Love between Lines

"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable."

Hu Xiu should have been the only one frozen in place, yet all three of them stood rigid as plaster statues, staring at the figure in the doorway.

Diao Zhiyu looked puzzled at the deathly stillness in the coffee shop. "You... what's wrong?"

Zhao Xiaorou even forgot she was recording: "Holy crap, he's alive. Qin Xiaoyi came out of the theater."

As if Ning Zechen hadn't been lured out of the theater by her own tricks. Coming back to her senses, Hu Xiu met Diao Zhiyu's gaze directly, and the last thread of rationality in her mind snapped. This was indeed real—after waiting for her downstairs at the unit entrance, Diao Zhiyu had come to REGARD to find her.

When she didn't see Diao Zhiyu, she remembered him as a young boy, but when he appeared in person, his masculine charm made it impossible to recall he was only twenty-two. Yes, outside the theater, he was an attractive, dangerously captivating man.

Slamming her phone on the table, Zhao Xiaorou pushed Li Ai outside, smiling at Diao Zhiyu: "Uh, Qin Xiaoyi, sorry, chat with Li Ai outside first, have a smoke. Hu Xiu and I have something urgent to discuss—three minutes."

After half-pushing both men out of the coffee shop, Zhao Xiaorou turned around, frantic: "What are you standing there for? Fix your makeup, quick! Where's your lipstick? Did you know half your eyebrow is missing? I have a full set of makeup in my bag, even a makeup light—hurry up!"

Hu Xiu was baffled: "Huh?"

"You think the dim night is romantic? No, you look like you've been tilling the fields, your whole person like a pickled olive. Sit down, I'll do your makeup!"

Brushes flew across Hu Xiu's face—nose, cheeks, eyes—before she could count how many different kinds there were. Zhao Xiaorou even pulled dry shampoo from her bag and spritzed it on Hu Xiu's head: "This man is no simple guy, he's cunning. He probably came to the coffee shop to see you at your worst, so he can just give up on you.

Hu Xiu, when you go out later, make it count. Turn your right side toward him—your best angle. No big smiles, no gloomy face. You get droopy eyebrows when you're down. We're out of time, I've fixed most of it. Five minutes—with this subtle makeup, a straight guy like him shouldn't notice."

Hu Xiu glanced sideways at the mirror—the lip gloss was so glossy it looked ready to drip, and there were even glitter particles on her eyelids—absurd.

She stood up and wiped off the eye makeup, almost with a sense of righteousness: "It's fine. Maybe he's here because I accidentally took something from Snowpiercer, and he came to get it back."

Before she took three steps, Zhao Xiaorou said lightly from behind, "Yeah, you took his heart."

Hu Xiu turned around, unable to take it anymore: "Stop with the cheesy lines!"

Before stepping out, Hu Xiu wiped the lip gloss onto the back of her hand. In her intuition, whether it was Qin Xiaoyi from the play or Li Rong, they saw everything clearly—no need for such deliberate tricks offstage.

In the night, Li Ai was smoking—the tobacco smell was strong. Whenever he had something on his mind or needed to socialize, he'd pull out his cigarette case to share. And Diao Zhiyu and Li Ai were actually chatting quite well through the smoke—proper topics between grown men—They were earnestly discussing the architectural style of AD Magazine—too much emphasis on Chinese architecture and interior design, with designers' notes overly praising artistry while lacking practicality.

Li Ai smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to have studied these things." Diao Zhiyu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, replied in an impossibly magnetic voice, "I helped them film a promotional video before. How should I put it? Magazine features and shoots are all packaging—half-truths and half-fabrications. Even they themselves can't distinguish what's genuinely heartfelt."

He seemed so mature that Hu Xiu even suspected he had altered his age.

When Diao Zhiyu noticed Hu Xiu, his expression shifted. Li Ai turned around and saw the nervous Hu Xiu, smiling as he patted his shoulder—

This charismatic cripple was actually sending a covert signal of encouragement at a time like this, undoubtedly sharing the same gossip-loving mood as Zhao Xiaorou back at the shop.

Hu Xiu walked over to Diao Zhiyu, feeling as if scorching gazes were burning into them from behind. Turning back, the warm glow of the café lights revealed no one in sight—damn it, now it was truly just him and his Diao Zhiyu alone.

Steady, Hu Xiu. He's just a boy, just an NPC actor. You've rerolled over a dozen times—what's there to be nervous about? Haven't you acted opposite him countless times in-game? You can do this. You definitely can. Stand up straight.

Despite these thoughts, Hu Xiu's palms grew sweaty, and his eyes darted restlessly. Of all outfits, he'd chosen a white shirt and jeans, carrying his "Prince Charming" persona from the game into real life. The closer he got, the faster his heart raced—just a fleeting upward glance was enough to short-circuit his brain. And surprisingly, the other person seemed nervous too.

"Looking for me?"

"Yeah..."

"Did I forget something on the Snowpiercer that you needed to bring me?"

"No. I came to tell you... I'm sorry about what happened last time."

"What thing?" You'll have to say it outright.

"When I married another player... I felt like you were really upset that day."

So direct— Of course he couldn't admit it. Hu Xiu turned his face away, forcibly suppressing a smile. The night view of Yu Yuan Road Financial Park was quite beautiful—a three-story red brick villa stood in the darkness, with two lit windows on either side like gentle eyes gazing at him.

"It's fine. It was my first time learning you could get married on the Snowpiercer too. Those older sisters taught me new gameplay mechanics."

"I really couldn't get away. I wanted to sell your Pass and Ticket to you. And... I didn't know when you'd show up."

He remembers everything so clearly. Restraining laughter was truly difficult. Hu Xiu kept a straight face, lowering his head as his voice muffled in his nasal cavity: "Oh, it's fine. If not for that day, I wouldn't have seen you play Li Rong. So treacherous."

"Coincidence—it's just the Role. I'm not usually like that."

"Really?"

"Of course. In daily life, I'm more like Qin Xiaoyi. I promise."

Another wave of awkward silence swept through the air. Their common topics all existed within the game. Hu Xiu quickly realized in the breeze that she and Diao Zhiyu didn't have much to talk about. Even with Li Ai, they could still discuss AD Magazine, but she only knew Diao Zhiyu was a Shanghai Theatre Academy student, majoring in acting.

Beyond that, she knew nothing—and all these details were secretly searched online, unusable for directly sparking conversation—

She wasn't prepared to meet Diao Zhiyu outside the game. The wind ruffled his hair, carrying a faint scent of shea butter. So clean, Hu Xiu thought.

"You came to find me... just to explain this?"

"Yeah...""There's no need to make a special trip..."

"It is necessary... I haven't seen you around lately." Diao Zhiyu fell silent for a few seconds. "I don't have many friends outside of acting, so it's rare to find someone I can talk to comfortably. That's why I always find a way to track you down."

He didn't mention standing blankly under the girl's dorm building—so concerned about saving face. His hands were stuffed in his back pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet with a boyish immaturity.

Friends... everything that followed remained unfinished. Hu Xiu thought it over and decided to let him keep some masculine pride.

She pursed her lips, feigning nonchalance. "Hearing that actually makes me quite happy."

"Hmm?"

"You don't treat me as just a player or a guest. Sounds like I'm still somewhat different from those sisters who've played dozens of rounds."

"Of course..." Diao Zhiyu looked up at the sky. "You're much more important."

"How important?"

The moment she asked, Hu Xiu regretted it, her mind flooded with frantic bullet comments—Why did I ask that?

With so many possible things to say in this world, why did she impulsively tear down that delicate barrier?

If he really only saw her as a friend, this would instantly set her back to square one.

The level of social embarrassment would be enough to cremate her on the spot. This would definitely become the number one most cringe-inducing memory to jolt her awake whenever she recalled it before sleep. Why did she have to ask? Wouldn't slowly testing the waters have been better? Damn!

Why wasn't he saying anything?

Diao Zhiyu seemed unsteady on his feet, swaying slightly as if he too was feeling shy.

Hu Xiu thought to herself—any second now he'd find some excuse to deflect and reject her. At such close range, she might as well steal another glance while she could. Who knew when they'd be this close again?

That glance proved disastrous—Diao Zhiyu was also looking at her. Their gazes locked, Hu Xiu froze in place while Diao Zhiyu drew closer. The flood of mental bullet comments multiplied with each decreasing millimeter between them until her whole system crashed.

Whether you're Qin Xiaoyi or Diao Zhiyu—no closer! Any closer and we'll be kissing, don't you know this isn't acceptable? I didn't anticipate things going this far! A little ambiguity in the theater is one thing, but this would be a point of no return!

He showed no intention of stopping.

Well, if it really comes to this... letting you kiss me might not be entirely unacceptable. Just don't expect me not to overthink everything afterward.

Hu Xiu closed her eyes and subtly adjusted the angle of her face, genuinely presenting her right cheek at a forty-five-degree angle toward him.

This was straight out of an idol drama. Being this close to someone so handsome felt completely different—like rejuvenating to fifteen years old, with all her blood rushing to her head. If someone drilled a hole in her skull right now, magma would gush out.

Qin Xiaoyi had put a necklace on her during the play, carried her out of the Haunted House—if they shared this kiss outside the performance, she'd definitely be his girlfriend. He must like her—there'd be no denying it after this kiss. Yes!

When only millimeters remained, the rolling shutter door was kicked with a loud BANG, startling Diao Zhiyu into stepping backward, hands still in pockets as he spun awkwardly in place.

Who else could be such a mood-killer? Zhao Xiaorou stood holding Hu Xiu's phone: "Hu Xiu, your senior sister is calling."

Why does everyone have such perfect timing!Hu Xiu walked the few steps to the phone, her eyes welling up with tears. Her luck in love was truly abysmal. What might have been the only chance in her life to kiss a handsome guy, on this beautiful night with a crescent moon hanging overhead, was completely ruined by a phone call.

When she answered the phone, Hu Xiu sounded dejected: "Hello, senior sister, it's so late. Won't your husband be upset?"

"Dedicated to work, you know. We're an old married couple—he's happily browsing Hupu at this hour."

"Xiao Hu, I need to tell you something. The regular position slots will be announced soon. The doctors and I have all strongly recommended you—your translation skills are excellent, and your capabilities are obvious to everyone. But there's a problem now."

Diao Zhiyu had followed her into the cafe, pulled out a chair and sat down, politely accepting the coffee Li Ai had prepared. He sipped while playing with his phone. The cafe was unusually quiet, making the voice from the receiver crystal clear: "From now on, you need to build good relationships with the doctors. After all, most of our work revolves around them. Chen Yang is very popular with many doctors—if it comes down to connections, you could easily lose out. It'd be best if you had a doctor backing you up."

"Aren't you quite close with Pei Zhen? I noticed you two had a great chat last time."

"Doctor Pei?" Hu Xiu instinctively glanced at Diao Zhiyu. He was drinking coffee with a stain at the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on her face, having clearly heard "Pei Zhen."

"Get this sorted, Xiao Hu, and the head nurse will definitely reconsider keeping you. No matter how good Chen Yang is, he can't compete with Pei Zhen being the golden child."

"Ah, Xiao Hu, seize the opportunity! Do you know how sought-after Xiao Pei is? The line of people chasing him could stretch from the registration desk to Lujiabang Road subway station, but he doesn't give anyone the time of day—he's completely unfazed."

"He'll definitely be an associate professor within two years. Xiao Hu, think about it—I'll leave it at that for now. Gotta go."

After hanging up, Zhao Xiaorou completely ignored Diao Zhiyu sitting at the next table: "Hu Xiu, what's going on? Who is Pei Zhen?"

"A colleague..."

"Don't be so quick to draw boundaries. You're both single—there's no first come first served in love. It all depends on who puts in more effort."

Listening intently, Diao Zhiyu set down his coffee cup: "Boss, I hope we can collaborate more. The coffee is excellent. I recently bought a prime lens and a macro lens—I'd love to help with photos for the shop sometime."

"That would be much appreciated."

"Did you resolve the rent issue?"

"Of course, thanks to a friend."

"Girlfriend?"

Li Ai shook his head: "No..."

As soon as the words were spoken, Zhao Xiaorou slammed her bag onto the table with a thud and sprang to her feet, every movement noisy: "Ning Zechen will be off work soon. I'm heading home to get cozy with my boyfriend. Hu Xiu, want me to hail a cab for you?"

"No need..." Diao Zhiyu stood up: "I'll take her home."

The two sat in the taxi one behind the other, neither speaking. Hu Xiu played with her phone in the back seat, still lamenting her misfortune.

They had been mere millimeters apart. What would that kiss have tasted like? Would it have been like familiar mint candy? Would his lips have been soft? Was he a good kisser? Would it have been tender and lingering, or aggressive and possessive? How could a single phone call have thrown everything off?

Surprisingly, Diao Zhiyu wasn't on his phone after leaving the cafe. He just gazed out the window at the scenery, rolling it down to let the wind tousle his hair.Their gazes met in the rearview mirror before the other quickly looked away, letting their eyes linger on the scenery outside the window as if indifferent to everything.

Arriving at the residential complex, they walked one after the other, exchanging sporadic comments about Ning Zechen.

Diao Zhiyu sighed helplessly, "Wang Wei is just blunt and outspoken. Especially after playing Ning Zechen, he’s developed a habit of exaggerating and stirring up trouble in other people’s relationships. Don’t you remember how he schemed to get me beaten up? Even though I was fainting in the interrogation room, being shoved and hitting the door was real."

Snowpiercer was the only topic that flowed smoothly. When they reached the building entrance, Hu Xiu felt they had talked enough for the day. Any further conversation might end awkwardly, so she bid him goodnight and prepared to head upstairs. Suddenly, Diao Zhiyu called out, "Wait…"

"Hmm?"

"We only get to see each other on set, and I never know when you’ll be back. It’s too passive. So, let’s exchange WeChat."

Was such a thing really happening? Suppressing her inner excitement, Hu Xiu calmly took out her phone. "Aren’t you afraid of getting caught for private contact and having your pay docked?"

"So what if it is?" After scanning Hu Xiu’s QR code and tapping a few times on his screen, Diao Zhiyu looked up. "I’ll wait until you confirm the friend request before I leave."

"Afraid I’ll run off?"

"Afraid…"

His words made Hu Xiu’s heart skip another beat. Just how many relationships had he been in? He was a true master of words, striking a balance that was ambiguous yet never crossing the line, leaving her itching with anticipation every time.

In the past, exchanging contact information was something she had dreamed of countless times. Now that Qin Xiaoyi himself had added her on WeChat, Hu Xiu felt she could sprint all the way to the sixth floor in one breath.

If things had really progressed this far—with physical contact, waiting downstairs, and even a café visit—putting in a little more effort wouldn’t be out of the question…

She decided to go for it!

Pulling the building door open and then closing it again, Hu Xiu descended three steps and stood in front of Diao Zhiyu. Clearing her throat emphatically, she said, "Earlier at REGARD, it seemed like there was something you didn’t finish. If you feel like you need to make up for it… I’ll wait."

What kind of bold, flirtatious line was that? At this point, on such a dark and windy romantic night, it would be hard for Diao Zhiyu to leave without making up for that kiss.

Diao Zhiyu leaned closer to Hu Xiu’s face, tilting his chin slightly to gesture toward her lips. "You mean this?"

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Hu Xiu shut her eyes tightly. Yes, this was it.

Two fingers gently pried her eyes open—not forcefully, just teasingly. Li Rong’s playful taunting returned: "Why are you so nervous? I was just noticing you have a mole under your lower eyelid. I hadn’t seen it before. You’re overthinking it."

Diao Zhiyu stared into her eyes as he slowly stepped backward, not turning away until he was some distance off, his gaze still fixed on her—tempting, yet challenging.

His retreat was unhurried, like a slow-motion shot gradually pulling away. As he turned, his clothes fluttered lightly, his dark bobbing in the breeze, his departure casual and effortless.

That innate charm of his was back. Hu Xiu couldn’t understand how a boy with such a youthful aura could possess so many bewitching expressions.

But one thing was certain: something tonight had triggered his competitive spirit. That mischievous smile was like a tender yet sharp declaration of war.