After listening to Chen Xiangliang's story, Jiang Chuyi was speechless for a long time.
She seemed to be listening to a very long story. She was obviously the protagonist of the story, but she just couldn't put herself into the story.
Over the years, Jiang Chuyi has met many people in school, on the set, and in various activities. The fate she had with them was either deep or shallow, but most of them were just casual encounters. To her, those unimportant people or things were all forgotten by her.
Jiang Chuyi recalled that when she apologized to Zong Ye, he kept saying "it's okay".
She pulled him to hype it up.
It doesn't matter.
She was hot and cold.
It doesn't matter.
She forgot about him.
does not matter.
Jiang Chuyi forgot how she got back to the car.
After trying the car key several times without success, she realized that she was probably not fit to drive.
She rested her forehead on the back of her hand and half-leaned on the steering wheel.
Maintaining this posture for an unknown amount of time, a few whistle sounds suddenly rang in his ears, and Jiang Chuyi slowly raised his head.
The car behind stopped and a man got out, bent down and asked, "Are you okay?"
She suddenly came back to her senses, her pupils slowly regained focus, and she rolled down the window: "Am I blocking your way?"
The eldest brother stared at her pale face and said, "No, I see you've been sitting here for quite a while, is everything alright?"
Jiang Chuyi shook her head.
"Okay." The eldest brother muttered and left again.
Jiang Chuyi opened the central armrest box, found a box of mints, poured out a few, and put them in her mouth.
A hint of coolness spread across the tip of her tongue, and her emotions finally calmed down.
She looked at the windshield and suddenly felt that Zong Ye was a little strange, as if she had never really known him.
The neglected details in memory are unraveled bit by bit.
When they were in Italy, Souya asked her carefully, vaguely, why she didn't recognize him. On her birthday, Xiao Zhong found the old plastic-sealed photo paper in an inconspicuous corner of her bag. On that night, the snow was falling slowly. Souya was smiling, but his cold black eyes looked at her, but it was as if it was raining, silent and powerless. On New Year's Eve, when Souya couldn't resist the invasion of alcohol and fell asleep, she saw tears on his face. At the end of the song, his suppressed voice gave a blessing for the first day of the new year...
In summer in Shanghai, just after six in the morning, the sky was already slightly white. Jiang Chuyi picked up her phone and took a taxi home.
I slept in a confused state on the sofa for a few hours, and in my dream it seemed like I was back in junior high school.
She floated in the air, looking at the gray figure from a bystander's perspective, hiding pitifully in the crowd and watching her quietly.
Looking at the graduation photos that day, after she left, that gray figure was still standing there alone.
She really wanted to go over and ask him whether, in the following years, he had lived a smooth and happy life as she had casually wished.
She really wanted to tell him that many years later, he would become a very dazzling person, and many people would like him. He would no longer be lonely and would no longer be looked down upon by others.
She really wanted to tell the girl who was walking away if she could look back at the little boy, and look at him again.
Without any warning, Jiang Chuyi woke up from her dream.
She hugged the quilt blankly, and when she raised her hand to touch her face, she found it was wet.
It turned out that she was crying too.
*
A day later, Jiang Chuyi called Wang Woyun and asked her about the postoperative precautions for retinal detachment and wrote them down in a notebook.
After communicating with Assistant Zongye about visiting hours on WeChat, she changed into clean clothes and went to the supermarket to buy some fruit.
When she arrived at the inpatient building, Jiang Chuyi walked around the building for a few times. She didn't know if it was because she was homesick or something else, but she didn't dare to go up for a while.
Finally, Jiang Chuyi decided to climb the stairs to calm down.
When she reached the floor, breathlessly, and pushed open the door to the fire escape, she found Wang Tan and Ji Kai sitting on a bench in the corridor playing with their cell phones.
Jiang Chuyi wiped the sweat off his face, walked over quietly and said hello.
Ji Kai raised his head and glanced at her: "Is it so hot, Teacher Jiang?"
Jiang Chuyi nodded and sat down next to him.
Wang Tan raised his chin and said, "Just go in. The person is lying inside."
"I'll sit for a while."
"What?" Wang Tan chuckled.
"I need to prepare myself mentally." Jiang Chuyi put the fruit at her feet. "I'm a little scared to see him lying in bed in such a miserable state."
"It's not that bad. Mr. Zong is still as charming as ever. Except for his blindness, he's still pretty handsome."
Jiang Chuyi smiled.
"Well." Wang Tan looked awkward, hesitating to speak, "I want to apologize for the message I sent you a few days ago. I'm a grown man, and I really shouldn't be arguing with a little girl like you. I shouldn't have said too much about you and Zongye's affairs. It makes me look like a gossip."
Jiang Chuyi was puzzled: "Your news is not really a joke, isn't it? It's just a joke to me."
Wang Tan hummed, "As long as you don't mind."
Jiang Chuyi looked at Wang Tan's expression and guessed that Zong Ye might have said something to him.
Except for Muneya, it seemed that everyone around him was very careful with her in certain matters, and never embarrassed her even when they were joking.
Jiang Chuyi thought that she was too thick-skinned, so she never felt the "coldness" that the outside world said about Xibao. Now that she thinks about it, they are so friendly to her, probably because of Zongye.
Ji Kai realized it later and interrupted, "What happened to Teacher Jiang and Zong Ye? What happened?"
"Silly dog, play your game." Wang Tan rolled his eyes at him.
Jiang Chuyi: "Are you guys on holiday these two days?"
"Zongye is having surgery now, so we can take a few days off. The company hasn't dared to let anyone know about it yet."
Jiang Chuyi understood.
She sat for a while, then stood up and said, "I'll go in and take a look."
Wang Tan hummed.
Jiang Chuyi gently pushed open the door, and Ah Xi, who was sitting on the bed, immediately turned around.
She quickly put her finger to her lips, made a hushing sound, handed the fruit to Ah Xi, and made a few silent gestures to him.
Ah Xi nodded, picked up the bag and went out, closing the door for them.
Silence returned to the room.
The window of the room was slightly open, with a pot of flowers placed on it. The sun was reflected by the glass onto the floor. Zongye was half lying on the bed, with a circle of white gauze wrapped around his eyes, and his breathing was very light, as if he was asleep.
Jiang Chuyi looked at him in a daze.
I don’t know how long it took, but Zongye moved.
She held her breath.
He raised his hand slightly, "Water."
Jiang Chuyi leaned forward to listen to his words and asked, "Do you want to drink some water?"
"Chu Yi?"
"it's me."
"Can you help me sit up?"
Jiang Chuyi helped him put the pillow behind him, then picked up the glass on the bedside table and handed it to him.
After a while, she realized that Souya couldn't see now.
Jiang Chuyi brought the edge of the water cup to his lips.
Souya matched her movements and tilted his head slightly.
She was afraid that he would choke, so she watched him swallow a mouthful before feeding him a little.
When it was almost time, Jiang Chuyi prepared to stop.
Zongya grabbed her wrist and asked calmly, "Can I drink some more?"
She had no choice but to give in to him, "Didn't the doctor tell you that you can't drink too much water after the surgery?"
Hearing this, Zongye slowly let go of her hand.
Jiang Chuyi sat back in her original position, put the cup away, and stared at his water-stained lips.
There seems to be a small benefit to Souya's temporary loss of sight.
He could rest, and she could look at him so brazenly without being noticed.
Jiang Chuyi: "Zongye, does the surgery hurt?"
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt."
"You lied to me. My mother said that this surgery is very painful and will take more than an hour. It cannot be done under full anesthesia."
He was silent for a moment, "This little pain is nothing to me."
Jiang Chuyi finally asked: "Have you not had a good life these years?"
"What's wrong?" Zongye smiled.
"say what?"
"I didn't say anything, just some things that happened in junior high school." Jiang Chuyi's voice became guilty and nagging, "I should have been more careful at the time. You even said you owed me a thank you, but in fact I didn't help you much at all. Later..."
"Chu Yi." He interrupted her calmly.
Jiang Chuyi: “Hmm?”
"You'll give me a false impression."
"What an illusion."
"You're in love with me."
Jiang Chuyi's mind buzzed.
"Because you like me, you feel sorry for me, right?" Zongye smiled, "Or maybe, because you feel sorry for me, you like me."
"You misunderstood. I'm not pitying you." Jiang Chuyi thought she had accidentally hurt his self-esteem, and immediately said, "Don't worry, I won't confuse these things, and you are now-"
"But I don't mind you taking pity on me."
This sentence successfully blocked all of Jiang Chuyi's voices.
Zongye said softly, "I don't mind anything. If I knew you would be sad about my past, I wish I could be more miserable."
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
Although Zongye couldn't see anything, Jiang Chuyi had an illusion that they were looking at each other from a distance through the gauze.
"You really don't have to be so..."
Jiang Chuyi originally wanted to say "inferiority complex", but when the words came to her lips, she felt that this word really didn't match Zong Ye.
She thought for a moment and then said, "Zongye, you don't have to be so careful with me. Many years have passed. Now we are both different from before. You are a very good person now."
"Are we different now?" Zong Ye smiled, "Chu Yi, but I feel like you are still far away from me."
"Many years have passed, and my life has indeed changed a lot." He spoke calmly, his lips pale, "but I still can't get any closer to you."
"Maybe there has been some changes. Before, I only dared to look at you, but now I dare to talk to you a few more times. Isn't that a bit of progress?"
Jiang Chuyi was upset by his self-deprecating words, "Zong Ye, don't say that about yourself."
"I also want to endure until the day you fall in love with me, but I found that I overestimated myself. I would even collapse because of a few words from you." Zong Ye smiled to himself.
Jiang Chuyi had a strong ability to empathize, and she felt inexplicably sad for him. She felt like she was about to become a heartless woman with a lot of debts in love, as if if she didn't tell Zong Ye in person that she liked him, she would be the most heartless person in the world.
"Zongye, you've finally come this far. If you date me, you'll lose a lot." Jiang Chuyi sighed, "Besides, our scandal has been hyped up too much. If it's true, you'll be scolded badly."
If it's true... confirm it.
There was finally a hint of softening in her words and attitude.
Zongye's mind went blank for a moment, and he even had difficulty controlling his expression.
He was afraid that she would notice something was wrong, so he could only adjust his sitting position, lower his head slightly, and clutch the quilt tightly where she couldn't see, so as to make his tone sound as calm as possible.
"Chu Yi, you don't have to worry about this. The doctor said that my eyes need to rest for at least three months, and I have currently suspended all work. When the contract expires and there is a five-year anniversary tour, after everything is over, I may retreat behind the scenes and may transform, but I will not be an idol anymore. A lot of the things you mentioned, I can do without them all."
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
Not being able to hear her voice forced Souya into a sweat.
When the time came, Zongye actually felt a little panic. He vaguely sensed her weak love for him and suspected that this was another joke she played.
Zong Ye tried his best to not be so anxious, and continued to ask her calmly, "Chu Yi, if you don't hate me, can you try to like me?"
"Mong Ye, let me think about it."
Jiang Chuyi had no resistance to his straightforwardness, and finally couldn't bear to refuse again, "Let's both think about it carefully. I don't know what your attitude towards me is. Maybe when you were very young, you regarded me as an idol and admired me, but you actually don't need to look up to me anymore. You have to distinguish. I don't want you to regret it in the future."
The nurse knocked on the door.
She quickly added, "Of course, I also need to think about it, but don't worry, I will give you an answer as soon as I have considered it, and I won't drag you down."
Without waiting for his response, Jiang Chuyi said hurriedly: "Visiting time is almost up, I have to go."
"Will you come to see me again?"
Jiang Chuyi stood up and agreed casually: "Yes, yes."
When the ward returned to silence, Zong Ye sat alone.
After a long moment, he smiled.
*
The news of Souya's eye injury was concealed, and BloodXGentle's official blog released a vague announcement saying that Souya needed to recuperate for a period of time.
The outside world immediately speculated and rumors flew, and fans scolded IM for several days. Later, a big fan who knew the truth came out and unified the comments, waiting for Zong Ye to return. The professional black and the rivals watched the fun and deliberately annoyed them, spreading rumors that Zong Ye was secretly married and had a child.
There was chaos for a while.
Because Zong Ye could not participate in the subsequent recording of "Shining Stars", the plan to hype up his CP with Jiang Chuyi had to be put on hold.
Since that day when Zong Ye had a quarrel with Jiang Chuyi in the ward, he started to call her every two or three days, and then almost every day. At first, Jiang Chuyi couldn't adapt to it. Sometimes when she was at work, she suddenly received a call from him, and she was always afraid that people around her would find out. But when she thought about Zong Ye's eye injury and that he couldn't see, Jiang Chuyi could only let him do it.
Sometimes when she was too tired from recording a show, Souya's voice came through the airwaves, sounding hypnotic and gentle, and she would fall asleep after talking to him for a few words. It was not until she woke up the next day that she realized they had been on the phone all night.
On the day when the recording in Xishuangbanna was completed, the first episode of Shining Stars was broadcast. As soon as Jiang Chuyi’s plane landed in Shanghai, Ah Xi sent her a WeChat message.
"Teacher Jiang, I'm already in the parking lot."
Jiang Chuyi: "I was planning to go home and change clothes. Is there something wrong, Zong? Why are you so anxious?"
Ah Xi: "It's okay, I'll take you home to change."
After she got home and packed up, Ah Xi took Jiang Chuyi to Zong Ye's house to "visit the patient."
When they were almost at their destination, Jiang Chuyi realized something was wrong: "Where is this?"
Ah Xi explained to her, "This is Mr. Zong's own house. He used to live with his uncle. That area is full of old neighborhoods. Later, many illegitimate fans found out and climbed over the wall to get in. Mr. Zong has basically returned to his own home in the past two years. Plus, he is not very mobile now, and it is not safe to go up and down the stairs there."
"oh oh."
The location of Zong Ye's house is not much different from Xin He's. The community is winding and this area is an extremely high-end residential area with strict security.
Jiang Chuyi followed Ah Xi and took the elevator upstairs.
Ah Xi pressed the combination lock and Jiang Chuyi paused.
Maybe because she had talked to Zong Ye too many times recently and got used to hearing his voice, Jiang Chuyi inexplicably felt a sense of unreality when she suddenly had to meet him in person.
She tidied her hair before following Ah Xi in.
Hearing the noise at the door, the person sitting on the sofa turned around.
With gauze still wrapped around his eyes, Souya stood up and groped a few steps forward.
Jiang Chuyi immediately stopped him: "Don't move, be careful not to trip."
She changed her shoes and walked over, looking at the decoration of his house, and then asked, "How is your recovery going?"
Zongye smiled, "Not bad."
"Don't let Ah Xi pick me up next time. He is your assistant and many people know him. Don't let the paparazzi take pictures of him."
Zongye thought for a moment, "If you keep your word, I won't let him pick you up."
Relying on the fact that he is now "blind", Jiang Chuyi boldly stared at his handsome face, "Why don't I keep my word?"
He said slowly: "You said you would come to see me, but I didn't even wait for you after I was discharged from the hospital."
"Okay..." She was indeed in the wrong about this matter, and could only mutter, "It's because I'm a little busy at work, and you can rest, but I can't."
Zong Ye was wearing soft pajamas with a low neckline. As Jiang Chuyi was talking, she couldn't help but take a closer look at the rouge mole on his neck.
Today, the first episode of "Stars Shining" premiered on Star City TV. At eight o'clock in the evening, Jiang Chuyi and Zong Ye sat side by side on the sofa, waiting for the show to begin.
Jiang Chuyi: "Wouldn't it be boring just to listen to the sound?"
"Won't."
Jiang Chuyi looked around, "Where's Ah Xiren? Doesn't he want to see?"
"He might have gone out for something."
Jiang Chuyi said "oh".
The show started soon. When it was her turn to perform, Jiang Chuyi was watching attentively when she suddenly felt someone touching her fingers a few times.
She shrank back and turned her head: "What's wrong?"
Zongye was still groping, a little helpless, "The volume is very low, I'll find the remote control."
Jiang Chuyi stuffed the black remote control into his hand and said, "You adjust it, and tell me if you have anything else."
The sample film Gao Ning sent her last time did not have subtitles or fancy special effects, and for the sake of comedy, the main film also included the clip of Feng Jia and Jiang Chuyi arranging the task of "wake Zong Ye up". Feng Jia was the PD, with only voiceover, and Jiang Chuyi was the only one who appeared in the whole process.
Her astonished expression was played back three times, and in post-production, several exclamation marks were even photoshopped above her head, accompanied by small special effects of lightning and thunder.
Jiang Chuyi had a complicated expression and endured it.
It was not until she went to call Zong Ye to get up with a gong and saw that he was not wearing any clothes that Jiang Chuyi turned around anxiously and used the gong to block the camera, saying, "You can't take pictures of this!"
The BGM suddenly sounded "Guardian of My Light".
Just then, Souya turned up the volume a little more.
(End of this chapter)