Hu Xiu was drunker than expected after drinking until three or four in the morning. Seeing Pei Zhen with four heads on his shoulders, his mouth moving as if saying something, but her ears could no longer hear.
Between dreams and reality, she seemed to return to Snowpiercer. Pushing open the door, she saw others playing the role of Qin Xiaoyi. She kept switching various roles to demand repayment—fifteen thousand yuan along with family letters—but each time she failed to retrieve them.
The last time she opened the door, it was Diao Zhiyu. Dressed in a white shirt and a suit vest, he lowered his head to adjust his cufflinks, a black leather strap watch on his wrist. When he looked up at her, his eyes—one single eyelid, one double—held a sorrowful chill in their deep brown hue.
He glanced at his name tag and asked, "What are you doing in my room?" Hu Xiu stammered, words stuck in her throat, unable to speak.
Yet, just as he always did on Snowpiercer, Diao Zhiyu understood her meaning. His voice remained as captivating as ever: "Out of our past affection, I'll give you this money. But this is the last time I'll make an exception for you. Once we leave Rong City, you will no longer have a place in my heart."
His smile instantly grew distant, unreal, dissolving into fragmented silhouettes in her vision.
Hu Xiu lay paralyzed in her dream, her heart tangled in chaos... I miss you, I truly miss you.
Shen Zhimin watched Hu Xiu draped over Pei Zhen, limp as a deflated ball, and asked in confusion, "Weren't we just discussing medicine perfectly fine? How did she suddenly get so drunk?"
"Heartbreak..."
"Good grief..." Shen Zhimin looked at her. "Even heartbroken, her mind is so sharp—she had me stumped with her questions. Let me ask you, the girl you told me half a year ago you were head over heels for—it's her, right?"
"Yeah..."
"I once thought you'd love Chen Naiwen forever. Men's words are devils' lies."
Pei Zhen smiled wryly. Few people knew about his passionate love story anymore. Thinking back to the "Four Musketeers" in the lab—the two Juns, Jin Junming and Ding Junrong, plus Shen Zhimin—each had romantic histories dramatic enough to fill a romance novel, their intensity and heartbreak seemingly competing with one another.
All four had now become leaders in their respective medical fields, and all were practically detached from love.
Holding the warm, alcohol-scented Hu Xiu, Pei Zhen felt a slight tremble in his heart and told Shen Zhimin, "If any young junior asks me if studying medicine has a future, I must answer truthfully: the chance of staying single is high. Proceed with caution."
Shen Zhimin hailed a taxi. "Stop being melodramatic. You're secretly thrilled right now. Should I take her home?"
"Back to the hospital. I'll let her sleep in Lao Jin's office. I happen to have a patient with an arm caught in a meat grinder—I have an orthopedics consultation in the morning."
"Contact me if you need psychological support." Shen Zhimin finished a pack of cigarettes over the evening and tossed the empty box into the trash. "After seeing her tonight, I roughly understand why you like her. This kind of radiant girl who chases you with light and warmth, illuminating a man's dark life—it's a surefire hit."
"Especially for those of us who've faced life and death for too long. Her unreserved trust when she talks to you makes people want to get close."
"She has many more likable qualities. No time to explain—I need to get her on an IV glucose drip. She seems to be shaking a bit."
Pei Zhen slid into the car and closed the door. "Prepare your resume. If she really quits her job, you'll need to ensure you can outperform other contenders to deserve her."Lying in Doctor Jin's office, Pei Zhen turned on the light and sat on the floor gazing at Hu Xiu's face.
When they first met, she had just started her job, pressing herself against the wall. Her eyes were clever and lively, with dark, round pupils that looked timid. Her ear tips were pointed, and her hair was sleek and black, giving her an eccentric yet charming appearance.
Back then, he had just applied for an exchange program in the United States, finished his thesis ahead of others, and secured a spot over other advisors. The title of associate professor was within reach.
Many eyes in the hospital were fixed on him—colleagues watched his achievements, while women eyed his availability—
A man in high demand but unavailable, their eager gazes made it hard to tell whether he was the food or the prey.
He felt nothing for those looks; they were no match for the thrill of writing his thesis.
It wasn't until he put on headphones and heard the authentic British accent from the simultaneous interpretation booth that he grew intensely curious about who owned such a pure tone and composed delivery. A girl with long, straight black hair stepped out of the booth, sighing in relief and wiping sweat from her brow—it was Hu Xiu.
For the first time in years, he felt a sour ache in his chest—he had thought himself stripped of the ability to feel his heart flutter.
What followed made it even harder for him to pull away—braving the rain to fetch documents for him, showing up at the office every morning with freshly bought shengjian, exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve, that Marriage Certificate on the Snowpiercer... every experience was entirely new.
If it weren't for Diao Zhiyu, if there were no first-come-first-served. Or if he hadn't greedily edged out a colleague to study abroad for Naiwen's sake... perhaps everything would have been different.
To some extent, he had altered the cause and effect of fate.
The moist eyes before him blinked awake, the drunkenness half faded, but soon lost their vivid color.
Pei Zhen wasn't without malicious thoughts—taking her home, confessing while she was drunk, even holding and kissing her now—such impulsive urges were hard to suppress.
Yet he merely watched those heartbroken eyes, unmoving, like searching for his name on an exam results list, from the first row to the last, and finding nothing.
He didn't even raise his hand—without love, it held no meaning.
"I think I drank too much."
"Normal, when you meet a kindred spirit. Are you okay?"
"Nauseous..."
Pei Zhen smiled: "If it's too much, I can take you to the main building for a glucose drip."
"No need, I'll just sleep for a while."
Pei Zhen closed his eyes and reopened them: "What are your plans next?"
"Work as a freelance translator for the hospital, prepare to take the EU interpretation program exam next year—it's only offered in Beijing and Shanghai. Improving myself now... it's not too late, is it?" By now, the alcohol had mostly worn off.
"Of course it's not too late. The announcement for my associate professor title will be out soon, and my new research project is nationally funded.
But I've never felt outstanding—everyone in the hospital works incredibly hard."
His heart nearly stalling, Pei Zhen gently held her hand, perhaps driven by pride.
Perhaps foreseeing that embracing her would bring an end, he kept all his words inside, only saying: "If you need a recommendation letter for the application, just ask me anytime. The hospital's youngest associate professor will vouch for you."
"Thank you..."
"No need to be polite with me."
After a sleepless night, Pei Zhen headed to a consultation with his notebook, his phone vibrating incessantly against his chest. Without a doubt, it was about Hu Xiu resigning—the news had spread through the hospital's group chat.After the meeting concluded, he opened his densely packed notebook and wrote the final line.
April 5th: Hu Xiu will leave the hospital in one month. Wishing her... a future as bright as brocade.
This likely marked the end of a chapter in his thirty-two-year-old life.
When Hu Xiu submitted her resignation, Director Cai and the vice president tried to persuade her to stay for half an hour before giving up—
There was nothing wrong with Hu Xiu's proposal, and working part-time as the hospital's conference interpreter wasn't unacceptable.
Hu Xiu knew perfectly well that if new colleagues specializing in interpretation joined later, the hospital would prioritize internal staff. Currently, no one more professional than her could be found for interpretation work.
On May 5th, her last day, she didn't see Pei Zhen. Her inbox only contained one additional recommendation letter—eloquent and sincere—his final gift to her.
She wasn't as sad as she'd imagined. After all, she'd only worked there for a year. If she really wanted to see Pei Zhen, opportunities remained: from design to renovation, Li Ai was still supervising the project, and Pei Zhen remained a regular at REGARD.
They just wouldn't be colleagues seeing each other daily anymore. As for herself, she'd left behind a legend at the hospital—
The most promising interpreter, pursued by two exceptionally handsome men, who'd squandered her advantages and was now leaving for the EU Interpretation Service—
Gossip had its perks: even before taking the exam, she was already immortalized in the legend of the Interpretation Service.
Equally dissatisfied was her furious father—of course Hu Xiu hadn't forgotten this formidable figure—who called until her phone automatically shut down.
After making her phone burn hot with his calls, her father's central argument remained: "What are you thinking? Not getting together with Xiao Pei, quitting your hospital job—do you know how hard it is to find work these days?
You're twenty-seven, virtually twenty-eight! Why are you still messing around with that minor actor? Have you lost your mind? Following your mother's path, stuck up north fooling around with good-for-nothings..."
"Dad, I'm single." Hu Xiu enunciated clearly. "And I'm preparing for the EU Interpretation Program at SISU. My goals are clear, my timeline reasonable. You don't need to worry...
And enough with the 'fooling around' talk. At your age, you should know better—adjust your tone."
"Oh, so you broke up? Do you have money? You'll regret it when you're starving!"
"I earn at least fifty or sixty thousand a month... with steady interpreting side jobs..."
Her father fell silent: "Your wings have hardened..."
Of course they had! Hu Xiu looked at the faded Marriage Certificate on her desk: "Worry about yourself. Nearly sixty with no partner, who's going to take care of you in old age? After all, your daughter isn't very filial... Don't come looking for me in Shanghai—it'll interfere with my studies."
Her father hung up. Hu Xiu placed the overheated phone on the table—had he become less fierce than before?
He hadn't been as cutting or hurtful. After pondering, Hu Xiu realized: her father, who worshipped strength, would only stop his sarcasm when she excelled—and turning the tables to manipulate him worked.
A text arrived from her father. His attitude remained rigid and irrefutable: "If you don't pass the exam next year, obediently go on arranged dates and get married. I'll find you a spouse."Endless. Hu Xiu sighed. Her father was probably the kind who would never consider things from his children's perspective. Love that couldn't be conveyed yet was mistaken for genuine care—all just useless information.
It had been a long time since she last saw Diao Zhiyu.
Time flew, and suddenly it was June 29th. Hu Xiu and Zhao Xiaorou rushed to the Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo, sitting in the front row to watch Super Junior's Eunhyuk and Donghae's concert.
They thought they were seasoned ELFs of over a decade, who would play on their phones and criticize the two until the end. Yet when the lights dimmed, they clung to each other, holding hands and screaming.
Zhao Xiaorou immediately pulled out her foldable light board and glow sticks, even taking out an iPad with scrolling text in fluent Korean: "Lazy men, release a dance practice video! From your attention-loving fans"...
Hu Xiu didn't know if the two on stage saw it, but she just felt extremely—embarrassed sitting there.
As a fan, Zhao Xiaorou never forgot to make light boards for every concert. She'd even made one for Qin Xiaoyi back in the day...
During the love songs, Hu Xiu thought Diao Zhiyu might have become a trainee too. With ten years of classical dance training, eloquence, and a sharp mind, if he debuted he could be another little Cai Xukun—
Wait, no, he can't sing or compose. Whatever, if he could gain some fame as an actor that'd be good too—saving the nation through curved paths...
She was a conference interpreter. Even if gossip revealed she was his ex-girlfriend, it probably wouldn't embarrass him too much.
When the time came, she could write a post clarifying they broke up before either became trainees, and that Diao Zhiyu was the most considerate, pure-hearted boyfriend in the world—a perfect gentleman, loyal and devoted...
Thinking this, tears nearly fell. Zhao Xiaorou pulled her into a hug, also crying, shouting along with the stage: "Can you feel it! Can you feel it!"
Wiping her smeared makeup, Hu Xiu sang loudly too—how often do you get to see your ex-husband-like Lee Donghae? Shouldn't you be happier!
Hu Xiu thought, husband—no, ex-husband, I'm heartbroken. Please comfort my heart tonight...
After the concert, under the glow of light sticks, they clung to each other in their room, singing like they were drunk.
They belted out all the old Korean songs they knew, eventually switching to "You Are My Sister, You Are My Baby."
Zhao Xiaorou hugged Hu Xiu and gave her a loud kiss, leaving a big lipstick mark on her cheek: "Hu Xiu, even if I never have a man in this lifetime, having a best friend like you makes it all worth it!
Who needs men? Who needs Li Ai? Tonight I saw Lee Donghae, and I still have you!"
Hu Xiu's head throbbed from the front-row speakers, her ears still ringing. Defeated by Zhao Xiaorou's continuous cheek kisses, she started singing "Single Love Song."
She thought, pretending not to miss Diao Zhiyu was fake—especially sitting in such a front row watching celebrities sing and dance. That heartbreak felt no less than when Nana Osaki watched Ren Honjo from the front row.
"I'm telling you, I'm giving up on Li Ai. I'm thinking of moving to Shenzhen."
"Are you kidding?" Hu Xiu rolled over: "You can't leave. If you go, the three of us will really drift apart.""Forget it, can we not talk about this tonight?" Zhao Xiaorou sounded somewhat annoyed. "Li Ai isn't stopping me, but that's just as well. If he really tried to stop me, I might actually waver."
When fans go to concerts, it's inevitable they'll push themselves to the limit with reversed sleep schedules. After singing all night until dawn and flying back to Shanghai the next day with dark circles under their eyes, both of them had exhausted their energy and pretty much spent all their affection. For half a month, neither of their WeChat accounts had made a sound.
They didn't contact each other again until July.
"How's your studying going?"
"Normal. I've taken six translation jobs."
"Wow, it's only the second week of July and you're already earning more than your regular job. I'm telling you, there's no need to take higher exams when you could still be a content creator and build a fanbase. Is the EU Interpretation Service really necessary?"
"I want to see a bigger world too." Hu Xiu flipped through her book while talking on the phone. "You don't understand what it feels like to be called a top expert."
"I don't want to know anyway. It's not like you'll earn more than me. I recently discovered some new scripts - Shanghai's best Live Action Role Playing Game studio released a series of seven scripts that create a Republic of China universe!"
"The biggest one is in the suburbs - a three-story building called 'Shanghai Bund.'"
"Too bad it's on weekends. You're doing translation work and I'm busy, so let's first try a prequel in Xujiahui on a weekday."
"I don't have time." Hu Xiu flipped through her calendar. "Every minute counts for studying."
"Nonsense. Hu Xiu, don't think I don't know your level. You could probably pass even if you took the exam unprepared. You're already doing conference translation and you're only taking this program for the certificate. Besides, you're secretly studying hard and waking up at five AM - what's a little more time?"
"It's settled then. I've booked tomorrow's 'Soul Capture' at 2:30 PM. It's a Republic of China mystery. Be at Xietu Road on time!"
Zhao Xiaorou knew Hu Xiu's preferences well - Republic of China era plus mystery scripts with on-site evidence collection were something she would never refuse.
The main character was Song Mingzhang, the police chief of the French Concession. While investigating the death of a Japanese victim, he discovered a camera. The developed photos showed various characters: Du Mingquan, the young and bold Mafia boss who could barely read, whose only weakness was his deep love for Shen Ling; Shen Ling, the beautiful yet mysterious movie star staying at the hotel who was actually an undercover intelligence agent collecting damaging information about Du Mingquan; and Han Yiqiu, originally just an assassin in the concession who had privately fallen for Shen Ling because of intelligence work...
Hu Xiu got the minor role of Shanghai Chamber of Commerce president. After competing wits with the group until the end and figuring out most of the story, the seven players were still fiercely debating whether the police, Mafia, or Communist faction would win.
During the debriefing, the Live Action Role Playing Game host handed players a "Shanghai Bund" manual - an introduction to the large suburban script spanning twenty pages: "This is currently Shanghai's top Immersive Theater experience with 50 professional Non-Player Character actors performing live. The venue is also rented out to film crews shooting Republic of China era TV dramas - very professional. Welcome to visit when you have time..."
What started as just casual entertainment ended with Hu Xiu urging Zhao Xiaorou the moment they left the venue: "Where exactly is that suburban Shanghai Bund? I want to book tickets. The host just said Shanghai Bund has twelve main storylines with hundreds of branch plots!""Did you hear that! Damn, mafia, pleasure quarters, church, police station, Japanese forces, American consulate..."
Zhao Xiaorou's phone kept buzzing with notifications, completely ignoring her: "What, trying to complete all twelve storylines?"
"No, I'm just curious whether Han Yiqiu ended up with Shen Ling in this story."
"Are you kidding? It's obvious Han Yiqiu got killed. Can't you tell Du Mingquan's character is based on Du Yuesheng?"
"Not necessarily, the author wouldn't write it that way." Hu Xiu was downloading the Ferris wheel app while walking: "Wow, this Live Action Role Playing Game is actually held at a film studio. Two sessions cost a thousand yuan - good thing I'm not the broke Hu Xiu from back then."
"This isn't some game featuring Diao Zhiyu, why are you so obsessed?"
Hu Xiu froze for a second: "That's the charm of Live Action Role Playing Games. I don't just play them for Diao Zhiyu. Weren't you the one who told me to find leisure activities? I've decided - this will be my weekend hobby from now on. I'll come every weekend, with or without you."
The weekend arrived in a blink. Carrying a thick vocabulary list in her bag, their car exited the highway and wound through Songjiang district before turning into a small side road.
What they saw next made both Hu Xiu and Zhao Xiaorou gasp in amazement -
A real green-skinned train and platform, Republican-era retro streets, three-story Western-style houses common in the concessions, clocks telling time on the buildings... This was the Shanghai Bund venue.
Hu Xiu drew the newspaper reporter role, while veteran players nearby waited to exchange name tags.
In Shanghai Bund, roles couldn't be manipulated behind the scenes. Players from each faction didn't have specific characters, all participating as trainees.
According to veteran players, the most popular actor had only been here for a month and a half, rising rapidly from a minor doctor role to now playing the lead.
Confused, Hu Xiu went to check the cast photos - all handsome men and beautiful women, but who was the most popular?
Zhao Xiaorou got assigned to the police station. They entered separately, guided by actors to complete tasks in the immersive theater.
None of the players had quest cards - tasks were entirely assigned by group leaders to interact with other actors.
The acting skills honed in Snowpiercer had significantly improved Hu Xiu's ability to deceive actors. Within half an hour, she saw Zhao Xiaorou rushing over, swearing: "Holy shit! Hu Xiu! I can't fucking believe this!"
"Watch your language, this is 1941 concession. Can you just swear like that? What's wrong?"
Zhao Xiaorou raised her hand, pointing at a man in white shirt looking down from the second floor: "Look who that is!"
"Who could it be? Did you meet an old friend?"
Hu Xiu looked up, the sunlight from the roof glaring into her eyes. Her lips trembled for two seconds.
A passing veteran player followed their gaze and smiled: "That's Han Yiqiu! Currently the most popular actor in Shanghai Bund!"
Hu Xiu stood completely stunned, managing only to whisper "Oh my god" after a long pause.
Diao Zhiyu...
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