From boldly declaring "I, Diao Zhiyu, am going to chase you" to successfully luring his dream crush Qin Xiaoyi home—thanks to the acceleration provided by his fever-addled mind (albeit nearly at the cost of his virtue)—it took less than a week for Hu Xiu to secure the incomparably handsome Diao Zhiyu.
Though she felt a twinge of guilt... having Qin Xiaoyi as her boyfriend was just too exhilarating! Honestly, this was ten thousand times more joyful than Lee Donghae getting married!
Lying in bed staring at the ceiling, Hu Xiu noticed the scent of rain still lingering in the air. A damp warmth spread through her body—she'd never be able to look at rainy days the same way again.
Those erotic dreams hadn't been for nothing. She'd encountered Qin Xiaoyi in her dreams several times, and accidentally stumbled upon Diao Zhiyu too (in utterly debaucherous scenarios). But when it came to the real deal, she'd frozen up like her spine had gone numb.
Recalling Diao Zhiyu's moves—whether pinning her against the wall, pressing close, or tugging at her clothes—none involved inappropriate physical contact, yet every gesture left her unbearably flustered.
Squinting at the ceiling, goosebumps covering her entire body, Hu Xiu acknowledged: a true veteran, seasoned from countless films, a modern-day seduction expert—his techniques were textbook-level provocative.
She tried hard to suppress the memories, forcing herself back into dreamland. Staying awake from overthinking was minor—the real problem was how these recollections set her... ablaze with desire.
She had to find a way to fall asleep!
Getting up to swallow two melatonin pills, she stared at the ceiling until her eyelids grew heavy, yet her mind remained unusually alert. She had to applaud her own acting skills.
After all, I've liked you for so long.
Picking up her phone, she hesitantly typed: "Is our relationship for real?" After a moment's thought, she shook her head and deleted it.
Just as she was about to set the phone down, a message appeared on screen: "My woman shouldn't stay up late."
On the other end, he could see her typing indicator.
Heart warming, she set the phone aside as drowsiness gradually enveloped her. But within two minutes, Diao Zhiyu called: "You can't just ignore my message."
"Ah?" After consecutive shocks from vibrations and what sounded like door pounding, Hu Xiu felt her courage had nearly shattered. Hearing her sleepiness, his voice softened: "Asleep?"
"Not yet..."
Silence hung between both ends of the line. The sudden shift in their relationship left them struggling for conversation.
"If there's nothing else, I'll... go to sleep first..."
"Hey, you're actually colder than I imagined. I call you, and you actually want to sleep."
Now Hu Xiu was confused. Was he more clingy than she'd thought?
"Don't you want to be my girlfriend?"
"It's not that..."
"I only acted on impulse after seeing the Marriage Certificate. I originally thought you didn't like me, but when I saw that torn certificate, I thought maybe you'd been truly disappointed in me. So even if it's acting, I genuinely want to be with you."
His voice was low and sticky, as if he'd shyly buried his face in the blankets. He'd probably been anxious after leaving too, needing to hear something from her to feel at ease. Thinking this, she said: "Weren't you just playing yourself when you acted as Qin Xiao?"
"Why would you say that?"
"Because you're petty, possessive, impatient, arrogantly aloof..."
"Pretty much. But there's one difference."
"What..."
"I don't want to love without being loved in return anymore. I don't like that ending."In the darkness, Hu Xiu stared at the call screen as if seeing his sulky face. Diao Zhiyu abruptly changed the subject: "I know, you just want to see me in uniform. So many people would love to see me dressed like this. It's almost a shame that only you'll get to see it from now on."
He always deflected with dirty jokes when he was nervous. Hu Xiu thought, this was really different from the man she'd first met.
After all, when Snowpiercer had knocked over his costume, he hadn't even bothered to glance at her while moving boxes.
His attention truly wasn't for strangers... it all went to those he cared about.
Several coughs came from the other end of the line, making her eyes moist.
The moment Hu Xiu arrived at the hospital, she received peculiar looks. The news of Diao Zhiyu taking her away during the farewell party had likely spread throughout the hospital.
With Pei Zhen being the hospital's star doctor and adding top-tier handsome Diao Zhiyu to the mix, Hu Xiu instantly became the center of attention—
Falling into water was nothing compared to being fought over by handsome men. The more puzzling aspect was how this ordinary woman, not particularly fashionable and only somewhat fluent in English, could attract two such handsome men? What was so special about her?
It was hard not to feel visually scrutinized from head to toe.
She had just sat down when she was summoned to Director Cai's office. Director Cai was trimming plants, her expression grim as she pointed to the nearby sofa. Hu Xiu thought, so the news had already reached Director Cai's ears? Weren't you the one who used to be so enthusiastic about matchmaking?
Director Cai made an old-fashioned slurping sound with her cup, clearly establishing dominance: "Recently, Dr. Pei bringing you along as translator has caused quite a stir among colleagues. Everyone's talking.
I didn't mention the incident of falling into water during the promotional shoot, but at the hospital, you should focus on doing your job well."
"Director, rest assured..."
Hu Xiu was still wondering who had reported this. Besides Dr. Jin and his girlfriend, those in the private room included the senior from hepatobiliary surgery, Brother Dong from general surgery, and of course Chen Yang and her senior colleague. What a coincidence.
"Romance is fine, but don't make too big a scene—there are too many gossips around."
"Don't worry, Director Cai. Dr. Pei and I are just friends."
Director Cai paused slightly, understanding dawning. She stood up, "After the promotional video is released, your profile will be listed first in our translation team. With your impressive academic background and good appearance, you've become the administration department's calling card—as the team leader, you should act like one."
So her senior colleague... Hu Xiu understood. Though the water incident was ridiculous, it had actually earned her merit. Combined with her previous translation work for the vice president during government meetings, the hospital indeed valued her image and temperament more.
Director Cai picked up some documents and handed them to her: "Take these to the Party Secretary. Having a senior translator like you working in administration might seem like a waste of talent, but there's much about medicine you don't understand and need to learn.
The hospital isn't just about Pei Zhen. You should spend more time learning from other departments. The hospital itself is a field of study."
Though Director Cai often seemed dissatisfied with her, she still recognized her abilities. Those days spent overtime studying at the hospital hadn't been in vain.
Most importantly, in her six months at the hospital, aside from work, she had never filed any petty reports against anyone.Not even a word of gossip was exchanged. Director Cai had heard plenty of rumors about her senior colleague and, in turn, didn't trust her loose lips either.
What a strange office dynamic.
On the big screen, Diao Zhiyu's edited promotional video played. She appeared in a white lab coat, trailing at the back of the team, and even got a one-second close-up facing the sunlight.
Her sharp nose formed an acute angle against the blue sky, and her ears were equally pointed. It was the first time she had seen herself from such a compositional perspective.
During her time accompanying translations in the administrative department, she mostly wore formal attire, but these days, the white lab coat had become her usual outfit. At first, she wasn't accustomed to the thick Oxford fabric, but now she wore it almost habitually.
Whether at the hospital or in translation work, life was giving her positive feedback, constantly reminding her that her current life was far happier than before.
Yet, she couldn't quite put her finger on what felt unsatisfying.
As she walked out and headed back to the office, Hu Xiu glanced down the hallway. Pei Zhen was probably on a flight to the United States by now.
With her best friend and closest ally at the hospital gone, she felt a sudden pang of loneliness.
Three months—even if there was no future for them emotionally, she at least wanted him to see how much she had progressed.
If she had enough free time, she'd like to step out of the simultaneous interpretation booth and share her experience with aspiring interpreters who wanted to follow in her footsteps. She just worried she wasn't photogenic enough.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she caught sight of her father out of the corner of her eye. Hu Xiu greeted him, but upon seeing the promotional video, he waved dismissively and walked away.
It had been a long time since she last saw her father. Even though they lived in the same compound, they hadn't crossed paths in nearly a month.
She hurried after him. "Dad, have you been in Shanghai all this time?"
"Taking care of my teacher, like I told you."
"Staying at the hotel next door? Is it convenient? Why didn't you contact me?"
"Why would I disturb you while you're dating Dr. Pei? Besides, I haven't had the time."
"About him and I—"
"Behave yourself. You're lucky to have landed someone like him. If I were you, I'd seal the deal sooner rather than later—get married early. Even without a permanent position at the hospital, you'd be secure."
"Huh?"
"That actor—cut ties with him. The other day when you fell into the water and he rescued you, it was shameless. If you disappoint Dr. Pei, you'll never find anyone else with such good prospects."
So he knew about her falling into the water...
And he hadn't even come to see her...
He was even worried she'd be deemed unworthy of the doctor because of another man...
Her father checked his watch. "I have to go teach a cram class for art students. I'm leaving now."
Hu Xiu stood rooted to the spot, her passion for the job instantly evaporating. Turning back toward the hospital, she was still fuming. If he hadn't been in such a hurry, she might have even picked a fight with him right there on the street—
It was just that whenever she talked to her father, her vocabulary couldn't keep up, and she always ended up at a loss.
The sting of his dismissals was as sharp as ever—level ten, as always. In the past, it used to fluster her, then it made her weary, but now she had learned to coexist with the pain and even found ways to let it fade.
In her memory, even when her mother was ill, her father's care was perfunctory at best—he might take out the trash, but that was about it.
As she sorted through the documents, Hu Xiu wondered: when did her parents' feelings for each other start to fade?
All she remembered was that their love for one another was measured in reciprocity—the less you gave, the less I gave in return—
Indeed, not all parents shared a loving bond. Even a teacher seemed more deserving of end-of-life care than the person lying beside him. Just how tired was he of his wife and daughter?Feeling somewhat down, she arrived at REGARD and leaned against the innermost table where a concert was underway.
Several men were playing guitars and singing "Peninsula Iron Box," with Li Ai sitting nearby softly harmonizing. At the outermost spot, Diao Zhiyu held a harmonica.
This was her first time seeing Diao Zhiyu play the harmonica, and she never expected a guy born in 1996 to listen to such early Jay Chou songs.
Noticing her, Diao Zhiyu raised an eyebrow in greeting. As the song ended, the guitarist said, "Some parts weren’t great—we need to run through it again. Where’d you get that harmonica?"
"Mine’s lost. This one’s from Li Ai’s place." Diao Zhiyu leaned closer to Hu Xiu. "Something wrong?"
"Oh, his wife used to play this. Let’s not bring up his wife—it’s been so long since she passed." A friend hurriedly interjected, "Let’s sing it again…"
Within minutes, Hu Xiu understood why Li Ai hadn’t joined in with a guitar—he stood up to take a conference call with Zhao Xiaorou and a client.
After taking over part of Zhao Xiaorou’s business operations, Li Ai had indeed become much busier: addressing client revision requests, scheduling in group chats, reviewing contracts with legal, expanding new client bases—essentially single-handedly running an entire business division.
Thankfully, newly hired staff had lightened the load, leaving him to focus on coordination. After the call, he sat back down, looking drained, and silently picked up his phone—
As a designer accustomed to café idleness and occasional freelance projects, he struggled to adapt to this relentless pace.
Zhao Xiaorou remained as elusive as a phantom, spending her days on dates with Gong Huaicong while being stalked by paparazzi. Their exploits dominated gossip sites, letting her live out celebrity fantasies.
In their four-person group chat, she excitedly announced: "I mentioned opening an Escape Room, and Gong Huaicong said he’s willing to co-invest. So Diao Zhiyu, just focus seriously on venue hunting. Li Ai can handle design, and funding isn’t an issue. We don’t need to rent that creative park in the outer ring—we can absolutely look for spaces in inner-ring malls."
Li Ai didn’t respond, simply flipping his phone face down on the table. Hu Xiu and Diao Zhiyu exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to navigate his gloomy mood.
Beside them, the men continued singing: "I’ve grown used to not stopping you / You’ll return after a while / But love in my memory seems / Unable to withstand time."
Why did they have to pick "Peninsula Iron Box" of all songs?
Diao Zhiyu checked the time. "We should get going. Taking you somewhere."
The car headed toward Snowpiercer. Hu Xiu eyed him suspiciously. "Don’t tell me we’re acting out Qin Xiaoyi again to get me a replacement Marriage Certificate?"
"Am I some kind of creep obsessed with tricking you into marriage? They’re having a dinner gathering tonight and asked me to bring my girlfriend. I don’t have many friends, so of course I’d introduce you—though most already know you."
He was genuinely integrating her into his social circle.
She never would’ve guessed that behind the exquisitely carved Republic-era façade lay a shockingly shabby backstage: ten changing rooms partitioned by blue tarps (ironically printed with the Snowpiercer logo for customer welcome areas), two wooden tables with four long benches for meals, and three worn-out sofas that actors had to scramble for during breaks.
Before she could process the environment, Ning Zechen greeted them: "You actually did it—you really won her over."Laughter from other actors echoed from behind. Generals Feng Youjin and Ning Zechen appeared one after another, their gazes falling upon her as if watching a spectacle. Lin Qiumei, holding a fan and draped in a cloak, seemed utterly defenseless against the cold.
Bai Luoyu entered and spotted the two of them, her meddlesome expression immediately resurfacing. "Oh my god, Diao Zhiyu, isn't this... this... Hu Xiu? You said you were bringing your girlfriend to meet us, and it's really her?"
Her tone made it sound as if Diao Zhiyu had picked her out blindly from a crowd of dazzling players.
Diao Zhiyu wasn't offended. "Didn't you all see during the final act? I played Qin Xiaoyi."
"But there was also a man back then—towering at 1.9 meters with a face as small as a fist—who gallantly stepped in to help the girl, even giving her special treatment and kissing her on stage."
Ning Zichen, never one to resist a joke, chimed in, "But Hu Xiu, you'd better keep your eyes open. Diao Zhiyu has plenty of girls in his phone, and none of them are easy to handle."
"I have a girlfriend now."
"That doesn't stop female players from bothering him. Don't test a man's limits, because men—have no limits. Plenty of them track him down through reviews on platforms like Dianping."
"Oh?"
The group exchanged glances. Seeing Hu Xiu's curious expression, Ning Zechen relented, "Well, it won't hurt to tell you. We all check reviews on Dianping. If we come across smart, pretty girls, we usually reach out to them."
"While chatting, if they suggest adding WeChat, it's hard to refuse. After all, we've left a good impression in the performance, and suddenly rejecting them might lead to a negative review accusing you of inappropriate physical contact. Qin Xiaoyi encountered that, right? More than once."
"Hmm..."
Hu Xiu's ears perked up, but Qin Xiaoyi, the person in question, sipped his drink from a paper cup without even glancing her way.
"Hu Xiu, keep a close watch. Dating a regular handsome guy means being wary of the occasional girl, but with a guy like Diao Zhiyu, who struts around attracting attention, you'll end up dealing with all sorts of trouble."
Diao Zhiyu slapped Ning Zechen lightly, a hint of displeasure in his gesture. "Why are you always scaring her? No wonder she was so guarded around me before—it must be because of you."
"Take a look at your own face in the mirror."
Diao Zhiyu pulled Hu Xiu closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently touching her forehead. "This is the girlfriend I worked so hard to win over. If you scare her away, I'm holding all of you responsible."
The others let out exaggerated sounds of disgust. The hot pot began to boil, and the lead actor tossed a plate of meat into the strainer, skillfully stirring it with communal chopsticks. In ten seconds, the tender beef was gone—young appetites were truly impressive.
Ning Zechen stood up to get some sauce and asked out of the blue, "Hu Xiu, is it true that Zhao Xiaorou and Gong Huaicong are dating?"
"Yes..."
"Incredible. That woman has no principles or bottom line—it's a wonder she isn't more famous. She might still take a fall someday, given how bold she is."
"She broke up with me because she was cheating, all to compete with another internet celebrity for exposure. She even hired trolls to smear the other person and reported their videos until they were taken down—"
"Since it's in the past, I might as well tell you. She'll eventually dig her own grave."
Hu Xiu listened quietly, offering no response.
The aroma of hot pot filled the backstage of Snowpiercer. During a rare break, Diao Zhiyu had squeezed in time to return, and the group sat together chatting like family. They reminisced about unforgettable players they couldn't have and revisited memorable moments from their performances, making Hu Xiu laugh uncontrollably.On the contrary, it was Diao Zhiyu who seemed nervous, constantly sneaking food onto his plate and refilling drinks as if making amends.
Hu Xiu hadn’t initially thought she couldn’t finish her drink, but soon realized the rate of refills outpaced her sips. She couldn’t resist quietly scolding him: “Diao Zhiyu, what’s this? Toasting me?”
“Don’t take what they said seriously.”
Hu Xiu felt like laughing: “It’s fine. I’m just one of the players. Moving up and getting promoted—sounds enviable.”
“I’ve never actively added female players.”
“Really?”
“You’re the first.”
Hu Xiu gazed into Diao Zhiyu’s pupils, dark pools where only her distorted, wide-angle reflection stared back: “Really?”
“If I’m lying, may I never get it up.”
Seal of approval: a nervous Diao Zhiyu tells dirty jokes—he wasn’t lying. The next session was about to start, and the actors stood up, leaving in full makeup, abandoning the messy table to be cleaned after the show. Still in costume, it felt like a brief escape from 1934 Rong City, but she held Diao Zhiyu back.
She reached out to help clean, but Diao Zhiyu stopped her: “No need. Let them handle it.”
“It’s alright…”
“No, it’s not that. They might… not be finished eating yet.”
This rushed actor’s life… no wonder Diao Zhiyu had stomach issues. Hu Xiu let him hold her hand, unable to shake him off even as they stood and walked out, faintly sensing that he was more flustered than she was about the actor’s secret just exposed.
He… really is so clingy.
The night path was dark. After the previous night’s intimate contact, Diao Zhiyu kept his hands in his pockets, not daring to reach out and hold hers.
Sure enough, post-impulse, he’d reverted to his usual shyness. Hu Xiu walked beside him when her small head—with its black curls, pale skin, and delicate features—suddenly blocked his view. Her face was impeccably fair except for a tiny mole under her eye, but her gaze felt off. Hu Xiu stepped back under his stare: “What?”
“Your understanding of acting is deeply flawed. It’s made you guarded around me, which makes me uncomfortable too.”
“Suspicion between us severely affects our relationship. Live Action Role Playing Game harms others and oneself—it got you hooked but didn’t teach you the right way to transition smoothly.”
“So?”
“So next, Master Diao will give you remedial lessons on An Actor’s Self-Cultivation. This is a masterclass, limited edition, one copy worldwide—check your Invitation.”
With that, he kissed his palm and pressed it firmly against Hu Xiu’s forehead.
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