Diao Zhiyu naturally understood the situation. Who was sitting opposite Hu Xiu, turning around to face him—no words were needed to read the expression.
Hu Xiu could only see the back of Pei Zhen’s head and the slight curve of his cheek, but she was facing Diao Zhiyu directly—
She had long known this one was innately clever, but she hadn’t expected him to walk in with such composure. His eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded with a smile, politely yet provocatively returning Pei Zhen’s challenge.
That aloof, noble expression of Qin Xiaoyi’s surfaced again—facing the opponent head-on, looking down on everything, with no trace of childishness. From appearance to demeanor, Diao Zhiyu truly could never be treated as a younger brother.
Expecting to be at a disadvantage, Diao Zhiyu hadn’t lost the moment he stepped in. Hu Xiu strained to maintain a calm facade, though her heart surged like waves. To have two men who liked her confronting each other in her lifetime—how much would she have to pay a TV drama crew for such a scene!
Even screenwriters wouldn’t dare write this, right? Her mind was buried in a barrage of internal comments before she felt Pei Zhen tap her shoulder: “Ms. Hu, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Diao Zhiyu…” Taking a few steps forward to stop before Pei Zhen, Diao Zhiyu looked down at the seated man. “Actor…”
“Pei Zhen—Hu Xiu’s superior.”
Superior? Since when?
Pei Zhen stood up. The two men were nearly the same height, both holding their heads high and standing ramrod straight.
Hu Xiu hadn’t yet grown accustomed to such direct confrontations. Standing to the side, she felt almost small enough to be tucked into someone’s pocket, utterly insignificant.
Glancing sideways, she noted Pei Zhen seemed slightly broader than Diao Zhiyu, with a more grounded presence;
Diao Zhiyu’s advantage lay in his unique aura. Facing off directly, his smile carried a hint of… mischief.
A faint, confident smile, as if holding all the cards. After a few seconds of locked gazes, Diao Zhiyu walked straight into the kitchen: “Li Ai, I’ve finished editing the footage from last time.”
Tilting her head, Hu Xiu asked Pei Zhen, “Since when are you my superior?”
“Perhaps soon,” Pei Zhen looked down at her. “My special ability is indeed accurate. But—”
But?
Pei Zhen’s smile held hidden meaning. “It might stop working after a while. Everything I see today could become invalid.”
She finally understood Pei Zhen’s character—he excelled at hinting without overexplaining, leaving the rest for her to interpret.
Perhaps all doctors had this habit: not saying too much, wary of patients overanalyzing, yet choosing words with precision.
Hu Xiu recognized Pei Zhen’s brand of adult teasing. She didn’t respond directly, knowing that if she didn’t take the bait, he wouldn’t escalate further.
Well-versed in the ways adults interact.
When Li Ai brought out the pasta from the kitchen, he looked troubled. “What should we do? I didn’t expect Diao Zhiyu to come. Two portions will have to be split three ways. There’s a good seafood place nearby—their mantis shrimp and oysters are excellent. My treat.”
“No need. You go ahead and eat. I have matters at the hospital and should take my leave.”
“That won’t do. You’ve helped me greatly. At least stay for a meal.”
“Exactly! You have no idea how delicious Li Ai’s pasta is. You’ll regret missing it.”
Pei Zhen ruffled Hu Xiu’s hair. “The burn department colleagues asked me back for a consultation. I’ll visit another time. Since this is your base, it’s mine too. And—I prefer the pan-fried buns you gave me.”
“But I didn’t make those…”"Seeing you after surgery, it doesn't matter who made it. For me, whatever you give me is the most delicious.
I won't disturb you further now. There are still matters at the hospital. Call me when you decide on the surgery." Pei Zhen picked up his bag and walked out of the coffee shop, offering a gentle smile without looking back.
The entire departure took less than three minutes. Hu Xiu marveled inwardly—brilliant. By decisively posing as a leader to establish his status, effortlessly helping Li Ai while maintaining an air of nonchalance, and clearly expressing his affection for her to elevate his position before gracefully withdrawing, he had executed a masterful move.
Even if he had nothing to do at home afterward, he avoided a direct confrontation with Diao Zhiyu in the coffee shop, leaving the other party convinced of his disadvantage.
Hu Xiu stole a glance at Diao Zhiyu. He was eating noodles with his head down, devouring them at an astonishing speed, completely disregarding his image. He didn't look at her either, probably seething inside. To have his plans thwarted before they even began, letting his opponent win—he must still be fuming.
This secretly pleased Hu Xiu.
The coffee shop fell into silence. Customers' eyes drifted between the two handsome men's faces before looking away. Diao Zhiyu showed no signs of jealousy, only pulling out stomach medicine midway through his meal and swallowing it. He asked Hu Xiu, "Want to watch the promotional video?"
The small coffee shop welcomed wave after wave of customers amidst shifting lights and shadows. Coffee beans rested in Li Ai's hands, the scene transitioning from Li Ai's pupils to shots of pour-over brewing in the Matsuya style and milk frothing for latte art. The final scene, however, showed Li Ai leaning on a crutch, smoking at the entrance of REGARD.
Under the midnight glow, distant specks of starlight reflected his contemplative mood. Walking into the coffee shop, the "Open" sign flipped to "Closed," making it feel more like a feature film.
There was something to it. Even as an amateur, Hu Xiu could tell—Diao Zhiyu was a pure art-house film enthusiast.
But to place it on the store's homepage on Dazhong Dianping, making it look entirely like a story film, he probably hadn't considered profitability at all.
Li Ai didn't seem to mind. After all, coffee shops on Yuyuan Road always had business, especially with REGARD facing the financial park.
Noticing Diao Zhiyu taking medicine, Li Ai, who was particularly sensitive to medications, asked, "Are you unwell?"
"Eating too fast—it's an old issue. What was that Doctor Pei here to help you with?"
"Some health problems."
Only then did Diao Zhiyu look directly at Hu Xiu, as if prompting her to explain. Suppressing a torrent of complaints, Hu Xiu calmly said, "Li Ai might need surgery on his leg soon. Doctor Pei came to discuss the surgical plan.
This coffee shop owner seems to really enjoy his limp. Probably won't treat it until amputation becomes necessary."
"Since when did you become as sharp-tongued as Zhao Xiaorou?"
"Because we don't want to see you suffer. In this city, you're the only one I can rely on. You know how terrible my parents are. If you really became crippled, I'd be more heartbroken than anyone."
A girl approached Diao Zhiyu, timely diffusing the awkward sentimentality. "Aren't you Diao Zhiyu, the director from the previous Youth Film Festival?"
"Yes..."
"I absolutely adore your work! Your portrayal of the Hong Kong youth in 'Unnamed' left a deep impression on me! I never expected to meet you here. Could I take a photo with you?"
"Sure. Did you attend the film festival before?"
"Yes, I bought the viewing package... It was a long flight..." When Diao Zhiyu stood up, he didn't glance at Hu Xiu even once.Hu Xiu thought to herself, today's plot development was truly remarkable. Running into an audience member was also a divine assist, and Diao Zhiyu remained humble about his achievements without losing face at all.
When Diao Zhiyu returned to his seat, Li Ai was also surprised: "Winning an award calls for celebration. If you hadn't mentioned it, we wouldn't have known. We really thought you were just an actor who liked filming things as a hobby."
"I was never just an NPC; boasting about awards yourself isn't cool."
"You're really something." Li Ai stood up: "I'll close up the shop first. You can leave through the back door later. It's getting late—I'm heading upstairs and won't keep you company."
"What if I refuse to leave?"
"You'll only have the beanbag sofa or the camp bed to sleep on—disturbing me upstairs is out of the question." Li Ai's final joke felt forced.
If not for the unbearable pain in his leg, Li Ai would never have left his guests behind. Diao Zhiyu stood up, patted his shoulder, walked outside to lower the rolling shutter, and returned through the back kitchen in just a couple of minutes.
Only the aroma of pasta remained in the room, masking the silence in the air. Diao Zhiyu didn’t mention Pei Zhen at all: "Is Li Ai struggling to cover his surgery costs?"
"I think so..." Hu Xiu glanced discreetly at the camera and whispered, "Actually, Zhao Xiaorou paid this year's rent for the café. Li Ai firmly refused to accept it, and Zhao Xiaorou only managed to persuade him by threatening to cut ties. He’s been having a tough time lately."
"Roughly how much does he need?" Diao Zhiyu leaned back in his chair. "We could pool some money for him."
The two spent a long time secretly adding up figures on their phone calculators, away from the camera. Together, they could scrape together 100,000 yuan—the only challenge was how to get Li Ai to accept it smoothly.
Hu Xiu brought up the hospital’s subsidy funds and had a sudden idea. Leaning close to Diao Zhiyu’s ear, she suggested, "What if we have Dr. Pei say it’s funding approved by the hospital?"
"The application requires a family member’s signature, and the process is complicated—so many documents to sign. He wouldn’t be easily fooled. Are you stupid? You work at the hospital and still come up with such an idea. Should I praise you for your innocence?"
After spouting this series of words, Hu Xiu realized she was only a hand’s breadth away from Diao Zhiyu. The scent of mint candy still lingered in her mouth, and she subtly shifted back: "Don’t take advantage of me."
Playing the victim first. Hu Xiu, initially flustered, composed herself and added, "Dr. Pei will definitely have a way. He’s very clever and handles things with subtlety."
After saying this, Diao Zhiyu frowned and quietly drew a sharp breath. What’s going on? It’s just the start of winter, yet so many people are falling ill.
Before Hu Xiu could ask, Diao Zhiyu deftly pulled medicine from his bag and swallowed it: "I’m going to lie down in the back for a while."
There was a blanket next to the camp bed. After covering Diao Zhiyu with it, Hu Xiu noticed his face was deathly pale.
It must be a lingering issue from filming five scenes a day on Snowpiercer—eating too quickly and relying on takeout had wrecked his stomach.
Wrapped in the blanket and curled up on the camp bed, he softly asked Hu Xiu, "Could you please not leave?"
"I won’t..."
There was no way to go home for now. The subway had stopped running at 11 p.m. She dragged the beanbag sofa next to the camp bed and curled up inside it, her movements producing warm, rustling sounds like a haystack.Diao Zhiyu turned over to look at her, unfolded the blanket and shared a portion with her. Just as Hu Xiu covered her stomach and legs, he playfully tugged it away.
Hu Xiu pretended to be angry: "If you do this again, I'm taking a taxi home. I have work tomorrow."
"Don't..." Diao Zhiyu's expression could be described as pitiful: "I'm begging you..."
This was the first time Hu Xiu had seen him act coquettishly. Pei Zhen's text came through: "I've spoken with the director. After you become a full-time employee, we'll transfer you to Reconstructive Surgery specifically for translation work. But before that, I need to ask about your preference.
Since you usually do more translation work, administrative tasks can be assigned to others. I'm wondering what you think about this?"
The characters "Pei Zhen" in the message box caught Diao Zhiyu's eye. When Hu Xiu met his gaze, a chill ran through her heart.
Diao Zhiyu's eyes were sensitive, a flash of fragility quickly replaced by indifference.
He said softly, no need to avoid me around this. He really is a good doctor and marriage prospect. If you're really dating, I support you.
This left Hu Xiu confused. After saying this, Diao Zhiyu seemed to have won something, contentedly moving himself further away and curling up in the center of the camp bed, unreasonably declaring: "I'm going to sleep. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."
Hu Xiu suddenly pushed Diao Zhiyu hard: "Do you have any principles at all? Do you want me to stay or go?"
"Stay..."
Moonlight streamed through the skylight into the storage room, landing on the shelves. Illuminated by the beam was a cardboard box densely packed with vinyl records.
They had probably gathered quite some dust. With Li Ai's recent severe illness, he might not have had time to care for these treasures.
He once had a small apartment in Gubei, about 140 square meters for both commercial and residential use, exquisitely decorated. After his wife passed away, he sold the property and sent all the money to her parents as consolation. After the lawsuit, he gradually couldn't even afford to rent a larger place, and many cherished items had to make do in inconspicuous corners.
Time can change too many things, and love isn't indestructible either.
She too had things she wanted to cherish - books, pop records. But when her mother's belongings were thrown downstairs, her own fortunate surviving possessions upstairs suddenly lost their meaning.
These weren't things she would easily share with Diao Zhiyu. Perhaps due to drowsiness and stomach medicine, words that would never normally come from Diao Zhiyu's mouth naturally surfaced: "During the last three days of my performance as Qin Xiaoyi, you didn't come."
Having said this through sleepy eyes, he reached out and grasped Hu Xiu's wrist.
The drowsy Diao Zhiyu breathed heavily, as if rapidly falling into a dream. He was so close to her. She had dreamed of this so many times - wanting to get his contact information, her breath catching at his responses during performances. And now he was holding her hand.
Except for that night when I saw you liking Lin Qiumei, I never wanted you to know about my feelings for you.
And right now, with you holding my hand, it's impossible for me not to want to press my advantage.
Even if it's just simply wanting to get a little closer to you. Those who haven't met you could never understand how wonderful the feeling of heart flutter is.
Just thinking this, Hu Xiu held her breath and quietly leaned closer to Diao Zhiyu's face.Her lips could feel the warmth of his face, the fine downy hairs, his breath no longer carrying the scent of mint candy. Hu Xiu thought to herself, just the cheek wasn't enough, truly not enough.
To love someone this much—this greediness was a one-time thing. This secret crush might not bear fruit anyway, and since he was sound asleep, he'd never know...
She pressed against Diao Zhiyu's lips for barely a second before quickly pulling back. Bracing herself on the beanbag sofa was too difficult; keeping her held arm still without him noticing made Hu Xiu tremble all over, her breathing growing ragged.
Diao Zhiyu simply continued sleeping, sinking deeply and contentedly into his dreams as if nothing had happened at all.
Hu Xiu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Lying on the beanbag sofa, she gazed excitedly at his sleeping face, her heart pounding wildly. Her shoulder ached, and she wanted to turn over, but she couldn't bear to let go of the hand Diao Zhiyu was holding. All she could do was listen to her heartbeat and count sheep.
Her heart hammered so hard it exhausted her, yet it refused to calm down. Hu Xiu thought wearily, dating a handsome guy must be so tiring. Just one kiss, and the nervousness lingered for half the night. If there were any further developments, how could she possibly handle it?
She didn't know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up the next morning, she was lying on the camp bed. The sound of dishwashing came from the shop.
The rolling shutter door hadn't been opened yet. Diao Zhiyu greeted her in the dim light, his voice sounding recovered: "You're awake..."
"Is your stomachache better?"
"I don't have a stomachache."
"Huh?"
"Last night? I was acting..."
"That doctor's acting was pretty good. To not lose face, I had to play along." Diao Zhiyu turned around, wearing the familiar smug expression that belonged to Qin Xiaoyi: "What, were you fooled? Are you happy?"
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