disposable gloves, was carefully weighing beans: "Just boosting my own traffic. Every view counts."
The bullet comments flashing across the screen weren't friendly. Hu Xiu tried to focus on the content itself, but her eyes were drawn to comments like "How many procedures has she done on her nose? Know your limits, you slut."
Being an Internet celebrity required strong mental resilience. Hu Xiu bent down to tie her shoes: "Speaking so bluntly will get you criticized."
"I don't care. The more controversial, the more attention I get. Opportunities in this world are reserved for those who have something to say and know how to say it well.
I don't need that timid, submissive persona anymore. Starting today, I'm going to be myself."
"Won't people say your transformation is too drastic?"
"They will, but those who like me will still follow me because I'm interesting, witty, and wealthy."
"I always think it's better to be safe than sorry..."
"Come on, as a self-media blogger, if I'm too cautious, no one will remember me."
"That's not true. This is an era where a hundred flowers bloom."
"A hundred flowers blooming means none stand out. The main thing is that everyone is trying to develop their style now. People without style or personality won't be remembered. Take the simplest example - clothing is the fastest way.
Ni Ni and Jing Boran look good in Uniqlo because they're Ni Ni and Jing Boran. A Zhangjiang guy wearing Decathlon or Canada Goose is still just a Zhangjiang guy."
The beans were quickly packed in twenty minutes. Li Ai, who hadn't been able to get a word in, finally laughed at this: "See? Zhao Xiaorou is selling her blunt persona now, and she actually has more followers than before."
"Because people don't like to see timid little girls anymore. Before, I had many male followers too, most of whom were evaluating me from a boyfriend's perspective, while female followers were learning from me how to be a delicate wife.
Now most of my new followers are girls who want to see how I become an independent woman."
"So you only speak the truth now?"
"And how do you know what I say is necessarily the truth? I'm just creating pain points to get people arguing.
My Weibo comments are full of people cursing at me now, using really harsh words. Men say I've become a shrew after divorce, that I'm vain and promiscuous and unwanted. Women say no wonder my husband cheated on me because I talk too arrogantly - damn these marriage slaves.
But thanks to them, I don't need to buy fake comments. They're all real people typing with genuine emotion. Sometimes they even divide into two camps and hold debate sessions themselves."
"Look how terrifying the 'darkened' Zhao Xiaorou has become.""Just seeing through things, that's all. When I was young, I always heard my parents teach me to follow the rules. Only when I grew up did I understand that those who become bad people earlier live better lives.
People think those who gain advantages through power are all corrupt and taking bribes, that beautiful celebrities all got there through shady deals. But in real life?
They're the most enthusiastic about forwarding lucky draws, live stream coupons, and discounts. Not that such people are necessarily bad, but when benefits are right in front of you, it's normal to waver—it's just a matter of how much.
People say capitalists harvesting chives are despicable, but once you're the one holding the sickle, seeing blood only makes you more excited.
You might look down on Internet celebrities buying data, loving drama, chasing trends, but you have to admit these clever people navigate this circle with twisted emotional intelligence and live quite well.
Those jealous of people with power and money are just sour grapes, complaining about the world because they didn't get a share. Those who've tasted the sweetness quickly blend right in.
Once you see through the rules, being openly bad isn't so shameful. What, think I'm bad?"
Li Ai and Hu Xiu exchanged glances, neither speaking. Zhao Xiaorou's tense face suddenly relaxed: "Don't worry, I'm just explaining the reasoning to you. I wouldn't say these things openly."
"That's good..."
Zhao Xiaorou leaned against Hu Xiu: "Have you noticed Li Ai doesn't share intimate thoughts with me anymore?"
"You have a boyfriend. I need to maintain boundaries."
Hu Xiu couldn't possibly have missed Zhao Xiaorou's displeasure. Smart women never make scenes in front of Li Ai. Though Zhao Xiaorou was domineering toward Li Ai, she never pressed him—saying she was single earlier was already pushing her limits of restraint.
She just rested her head on Hu Xiu's shoulder: "How boring. With love comes the loss of friendship. I'll just have to fully enjoy the pleasures men bring."
"Such as?"
"My massage oil arrived. Going home today to give an eight-pack abs massage with my bare hands."
Li Ai's back visibly stiffened at these words. Hu Xiu thought to herself how terrifying women could be, especially those in relationships who still kept others in mind. As long as Li Ai didn't voice his jealousy, she would keep making sarcastic remarks—why did she have to be in this situation?
Someone once asked what the chances were of meeting love after marriage. The answer: one hundred percent.
Actually, if not destined, most people encounter love again during relationships—what follows is just a test of human nature.
When Hu Xiu was young, she fooled around with her deskmate, joking about dating. But when the basketball player from the next class approached her, she felt fear for the first time—this feeling of liking two people simultaneously scared her.
When she was eighteen and her mother brought friends home, while thinking about her absent father, she finally understood her childhood fear wasn't wrong. This kind of attraction she once thought was mistaken was just human nature.
The chance of meeting true love is minimal. Many people cheat, but that doesn't mean their previous partners meant nothing to them.
So how fortunate are those who find mutual attraction, destined to draw each other like fate.
The sound of the rolling shutter made all three jump. By ten o'clock on Yuyuan Road, more than half the shops were closed. The knocking on the iron door wasn't loud, but enough to frighten. Hu Xiu glanced at Li Ai: "It's not that rich kid coming to sue, is it...""Impossible. He'd rather stay as far away from me as possible. Threatening me would only hurt his own legal case."
Zhao Xiaorou set up her phone: "Whoever it is, coming here specifically to knock on the door at this hour instead of going to other shops, and knowing someone's inside—it must be someone familiar."
"Ning Zechen?"
"Can't be. He's the main attraction today, working his shift. Wow, who could it be? Maybe my next viral video is about to happen."
As the rolling shutter door slowly rose, Hu Xiu's heart pounded wildly, feeling as if her body had malfunctioned.
Zhao Xiaorou's phone recorded halfway when she suddenly exclaimed: "Oh my god..."
Li Ai opened the door. Qin Xiaoyi. No, Diao Zhiyu stood at the entrance and politely asked: "Hello, you must be Li Ai? Sorry to disturb, I'm looking for Hu Xiu."
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