Jiang Chuyi sat cross-legged on the sofa and unwrapped the tiramisu.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhong immediately stopped her: "Sister, you must not eat this!"
"It's okay to eat secretly." Jiang Chuyi ignored the advice and tore off the packaging bag of the fork, "Don't tell Sister Ning."
"It's not a question of whether I should tell Sister Ning or not..." Xiao Zhong frowned and sighed, "I bet if you eat it, you will regret it when you wake up tomorrow. You are in the middle of filming!"
"It's okay." Jiang Chuyi assured Xiao Zhong with a smile: "I won't eat anything else in the next few days, just eggs and fruits."
Seeing her like this, Xiao Zhong didn't know what to say. He looked at her reluctantly, "Well, after all, it's your birthday today, as long as you are happy..."
Jiang Chuyi pretended not to hear the heaviness in her tone and put a small piece into his mouth.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been abstaining from sugar for too long, the moment I eat it, a feeling of happiness suddenly comes over me.
In fact, when she was a child, her favorite food was sweets and biscuits. Later, when she started to make movies, her family gradually forbade her to touch these. So every time her cousin had a birthday, Jiang Chuyi would secretly coax and trick her into taking her cake. Later, when she was a little older, she was afraid of getting fat, so she gave it up.
Jiang Chuyi was eating slowly when she heard Xiao Zhong shout, "There's something in this bag."
She looked up: "What?"
"It's a Polaroid photo paper." Xiao Zhong took it out and looked at it curiously.
"What is it? Let me see it." Jiang Chuyi stretched out his hand.
Xiao Zhong handed the thing to her.
Jiang Chuyi held it in his hand and studied it for a while.
An ordinary landscape photo, with only a few green trees and a blue sky with white clouds. The overall look is a bit old, and there seems to be nothing special.
"It should be a gift from the dessert shop, right?" Jiang Chuyi couldn't figure it out.
Xiao Zhong muttered casually, "The Italians are so exquisite that they even plastic-seal the photo paper they gave us as gifts."
Jiang Chuyi picked up the tiramisu again and told Xiao Zhong: "Don't throw it away, keep it as a souvenir, put it in my suitcase."
Jiang Chuyi ate very slowly, cherishing every bite she took.
When she was almost done eating, she picked up her phone and swiped her thumb up and down the WeChat list. After hesitating for a long time, she finally clicked on Zongye's profile picture.
Last time, after Chen Yi knew that she had added Zong Ye on WeChat, he asked her to take a screenshot of his Moments and take a look. Jiang Chuyi later forgot about it.
It was the first time she clicked into his circle of friends.
The first sign that caught my eye was a sentence in English.
"When I appear, the stars tremble for me."
Jiang Chuyi read it once and felt inexplicably familiar.
After pondering for a few seconds, she remembered.
This was a very popular line from Xibao's debut song, and was later used as a slogan everywhere.
Jiang Chuyi watched this stage performance when she was doing her homework some time ago.
Zong is also the bassist, but he sang this verse.
—When I appear, the stars tremble for me.
Different from his usual speaking voice, when Souya sings, his voice is super sexy, so low that it can make half of your ears numb when you put on headphones...
He rarely posts on his Moments, mostly forwarded work promotions, and rarely shares anything about his daily life.
Jiang Chuyi couldn't help but think of herself, and was a little conflicted about whether she should hide all those ridiculous daily photos on her circle of friends.
Chen Yi mentioned this to her from time to time. She posted cute photos, just like those new mothers who like to show off their babies on WeChat Moments. She thinks they are cute no matter how she looks at them, but others will probably find them annoying if they see them too much.
However, a busy man like Souya hardly has time to sleep, so he probably doesn't have the time to look through her circle of friends.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chuyi felt relieved.
Jiang Chuyi: "The cake you sent is very delicious. It's so thoughtful! Thank you very much."
I don’t know if the other party was busy, and he replied after a while.
Souya: "As long as you like it, happy birthday."
Although the small card was signed by Xibao Studio, the handwriting looked like it was written by Souya himself.
After this period of contact, she found that he was indeed a very sensible person, humble and polite. Whether he was treating her or the staff around him, his actions and words would not offend others.
No wonder he has such a good reputation in the circle and has so many loyal fans.
Jiang Chuyi felt that she had a big misunderstanding of Zong Ye because of her cousin.
She searched Baidu Encyclopedia for Souya, and the official information showed that his birthday was January 13th.
That will be soon.
But by that time, everyone had already returned to their home country, and they had probably become strangers.
Jiang Chuyi opened the calendar on her phone and set an alarm for the early morning of January 13th.
Even if she couldn't do more, she should at least remember to say happy birthday to him.
*
Since some of the schedules of the West Storm could not be adjusted, they had to fly to another place to participate in activities from time to time during the filming. For a popular idol group, it is very difficult to take a month off to film. Even the IM team came several times, and the director had to speed up the filming progress.
Jiang Chuyi was also popular before.
But her popularity is limited to being remembered for one role.
Unlike Xibao, who is so busy that he works almost day and night, and even has to catch a plane during the breaks in filming.
A few days earlier than expected, their scenes in Italy were basically finished.
The final wrap-up scene was scheduled to be filmed when it snowed in Beijing.
Two days before Gao Ning learned the news, she flew over to visit the set and accompany Jiang Chuyi back to China.
Jiang Chuyi was puzzled. She had nothing to do in her country, but she came all the way here and didn't even feel tired.
On the morning of her return, Gao Ning got up an hour early, rummaged through the suitcase, and carefully matched clothes for Jiang Chuyi to wear at the airport.
This posture gave her the illusion that she had become famous.
Jiang Chuyi sat on the bed and watched. She felt that Gao Ning was a little too cautious and had to remind him, "I don't even have a regular fan site right now. Who would be interested in seeing the airport photos?"
Gao Ning glared at her and said, "Didn't you just start working with Xibao? It's been quite popular recently, so you have to prepare everything in advance."
"Other people are famous for their own reasons, and I am not famous for my own reasons. Is there any connection between the two?" Jiang Chuyi sighed, "Just match them up and you won't have to waste your energy."
"Don't worry about me." Gao Ning buried her head in the selection and threw another set of clothes on her bed. "Try this."
Jiang Chuyi resigned herself to putting on the fourth outfit she had tried on today.
Before leaving, Gao Ning thought of something, pulled Jiang Chuyi, and put a thin silver necklace on her.
After putting it on, Gao Ning looked around, raised her hand, tucked her collar, adjusted it to the effect that the necklace was faintly visible, and then clapped her hands in satisfaction, "Done."
Jiang Chuyi looked at herself in front of the full-length mirror and asked curiously, "What kind of necklace is this?"
Gao Ning said casually: "Just wear it obediently."
Xibao returned home early last night, and Jiang Chuyi and Xin He took a flight back to Shanghai the next day.
After spending more than half a month together, Xin He became more familiar with her and it seemed that they had developed some feelings for each other. On the way back, he took the initiative to talk to her about some things.
It’s about Fucheng and also about myself.
Jiang Chuyi likes to be a listener. When she listens to others, she is always serious and gives feedback in a timely manner.
The two chatted, and Xin He asked a few questions about what had happened between her and Qin Tong before.
Although Xin He debuted earlier than Jiang Chuyi, she has a strong background and is well protected. Even if there is malicious slander, Huarui will immediately help her solve it. She is the kind of person who is not very scheming.
So Jiang Chuyi didn't mind uncovering past scars and patiently explained to her the negative rumors that were spread about her back then.
She started filming when she was a student, and later met Chen Yi in college, but they were rarely together because they were busy with their own things. She didn't have many true friends in the entertainment industry, so sitting down and talking to someone she had just met was a bit of a novelty for her.
Jiang Chuyi has been in various crews over the years and has met many actresses. However, the class differences in this circle are very obvious, and most people have the mentality of: I am more popular than you, so I am naturally superior to you.
So after filming, they returned to their normal routine and rarely contacted each other privately. Others also looked down on her.
Although Xin He had a bad temper, he didn't seem to look down on her when they were together.
After getting off the plane, Xin He exchanged WeChat with her.
The temperature in the country was already very low. Jiang Chuyi shivered with cold as soon as he got out of the cabin.
As he walked out of the passage, Jiang Chuyi lowered his head and replied to WeChat messages.
Xin He finished her makeup, glanced at her before putting on her sunglasses, and snorted, "You have a lot of friends."
Jiang Chuyi paused while typing, tilted his head and thought for a moment, "Not many, just a few."
"Who is it?"
"Chen Yi..."
As soon as a name was announced, Xin He said disdainfully, "I've never heard of it."
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
Seeing her silence, Xin He asked again: "Are you close? What has she acted in?"
Before meeting Xin He, Jiang Chuyi had heard some things about her. According to rumors, Xin He was arrogant and proud, and even Zhao Guangyu, a straight man who didn't care about gossip, said that she had a serious princess syndrome.
Maybe it’s because of this... I haven’t made many friends.
"She doesn't act in many dramas, she mainly takes on variety shows." Jiang Chuyi asked tentatively, "But she's a nice person. We're planning to have dinner together in the next two days, do you want to join us?"
Xin He sneered and asked in confusion, "Oh, what should I do?"
"I thought you were asking so many questions because you wanted to get to know me."
Xin He retorted very quickly, crossing his arms: "I don't think so."
Jiang Chuyi: "Okay."
I have to say that Xin He and Fu Cheng are quite a good match. Two out of three sentences they say can make people angry to death.
They walked out of the airport together and were quickly surrounded by fans.
Most of them are Xin He’s.
My surroundings are filled with excited screams of "Baby, mommy loves you", "Why have you lost weight again, girl?", "Hehe, come look at me" and so on.
Despite being pushed and shoved by so many people, Xin He did not get angry. She took the flowers and letters and told the fans in a very kind manner to be careful.
Someone accidentally pushed Jiang Chuyi. Xin He frowned slightly, pulled her towards him, and whispered, "Be careful."
The fans around saw this and fell silent at the same time.
What's happening here
Due to Xin He's hand slip incident some time ago, many fans of rival fans took the opportunity to jump out and mock her for calling her "hand slip sister" online.
This led to Xinhe’s fans trying hard to fight against the black fans for a while.
How come they came back from filming a movie, and the relationship seems to be pretty good...
Under the escort of enthusiastic fans, the group left the airport with difficulty. The nanny car was parked on the side of the road. When they were about to say goodbye, Xin He suddenly asked, "When are you going to eat?"
Jiang Chuyi exclaimed, "What are you eating?"
Xin He took off his sunglasses and glared at her angrily.
After two or three seconds, Jiang Chuyi reacted.
Alas, he is indeed a tsundere.
Jiang Chuyi held back her laughter and deliberately said, "It's not decided yet."
"Okay." Xin He changed her expression, smiled and waved goodbye to the enthusiastic fans in the distance. Before getting on the car, she finally spoke, but her tone seemed very reluctant, "Notify me when it's decided."
Jiang Chuyi agreed with a smile, "Okay."
*
Jiang Chuyi hadn't seen Ruby for more than a month on a business trip and was eager to go home.
After returning home and turning on the heating, Jiang Chuyi curled up on the bay window, touching Ruby's furry head, and only then did she feel that all her fatigue was washed away.
After taking a shower, Jiang Chuyi stayed in a familiar place. The aromatherapy diffuser gave off a moist fragrance, and she felt safe for the first time in a long time. While lying on the bay window to dry her hair, she fell asleep without realizing it.
I was woken up again at noon the next day.
The phone was popping up all kinds of message alert sounds like crazy.
Jiang Chuyi fumbled with her cell phone and just in time received a call from her cousin.
She raised herself up slightly, "Hello?"
Shan Wanwan was heartbroken: "Sister, why are you and Zong Ye having sex buddies on the set? You are so stupid!"
Jiang Chuyi was confused, "What fuck buddy? Who told you that?"
"Do I need to hear it?" Shan Wanwan said excitedly, and threw down a thunderbolt -
"You and Zong Ye have been at the top of the trending search list for two hours!"
"What?!" Jiang Chuyi's voice was even more excited than hers, "What's the hot search? Let me take a look."
Jiang Chuyi hung up the phone and immediately opened Weibo.
As my cousin said, her and Souya's names were at the top of the trending searches, with a series of several entries.
#Mong Ye's suspected love affair exposed#
#Zong Ye Jiang Chuyi#
#The crew couple#
#West Storm Collapse#
She quickly clicked on one.
The front row was full of marketing accounts, and the pictures they posted were all photos of her coming out of the airport yesterday.
Jiang Chuyi was completely confused.
Was there something wrong with what she wore yesterday? What was the connection with Zong Ye? She calmly clicked on it and read the Weibo post that caused this storm carefully from top to bottom.
"Yesterday, Xiaobing was at the airport to check on Xin He and accidentally spotted a low-key dressed woman next to her. Xiaobing took a closer look and found that this woman was the young actress Jiang Chuyi who Zong Ye had interacted with on Weibo a few days ago. Since they seemed to have a good relationship, according to my many years of experience, these two are definitely not simple people. I went to find out more and more, and the more I dug, the more I found out."
The points he listed next were probably some clues from Zong Ye’s past Weibo posts.
For example, Zong Ye basically does not interact with female artists, but he made an exception for Jiang Chuyi for the first time and even appeared in her live broadcast room to cheer her on in person.
For example, he posted on Weibo that he particularly likes the numbers 1 and 11.
For example, Zong also has a special habit. Since his debut, he has sent out New Year's greetings every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which is homophonic with "Chu Yi" (first day of the lunar year).
There are even some fragmentary interviews of his past, and every time he talked about his ideal type, he was very specific - appearance and height are not important, he prefers girls with gentle and kind personalities, with long straight black hair, and who like small animals.
Jiang Chuyi has been filming for many years, especially most of the costume drama crews in Hengdian have strict regulations, so she has never bleached or dyed her hair. In addition, she is famous for her love of raising rabbits.
As we all know, once the person talks about his ideal type in a very specific way, it means he is in love.
If this is not love... then the most convincing point is the airport photo that was freshly released yesterday. The necklace that Jiang Chuyi wore around her neck was the same one that Zong Ye had worn before.
He wore it very inconspicuously, hiding it under his sweatshirt, as if he was deliberately hiding something.
It’s common for people in the entertainment industry to wear the same clothes and wear the same jewelry, but the problem is that this necklace is from NESSING, a German luxury brand that is considered unpopular in China.
Zong Ye has never posted on any social media platform, nor is he the spokesperson for this brand. He was just occasionally photographed by fans in private photos a few times before, and the ring on his hand was of this brand.
But he wears it very rarely, and only a few die-hard fans know about it.
In conclusion, something must have happened between Jiang Chuyi and Zong Ye on the set. There are several possibilities:
First, they have been secretly in love for many years. The most likely reason why Jiang Chuyi was able to take advantage of Xibao's popularity this time was because of Zong Ye. The two of them were dating at public expense.
Second, they became a couple on the crew. Jiang Chuyi was a top star and couldn’t hold back her girlish thoughts. She wanted to show off her relationship but didn’t dare to, so she secretly wore the same pair of shoes.
The more Jiang Chuyi read, the more shocked she became, until she was stunned.
I deeply admire this group of people's divergent thinking, imagination, and ability to distort facts.
If she was not the person involved, she would have been almost brainwashed by this long Weibo post.
The moment she saw the necklace, Jiang Chuyi immediately understood what was going on. She called Gao Ning directly.
"What's going on with the trending search?"
Gao Ning played dumb: "What's going on?"
"How could those people have the time to notice the necklace on my neck?" Jiang Chuyi was puzzled. "And the necklace is only slightly exposed, and you can't see it without careful observation. If someone hadn't leaked the information in advance, how could they have found it out? Was it a press release issued by us?"
"What else?"
"… "
Jiang Chuyi was instantly irritated by her self-righteous attitude, "What do you mean? Is it really you who did it? Could you have discussed this with me before doing this?"
"Don't get excited, don't get excited!" Gao Ning comforted her.
"How can I not be excited?" Jiang Chuyi sat up and walked around the room. "Don't you know that Zongye and his friends are an idol group? How can they be in a relationship? You can't be unaware of the consequences of their relationship being exposed. And aren't you offending the people at IM? This movie hasn't even been aired yet, and there's already so much going on—"
"Stop, stop, stop." Gao Ning was confused by her questioning and lowered his voice, "You said that, it seems like you two are really in love. Wait a minute, I'll talk to you somewhere else."
After a while, the noisy background noise seemed to quiet down a bit, and Gao Ning spoke again, "This matter is indeed a press release purchased by us, and it would be a waste if we don't use it to increase the popularity! Don't worry, this matter will not have much impact on Zong Ye. He has been involved in many scandals over the years, and none of them have been confirmed. Yours is not special. Moreover, the things we released are easy to explain, and they are not too excessive. By the way, we can also stir up the popularity for Zhaixing. Isn't it the best of both worlds? Otherwise, do you think this trending search can stay for two hours? The people over at IM are vegetarians, right? They know everything! For things like the same necklace, at most you can say that you are his fan. It is normal to follow your idol and buy the same one."
"The movie is called Catching Stars." Jiang Chuyi complained helplessly, "Do you know that I will be scolded to death by his fans?"
"Let them curse! What matters is the popularity." Gao Ning didn't care. "Don't tell me, your secondary account was exposed last time, but it was alright in the end, wasn't it? I have received several more books in this period of time."
The last time her secondary account was exposed was indeed an accident, but this time it was completely deliberate hype. Thanks to that accident, she tasted the high attention brought by the hype of the top stars, and even the agency Kaijun forced a lot of presence.
Gao Ning's original desire to hype up the business was rekindled, leading to today's incident.
"I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you're not a newbie anymore, can you keep a positive attitude?" After a brief moment of feeling guilty, Gao Ning became more and more excited. "Do you know how long we spent looking for these scraps and how many nights we stayed up? Do you think it's easy for us? I have to say that God is still willing to favor you. The names Chuyi and Chuyi are really good! It's not in vain that you raised your rabbit, we really bumped into it. You don't know how excited we were when we found these interviews! It turns out that girls who love small animals don't have bad luck!"
Jiang Chuyi couldn't help but say as she listened, "You really put a lot of effort into this."
"Tsk, it's enough for you to know my good intentions." Gao Ning chuckled twice, "Don't worry, at most tonight, the studio over at Xibao will issue a statement, and we will cooperate with them to clarify. Didn't you increase the popularity? There are four or five trending searches, and we don't have many water army! You have to seize the opportunity, understand? Maybe this time you will turn things around, so show some courage."
Jiang Chuyi was completely speechless and hung up the phone.
She covered her face with her hands and sighed heavily.
After this incident, all the people in her WeChat message list who she didn't usually chat with and weren't familiar with all started to pretend to be dead, asking her if it was true or not, and whether she was actually in a relationship with Zong Ye
Jiang Chuyi couldn't go back, and she had no mood to go back at all.
She sat there thinking about what to do, grabbed her hair irritably, went to wash her face, and when she came back she picked up her phone again.
There was no movement from Zong Ye, nor did he send any message to question her.
Maybe in two days, he will delete her.
Although Jiang Chuyi wanted to explain, what was the point of sending messages to others at this time? It would make her seem hypocritical and would only cause trouble for Zong Ye.
The necklace was worn by her, the press release was issued by her team, and there were those ridiculous timings and interviews... Jiang Chuyi is indeed not innocent in this matter.
Zong Ye estimated that he would be afraid of ordinary women for the rest of his life.
*
Things really developed as Gao Ning said. Within a few hours, Xibao Studio issued a solemn statement and sued the paparazzi who spread rumors. Then Jiang Chuyi's agency Kaijun also spoke out.
Fans began to clean up the square on a large scale, and for a while it became a bloody scene.
[IM is really dead, Zong Ye made so much money for you, but you didn't fight against the black, so you saved it for your own funeral? Huh?! This trivial matter is on the hot search every day, Zong Ye's contract will expire in two years, you should have some idea in your mind. ]
[Can you please stop going crazy, please? You only know how to support Zongye CP all day? I don’t understand why my brother is being paired up with someone every day. If you continue to support him, I wish your true love will soon be buried in the earth! ! ! ! Get lost! ! ! ! ]
[Kaijun's abacus beads are about to fall on my face. If your little artist wants to hype himself up, just pull some obscure people of the same rank to hype him up. Don't be so shameless! ]
[This is a normal cooperative relationship. Please pay attention to the movie "Catching Stars" and do not spread rumors or brainwashing messages. Please also respect yourself, a certain actress.]
[Xin He, I still have the energy to curse... Jiang Chuyi, this is really, there is a limit to fraud, ok? Where did the flood come from and wash up this seafood, I am too lazy to even look at it, it is so unlucky (spitting)]
[When will the bastard die? Zongye is my boyfriend, thank you! ]
Jiang Chuyi’s Weibo was completely overwhelmed, with the comment section and real-time square completely destroyed.
But these are not the most important things.
When getting along with friends, Jiang Chuyi usually speaks her mind. She doesn't want to be hurt, nor does she want to hurt others. I don't know what Zong Ye thinks now, but she already regards him as a friend in her heart.
Jiang Chuyi knows the feeling of being used and backstabbed.
After much hesitation, she finally made up her mind and, prepared to be completely hated by Souya, she sent him one last message.
If Jiang Chuyi had been more sensible and knew what was going on, she shouldn't have disturbed Zong Ye at this time.
But she was still a little greedy, or just a little naive, and hoped that by explaining a little more, she could get at least a little understanding from him.
She carefully considered the message in her memo.
Just in terms of address, Jiang Chuyi deleted and changed it again. More formal or more casual
In the end, she decided to go back to the original "Mr. Souya".
At one o'clock in the morning, Jiang Chuyi finally sent out this apology message, which she thought was barely sincere.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Souya, for causing you trouble again. I hope this incident didn't cause you too much trouble. The necklace was a mistake made by my agent. I promise that this kind of thing won't happen again in the future. If you need clarification later, I will do my best to cooperate. I'm sorry."
After sending the message, she stared at the screen, held her breath and waited for a while, but there was no movement from the other side.
An hour later, Jiang Chuyi finally confirmed that she had not received a reply and threw her phone away.
Jiang Chuyi felt that this was expected, but she still couldn't control the sadness that welled up in her heart.
Maybe it's too late, or maybe I'm busy.
Even if she saw it, it was normal for her not to reply. She had done her best by not deleting the message. She comforted herself in this way.
She shouldn't have held out hope that Souya would still care about her.
Things should have ended here.
The subsequent development of all this seems to be no different from when the scandal about Souya broke out before.
However, in some unknown corner, someone created a CP super topic called "Yi Jian Zong Qing". A bunch of people secretly posted behind the backs of those angry fans, and the popularity was getting higher and higher.
[Oh, Souya’s fans are always blind and crazy... Why do I feel that it’s quite real = = Although the woman is suspected of riding on the popularity, the look in Souya’s eyes during the last live broadcast was quite strange... ]
[The CP of the top star and the young actor feels quite exciting, Xiangxiang, is there any other material? Come here to wait. ]
[Although idols are not suitable for dating, I've said that my values are not right, but there is a strange sense of taboo, which is really good. TvT and Xibao have disbanded. I hope Zong Ye will post an official Weibo announcement. ]
[Stop joking above, Zong Ye is so crazy and obsessed with it that there is no one like him in the domestic entertainment industry before or after him. The official announcement is that the woman was scolded and retired from the circle. ]
[I’ll leave it at that for now. Zong Ye and Jiang Chuyi are definitely not simple people. I’ll dig up their graves later.]
[To be honest, I think it’s so subtle to send blessings on the first day of the Lunar New Year. It’s appropriate for the first day of the Lunar New Year. Woohoo, I’m hooked, the day of my dream graduation.]
*
Jiang Chuyi was completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world.
She locked herself at home for three days, sitting in the living room watching movies. When she felt sleepy, she would just lie down on the sofa and sleep. When she was hungry, she would just eat some instant noodles, completely ignoring the need to manage her body.
The assistant and Gao Ning came over once, and seeing her like this, they left. Jiang Chuyi didn't check her phone and didn't bother to answer any calls.
Until one day at noon, the doorbell rang.
Jiang Chuyi sat up from the sofa slowly.
After a sound of the password lock, Chen Yi pushed the door open and came in. She changed her shoes, carrying a bag of things, and just took two steps, she was shocked by the dishevelled Jiang Chuyi: "Sister, why do you look like a savage?"
"You're here." Jiang Chuyi greeted her weakly, then lay back straight, like a dried salted fish.
"You didn't respond to my messages or my calls. What's wrong with you? Are you autistic?" Chen Yi approached her and lifted the blanket from her body with disdain. "Can you be more hygienic?"
Jiang Chuyi was in a complicated mood and didn't feel like chatting with her. "I took a shower."
Chen Yi put the bag on the coffee table and sat down next to her. "What's wrong? Tell me."
Jiang Chuyi closed her eyes, turned over, and said in a muffled voice, "Nothing."
"No, you just had a scandal with Ding Rumor, didn't you? Why are you acting like a big shot in front of me now?"
"Can you please stop mocking me?" Jiang Chuyi opened her eyes and turned her head. "How can someone like you have friends?"
"Oh my." Chen Yi pulled her hair and saw that Jiang Chuyi was in a bad mood. He stopped joking and said, "Cheer up. It's just being scolded. It's not like we haven't been scolded before. Who of us can escape? Think about it in a positive way. You have also made a strong presence. How great!"
“I’m not afraid of being scolded.”
Jiang Chuyi paused, not knowing how to tell her, "I feel that I am quite sorry for Zong Ye."
"I'm sorry, Zongye?" Chen Yi's pupils trembled, and he looked at her in surprise, "Is there really something going on between the two of you?"
"Oh, no!" Jiang Chuyi was depressed again, and it was a bit difficult to speak. "I know this idea is quite narcissistic, but I think Zong Ye treats me as a friend."
Chen Yi said nothing and just listened to her quietly.
"Although we have known each other for a short time, I think he is a pretty good person." Jiang Chuyi's voice became lower and lower. Thinking of those things, she felt more and more uncomfortable. "He took good care of me when we were filming and even wished me a happy birthday. As a result, he caused such a big mess just after returning to China. I don't know what he thinks of me..."
"Stop first." Chen Yi interrupted her, "Why don't you just send a message to him instead of thinking so much here? You two have WeChat, so just talk it out. It's not a big deal."
Jiang Chuyi lowered her eyes, unable to hide her depression: "I sent it, but no one replied to me."
After a few moments of silence, Chen Yi sighed and immediately changed the subject: "If you don't want to reply, then don't reply. It doesn't matter. We are not the same kind of people as Zong. To put it bluntly, you consider him a friend, but he may not consider you a friend. Maybe he is just being polite."
Jiang Chuyi wanted to refute, but she felt that Chen Yi was right, so she said in a hoarse voice: "No, oh, forget it, you don't understand."
"Why? Do you have to be friends with Zongye?" Chen Yi was a little confused. "Don't tell me you don't need a friend like him?"
This made Jiang Chuyi stunned, and she subconsciously said: "Not really..."
"That's it! If Zong doesn't want to pay attention to you, just pretend you've never met him." Chen Yi nodded her head. "Even if he really hates you, he's a busy man and doesn't have the time to trip you up. What are you afraid of? The movie with Xibao has already been filmed. Can he still ask the director to replace you?"
"That being said..."
"Okay, okay, don't say anything."
Chen Yi pulled her up from the sofa and said, "Don't be so hypocritical. Go to the bathroom and take a shower. Then forget about these things and continue doing what you need to do."
Jiang Chuyi pointed at the bag she placed on the coffee table and asked, "Why did you buy so many vegetables?"
Chen Yi glanced at her and said, "I have an appointment with Zhao Guangyu today. We will have hot pot at your house later."
Jiang Chuyi said "oh" and put on her slippers slowly.
After taking a shower and blowing her hair, Jiang Chuyi looked at herself in the mirror and thought carefully about Chen Yi's words.
She was indeed quite strange... Although spreading rumors was a very unkind thing to do, she seemed to care a little too much about what Souya thought of her.
Jiang Chuyi comforted herself in the spirit of Ah Q.
It doesn't matter if she is looked down upon. It's not just one person who looks down on her. Since she has chosen to be a star, her self-esteem is the last thing worth mentioning.
When she went home to accompany her parents to the temple during the Chinese New Year, she sincerely helped Zong Ye to pray in front of the Buddha, wishing him a smooth career and good health, just as a reluctant way to repay a favor...
*
When Jiang Chuyi went out, the lights in the living room were bright, and the TV was playing a popular variety show recently. Along with the familiar laughter, there were bursts of fragrance wafting from the kitchen. Chen Yi had already started to get busy.
Under the dim and warm light, staring at the bubbling soup on the dining table, Jiang Chuyi felt that the depression of these days had finally dissipated a little.
After a while, Zhao Guangyu also came.
He was still the same, looking for the charger as soon as he entered the door. He seemed to be unaware of what had happened recently and asked Jiang Chuyi more questions.
After skillfully opening a bag of potato chips, Zhao Guangyu sat on the hanging chair next to the floor-to-ceiling window and started playing King of Glory.
Jiang Chuyi rolled up her sleeves and decided to clean.
"Chu Yi, pour me a glass of water!" Zhao Guangyu shouted.
Jiang Chuyi squatted on the ground to change the feed for Rabbit, without looking back, "Get it yourself, it's in the refrigerator."
"I'm in the middle of a fierce battle!"
Jiang Chuyi had no choice but to take a bottle of water and hand it to him.
As she passed the sofa, she wiped her hands, picked up her mobile phone and opened WeChat.
Thanks to Chen Yi's advice, she also became more open-minded. This time, Jiang Chuyi's mentality was much more stable than the previous two days.
She scrolled through the message list, replying to the work messages from the past two days one by one.
After replying, exit and click on the next person.
Until it stops at a certain avatar frame.
Jiang Chuyi's fingers were slightly stiff.
Unexpectedly, when Jiang Chuyi saw the bright red "4" on the left side of Zongye's portrait, her breathing slowed down.
Like a death row inmate preparing for his final trial.
She hardened her heart and clicked on it.
Wednesday 03:30
Muneya: "I was working just now and just got my phone. I didn't see your message."
Souya: "I just found out about the trending search, you don't have to take it personally."
Wednesday 03:45
Souya: "Are you asleep?"
Thursday 17:24
Muneya: "I didn't know that public opinion would have such a big impact on you. I was a little hasty in replying to your message yesterday. I should be the one to say sorry to you."
Jiang Chuyi nervously stared at Zong Ye's messages several times, repeatedly confirming whether there was any sarcasm or disdain in his words.
I can hardly recognize the meaning of these Chinese characters...
Chen Yi walked past her carrying something, "Chu Yi, what are you looking at?"
"Ah?" Jiang Chuyi came back to his senses, "Nothing."
Chen Yi glanced at her suspiciously and said, "If you have nothing to do, go and help me wash the vegetables."
"Wait a minute, I'm busy now."
Jiang Chuyi clutched her phone tightly and trotted back to the bedroom.
She squatted beside the bed, gently stroking her chest with her hand, and felt her heartbeat was a little too fast.
She was a little confused for a moment and didn't know how to describe her complicated feelings.
Did Souya mean to blame her for what he said? She thought she had prepared herself mentally for the past few days, but at this moment, she suddenly felt a strange sense of relief that he was still willing to talk to her.
Jiang Chuyi bit her lip, pondered for a while, and replied to him:
"I've been so tired these past two days that I haven't looked at my phone much. I'd be glad if this didn't affect your mood. Sorry, sorry."
This time, the other party replied quickly.
Souya: "Can you talk now? I'm not very comfortable typing."
Jiang Chuyi: "Oh, okay, no problem."
While waiting for his call for a minute, Jiang Chuyi hugged her legs with her hands and buried her face in her knees. She felt that her heart beat faster than ever since she was a child.
The call was connected with a beep, and Jiang Chuyi answered carefully.
There seemed to be a faint sound of wind whistling and car horns honking over there, and Zong Ye asked, "Chu Yi?"
Jiang Chuyi hummed.
His voice came through the phone, "Wait a minute, I'll put on some headphones."
Jiang Chuyi unconsciously grabbed the edge of her nightgown, scratching it randomly with her fingers, "Are you working?"
"No, I'm driving."
A familiar teasing voice came from the other end, "Hey, who is Teacher Zong talking to on the phone?"
Zongya seemed to be in a good mood. He chuckled and replied, "A friend."
"Which friend?" Wang Tan's nonchalant laughter became even more cheerful, and it seemed that he was closer, so his voice was much clearer. He said casually, "Let me guess, is it your recent rumored girlfriend? The friend named Jiang?"
Jiang Chuyi felt ashamed when she heard this, and immediately said, "I'm sorry about that hot search. I really didn't know that the necklace was related to you at that time."
"It's okay." There was silence for a while. "It's okay even if you know."
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
It would have been better if he didn't say it. Once he said it, Jiang Chuyi felt even more ashamed.
"Jiang Chuyi? What are you doing?" Zhao Guangyu's loud voice suddenly rang out. He pulled the door handle, pushed open a crack and poked his head in, and asked in surprise, "What are you doing squatting there?"
He was about to go inside: "Who are you calling? Didn't you hear me calling you for dinner?"
Jiang Chuyi put the phone on her lap, raised her head, and gestured to him, "You go out first, I'll be there soon."
When I picked up the phone again and put it to my ear, there was no sound on the other end.
Jiang Chuyi called out "hello" a few times, thinking that the signal was bad, so she picked up the phone and checked it several times.
Zongye suddenly spoke, "Are you home?"
She replied, "Yes, I'm home."
"Are you with someone?"
"No."
"Maybe I heard it wrongly. There was someone else's voice just now."
"Ah?" Jiang Chuyi hesitated for a moment, but did not hide anything. She said honestly, "My friends, they came to my house for dinner today."
"Well." Zong Ye said casually, "How many people?"
Jiang Chuyi replied, "Two."
There was silence for a while.
As if it was an illusion, the atmosphere suddenly became a little solemn. Jiang Chuyi waited quietly and heard a slight click coming from the microphone.
It was the crisp sound of a lighter being lit.
I don’t know if it’s because the car window was rolled down, but the wind sound got stronger.
Zongye seemed to be biting a cigarette, so his voice was not clear, "You don't have to feel guilty about what happened two days ago."
Jiang Chuyi's heart was pounding, and she was a little nervous as she prepared to continue apologizing.
"If you really feel guilty..." Zong Ye was quiet for a while and asked, "Would you like to treat me to a meal?"
(End of this chapter)