Because of Zong Ye's words, Jiang Chuyi opened her eyes wide and was stuck for a moment.
There were bursts of laughter coming from the variety show playing on TV.
He remained motionless, still holding his phone towards her.
She felt like she was dreaming, her palms were numb, and her heart felt like it had never been beating so violently since she was a child.
Jiang Chuyi maintained a stiff defensive posture, going over everything that had happened tonight in his mind, his expression changing subtly.
After a long while, she couldn't help but frown, "You really are..."
After holding it in for a long time, facing Souya's face, he finally gave up and was unable to utter a single harsh word.
Jiang Chuyi slumped her shoulders as if giving up. After thinking for a while, she murmured, "Zongye, I do like you."
He was stunned for a moment and loosened his grip.
The black cell phone fell on his knees.
Jiang Chuyi didn't notice this scene, and pondered for a while, "I want to ask you something."
"What?"
Her expression suddenly became serious, and her tone was earnest: "You haven't terminated your contract with the company yet. If you date me, would that be considered a breach of contract?"
Zong Ye was confused by the word "falling in love" from her...
He closed his eyes and lowered his head. After a few minutes of silence, he struggled to sort out his thoughts and explained to her, "We signed the contract in September 2016, so strictly speaking, the contract has expired at the end of this month. Wang Tan and Ji Kai should have received a new contract. Fu Cheng and I will start the termination procedures. The group will not officially announce the disbandment, but after the tour next year, we will carry out activities under our individual names."
"I'm still on vacation now. The doctor said that my eyes can't do high-intensity work for the time being. I need to rest until at least October, so even if I'm with you..."
His voice was hoarse, "Dating you is not considered a breach of contract."
After hearing these words, Jiang Chuyi's heart finally settled down.
She whispered, "I was thinking of delaying it because I thought your penalty fee was too expensive and I might not be able to pay it."
"What?"
Jiang Chuyi glanced at him, her heart in a mess, and said sullenly: "Do you think it's easy to fall in love with you?"
There was a hint of probing in Zongye's words: "You were originally planning to help me pay the penalty?"
"Of course." Jiang Chuyi's face flashed a little awkward, "After all, you did it for me..."
She turned her head away, too embarrassed to continue.
Pretending nothing had been said, Jiang Chuyi continued watching TV.
The two of them suddenly became quiet again.
Zong Ye sat there without moving, but he didn't dare to allow himself to continue looking at her.
He took off his glasses and buried his face slightly in his palms, carefully hiding his out-of-control emotions at the moment.
He was so excited that his expression even turned into a strange and unusual calm.
Zong also thought that Jiang Chuyi must be the genius in the world who knows how to torture himself the most.
Every second she stayed by his side, every second that Souya had to treat her gently, was a training for him.
When necessary, Zong Ye should remind Jiang Chuyi that she needs some sense of crisis. Jiang Chuyi probably doesn't know that she can easily crush him into pieces with just one move, one word, or one expression.
Ah Xi had almost finished his stroll outside, so he calculated the time and went upstairs. When he opened the door, he saw two people sitting side by side on the sofa, both covered with a small blanket, and there was still a distance of half a meter between them.
He approached holding the watermelon.
They both turned their gazes at the same time and looked at themselves.
Under Souya's gaze, Ah Xi scratched his head, "Brother, you..."
Glancing at Jiang Chuyi sitting next to him, he immediately changed his tone to surprise: "Brother, your eyes suddenly got better!"
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
She wanted to pull her hand back from under the blanket, but the other person was holding it too tightly and she couldn't pull it out.
Jiang Chuyi coughed softly, "It's too late, I have to go back."
"Let me take you there, Teacher Jiang." Ah Xi said immediately.
"No need... I'll take a taxi home by myself." Jiang Chuyi hesitated, not knowing who to talk to, "Keep a low profile for now."
Low profile.
Ah Xi pondered the meaning of this word.
Jiang Chuyi hurriedly picked up her bag and glanced at Zong Ye again, "You should take good care of yourself."
After giving her instructions, she left.
She struggled a few times when she got up, and Ah Xi noticed the pair of clasped hands under the blanket.
Ah Xi opened his mouth slightly, holding the watermelon and standing there in a daze.
There was a click at the door.
Jiang Chuyi left.
Ah Xi looked at his boss speechlessly, "Brother, do you want some watermelon?"
"you eat."
Zong Ye stood up from the sofa, walked around him calmly, and went back to his bedroom.
After a while, Zong Ye came out again, took the small blanket on the sofa, and returned to the room.
Ah Xi was confused for a while, thinking, could this be... done?!
*
Jiang Chuyi feels that he is a person with relatively stable emotions.
But in the past six months, she has been unable to sleep again and again because of the same person.
Souya…
Jiang Chuyi pinched her face and arms, and the pain told her that she was not dreaming.
She lay on the bed, still a little dazed and unbelievable.
Half a year ago, Jiang Chuyi even felt that she was marrying up to him by being in a relationship with Zong Ye.
The bassist of the famous BloodXGentle is now extremely popular, with fans dominating the fan circle and he can act arrogantly wherever he goes.
And now, she is actually dating this person...
If it were to be revealed, not to mention Jiang Chuyi, even Zong Ye’s fans could flood the Kaijun building with their saliva.
After the first episode of "Shining Stars" was broadcast, in addition to the program team, Jiang Chuyi's Weibo was also bombarded.
The comments were full of battles between CP fans and toxic fans, and the two sides were fighting fiercely. Jiang Chuyi flipped through the comments that scolded her, and she didn't feel wronged or upset. After all, she really did something "treasonous", and she felt better if Zong Ye's fans scolded her a few more times.
Because Star City TV banned entertainment, "Shining Stars" was also suspended for a week. The online criticism gradually subsided after a few days.
The tenth episode was recorded in Shanghai.
Zong Ye seems to have become more clingy recently, as if he knows that Jiang Chuyi is always concerned about his eye injury and can't bear to refuse his request, so he calls more and more frequently. When she returns to the hotel, the phone request immediately turns into a video request.
Sometimes Jiang Chuyi didn't understand how Zong Ye managed his schedule so clearly. Whenever he had a break or a meal, his phone would always ring on time. Jiang Chuyi felt helpless and felt like there was a surveillance camera around her.
Later, this kind of "coincidence" happened more and more times, and she couldn't help but wonder, "Songye, how do you always know when I rest?"
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"You bribed my assistant?"
"No." Zong Ye paused, "A Xi has a good relationship with Assistant Wang Tan, so I asked him to help ask."
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
"Sometimes when you don't answer my calls, I start to think about random things."
Jiang Chuyi couldn't help but said, "I didn't answer your call because I was working."
"I'm sorry, Chuyi." Noticing that her tone was wrong, Zongye lowered his voice, "I just wanted to ask about these things because I was afraid of disturbing your work."
Jiang Chuyi felt a little strange, but after hearing Zongye's sincere apology, she softened her heart and compromised: "Okay, I'm not blaming you."
"You should take good care of yourself and stop having these random thoughts." She murmured softly, "I don't know why you are so nervous. I'm not going to disappear suddenly."
Zongye hummed.
Jiang Chuyi had no experience. She had seen Chen Yi have several secret relationships with people in the industry. Their relationship was basically a phone call every now and then, playing a few games, and meeting once every few months. They were very relaxed, not caring about each other, and not being too clingy.
Jiang Chuyi guessed that Zongye must have been too idle at home recently and had nothing to do, so he was so attached to her. When Zongye returns to work next month, he probably won't have much time to worry about her.
Seeing that she didn't speak for a long time, Zong Ye asked: "What are you doing now?"
Quan Yongning was calling her in the box, Jiang Chuyi hurriedly responded, raised her hand to cover the phone, and whispered: "I'm in the hotel, I just finished recording the show, everyone is here, and we're going to have a meal together, so let's not talk about it for now."
Souya: "Okay."
Jiang Chuyi hung up the phone, a look of apology appeared on her face, and she walked back to her seat and sat down.
Quan Yongning handed her a menu and joked, "What's wrong with Xiao Jiang lately? Why are you calling so many times? You're a very busy man!"
"No, no, it's my home number."
Jiang Chuyi quickly ordered some vegetables and gave the menu to Feng Miaotong.
One of the guests this time is from the same agency as her, and they have shot magazine photos together before. She is a teenage girl named Bei Lan.
Beilan rarely appears in variety shows, and she is not very relaxed in front of so many big stars. She was chatting with Jiang Chuyi when she suddenly noticed someone coming to the door.
Jiang Chuyi was still using her phone to check Bei Lanwen's company activities when she heard the laughter in her ear stop.
The box was silent for a moment.
She couldn't help but look up.
The man at the door was wearing sunglasses, had a jade-like figure, and was dressed in a low-key and refreshing T-shirt and trousers. He was very tall, leaning against the door with his head slightly lowered, and was pulled by the producer to listen to what he was saying.
After a while, he nodded.
It was not until the producer left that the man pushed the door open with his arm and walked into the box that Wang Tan exclaimed, "Who is this?"
Xu Jiayu: "Zongye?!"
Zongye nodded politely.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he looked around, walked to the empty seat next to Ji Kai, pulled out a chair and sat down.
Jiang Chuyi was also surprised by his sudden appearance. She was stunned for a moment, then pretended to casually look away and continued to stare at her phone.
"Xiao Zong, are your eyes okay?" Xu Zhi asked with concern.
"about there."
"Why are you here all of a sudden instead of lying down at home?" Ji Kai asked suspiciously.
Zongye chuckled, deliberately lowering his voice to a bass, and answered him: "Missed you?"
Ji Kai: “…”
Bei Lan looked around, secretly glancing at what was going on over there, and whispered to Jiang Chuyi, "It's Zong Ye. This is the first time I've seen him in person."
Jiang Chuyi's expression returned to normal and he nodded calmly.
As she was talking, Bei Lan noticed that Souya's face turned sideways and seemed to be looking in this direction. She immediately sat up straight.
While no one was paying attention, Jiang Chuyi sent a message to Zong Ye: "Why are you here?"
Jiang Chuyi: "Didn't I just say that I would go to your house to see you after dinner?"
Zong Ye: "I miss Ji Kai a little bit"
Jiang Chuyi: "Okay"
Jiang Chuyi: "After dinner, you go first. I need to pack my things and I'll come find you after I'm done."
Quan Yongning knew that Zong Ye currently had a light diet, so he ordered porridge and soup for him separately.
During the meal, the director and producer came over a few more times, talked a few words and then left.
The table discussed the premiere of "Catching Stars" next month, and Xu Jiayu asked: "Brother Ye, can you go then?"
Souya: "It shouldn't be a big problem."
Xu Jiayu complained: "That's great. Recently, the downstairs of the company has been blocked by fans. If you recover, you should come out as soon as possible, otherwise I won't dare to go back to the company."
Jiang Chuyi ate quietly without saying anything, just listening intently.
Halfway through, she went to the bathroom, and when she came back, she ran into Fushigi and Souya chatting in the corridor.
Zongye looked at her distractedly.
Jiang Chuyi nodded to them.
She walked right past them into the box.
Fu Cheng lowered his eyes and saw Zongye's hand about to be raised, and couldn't help but sneered.
When the banquet was almost over, Feng Miaotong said, "Everyone, please enjoy your meal. I have something else to do later, so I'll leave now. See you next time."
Jiang Chuyi stood up and said goodbye to everyone.
During the meal, Jiang Chuyi drank some wine with him. She was not drunk, but a little tipsy. She went back to the hotel to take a shower and handed the packed luggage to Xiao Zhong.
After taking a taxi to Zong Ye's place, Jiang Chuyi pressed the combination lock he gave her, changed her shoes and went in.
Zong Ye sat quietly on the sofa.
She took two steps closer and noticed that his face looked slightly gloomy.
Jiang Chuyi sat down next to him and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Zongye smiled and said, "Nothing, just thinking about something."
She looked him over again, "What are you thinking about?"
Her probing gaze lasted for several minutes before Zongye spoke: "Chuyi, I'll come to find you. Are you unhappy?"
Jiang Chuyi denied: "No, I'm very happy."
"I pulled your hand and you quickly dodged it."
"Um, that's outside, didn't you say we should keep a low profile?" Jiang Chuyi tried to comfort him, "Given your current situation, we can't make it public for the time being."
Zongye suddenly raised his hand and touched her red earlobe with his fingertips.
She paused and subconsciously shrank her shoulders because of the itch.
"Are we in love, Chuyi?"
"Yes." She didn't understand.
"Then you have to slowly get used to the fact that I will touch you. Including holding your hand, hugging you, or..."
Jiang Chuyi interrupted him: "It's not that I'm not used to it, it's just a little itchy."
"Is it just because you're itchy?" Souya asked in a low voice, "Or is it because you hate me?"
"How could I hate you!" Jiang Chuyi was surprised. He felt that the more he talked, the more outrageous he was. He explained, "It's mainly because I'm a rookie. Apart from some interactions with the opposite sex during filming, I don't have much experience in love. So for the time being, I'm not used to your physical contact. I need to get used to it, but I definitely don't hate you or anything."
"So, do you want to get used to me?"
"What?"
"I'll try not to touch you until you get used to me, okay?"
The topic changed so quickly that she didn't quite react: "Ah?... How can I adapt to you?"
Zongye looked at her thoughtfully, lowered his voice and said unclearly: "You were drunk once before and touched my eyes, eyelashes, and neck. Do you like these places?"
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
The air was silent.
She felt that she had completely seen another side of Souya.
He was so good at looking dignified and gentlemanly while calmly saying these depraved words.
Jiang Chuyi was a little shocked, and a crack appeared on her gentle and peaceful face, "You... I... this..."
After a full minute of silence, Zongye spoke again, "Is it not okay for me to not touch you but let you touch me first?"
Jiang Chuyi actually heard a hint of grievance in his tone.
She couldn't help but reflect on herself, was she too conservative and docile? She wouldn't flirt with others at all. Since she agreed to date him, they were both adults, so she should "act more generously"...
Thinking of this, Jiang Chuyi looked calm and said, "Wait a minute, I'll go drink some water first."
Without caring about Zong Ye's reaction, she went straight to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out a bottle of ice water.
After taking big gulps of ice water, Jiang Chuyi calmed down.
She stayed alone in the kitchen, silently cheering herself up.
When she came out, Zong Ye was waiting for her in the restaurant.
She walked over and, relying on the remaining alcohol, said to Zongye: "Since you asked me to do this, I will give it a try. Where do I start?"
Souya: "Try what?"
"Don't you want me to adapt to you?"
Time seemed to have been paused.
Zong didn't move either, and asked slowly: "Now?"
"Yes." Jiang Chuyi answered him.
She looked around and said to him, "There's no time to lose, or else we can do it right here."
Zongye smiled meaningfully, "Okay."
In order to accommodate her height, Zong Yewei leaned on the edge of the dining table.
He tilted his head and looked at her, as if waiting for her next move.
Jiang Chuyi took two deep breaths and went to the porch to turn off the main lights, leaving only the chandelier in the dining room. She walked back and informed him in an honest tone, "Prepare yourself mentally, I'm about to start."
"let's start."
"Put your hand out."
Zong also did as he was told.
Jiang Chuyi fixed his wrist.
The tip of my finger followed his joints until I felt the slightly raised veins on the back of his hand.
Muneya curled his fingers.
"What's wrong? Do you feel itchy too?" Jiang Chuyi asked.
He hummed.
"I'm used to holding hands." Half a minute later, Jiang Chuyi said calmly.
She decided to respect the person's opinion, "Where else do you want me to fit in?"
Souya paused, then cooperated, bringing her hand to his face, "Here."
Jiang Chuyi slowed down and started from his eyebrows. Her fingers slid down, passed his eyes, lingered on his eyelashes for a while, continued down, straight nose bridge, and then down... She was about to withdraw her hand.
Zongye held her, bent down slightly, and reminded her in a hoarse voice: "You haven't finished touching her yet."
She quietly placed her cool fingers on his thin lips.
It feels very soft, the lip peaks are slightly sunken, and a little warm.
There was a strange electric shock feeling rising from the coccyx, and Jiang Chuyi felt his fingers begin to tremble.
After a few seconds, she tried to keep her voice steady, "Anything else?"
Zongye brought her hand to his neck, "Here."
Jiang Chuyi touched his Adam's apple.
This place slid and swallowed as she moved.
She moved her fingers slightly and moved them to the rouge mole on the side of her neck.
Zongye closed his eyes slightly and let out an almost inaudible sigh.
Between forbearance and explosion, he was forced so hard that every blood vessel ached.
"Is there anything else?" Jiang Chuyi said with difficulty.
Zongye gently brought her hand to his collarbone, his voice tense and fragile, "Here..."
Jiang Chuyi was dizzy and annoyed, and rubbed his fingers into the sunken hole.
"Anything else?"
Zongye paused for a moment, took her hand, and hooked up the hem of his T-shirt, "Is this okay?"
Jiang Chuyi didn't say anything.
Her body seemed to be paralyzed and she couldn't move.
For the first time, I felt so intuitively the endless heat coming from his body.
Something is wrong... It's really wrong... How can it be so irritating just by touching it twice...
Her thin fingertips scraped across his waist.
Zong Ye seemed to be enduring with great difficulty. He bent forward, his eyelashes drooped, and he bit his lips lightly with his teeth, and finally a slight gasp escaped from his throat.
Jiang Chuyi really couldn't stand the sound he made, and she immediately woke up as if from a dream and withdrew her hand.
Zongye's clothes were in disarray, and under the dim light, the corners of his eyes and lips were an unusually bright color.
Jiang Chuyi took two steps back, breathing disorderedly: "You look like I took advantage of you."
Obviously, she didn't do anything excessive, but he looked like he was about to be broken by her.
At some point, Zongye's slightly upturned eyes overflowed with tears, "I'm sorry, Chuyi, I seem to be a little uncomfortable."
Jiang Chuyi moved her lips, ready to say let’s forget about it today.
Before she could finish her words, Zongye turned his head and looked at her with eyes full of wet passion. He lowered his voice and asked in a soft and pleading tone, "Can you touch me for a while longer?"
(End of this chapter)